5_ScanMag_77_June_2015_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 05/06/2015 16:47 Page 39
Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Icelandic Culture Delights
Rustic comfort in the Icelandic wilderness Volcano Huts is perhaps one of the best hidden resorts in Iceland. The rustic mountain accommodation can be found in the midst of Þórsmörk Nature Reserve, situated in a lush valley next to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano and glacier. Getting there is part of the adventure and well worth the effort. Open all year round, visitors can experience anything from snowshoeing under the Northern Lights in winter to hiking the endless trails in summer, surrounded by diverse volcanic landscapes. By Caroline Edwards | Photos: Volcano Huts
After crossing nearly 20 rivers while enjoying plenty of scenery, you reach the beginning of two renowned Icelandic hiking trails and enter the heart of Volcano Huts, a company that prides itself on its outdoor community-spirit. Here, in the middle of nature, hikers and adventurers alike join together in their love of hiking. “Our biggest appeal is our proximity to nature. You can only get here by mountain bus, modified 4WD cars or on foot, which makes the journey quite an adventure. Once you are here you are far away from any sort of city bustle, completely at one with nature,” explains Bjarni Freyr, cofounder and CEO of Volcano Huts. Since 2012, the travel company has offered
tours, activities and a place to relax. Stay at a campsite, rent a hut or share a room with fellow travellers. Volcano Huts has it all. “We are a mountain resort, but a rustic one. We offer people the basic comfort they need such as good food to keep their energy up for different activities,” explains Freyr. During the summer, visitors can enjoy yoga classes and massage and their natural pool is steaming with warm water from the valley. However, the biggest attraction remains nature itself. Volcano Huts is an open community where travellers meet and share their love of the outdoors. During hikes people sometimes make friends and end up hanging out
around the campfire in the evenings. It’s an authentic and real experience, a different way to explore Iceland and that’s exactly what Volcano Huts is all about. “We are not a five-star hotel, nor do we try to be. Here nature always comes first. We are open all year round, so if you like rustic and you wish to hike the trails or witness the striking sight of the Northern Lights from the Þórsmörk valley in winter, Volcano Huts is the place for you," says Freyr.
For more information, please visit: www.volcanohuts.com
Issue 77 | June 2015 | 39