In the Footsteps of Snorri
Reykholt - Borgarfjördur

This tour leads to West part of Iceland. This is a historically rich area, with many sites of interest related to the Icelandic Sagas.

Highlights like Hraunfossar and Barnafossar waterfalls, a beautiful and unusual natural phenomena. A large number of travelers make a specific point of visiting these natural treasures. The Hraunfossar Falls are clear, cold springs that well up through the lava and run in falls and rapids into the Hvítá River. Barnafoss has been evolving through recorded history, as the river has dug itself down through the lava and runs in a deep and narrow ravine.

Reykholt, one of the old estates of Iceland and a cultural centre both in the past and in the present. Iceland's history is linked to Reykholt, and one of the best known Icelandic writers, the historian and poet Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), was one of its most famous occupants. He was also a political leader and one of the richest men in Iceland in the Age of the Sturlungar. Snorri was the author of Heimskringla, the history of Norwegian kings, and the Edda, a priceless source of information about Nordic mythology and poetry. Snorralaug and the channels providing water from the Skrifla hot springs are among the oldest man-made structures that have been preserved in Iceland. Medieval studies and research into the history of Borgarfjörður are carried out in the Medieval Institution, Snorrastofa. Heimskringla provides services and information for travelers, e.g. on the history of Reykholt.

Deildartunguhver thermal spring is the largest thermal spring in Iceland. It provides 180 l/sec of 100°C hot water. Some of the water is harnessed for heating utilities in Akranes (64 km) and Borgarnes (34 km), and for farms along the way. A variety of hard fern can be seen near the thermal spring, which does not grow anywhere else in Iceland. The thermal spring is protected. Greenhouse farming is extensive in Deildartunga as well as in other places in the neighborhood.