Whale-Watching in Husavik
Headed to Husavik that morning, the weather forecast wasn't very reassuring, not at all in fact. We arrived quite early in the morning in Husavik, where we had booked a whale watching tour.
While waiting for our excursion, we decided to visit the whale museum. Admission costs ISK 1,900 per adult but the museum is definitely worth it.
We stayed for almost an hour, exploring the 1,600 m² of the museum, where numerous specimen bones were exhibited with displays for all the types of whales native to the area. A great deal and a fascinating place
Our excursion left at 11:30 AM from the port of Husavik, despite generally rainy weather. So we set off for nearly 3 hours of a sea trip aboard a fishing boat. The sea was rough at times and it was very cold with the offshore wind so we put on extra layers.
After 30 minutes on the boat, the guide pointed out the first specimens in the immediate vicinity, 3 Minke whales, and the boat managed to get close enough to take photos of them. A little further on, a new group of Minke whales showed up, then a humpback whale! In the end, the rain did not bother us too much, and despite the cold we had a great experience!
We had lunch in Husavik at the Salka restaurant, just near the whale museum, pretty good value for money and an excellent catch of the day. We hit the road in the early afternoon to go to Jökulsárgljúfur Park, where we planned to hike.
There are lots of hikes in this park and we decided to do the Hljoðaklettar hiking trail, which went to Raudholar. The hike was about 6 km long and really fun. The narrow trail passed by incredibly shaped basalt structures before arriving at Raudholar and its red flanks. At the summit, the wind was blowing so hard that it was hard to stay upright! The weather was getting worse and the hike back to the car park was under heavy rain.
In the end, the hike took us 50 minutes to go to Raudholar and 40 minutes to return. It was already 6PM and we had quite a long way to reach the guesthouse in the extreme north-east, in Raufarhofn.
Road 870 in the far North was absolutely deserted, and we didn't see anyone for almost an hour. It must be said that the weather did not make you want to go outside; the rain was increasing in intensity, and the wind was blowing really hard at the edge of the Arctic Sea.
We could still see a big difference with the other regions of the island; there were still far fewer tourists in this region.
We arrived a little before 8PM at the Sólsetur guesthouse and the rain was calming down, but still pouring enough to keep everyone indoors. A note on the door indicated that we should pick up the keys to our room at the café in the center of Raufarhofn, the “Kaupfélagið”, where we would have breakfast in the morning. The décor of this café adorned with driftwood sculptures was quite a delight and gave the place a unique style.
At the guesthouse, we befriended a German couple who arrived in Seydisfjordur by sea in the morning from Denmark. Our guesthouse's room window overlooked the sea, a deeply relaxing place to spend the night.
