Travel Iceland with Iceland Travel Travel the North Considering the northern points of Iceland stretch outwards towards the Arctic Circle and are washed by the icy Greenland Sea, it might come as a pleasant surprise to discover that the climate of this region is curiously warmer, drier and sunnier than in the south. If you look at the shape of the region on a map, you’ll notice how the Tröllaskagi peninsula in particular is marked with a density of high convoluted mountain ranges, divided by deep valleys and veined with numerous rivers. Apart from the cozy climate and the interesting topography, being so far north, the region is illuminated with a different intensity of light across all seasons, and is especially famous for its spectacular sunsets, where the sun never fully sets and instead, blazes on the horizon in a protracted state of golden glory until dawn.
Between Mývatn & Akureyri Goðafoss. Conveniently located just off Rte. 1 Goðafoss is the landmark waterfall of the north and renowned not only for its beauty, but for the interesting story of its name, which translates as ‘Waterfall of the Gods’. Goðafoss is a horseshoe-shaped waterfall with an interesting design where rocky promontories interrupt the flow, channeling it rather symmetrically 86
into a series of terrific torrents. It is fed by the icy blue waters of the Skjálfandafljót River, which flow all the way from Vatnajökull glacier, and fall thunderously into an impressive 3km / 1.9 mile long canyon cut through a 7,000 year old lava field. Waterfall of the gods. According to the Sagas, in the year 1000, the law-speaker Þorgeir of Ljósavatn returned from Alþingi – with the decision that the Icelandic state would convert to Christianity - and disposed ceremoniously of the pagan Norse idols into the falls. Aldeyarfoss. West of Goðafoss on Rte. 842 the Aldeyjarfoss waterfall with its powerful discharge of 90 tons/ second of water into a strange chasm of twisted basalt columns, is well worth the detour inland. Vaglaskógur in Fnjóskadalur Rte. 836 is a beautiful birch forest and one of the few original surviving wooded areas of Iceland. Most of the other natural forests were over-exploited or perished TRAVEL THE NORTH
