Iceland review - 2016, Page 130

128 ICELAND REVIEW
Nestled in a valley below Langjökull glacier in historic
West Iceland, an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Reykjavík,
and smack dab between the natural wonders of the
Golden Circle and the Snæfellsnes peninsula, Hótel Húsafell
is a perfect base for exploring Iceland in the wintertime. It’s a
cozy country hideaway with a touch of modern, a touch of luxu-
ry, under a big sky often filled with the dancing aurora borealis.
HISTORY, ICE AND FIRE
Hótel Húsafell is just outside the town of Borgarnes, which in
the years following the settlement of Iceland was home to Egill
Skallagrímsson, the warrior-poet at the center of Egils saga—a
canonical Viking Age tale thought to be written by the author
and chieftain Snorri Sturluson, who had his seat at nearby Reyk-
holt, and was famously murdered there on the orders of the
King of Norway in 1241. Today, both Borgarnes and Reykholt
offer colorful exhibitions and artifacts painting a picture of ear-
ly Icelandic history.
A much more ancient view of Iceland’s history can be found
just beneath the earth’s surface. New attraction Into the Gla-
cier takes visitors through a man-made ice tunnel that burrows
deep into the heart of Langjökull, giving a new, ever-changing
view of the frosty blue core of an ancient ice cap. Guided tours
leave via a free shuttle bus which departs from Hótel Húsafell.
That’s the ice, now for the fire: Víðgelmir, Iceland’s largest
lava cave, is just a few minutes’ drive past the hotel, on a friend-
ly family-owned farm. Running a kilometer-and-a-half long, and
more than ten stories deep into the earth, the cave was formed
by the collapse of ancient lava flows, which have left behind
traces in the form of painterly red, brown and deep blue sedi-
ment layers, contrasting with icy stalagmites that glitter in the
darkness. At Into the Glacier, guided tours are offered several
times daily, all year round. These and other excursions can be
booked from the hotel’s tour desk.
In remote West Iceland,
at the foot of Iceland’s second-largest
glacier, Hótel Húsafell offers warmth
and comfort—and wondrous
winter excursions.
COZY COUNTRY HIDEAWAY
Víðgelmir cave. The ice tunnel in Langjökull glacier. From Húsafell.
S P E C I A L P R O M O T I O NNorthern Lights