EXCURSIONS

The guesthouse Milli Vina is at Hvítárbakki.
Hvítárbakki is a farm located within beautiful surroundings nearby the river Hvítá and the nearest town is Borgarnes.

In the West part of Iceland you can find many interesting and amazing sites:

Deildartunguhver – The geothermal spring is located 16 km away on the Road nr. 50.
It’s a source of hot water which, with a flow rate of 180 liters/second and a temperature of 97° C, is the largest in Europe. Part of the water is used for district heating, with a pipeline which delivers hot water to Borgarnes (34 km) and to Akranes (64 km, the longest in Iceland and the water is about 78-80° C when it reaches Akranes).

The historical Reykholt and Snorralaug – 20 km away. Road nr. 518.
It’s one of Iceland’s most notable historical sites where for many years there was one of the most important schools of the country. Reykholt is most famous for being the home of Iceland’s best-known author Snorri Sturluson during the years 1206-1241. He was also a political leader and one of the richest men in Iceland in the Age of the Sturlungs. Snorri was the author of Heimskringla, the history of Norway’s kings and of Prose Edda, a priceless source of information about Nordic mythology and poetry. An ancient geothermal heated pool, Snorralaug, is named after him. It’s one the few good preserved remnants from Iceland’s medieval period. Snorrasofa is a cultural centre and has got a institute for the research in medieval studies. It offers historical exhibitions and guided tours and lectures. Music recitals are held in the Church of Reykholt.

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss – 37 km away. Road nr. 518

The waterfalls Hraunfossar and Barnafoss are wonderful and unusual natural phenomena. Many travelleres visit these amazing natural treasures.
Hraunfossar are amazing: clear and cold springs of subterranean water seep through the lava and run as tiny waterfalls and rapids into the river Hvítá.
Barnafoss have been evolving through recorded history, as the river has dug itself down through the lava and runs in a deep narrow ravine. There used to be a stone arch spanning the river, forming a link between the districts of Hálsasveit and Hvítársíða.
Hraunfossar have been protected since 1987.
There is a viewpoint at the car park offering an amazing view over the Lava Falls and the river Hvítá. A coffee shop at the waterfalls is open during the summer months.

Baula – the mountain Baula and the crater Grábrók – 40 km away. Road nr.1
The mountain Baula, with its reddish or orange colour caused by its rhyolite rock composition, is situated in the west of Iceland next to Route 1 (the Ring Road). Bifröst University and the picturesque craters of Grábrók are located nearby.
Geologically, the mountain is classified as an “intrusion” (or, in geologist’s terms, a “batholith,” which is a mass of rock that has been thrust upwards from deep within the earth, to the surface).
Baula is characterized by its almost perfect cone shape and by its little sister nearby, the Litla-Baula, where rare columnar strands of rhyolite are found. Together, Baula and Litla-Baula have often been described as Iceland’s most beautiful pair of mountains.

The Cave Viðgelmir – 50 km away – Road nr. 518
Víðgelmir is a lava tube situated in the Hallmundarhraun lava field in the Fljótstunga district. The roof of the lava tube has collapsed, creating two large openings near its north end which are the only known entrances. Víðgelmir is 1585m long and the largest part of the cave passage is 15.8m high and 16.5m wide, making it by far the largest of its kind in Iceland. The cave has a wide entrance but narrows down in some places. This cave contains stunning natural ice sculptures as well as stalagmites and stalactites. An iron gate was installed at the first construction in 1991 to preserve those of the delicate lava formations or speleothems which haven’t already been destroyed. Long stretches of the cave floor are very rough and shouldn’t be walked without a guide. Access and guided tours are provided at nearby Fljótstunga. Evidence of human habitation, probably dating to the Viking Age, has been discovered in the cave and is preserved in the National Museum of Iceland.
Most of the beautiful stalactites and lava ropes have been broken and damaged, which is why the cave is locked nowadays and not open to the public without someone from the farm accompanying the visitors.
The cave is open to the public for the first 70m only. It was declared a protected site in 1991.

The Cave Surtshellir – 57 km away – On mountain road nr. F578
Surtshellir is a lava cave approximately a mile in length, it is the longest of such caves in the country. While already mentioned in the medieval historical-geographical work Landnámabók, Eggert Ólafsson was the first to give a thorough documentation of the cave in his 1750 travels of the region.
Being of volcanic origin, the walls of the interior are composed of vitrified layers of magma and basalt. The roof of the cave is about 10 metres high at the highest point, and the tunnels are around 15m broad at their greatest width. The floor is covered in a perpetual sheeting of ice and fallen fragments of solidified lava, and large ice speleothems are common within the cave. The height of the roof is highly variable throughout the cave, and at the latter extremities is only 2–4 m.
In the 10th century, the cave and the passages that lead out from the main cavern were used as hideouts for outcasts and bandits who would steal livestock from the farmers and shepherds living in the area. Evidence of their existence has been found in the form of sheep bones and oxen bones used as food in several of the tunnels; one of the same tunnels had also been fitted with a human-made door.

We can’t forget to suggest you the Snæfellsnes, a peninsula situated to the west of Borgarfjörður.
It has been named Iceland in Miniature, because many national sights can be found in the area, including the Snæfellsjökull volcano, regarded as one of the symbols of Iceland. With its height of 1446 m, it is the highest mountain on the peninsula and has a glacier at its peak . The volcano can be seen on clear days from Reykjavík, a distance of about 120 km. The mountain is also known as the setting of the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by the French author Jules Verne. The area surrounding Snæfellsjökull has been designated one of the four National Parks by the government of Iceland.

Wonderful areas to visit are Arnastapi with its nice hiking trail across the lava and along the beach.
Along the coast there are some unique rock formations to be seen. Then Búðir is a small hamlet in Búðahraun lava fields in Staðarsveit and driving along the way you will surprise to see a wonderful mountain with its colors and its symmetry unique in every season: Kirkjufell.

Swimming pools
Using open air swimming pools in Iceland is a unique experience, particularly when the outside temperatures are a few degrees below zero.

Húsafell
This swimming pool is one of the most popular recreational facilities in the area. It was originally built in 1965, but since then the pool and its surroundings have undergone numerous improvements. During the summertime it is opened every single day. During winter time it is only open in the weekend.
The swimmingpool is closed in December and January.

Borganes
The sporting center facilitates a 25 x 12,5 m outdoor pool, 3 water slides, a wading pool, 2 hot tubs, one of them with a special massage water beam, bubbling water area, 12,5 x 8 m indoor pool, a steambath directly from Deildartunguhver, sauna and some benches to enjoy the sunshine.
It is open all year round.

Just outside Borgarnes there is one of Iceland’s finest golf course. There is also a golf course in Húsafell.

You can enjoy your journey in this wonderful part of Iceland. Many hiking trails and walking paths criss-cross in West Iceland. For those who prefer higher planes, glacier trips are offered up Langjokull and Snaefellsjokull at certain times of the year.