The next chapter of our Iceland road trip continues in West Iceland. Most tourists tend to go counter-clockwise around the Ring Road, but since we had partially done that in January, we decided to go clockwise instead. We were super anxious to get closer to the North, and where we were headed to in West Iceland was the gateway. After snorkeling at Þingvellir National Park, we hopped back into the car for a 2 hour drive north to our next destination – Husafell. But in order to get there, we had to take some rather unconventional roads. Google Maps told us to take route 52… and that certainly was the most adventurous route. Since we had never traveled on this road before, we had no idea it was really just a road of rocks and gravel. I was amazed Google Maps even listed it! This road is closed in winter, and it’s easy to see why. Thank goodness we had a 4-wheel drive SUV, or else we wouldn’t have made it over some parts of the road.
While this was a somewhat hilarious, somewhat terrifying drive (it’s in our vlog!), I would recommend heading back out towards the Ring Road (route 1) and heading up route 50. Both roads are paved and easier on your car if you didn’t get 4 wheel drive or an SUV. After driving on some regularly paved roads for about an hour, we then stopped at Hraunfossar, which is about 5 minutes away from our hotel. Hraunfossar, which means “lava waterfalls” in Icelandic, is one of the most stunning places you can stop in Iceland. This area in West Iceland is composed of a lava field from an eruption of a volcano under the Langjökull glacier nearby, and water from the glacier seeps through the lava rocks and pours out as waterfalls into the Hvita river. The water in the river is the purest blue I have ever seen, and it’s contrast against the orange, yellow, and green landscape made Tor and I feel like we had stepped into a watercolor painting.
After checking in, we were still a bit cold from our snorkeling adventure earlier in the day so we grabbed our swimsuits and headed down to Husafell’s thermal baths (free for hotel guests). We couldn’t wait to submerge in warm waters! What was pretty cool about these baths is there are four pools at four different temperatures. We started in the second warmest pool, then moved on to the hottest bath. After 2 minutes, it actually got too hot for me so I jumped into the second coolest pool. It actually felt incredibly refreshing, and we ended up spending more time in there than any of the other pools.
We had to take a special van up to the snowmobiles, since there was a lot of ice on the way. If you think I held my breath the whole time during that ride, you’re right! Once we reached the top, we picked our snowmobiles and off we went!
The next day, our outdoor adventures continued. One reason why Hotel Husafell is the prime spot to stay if you’re doing any outdoor activities is because the activity hub is located right next to the hotel. Tor and I were scheduled to go snowmobiling and then tour inside Langjökull glacier with Into the Glacier, and the meeting point was literally steps from our hotel lobby. We got on a bus with a few other couples, and we were driven about 20 minutes east (through landscape that pretty much looked like what you envision the moon looks like) to the base camp at the edge of the glacier. After suiting up in thermal underwear, snow pants, sweaters, parkas, snow boots, a jumpsuit, and another jumpsuit, not only did we feel like melting but we were also excited to finally head up to the snowmobiles! We had to take a special van up to the snowmobiles, since there was a lot of ice on the way.
If you think I held my breath the whole time during that ride, you’re right! Once we reached the top, we picked our snowmobiles and off we went! Unfortunately, it was a complete whiteout that day so there wasn’t much to see on the ride. I let Tor drive the snowmobile, especially since we didn’t write a will before this trip and if I was the driver, we probably would have needed to have one ready. After 5 minutes, we reached the entrance of Into The Glacier. Langjökull, which means “long glacier” in Icelandic, is one of two glaciers in West Iceland. It is on the edge of Iceland’s highlands, which make up the interior of the country and are completely uninhabited. There’s snow and ice here year round, so even if you take this tour in the summer, still be prepared with proper snow gear.
There were so many fascinating parts about the glacier, including the grey line you see as soon as you enter. That grey line is a line of ash from the 2010 eruption of Eyafjallajökull (you’ll see me attempt to pronounce this several times in upcoming vlogs). Since then, the ash got covered by snow and ice. Our guide informed us, however, that when the ice melts away, people will be able to walk on ash from the volcanic eruption seven years ago. Speaking of ice melting away, that’s exactly what’s happening to the glacier. The glacier continues to grow as it snows each year, but it’s melting faster than it’s growing which is a problem.
In less than 150 years, Langjökull will no longer have any ice. It’s hard to believe that as we walked through winding tunnels throughout the deep glacier, but but it’s also not difficult to believe thanks to global warming. When I heard that people during the generation of my great-grandchildren would never see this glacier, I got sad. That’s not really that far away when you think in the grand scheme of things in the history of Earth, so we felt extremely lucky that we got to experience this once-in-a-lifetime tour.
During our tour, I began to feel a bit dehydrated, but our guide told me not to worry because there would be a pool of fresh glacier water we could drink from in the glacier, and there was! She filled a water bottle for Tor and I with “fresh Icelandic water” as she called it, and we downed it. It was extremely refreshing and clean (and cold). After about 30 minutes inside the glacier, it was time to take the snowmobiles back to the glacier edge. Unfortunately, since I was busy getting camera equipment organized, I missed it when our guide said he would be taking us on a detour to get back. About 10 minutes into the drive, I began looking around wondering if we were lost.
Tor kept assuring me we weren’t lost, as our guide had a GPS on his snowmobile so he knew exactly where we were. But because I panic at everything, I still was nervous. At one point, when we reached the very top, the clouds parted and the sun came out. We had a better sense of how high we were (and how isolated we were). 5 minutes later, we arrived back at the base safe and sound. A few others didn’t hear we were going on a detour, so I wasn’t the only one who thought we were lost. To quote one of our new friends, “Jesus and I had a deep conversation up there!”
Once back at the hotel, I created a new routine that I would be following pretty much everyday for the rest of our trip – nestling up with a mug of hot cocoa and watching the snow fall. Hotel Husafell has cozy corners throughout the building, including a lounge with two-story windows that make watching snow fall or witnessing the Northern Lights dancing possible. There was definitely a feeling of “hygge” while we called Hotel Husafell home.
The next morning, we enjoyed coffee and hot cocoa on the terrace before having to pack up and say goodbye to West Iceland. We loved every second at Hotel Husafell and we learned a lot more about Iceland’s glaciers with Into The Glacier. If you are going to visit West Iceland, make sure this is where you stop. There are many more activities to be enjoyed here, including the thermal baths as well as mountain biking, golf, and the newly opened Krauma Baths (on my list for next time!).
Check out our vlog from West Iceland below! It’s probably our funniest one yet!
Thank you to Hotel Husafell for hosting us and to Into the Glacier for sponsoring our experience. As always, opinions are my own.
Photos by Torrance Coombs.
I’m surprised that there isn’t any snow at your hotel. I’ve pictured Iceland as one giant snow mass in the winter. We are going in February for the first time (doing a guided 3 day hiking tour) and are really excited, though I’m nervous about being cold. Is there anything you wish you had packed that you didn’t? I’d also love to know what cameras you used for your photos as I’m looking for a new one for the trip. I love the vlogs. It adds a nice variation for only pictures.
We were there at the very start of winter. Right after we left this hotel, they got hit with a good dumping of snow. The first half of our 2.5 week trip didn’t have any snow, but the last half was full of it. In February there will be snow.
For cameras, we use a Nikon D750 with 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm lenses, as well as a Sony RX Mark IV for some quick shots and all video. We also use a Sony action camera and our DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Such an amazing post! I just saw the vlog and saw you going into a glacier!! Although the snowmobiling would have made me dizzy it must have been worth it to go into that glacier! It must have been a once in a life time experience! That water you drunk must have been freezing! Everything looked SO GOOD! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Ariana! Thank you so much. The water was freezing to drink but sooooo refreshing since we were warm under all those layers.
Hi Alyssa the pictures of Iceland are gorgeous! Not to mention the ones of the inside of the hotel it looks modern and very inviting. I was just wondering while you were in Iceland did you pic up any Icelandic beauty secrets/ products?
Unfortunately I didn’t, but maybe on our next trip I will make sure to find out!
Wow what a beautiful country! Definitely adding it to my travel list. Is it a fairly affordable country to visit?
It can be, depending on where and when you go. Winter is the least expensive time to visit.