Lathams News: DAY 37 – THURSDAY 10TH JANUARY 2019

Sunshine was forecast for today again so Pete and Maria and Theo were joining us. Before heading out this morning we got to spend a little time with the horses. they had come right up to the fence near our cabin... They are such beautiful animals

They have a lot longer hair on their bodies in Iceland.

Steve getting up close and personal with these beautiful animals

Enjoying pats from us...

Another beautiful sunrise this morning...

We got to witness another beautiful sunset this morning... We fell blessed to have experienced two days of sunshine whilst here as mostly the weather has been overcast, snowing or wet....

Pete had read about some amazing landscapes up in the Highlands of Iceland so today we set off to explore them. We headed to Gjain first. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful spots in Iceland.

This is what we had hoped to see. Alas it means we will have to go back in Summer to see it...

It is known for its lush greenery, waterfalls all around you and beautiful rock formations. We got within a few kilometres of it when we had to turn back due to flooding from the melting snow from the snowfalls earlier in the week. We felt a little miffed to have got so close but not actually being able to get there and see it all.

Peter had also read about the stunning Haifoss Falls in the Fossárdalur valley. Háifoss is 122 meters high and is situated in the Fossá river, which is a spring water tributary of the glacial river Þjórsá, Iceland's longest river.

There is another waterfall, Granni, next to Háifoss and this pair of waterfalls make for one of the most beautiful sights you could ever wish to see in Iceland. They say that standing above these two waterfalls is like looking at a panoramic photo. Apparently, it is absolutely breathtaking.

Again this was what we had hoped to see....

The glacial river Þjórsá runs through Pjorsardalur valley and its tributary, Fossá, has created a deep gorge where these two waterfalls cascade down making this part totally different to the flat planes where Pjorsa river runs south of Fossá river. Again, we were to be disappointed. We managed to get a few kilometres from it before flood waters from melting snow blocked our path yet again.

These first two places we had wanted to visit were quite close to each other but we had quite a drive to visit the canyon. The scenery along the way, was rather barren, but in a nice way. It is very evident that this has high volcanic activity, as there were quite a few lava fields around. There was also many lakes and lots of water ways.

The last place of Pete’s list to visit was Sigöldugljúfur canyon which is a small canyon situated deep in the Icelandic highlands. It is quite exceptional with its many small waterfalls, blue river, and colourful vegetation. A beautiful canyon that is almost magical and could easily be a scene in an adventure story or a Sci-Fi movie. It has all the ingredients to become a popular destination as it looks like something in a fairytale. For years it has been a hidden gem as access has been a bit tricky.
This time we didn’t even get close, we met a 4WD returning and they advised against it as they were unable to even get close in the bigger vehicle.

This is the canyon that we had hoped to find...

In the end, Maria and I sat in the car with Theo whilst Steve and Peter walked along the track for about half an hour.

They did manage to see some pretty scenery, but nothing as spectacular as the photos we have seen on Sigöldugljúfur canyon. Still on our bucket list to visit, but definitely a place to visit in the Summer months only.

It was a bit disappointing that we were unable to check any of these attractions on our list today, but still we had a good day. The highlands are pretty barren plant wise, but there are lots of lava flows and undulating rock formations, and even though barren it was still quite beautiful in its own way.. There were a lot of massive lakes and water ways up here and we did pass a large hydro electricity plant.

On our way home, we say a sign for Hjalparfoss Waterfall and even though it wasn’t on our list of places to visit decided to turn off the highway and drive in and check it out…

Hjálparfoss is another beautiful waterfall in the river Fossá in the Þjórsárdalur valley. The waterfall is split in two with a beautiful pond in front and surrounded by extraordinary basalt rock formations, making this spot a beautiful haven. The lava rock next to the left waterfall forms the distinctive shape of a bear's head. These falls were quite beautiful and worth the detour. After all the wet and overcast weather in the last few weeks, we enjoyed watching the beautiful setting sun on our drive home this evening.

Pete and Maria enjoyed some time in the hot tub whilst Steve and I planned out a trip to Reykjavik for our last day in Iceland. The weather forecast for the following day was not good, so rather than try and fit in any more outdoor activities, we decided to go check out some of the sights in Iceland’s Capital city.