Borgarfjörður

About Borgarfjörður

Borgarfjörður is a shallow fjord in West Iceland and the farming district that spreads inland from it, about an hour's drive north of Reykjavík through the Hvalfjörður tunnel. Borgarnes, on a narrow point in the fjord, is the main town and the usual first stop. Don't confuse it with Borgarfjörður eystri, a small village on the far side of the country in East Iceland.

Most of what is worth seeing in Borgarfjörður lies up the valleys rather than on the water. Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring, pours out about 180 liters of near-boiling water per second, and pipelines carry it 34 km to heat Borgarnes and 64 km to Akranes. Right next to it, the Krauma baths mix that water with cold glacial meltwater for a soak.

Farther up the valley, Hraunfossar is a long row of springs spilling out of a lava field into the milky Hvítá river, and Barnafoss is a short walk upstream. Reykholt, between the two, was the home of the medieval writer and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, and Snorralaug, the old stone bathing pool named after him, is still there. Out in the Hallmundarhraun lava field, guided tours go underground into Víðgelmir, one of the largest lava tubes in Iceland.

Deildartunguhver, Reykholt and Hraunfossar fit comfortably into a day trip from Reykjavík, and the district also makes an easy first stop on the way to Snæfellsnes or the north. Summer gives you long days for a side trip toward Langjökull glacier. In winter, daylight is short, so plan fewer stops and check the official road-conditions map before heading inland in snow.