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South Iceland is the most popular part of the country amongst travellers and contains some of Iceland’s most beautiful natural attractions.
Amongst these are the sites of the world famous Golden Circle, and the features of the South Coast, such as the beautiful Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.
The south of Iceland can be roughly split into two areas, the lowlands in the west, and the east.
The South Icelandic lowlands
The South Icelandic lowlands stretch nearly 100 kilometres (over sixty miles) from Hellisheiði in the west to Eyjafjallajökull in the east. This region is flat and fertile farming land, and home to many Icelandic horses and sheep.
The whole area is geologically very young, formed during the last Ice Age by the lava flows from numerous volcanoes in the area. The lowlands are surrounded by volcanically active mountains, notably the aforementioned Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla.
The most notable features of the South Icelandic lowlands are the three on the Golden Circle, the country’s most popular sightseeing route.
These consist of the Geysir Geothermal Area, where geysers erupt and hot springs bubble, Gullfoss, a powerful two-stepped waterfall, and Þingvellir National Park, an oasis of forests and lava located between the tectonic plates.
The fissures and lava landscapes of this latter feature reveal the extent to which earthquakes and eruptions have shaped the region. The area is still very active; take, for example, the 1975 eruption in the Westman Islands that nearly destroyed the town and formed a new island.
It should be noted that Þingvellir is not just a site of natural, geological wonder. It was also the original site of the parliament Icelanders formed in 930 AD. This was a convenient place, considering the fertile lands of south Iceland meant that many settlers populated it.
Unlike most early Icelandic settlements, few of the communities formed in the south were based off fishing. The only town with a significant harbour in the south is Þorlákshöfn, where the ferry to the Westman Islands leaves.
Other towns in the lowlands are Selfoss, Hveragerði, Hella and Hvolsvöllur, all conveniently located by the Ring Road.
In terms of culture in the lowlands, it was once home to the ancient bishop seat of Skálholt. Also, Iceland's most famous saga, Njal's Saga, takes place in the region.
For sports, horse riding is popular, as is fishing for salmon and trout, hiking, snorkelling, sightseeing and river rafting.
Eastern South Iceland.
The areas south and east of Mýrdalsjökull, the glacier that covers the volcano Katla, are considered the eastern part of south Iceland. Glaciers, volcanoes and the Highlands dominate the view.
This landscape has also been shaped by volcanic eruptions, although these were much more recent, and thus the area looks dramatically different. Vast expanses of black sand stretch from the Highlands to the sea, part of several glacial outwash plains that flood during a volcanic eruption.
Some agriculture is found here, with farms nestled in the mountains, but because of the glacial floods, they are few and far between.
A few large glacial rivers flow through this area, creating incredible features such as Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. These are hardly the only sites in this part of the south worth seeing, however.
Sólheimajokull is a beautiful outlet glacier, a tongue of the greater Mýrdalsjökull, that you can hike on so long as you are with a guide. Skógar has a very interesting museum that discusses national traditions during Iceland’s development. One of Iceland’s most famous hiking routes, Fímmvörðuháls, cuts through the area.
Southwest of the village of Vík is one of Iceland’s most spectacular beaches, Reynisfjara. Near the promontory of Dýrholaey, and boasting incredible views of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, it is a marvellous stretch of black sand.
Even further east is the Skaftafell preservation area, an area so beautiful it was once a national park in its own right. Today it is part of the greater Vatnajökull National Park, which covers parts of the south, east, north and much of the Highlands.
Just a little further from here is the incredible, world famous Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, a deep lake that fills with icebergs. At the adjacent Diamond Beach, they wash upon the shore.
The Westman Islands, or Vestmannaeyjar, are an archipelago of 15 islands and 30 rock stacks off the South Coast of Iceland. Aside from their incredible natural beauty, the islands have the world’s largest population of nesting puffins in summer, and a fascinating history.
History of the Westman Islands
The history of the Westman Islands is as dark as it is intriguing, beginning at the very start of Iceland’s history, with the first family to settle here.
The first person renowned for permanently settling Iceland was a man called Ingólfr Arnarson (although it should be noted that he hardly came alone; he was accompanied by his wife Hallveig Fróðadóttr and several slaves). His half-brother joined him in the country, a few years later, but met his death at the hands of two of his own captured men.
These slaves attempted to flee and hide, to escape Arnarson’s vengeance. They reached the Westman Islands, but unfortunately, were found by ‘Iceland’s father’ and killed in retribution.
The islands since have been named after these men; they were Irish slaves, and at the time, the Irish were called ‘Westmen’, as Ireland was thought to be the westernmost landmass before Iceland’s discovery.
This brutal beginning would be a hint at the later events to occur on and shape the archipelago.
The largest island, Heimaey, was settled in the early era, and the people on it lived off the fertile oceans, puffins, and eggs. Life was challenging but manageable, until a terrible tragedy occured in 1627.
At the height of the Ottoman Empire, it was Barbary Pirates from Algiers who ruled the seas, and they managed to find their way to this little island. They took control of it for three days, before setting off back home with 237 slaves.
The vast majority of these lived out the rest of their lives in bondage, though some were ransomed back in 1638.
The trials of the voyage and their captivity was captured in a novel by a priest who managed to escape in 1628.
Unfortunately, this was not the last major calamity to befall the islands.
In the 20th Century, it seemed that the Westman Islands had overcome their hardships, modernising and better connecting to the mainland. That, however, was to be overturned in 1974.
At 01.55, on January 20th, a fissure tore open in the middle of the town of Heimaey and the previously unknown Eldfell volcano began to violently erupt. In hours, it had torn across the island, spurting fountains of lava height in the air and pouring noxious gasses into the atmosphere.
Unbelievably, however, no-one was killed. There was an emergency plan for a situation such as this, and thankfully, storms the days before meant that the whole fishing fleet was docked in the harbour. The entire population of the island was taken to safety.
That is not to say, however, that the work was done. 5,300 peoples’ homes were in the town, and the Icelandic authorities were desperate to do what they could to help protect them. At the time, the US had a NATO base in the country, and their help was enlisted.
By pumping seawater onto the great lava fronts, it was possible to cool the molten rock, slow it, and change its direction.
This innovative, previously unused technique was particularly effective when it came to protecting the harbour. It seemed at one point that the eruption may have closed it entirely, effectively destroying the island’s economy, yet by spraying the lava, the harbour was actually enclosed more and improved.
When the eruption ended, the island slowly repopulated to about 85 percent of its previous population; about one fifth of the buildings were destroyed.
The town, however, now had a long stretch of new land to build a runway on, and a volcano in its centre to draw guests. Ever since, the Westman Islands have recovered as a popular tourist destination.
The Westman Islands today
Today, the Westman Islands attract thousands of visitors of years, for a variety of reasons. Many wish to visit the Eldborg crater and learn about the eruption in depth at the Eldheimar Museum. Others come for the incredible nature opportunities.
First and foremost amongst these are the chances for puffin watching. Ten million puffins nest in Iceland between May and September, and more of them come to the Westman Islands than anywhere else.
They nest in the cliffs, crags and sea-stacks, and can be easily seen by travelling on foot or by boat. Towards the end of the season, many of the pufflings get confused by the lights of the town as they try to make their way to the ocean, and end up in the streets; it is thus a local tradition amongst the children to collect them and throw them in the sea.
Some business-savvy young ones used to even collect them up, and ‘sell’ them to tourists to release.
The puffins are just one of the thirty or so species that nest on the islands, but by far the most abundant.
The Westman Islands also boast some of the best whale-watching opportunities in the country, with Fin, Minke and Humpback Whales seen often in summer, and Orcas throughout the year.
Getting to the Westman Islands
The ferry Herjolfur sails to the Westman Islands from the town of Þorlákshöfn, on the south shore of Iceland. In poor conditions, another ferry leaves from the town of Hvolsvöllur. It is also possible to fly there from Reykjavík Domestic Airport.
Heimaey is the largest island of the Westman Islands, and the only one that is inhabited. It has a population of approximately 4,000 people, and a fascinating, dark history.
Slaves, Pirates, Volcanoes and Heimaey
The first people known to make landfall on Heimaey were two escaped slaves, and they would not live their long. The two men, who were Irish and captives of the foster brother of Reykjavík’s founder, Ingolfúr Arnarson, killed their master and fled here in order to avoid vengeance.
Arnarson, however, found the body before they could make a clean escape, and saw their boats headed to the uninhabited islands off the South Coast. He followed them and hunted them down, killing one and driving the other to throw himself to his own death off of a cliff.
As the Irish were then known as ‘Westmen’, the islands of the archipelago that include Heimaey have been called the Westman Islands ever since. The hill that the slave threw himself off has since been named after him, as Duffy’s Hill, or Dufþekja.
It is possible that there were settlers on Heimaey before even these slaves reached it, as a recent archaeological dig showed evidence of homes from around 800 AD (years before Ingolfúr was even born). According to the Book of Settlements, however, the first person to make a permanent home there did in 900 AD.
The population of Heimaey slowly grew, as more settlers arrived, families expanded, and the fertile fishing waters around it became known. The Danish established buildings there once they took control of Iceland, showing its significance as a port.
However, tragedy would strike in 1627: pirates. Likely hailing from the Algiers, and part of the Barbary Fleet that the Ottoman Empire used to terrorise the seas at the time, they raided Iceland’s coasts and islands. While, on the mainland, Icelanders could flee into the nature, on Heimaey they had nowhere to go, and 237 people were captured.
Less than a hundred returned to Iceland; most of the rest sold on the slave market. The terror and pain the people captured endured was written about by a priest who miraculously survived.
The struggles endured by the people of Heimaey would not end there, although no major incident would arise on the island for other three centuries. When it did, however, the results were explosive.
In 1973, the residents of Heimaey woke up to an eruption tearing through the middle of their town. Fissures over a kilometre in length snaked through the houses, and lava and ash destroyed over 400 homes. As unexpected and terrible as it was, the response was incredible, and all 5,300 residents were whisked to the mainland safely. Only one is thought to have died as a result of the eruption.
To limit the spread of lava, US troops and Icelandic rescue services pumped seawater on top of it to hasten its freezing. This technique not only saved the harbour from being closed off - which would have destroyed the town’s economy and future - but it actually improved it.
Heimaey Today
Today, Heimaey is a cheerful, vibrant place that draws locals and visitors alike. Its history can be learnt about in the museums, with the most notable one being the Eldheimar Volcano Museum, which discusses the 1973 eruption of Eldfell. It is also possible to walk up to the Eldfell crater.
The main reason people come to Heimaey, however, is because more Atlantic Puffins nest in the Westman Islands than anywhere else in the world. Many boat tours take visitors out to see them from May to September, and on many of these, it is possible to see several types of whale and dolphin.
The puffins can also be seen in land, and, in August and September, even in town. The pufflings get confused by the town lights, and thinking it is the ocean, wander in. It is a tradition for the children to find them and throw them safely in the sea (or to collect them up and charge a tourist to do so).
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