Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2012, Blaðsíða 39

39
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2012
“Welcome to Húsavík, there is lots to see
here,” our pilot announced after touching
down on Húsavík airport’s single landing
strip. After a 45-minute flight from Reykjavík
it is only a fifteen-minute drive from the air-
port to Húsavík, a small town on the shores of
Skjálfandi Bay.
Húsavík is known as the whale watching capital
of Iceland. On the way to the harbour where the
obligatory whale watching boat awaits us our bus
driver tells us that, “Húsavík was the first place in
Iceland settled by a Norse man, Garðar Svavars-
son, who stayed there for one winter in 870 A.D.”
It only became an official town in the nineteenth
century. “In 1907 the church was built with 400
seats but there were not enough inhabitants to
fill them. We’ve come a long way since then, now
hosting a population of more than 2.200,” he says.
OUT TO SEA
Our boat takes off and gradually picks up speed,
while heading out to sea toward Víknafjöll and
Kinnarfjöll, the mountain ranges on the other side
of Skjálfandi bay. The 1.200 metre high, snow-
covered mountaintops offer a picturesque view
and are also a go-to area for ice climbing and
hiking. We are accompanied by bright and almost
warming sunshine as our boat steers into the blue
splashing waves.
All wrapped up in warm coveralls, the group
on board listens to the tour guide, who tells us
that the water temperature is one to two degrees
Celsius right now and that during summer it rises
to six to ten. Be sure to know whether you have
a tendency to get seasick (there is always a first
time) before going on board, as jumping over-
board during the trip to alleviate the nausea is not
an option, as tempting as it may seem. You’ll have
to suffer until you reach land again, so bear that in
mind.
Even though the bay has good conditions for
whale watching, there is no guarantee that you’ll
spot the majestic creatures. Our guide explains
that the bay’s optimal whale-watching condi-
tions are due to the two streams that run into the
bay—Skjálfandafljót, a glacier river, and Laxá, a
freshwater river coming from Lake Mývatn (which
is famous for the salmon from which its name is
derived). “The water temperature, the streams
and the rivers’ fauna, create the feeding ground
for whales,” she says.
While we learn about different kinds of whales
that come into the bay, everyone keeps staring
at the water in hopes of spotting a fin or a tail.
“The whales are where the birds are because the
birds are where the fish are,” she explains. And
some people are indeed able to get a glimpse of
a harbour porpoise, which is one of the small-
est whales in the world at 1,5 metres in length.
“Many whales—mainly minke whales, some fin
whales, dolphins, as well as porpoises that like to
stay close to the coast—don’t migrate south for the
winter,” she says.
BACK ON LAND
The Húsavík Whale Museum is located next to
the harbour. Established in 1997, it is the only in-
formational and educational centre on whales in
Iceland. Along with the many species of whales
that may show up in Skjálfandi bay, you can also
find buzzing bird life. For those who have good sea
legs, you can take a boat to nearby Flatey Island,
or to Grímsey, also known as “Puffin Island” that
lies on the Arctic Circle.
Húsavík is the central starting point for day ex-
cursions and travels to many of the most famous
places in north Iceland. From horseback riding to
super jeep and geological tours to the Diamond
Circle, a 215 km circular route that takes you from
Húsavík to Ásbyrgi, Dettifoss and Mývatn. The
possibilities are endless.
We ended the day at Sigurgeir’s Bird Museum,
which holds the largest private bird collection
in Iceland with stuffed specimens of almost all
Icelandic breeding birds. If you are a bird lover
you can even get a glimpse of bird life from the
museum’s observation points or on guided tours
around the lake area. It is home to a large vari-
ety of ducks and other winged species, paddling
and flying around after they arrive back in Iceland
around May from their winter holiday in the south-
ern hemisphere.
Although it is impossible to cover everything
in the Mývatn area in a single day, this gave us a
taste for more.
Tales Of Whales And Birds
Travel | Húsavík
Húsavík is a great big tourist hub
MELANIE FRANz
ALíSA KALyANOVA
ÞÓRSHÖFN
VOPNAFJÖRÐUR
THORSHOFN
ILULISSAT
ITTOQQORTOORMIIT
NUUK
KULUSUK
NARSARSUAQ
GRÍMSEY
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
AKUREYRI
EGILSSTAÐIR
REYKJAVÍK
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