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Hvalfjörður area Akranes (1)is the largest town in West Iceland with 5500 inhabitants. With the new tunnel under the fjord Hvalfjörður (2) it only takes about 30 minutes to travel from Reykjavík to Akranes. In town there is a Folk Museum including a Sports Museum. The maps of Iceland are made in Akranes. Instead of taking the tunnel on the way to or from Akranes it's possible to take the old and nice road around Hvalfjörður. It's a good road that now also has lost most of its traffic. In Hvalfjörður you can see the remains of an American Militairy Base from World War II. There is also an old whale station. At the bottom of the fjord, about an hours walk from the road you'll find the highest waterfall in Iceland, Glýmur (3), 198 m.

Borgarfjörður area In Borgarfjörður there are a lot of interesting places to visit. This is mainly an agricultural area and hot springs give the opportunity to grow vegetables in greenhouses. The biggest hot spring in Europe (and maybe the World), Deildartunguhver (5)can be found here. It has a productivity of 180l 97-degree C water per second. The towns Borgarnes (4) and Akranes (60 km away!) get their hot water through piplines from Deildartunguhver. Reykholt(5) is one of the most important historical sites. This was where Snorri Sturlason lived, the author of the Edda and Heimskringla, the great Icelandic Sagas. In the church you can read all about. You can also see Snorralaug, the pool where Snorri used to bath. Further inland lie two beautiful and peculiar waterfalls, Hraunfossar and Bjarnafoss (6). At Hraunfossar (Lava falls) the water comes right out from the lava field, you don't want to miss it. Húsafell (6) is a wooden area not that far from the glaciers Langjökull and Eiriksjökull that offers nice walks and fine views. Húsafell is a bit of a tourist center for this area and offers several accomodation options and a swimming pool. Two interesting and large caves, Surtshellir and Vidgelmir are situated close by. On Langjökull it is possible to go on snow-scooter tours. The beautiful Eiriksjökull, the smaller of the two glaciers, can be seen almost wherever you are in Borgarfjörður. Another characteristic landmark for Borgarfjörður is the cone shaped mountain Baula (818 m). Borgarnes (pop. 1800) is the only town in the area and is one of few coastal tows that don't depend on fishing. Instead this is a service centre for the surrounding area and you will find several shops and restaurants at this natural stop on ring road no.1.

Reykholt A calf with the mountain Baula in the background

Snæfellsnes Peninsula Stykkishólmur (pop.1200) (7) is the largest town on the Snæfellsnes peninsula. This is the harbour for Baldur, the ferry going to Brjánlækur in the West Fjords. It is possible to take sightseeing trips in the archipelago looking at birds and old farms on the islands. There are also some interesting cliffs, among others the so called pancake cliffs. Going west you will soon get to Grundarfjörður (8) , set beautifully next to Kirkjufell, said to be Iceland's most photographed mountain. you can climb the mountain, or perhaps one of the other surrounding mountains to get a better view of it. Further west lies Ólafsvík (pop.1000) (9) from where it's possible to go whale watching. The sea here is said to be one of the best in the world for whale watching and this is the only place where you are almost guaranteed to see the great Blue whale. (Sightings some years have been 100%). And all kinds of other whales are also frequently seen here such as Dolphins and Killer whales. Snæfellsjökull (10) can on clear days be seen all the way from Reykjavík and wherever you go in this area you will always have this beauty in the background.  Part of the glacier and the area around became a National Park in the summer 2001. The glacier also offers snow-scooter tours and summer skiing.  On the south coast you'll find Malariff (11), Hellnar and Arnarstapi (12), three places well worth the visit. Here you'll find loads of birds in the cliffs and also peculiar rock formations along the coast.

Snæfellsnes landscape Snæfellsnesjökull