The journey from Reykjavik to the geothermal baths at Krauma is just below an hour and a half, so that is simply a spot you may go to on a day journey out of the capital. For us, the journey was an excellent shorter one, as we occurred to be travelling from close by Húsafell. Though solely 25 minutes away, we selected to absorb two of Iceland‘s iconic waterfalls alongside the best way – Hraunfossar and Barnafoss – an space that was declared a nationwide monument in 1987.

You possibly can simply go to each falls on foot from a carpark located simply off route 518, following marked trails and a collection of viewing platforms. The Hraunfossar waterfalls are the primary that you just’ll come to; these falls encompass quite a few springs of clear water that emerge from the Hallmundarhraun lava discipline earlier than flowing into the River Hvitá amongst rocks and birch-scrub vegetation. Floor water and meltwater from the glaciers runs between layers of pillow lava, forming the 1km-wide Hraunfossar falls

The Barnafoss waterfall, or Kids’s Falls, alternatively, is a a lot narrower, extra violent torrent of water that rushes by rocks and stone arches, sculpting them with its pressure. The typical circulate charge is 80 cubic metres per second, however in flood it has reached as much as 500 cubic metres per second.

There’s a tragic story that accounts for the waterfall’s identify, and for the disappearance of the stone arch that used to bridge the waterfall. One Christmas day the family at Hraunsás went to attend mass, except two youngsters who had been to remain at house. After they returned, the kids has vanished however their tracks led all the way down to the river. Very sadly, the kids had fallen off the stone arch and drowned. Their mom then had the arch destroyed to stop the recurrence of such a tragedy.

With our detour full, we continued alongside route 518, having fun with the open highway, lovely surroundings and a few huge, dramatic skies.

If you wish to expertise sizzling spring tradition in Iceland, then you definately’ll need to search for Krauma, however first take a second to admire Deildartunguhver, the very best flowing sizzling spring in Europe, producing 180 litres of sizzling water – 100°C (212°F) – per second. Afterall, it’s the explanation why Krauma exists.

Located in Reykholtsdalur (the valley of the river Reykjadalsá), between Borgarnes and Husafell, Krauma opened in late 2017. In the present day, with its minimalist black design, it blends in actually properly with the encompassing panorama.

The water in Krauma’s geothermal baths comes immediately from Deildartunguhver. It’s not combined with chilly water and no extra chemical substances are added to the water. The purity is ensured with excessive water circulate into the baths. And the new water is wealthy in minerals resembling iron, calcium, magnesium and sulfur, all of that are components which might be additionally frequent in Icelandic soil.

On arrival, you might be welcomed and given a towel and bathrobe and directed to the altering rooms. As with all swimming pools in Iceland, you need to bathe beforehand.

There are 5 totally different sizzling swimming pools to select from, every of various temperatures (every labelled). There’s loads of house and it didn’t really feel too busy once we had been there, making it the proper place to unwind, admire the panorama and absorb Iceland’s pure magnificence in a very relaxed setting.

There’s a chilly pool as nicely – immersion in chilly water is nice for lymphatic drainage. It causes your lymph vessels to contract which in flip pumps lymph fluids all through your physique, serving to to flush out metabolic waste. This in flip has a constructive impact on the immune system, which finally retains you feeling wholesome.

Further services at Krauma embrace a steam bathtub and infra-red sauna, in addition to a leisure room with comfy lounger chairs. You gained’t need to depart!

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However, as soon as you’re feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, how about dinner at Krauma’s restaurant? The surroundings from the restaurant is spectacular and appears again in the direction of Deildartunguhver, with seating exterior for these hotter days.

The restaurant serves Icelandic delicacies from the freshest native farm produced components, with the menu accessible on-line through a QR code. Between us we had the scrumptious Sólbyrgi salad (Sólbyrgi is a small 10-hectare natural farm only a 2km drive from Krauma) with baked beetroot, pickled crimson onion, grilled paprika, croutons, sunflower seeds, ricotta cheese and a lemon and dill dressing.

The Caesar salad – additionally from Sólbyrgi – got here with grilled rooster breast, cucumber, crimson onion, tomato, croutons, Parmesam, bacon and aioli.

In case you’re vegan, you’ll need to attempt the ‘Krauma Vegan’ which consists of various mushrooms, salt baked beetroot, lentil and bean salad, and a carrot purée with a lemon and dill sauce.

Additionally extremely beneficial is the slow-cooked cod – the stand-out dish for me – introduced in that occasion with creamy brussel sprouts, mushrooms, bacon, celery root purée and a garlic balsamic sauce. In my guide, it’s an Icelandic basic that’s at all times a successful dish.

Dinner at Krauma Restaurant was an effective way to spherical off a extremely pleasurable and memorable day, earlier than a scenic drive again to Reykjavik.

Planning a visit to Iceland your self? You possibly can watch a video from our journey to Iceland right here. You possibly can see Hraunfossar, Deildartunguhver and Krauma between 54s and 1m 06s inside the video:

Disclosure: This put up is sponsored by Krauma. Our journey to Iceland was additionally sponsored by Helly Hansen.