Hvergerði is a small town about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik that is known for its hiking trails, hot springs and for being a hub for Icelandic horticulture. Last spring H and I set out to find some of these beautiful hot springs we had heard so much about,the search was definitely an adventure.
Mission: Find this hot spring
We were told it was a short hike back to reach the hot spring called Rekjadalur. Well that short walk turned into over an hour of hiking back into the mountains and me thinking we were definitely lost, I may have panicked a little. I am a joy to travel with sometimes.
My hope in surviving the hike was restored though when we started seeing some steam in the air and knew we were close. Just a tip, these smaller extremely hot pools you come to first are not what your looking for. Keep walking a bit further and you will find the hot spring Rekjadalur, I promise at some point you will finally find it and will get to enjoy the nice warm water.
Rekjadalur is a beautiful hot spring where you can easily spend the afternoon relaxing in. I have visited quite a few hot pools here in Iceland but this experience was so unique and amazing, just being out there in the middle of nature soaking in a hot spring, I felt so Icelandic;)
Apparently I wasn’t in to the whole taking pictures of things at this point in time so this is all I have to share from that day in Hveragerði, blogger fail I know!
A few weeks ago I headed back to this beautiful area to do some winter hiking and was sure to take lots of photos this time around.
As I mentioned, Hvergerði is a hub for Icelandic horticulture. The greenhouses like in the photo above are seen all over the city and are heated by the hot water from the volcanic hot springs. In one of the greenhouses I walked into you could find many different types of plants and flowers, and even a banana tree, in case you need one for your garden.
Imagine my surprise when I found a banana tree inside the greenhouse. Who knew Iceland grew there own bananas! It is an urban myth that Iceland is Europe’s largest producer/exporter of bananas, not so sure what I think about this but I am glad that the cost of bananas here isn’t ridiculous like most other things.
In addition to the greenhouses in Hvergerði you can also find a geothermal park that is open in the summer. At the park you can enjoy a natural clay foot bath or soak in the hot springs. Since it is winter though I had to take a picture through fence and dream about how nice a clay foot bath would feel on my frozen toes.
Clearly Hvergerði is not in short supply of hot springs, as I was walking around the town I found several places where hot steam was just coming up from the ground. I don’t think covering this extremely hot steam with coal make it very safe but at least it adds a bit of an eerie beauty to the town.
With streams and waterfalls everywhere you look, hot springs to relax in, and fresh produce to enjoy I can’t wait to get back to Hveragerði. If you are ever in Iceland I highly recommend spending a day hiking around and relaxing in the hot springs in Hveragerði, its a perfect addition to any Iceland trip.
Question of the Day?
Have you ever gone to a hot spring? Are you a fan of winter hikes?
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