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Hofn, Iceland
This community in the Southeast is also called Hornafjardarbaer. It is situated on a spit of land in the only navigable estuary of the country. The main trades are fishing, fish processing, tourism and commerce. People started settling here around an important trading post more than a century ago and the town received its municipal rights in 1988. Visitors are offered varied recreational opportunities, sightseeing tours, glacier tours, golf, boat tours, whale watching, fishing, cultural events, museums etc. During summer the Glacier Exhibition in the old supermarket building is worth a visit. Good accommodations and restaurants take care of the bodily needs and as everywhere in the coastal towns, fresh fish should be the priority choice of those on the menu. A part of the municipal landscape has been declared a nature reserve. The Bus Company Austurleid/SBS ltd.. takes care of the communications on the roads. The distance from the capital is about 474 km along the south coast. SightsIngolfshofolngólfshöfði is located at the south of the glacier called Öræfajökull and is accessable from the northwest. It is a cape which rises up to 76 meters hight and provides a variety in nature, from steep cliffs and rocks to black sands and green grass.
Ingólfhöfði is named after the first settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson who landed there and spent his first winter in Iceland before settling in Reykjavík. During summertime its teeming with thousands of puffins and other nesting seabirds. The cape is only accessible for 4WD vehicles and due to possible quicksand, its not recommended to travel there without guidance. JokulsarlonJökulsárlón-Glacier lagoon, is one of Icelands most visited places. It is located by the highway number one, about 60 km. east of Skaftafell National Park. Huge iceblocks that have broken from the edge of the glacier float around the lagoon. A pure natural art and a magnificent sight. The lagoon started to form around 1934-35 and it is getting bigger every year. At the same time the glacier is retreating and with time there will be a deep fjord where the glacier is now. The lagoon is about 200 meters deep by the edge of the glacier and its freezing cold. The atlantic ocean flows into the lagoon bringing fish with it. It is therefore not uncommon to see seals swimming among the icebergs looking for food. Plenty of birds live by the lagoon and Breiðamerkursandur (the huge sand in the area) is the main home to the great Skua. LonsoraeflIt is a wide unhibited area, which is spectacular with it´s geological and vegetational contrasts. The landscape is richly coloured, dominated by rhyolite and minerals can be found in many places. Lónsöræfi is a very popular hiking area and a few cottages are available there for accommodation. It is common to see reindeer in Lónsöræfi. |
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