Towns of South Iceland

Hvolsvöll – Rangárþing Eystra, where the Njáls’s Saga took place a thousand years ago, is one of the best places to go in Iceland to see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and glacier, but don’t miss Seljalandsfoss and Skógarfoss waterfalls east of the town.

Ranárþing Eystra is a vast district in central South Iceland from the highlands to the sea and is part of Katla UNESCO Global Geopark. The area is known for its stunning landscape and many of the natural highlights of Iceland’s south coast can be found in the area, such as Skógarfoss, Seljalandsfoss, Þórsmörk and, of course, the infamous volcano Eyjafjallafjökull.

The Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur offers a unique Njals' Saga exhibition, where Njals’s Saga, the most famous of the medieval Sagas of Icelanders is presented in several languages. The LAVA Centre is dedicated to Iceland‘s volcanic activity and features an interactive educational exhibition revealing the science and aesthetics of Iceland‘s spectacular geological features.

Höfn is a beautiful town with a booming community. The Vatnajokull National Park offers endless opportunities for hiking and adventure activities, such as glacier exploration, and is known as one of the most famous East Iceland attractions. Be sure to visit the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon with enormous floating icebergs. If you’re looking to try some of the best food in Iceland, make sure to order fresh lobster while in Höfn! Most Icelandic lobster is caught right in the area, and the town is known for being the Lobster Capital of Iceland. Hotels, camping sites, restaurants, shops, a swimming pool, golf courses, hiking trails and various interesting museums along with two national park visitor centers are available to all who visit.

Höfn in Hornafjörður is a beautiful town with a booming community. The Vatnajokull National Park offers endless opportunities for hiking and adventure activities,such as glacier exploration. Be sure to visit the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon with enormous floating icebergs. Most Icelandic lobster is caught in the area and fresh (north atlantic?) lobster is the best food to try at many restaurants! Diverse services are offered including hotels, camping sites, restaurants, shops, a local swimming pool, golf courses, hiking trails and various interesting museums along with two national park visitor centers.

Kirkjubæjarklaustur, often called ‘Klaustur’ for short, is a small village that lies just off the Ring Road and is the only place between Vík and Höfn that has services, including a gas station. The main information centre and the gateway to the Vatnajökull National Park and Katla Global Geopark is located in the village and therefore it’s the perfect location to stay while making day trips.

At the westernmost part of the village, you will find a beautiful waterfall called Systrafoss, running from a lake above the sea-worn cliffs with hiking trails for fairly easy hikes. There’s also an educational walking trail around the nearby lowlands and includes a protected natural monument of basalt pillars, eroded and shaped by wind and waves giving the appearance of a paved church floor. Other natural sites to see include the Laki craters, the Eldgjá fissure, the moss covered Laki lava flow, Skaftáreldahraun lava field, and pseudo craters derived from the Eldgjá fissure eruption and much much more.

Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands, are located off the south coast of Iceland and are known for their stunning natural beauty, the bounty of wildlife. There are fifteen islands in total that are part of a still-active underwater volcano. The youngest island, Surtsey, came into being from the sea floor in volcano eruptions from 1963 to 1966, making it the youngest island in the whole world.

Heimaey is the only Westmann Island that’s inhabited and has a population of around 4100 people. The locals base their livelihood on fishing as excellent fishing grounds are located very close to the island.. Heimaey is only about 13 square kilometres but this small island contains enough beautiful scenery and birdlife to keep you amazed for days. The town has many popular attractions, such as one of Iceland’s best 18 hole golf courses, deep sea fishing tours, bird and whale watching, and endless opportunities for adventurous hikes up volcanoes, over lava fields, and along the seashore.

Interesting museums tell the history of human and animal inhabitants of the island and that live in the sea around the island. In between activities you can find a place to eat in some of the town’s excellent restaurants, cafés and shops. Westman Islands also hold the worlds biggest colony of Puffins, with over 10 million birds nesting in the area. During the months of August and September, lights of the town attract the young birds so they glide from the mountains in their hundreds. Local children are allowed to stay out late and lend the young birds a helping hand, roaming the town with cardboard boxes to collect the baby birds and help them find the path to food and freedom. It’s a truly unique experience for any visitor.

Hella is a small village located in western Rangárthing and the name of the town is from the caves near the river - the Icelandic word for cave is ‘hellir’. You will find extensive agricultural productions in the area along with many well known natural wonders and historical places, such as Hekla, Landmannalaugar, Þórsmörk and the saga trail of the famous Njáls saga. There are so many fun things to do in the area including exploring, hiking and other adventures like sightseeing tours, horseback riding tours, dog sledding tours and fishing.

The village itself has everything you might need, hotels and camping sites, restaurants, a local swimming pool with a water slide and splash pool for the kids, and it’s located on the banks of one of the best salmon rivers in Icelandand. Try MudShark tours - a local adventure company that organises a range of tours for visitors in South Iceland, tailor-made or prepackaged and make sure to stop by Litla Lopasjoppan, a paradise for anyone looking for an Iceland sweater - their shelves stacked with the Icelandic traditional lopapeysur in a wide range of colours and patterns.

Vík is the most southern village in Iceland and has become one of the most popular sights to see in South Iceland. It is interesting to note that although the village faces the vast open Atlantic ocean, it is the only seaside town in Iceland that doesn’t have a harbour. The precipitation in Vík is the highest in the country which obviously means there’s a lot of rain and fog during summer and snow during winter. If you look at the bright side, rainbows are probably more often seen here than anywhere else.

The landscapes and natural beauty in Vík and its surroundings are magnificent and have many interesting places to explore. East of the outskirts of the village lies one of Europe’s biggest Arctic Tern breeding grounds. The beautiful black beach, Reynisfjara, is just south of Vík and is one of the best southern iceland attractions. This unique wind-beaten volcanic beach has a very gothic and other-worldly feel to it, underpinned by local folklore. You will see Reynisdrangar, craggy basalt pillars said to be the remains of three Icelandic trolls. But please be aware and don’t go to close to the sea as the tide is stronger than you might think and there have been accidents where people have been swept to sea. Dyrhólaey Island, Reynisfjall, Pétursey Island, Mýrdalsjökull glacier and many more renowned natural wonders are also near Vík and are sure to amaze all nature lovers and birdwatchers.

Vík has excellent travel services and offers plenty of camping sites and hotels. The opportunities for adventure are endless and the area offers many cool things to do like sight-seeing flights, snowmobile tours, ice climbing, dog sledding on Mýrdalsjökull glacier, excellent conditions for salmon and trout fishing, and horseback riding.

Hveragerði is a beautiful little town located around 45 km from Reykjavík and has some unique geothermal sights to see and numerous hiking trails through the area. The town is undoubtedly one of the very few populated sites in the world located in a geothermally active area, making Hveragerði the hottest town in Iceland!

The surroundings of the town is stunning and has some magnificent landscapes, but it’s most famous for their hot springs. The Varmá river runs through the town and is full of trout and salmon to fish, and berries for picking on the heath to the west of town. Here you can find some of the best food in Iceland that is cooked with natural geothermal heat.

Selfoss is the largest town in South Iceland with a population of over 6500. It is part of the larger area of Árborg which includes the small villages of Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri. Selfoss is located around 57 kilometres from the capital and is an excellent centre for day trips to the many tourist attractions in the area. In addition to the Rind Road, roads from Selfoss lead in all directions; north to the Golden Circle or Keldur route. and south to Stokkseyri, Eyrarbakki, and the Reykjanes peninsula.

The town is situated on the banks of Ölfusá River which is a popular site for fishing salmon. You might even be able to catch one from the Ölfusá bridge. Selfoss has all necessary services for visitors, including pharmacies, banks, restaurants, shops, a petting zoo, horseback riding tours, a cinema and much more.