A journey to the West | Hotel Husafell & Into the Glacier

The Borgarfjörður fjord in West Iceland is a true natural paradise and known for its beauty, exquisite nature and interesting history. You can choose from many adventures activities in the area and visit some beautiful sights. While traveling around the fjord you can see many stunning waterfalls, hot springs, caves and for those who are interested in Icelandic history it’s the place to go to learn about the Viking Saga history.

Hiking trails around Hotel Husafell

Located only about 1,5 hours from Reykjavik, Borgarfjörður is the perfect day trip from the capital, Reykjavik. The area is easily accessible by car, so if you don’t have much time a day trip is ideal. But there’s certainly enough to do there to allocate two days at least and if you are keen on seeing the highlights of the fjord, then we suggest stretching the trip over two days or more if possible.

How to spend two days in Borgarfjörður

Accommodation
There is a good selection of accommodation in Borgarfjörður including, hotels, guesthouses and campsites.

Hótel Húsafell is a luxury hotel located close to the main attractions and the magnificent natural wonders in Borgarfjörður. The hotel recently made a National Geographic list of Unique Lodges of the World, the first hotel in the Nordic countries. Only 57 hotel in the world have made the list and they all have to meet certain standards of environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Hotel Husafell - Unique Lodges of the World - National Geographic

The hotel offers 48 luxurious rooms in four sizes and a fine dining restaurant. The hotel is surrounded by stunning nature, during winter guest can experience the Northern Lights and play golf during summer. There is also a geothermal pool open all year round for visitors of the hotel. Húsafell is a natural playground, located between a glacier and a lava field, where you can visit an ice-cave, lava-cave, go horseback riding, hiking or relax at geothermal bathing resort.

Swimming pool at Hotel Husafell

Activities and attractions

Day 1
When driving from Reykjavik to your accommodation in Borgarfjörður we recommend a few stops. Deildartunguhver is located in Reykholtsdalur and is the most powerful hot spring in Europe and close by is Snorrastofa at Reykholt for those who are interested in Icelandic history. About 15 minute drive from Reykholt you will find the beautiful waterfalls Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. From the car park there is a short and easy walk to a good viewpoint over the waterfalls.

Beautiful surroundings in Borgarfjörður

If that’s not enough for one day then we suggest booking a tour to explore the largest lava cave in Iceland and one of the largest lava caves in the world, Víðgelmir Cave. In the evening it’s ideal to relax at the swimming complex located just outside the main lobby at Hótel Húsafell or drive from 25 minutes from the Hotel to Krauma geothermal bathing resort.

Víðgelmir Cave

Day 2
The area around Húsafell is spectacular and perfect for horseback riding, outdoor hiking or biking, you can even rent a Rockhopper mountain bikes at Hótel Húsafell.

Into the Glacier - Langjökull Glacier

The favorite activity from the trip to Borgarfjörður was definitely the tour “Into the Glacier”. A trip to the second largest glacier in Iceland, Langjökull Glacier, in a specially modified vehicle to visit the largest manmade ice tunnel in the world, located in the glacier. You can also book the snowmobile tour to the glacier or the day trip from Reykjavik which also includes the highlights of the area.

Video from Into the Glacier