On our penultimate day of our week-long Complete Iceland Tour, everything seemed to be winding down. After all, we had an eventful 5 days, which saw us through the iconic Golden Circle tour, climbed down ice caves in a glacier, soaked in geothermal pools, visited geothermal vents and went on whale watching in the beautiful fjord of northwestern Iceland.
We started the day with an arduous climb up a dormant volcano, and then explored a very leisure series of cascades. After lunch, we went to a farm to experience close up encounters with the famous Icelandic horses.For most of our group mates, that was the last day of the tour, and they would be returning to Reykjavik at the end of the day. For us, we would be dropped off at Bogarnes, where we would rest for the night before embarking on our last day tour to the Snæfellsjökull Peninsula.
Trip Overview
On Day 6, we completed the following itinerary:
0900: Set off
1005 – 1040: Grábrók
1105 – 1130: Snorrastofa Museum
1145 – 1220: Hraunfossar
1245 – 1320: Sturlureykir Visiting Horse Farm
1335 – 1435: Hverinn – Restaurant & Bar
1500: Check in to accommodation for the night – Hótel Borgarnes
15:30: Grocery shopping at Netto
Grábrók – Up a dormant volcano
Visiting the land of ice and fire wouldn’t be complete without dropping by a volcano. A dormant one, that is. Grábrók was unlike the stereotypical volcanoes that I had watched on TV.
In fact, Grábrók was encased in snow and wind.
Like all touristy volcano spots, there were steps leading all the way up to the crater rim. However, our first steps were hindered by the ice that formed at the base. We were literally trying to climb a slippery ice slope!
In the end, I decided to overcome it by walking on the unpaved slope beside the steps. It was indeed sinful to be stepping on the flora and fauna that were beginning to bloom in early spring. But…
The icy slope was simply at the base of the steps. Somehow, they cleared soon after. The remaining journey up was more of a trial for physical finesse. But focusing on avoiding unsuspecting ice distracted me from the fatigue and in no time at all, I was at the top of the hill overlooking the surrounding countryside.
Somehow, the wind at the crater rim was the strongest. I braved the wind and made my way clockwise around the rim. At times, I felt like I could have been blown off the edge! But there was only one way in and out of the crater rim, so I had to bite the bullet and complete the circuit.
Snorrastofa museum – of author Snorri Sturluson
While the climb up Grábrók was arduous, we actually spent under an hour there. We were at our next destination in no time.
The Snorrastofa Museum was in honour of author Snorri Sturluson. It was mainly made up of a museum shop and a church. It would be worth dropping by if one is interested in the works of the local artist.
Hraunfossar – Quaint Cascades
By late morning, we were at Hraunfossar, which was a peculiar series of cascades and waterfalls.
Hiking up to a vantage point, we could see the peaceful waters fall into a tumultuous depth. It was joined by a series of falls that seemed to just flow out of the canyon walls.
By comparison, it was smaller and easier to walk around than Goðafoss, but offered great and varied views nonetheless. It was one of the underhyped tourist spots in Iceland.
However, crampons are still recommended, as the pathways were icy and slippery. Most parts of the paths involved walking up and down slopes, hence the ice really made the walk challenging, in an otherwise leisurely visit to the waterfalls.
Sturlureykir Visiting Horse Farm
Before lunch, we dropped by a horse farm to learn about… horses. The friendly farm owner introduced to us the characteristics of the Icelandic horse and brought us around for some close interactions with the horses on the farm.
The farm was also one of the earliest places in the world to harness geothermal energy for various uses like cooking and powering houses.
Hverinn – Restaurant & Bar
Lunch was at a pit stop with an elaborate restaurant. As we were nearing the end of the trip, I tried once more the Fish and Chips (ISK 3,600; USD 20). It lived up to expectations with its bland taste – even the crust was bland. The Pepperoni pizza though was decent, as it tasted like what we would get from the supermarket.
Following our late lunch, our guide dropped us at Hótel Borgarnes. While the rest of our tour mates would return to Reykjavik, we would join a day tour of the Snæfellsjökull peninsula the following day.
Hótel Borgarnes
Our accommodation for the night was at Hótel Borgarnes. Located in the small town of Borgarnes, it was outside of the Snæfellsjökul peninsula, making it convenient to do a day trip to the famous tourist spot.
The hotel gave the vibes of rural hotels I had only seen in movies. The small reception that looked like my primary school’s bookshop was manned by a guy who only showed up after we rang the bell a few times. We basically didn’t meet any staff until breakfast the next day.
That being said, the hotel provided a comfortable stay with its spacious and clean room.
Overview of Hótel Borgarnes
Town: Borgarnes
Room Number: 321
Room: Twin Single
Bathroom: Shower / Vanity Counter space – nil / Toilet
Room Amenities: Toiletries – shower gel / Hair dryer / Power socket (plenty, but at random positions, and none at the bedside) / Heater (Room / Working good)
Safety: Key, free access to rooms
Staff: Curt, no presence
Neighbourhood: Rural town
Getting around: walk around town, towards supermarket
Room – Dated, but Clean
The room was one of the larger ones we had stayed during the trip. Other than the standard twin bed (we had gotten accustomed to the rough linen), there was a full wardrobe (with sufficient clothes hangers), a suitcase rack, and a small dining table from which we made our dinner. Since horizontal space was limited, we had to use the window ledge to place our stuff.
Our room’s window looked out to the back of the hotel, towards a community centre and the church. Most of the view was blocked, so seeing the northern lights from the room was out of the question.
For the modern traveller, there was plenty of power sockets all over the room. Albeit with none placed where a normal user would need them to be. This was where the room’s dated design started to show.
Bathroom
The bathroom has a shower stall with a moveable shower screen, which I always found to be more desirable than shower curtains. The water pressure was strong, and we could adjust the temperature easily. Unfortunately, the shower head was one of those fad-ish tube design, which was not conducive for showering. There was also a small soap shelf which was useful for personal toiletries.
In place of a vanity counter, there was a small shelf for personal items. There was a heated towel rack that was’t working. It was also beside the toilet bowl, which was really a bad design choice.
Breakfast
Breakfast was the standard European buffet spread, though the variety was much less compared to the previous hotels. The dining place was very spacious, and was a throwback to restaurants in the 1980s, what with their mezzanine / terraced dining spaces. For a simple hotel, they had a very complicated dining place.
Around Borgarnes
The hotel was located near the end of the Bogarnes peninsula. For those yearning for a stroll by the sea, it was just across the street from the hotel.
Hotel Borgarnes was also a 10 minutes walk to the nearest supermarket Netto, where we bought our ingredients for dinner that night. The walk offered us a brief peek at the typical Icelandic small town. Unfortunately, it was drizzling and there were no sheltered walkways. Therefore, we couldn’t take our time to stroll down the streets to take in the sights and sounds of the small town.
Parting Words
Our 6th and final day with the main tour group was mellowed down. We were either fatigued from 5 days of touring, or feeling depressed at the impending end of the tour. Or perhaps western Iceland was simply too boring?
The morning hike up Gabrok was indeed memorable. However, the museum and horse farm seemed more like a filler than sightseeing spots themselves. The day also ended early, as the rest of the tour had to return to Reykjavik by day’s end.
And again, the sky was overcast for any possible sighting of the auroras. In fact, it was drizzling almost the entire day! The hopes of seeing the northern lights at Borgarnes, where we stayed for the night were dashed. With one final night at Reykjavik the next day, my fingers were crossed.
Till then, stay wanderlust!
This post is part of a series where I document my trip to Iceland chasing auroras. I had taken an 18-hour flight on Singapore Airlines’ Business Class to reach Iceland via Copenhagen. Then I spent a day at Reykjavik to recover from the long and tedious journey, while staying at Hilton Reykjavik Nordica.
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos and Snapseed