TALKING SHOP


spotlight on...South Iceland Wise up and sell...taking clients beyond Reykjavik


Why look south? South Iceland has found itself under the international spotlight thanks to the activities of its now famous volcano - Eyjafjallajökul. Many visitors to Reykjavik head north and follow the ‘golden circle’ route but South Iceland offers a wealth of further attractions too. From its glaciers and glacial lakes to its volcanoes and vast geothermic areas, the region is rich in adventure options and also provides plenty of opportunities to get up close with the locals on Icelandic horse riding or farm stay holidays.


Top stops


Hverageroi - Travel 45km from Reykjavik across a vast 5000 year-old lava fi eld and visitors reach this interesting geothermal town. One of just a few communities in the world with hot springs literally in their back yard, tourist activities here focus around a steaming hot spring area which emerged from the ground in the


Vestmannaeyjar (The Westman Islands) - Scenically stunning and popular for their natural beauty and wildlife, particularly birds, these are accessible by car ferry from Landeyjahöfn in 40 minutes, or from Reykjavík by a 20-minutes Eagle Air fl ight.


Selfoss - Selfoss is the largest town in South Iceland. Situated 57km from Reykjavík it is well placed for exploring the 'golden circle' route as well as going south to the coast and the scenic Reykjanes Peninsula.


Vik - Iceland’s most southerly community, this village is at the heart of an area of spectacular natural beauty and is popular with hikers and bird watchers.


Sell the experience • Farm stays • Icelandic horse riding • Heli touring over the volcanoes • Quad biking across the lava fi elds • Ice hiking and climbing • Caving • Boat trips among the glaciers • Whale watching (seasonal) • Puffi n spotting (seasonal) • Northern Lights (seasonal)


Useful contacts Regional tourist offi ce: www.South.Is Internal fl ights: www.eagleair.is Heli-tours: www.nordurfl ug.is Adventure tours: www.mountainguides.is Super jeeps: www.icelandadventure.is Farm stays: www.farmholidays.is


earthquake that shook Iceland´s south in 2008. Visitors can walk amongst the steaming craters, watch lava bread being baked in the hot pools or give their feet a treat in the mud baths.


Höfn - This small village is a key gateway to one of Europe’s biggest national parks –Skaftafell National Park. It is also close to Vatnajokull, Europe’s biggest glacier. Hiking trails abound and the local glacier exhibition centre gives a good insight into how this amazing region was created and is still evolving. The scenery is breathtaking.


Must sees • Reykjavik – Iceland’s cute capital is good for crowd-free shopping, eating out and night life • The ‘golden circle’ - this touring route takes in the Thingvellir National Park and parliament ruins, Geysir - a geothermal hotspot and Gulfoss – the grand waterfall. Recommend clients stop in at Laugavatn too, a quaint lakeside town with hot pools, interesting craft shops and a gourmet restaurant. • The Blue Lagoon – hot springs feed these natural pools for a unique dip. • Vatnajokull – Europe’s biggest glacier


Been there…Selling that!


Amy Stafford Travel consultant Wexas/best served “Having experienced the helicopter trips


over the lava fi elds and volcanoes i would defi nitely recommend the trips as a good way to see the dramatic scenery. The ‘golden circle’ tour is fantastic - my favourite sight was the gulfoss waterfall.”


Peter Foster Those Travel Guys “The scenery was stunning and my highlight was the


quad bike trip out to the glacier. We deal mostly with clients travelling to the southern usa and i was thinking of selling stopovers in Reykjavik en route. Now I see the potential for longer stays using Reykjavik coupled with other parts of the country for a genuinely diverse two-centre holiday experience.”


www.shortbreaksholidays.com • Spring 2011 49


ALL IMAGES: VISIT SOUTH ICELAND


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