Dalir

Dalir is a family-friendly place to visit, combining historical and cultural attractions with an enchanting world of wildlife and nature. It is the ideal place to spend a few days away from the hustle and bustle of city life, to relax, be outdoors, discover, and learn.

When you enter Dalir in West Iceland you come into region of history and pristine nature, an area where you can just be. Be in silence, be in nature, be with the history that is all around and experience Iceland like the locals do all year trough.

You can visit the sites of Auður djúpúðga (Aud “the deep-minded”) famously involved in Eiríkssaga rauða (Saga of Erik the Red) and Laxdæla saga (Laxdaela saga) and see the landscape that effected this intelligent and gracious, wide traveled woman. Or visit the birthplace of Leif “the lucky” Eriksson, son of Erik the Red, where you can see and experience the ways of life and conditions and that his family lived in at Eiríksstaðir in Haukadalur.

Go for a look around valleys, beaches, lakes and waterfalls, as well as the nature reserves of Breiðafjörður. You might find Holtasóley (Dryas octopetala) the national flower of Iceland, Skarfakál (Cochleraria officinalis) full of vitamin C or Blóðberg (Thymus arcticus) which is great for seasoning and herbal tea among many other interesting and useful plants. And before the summer ends, go for a berry picking in the hills, where you can find aðalbláber (bilberries), bláber (blueberries) and krækiber (crowberries).

Look out to Breiðafjörður bay with its abundance of islands, islets and skerries. Their number has been estimated to be close to 2500, that only includes those that are not submerged during spring tide and where some vegetations of terrestrial origin is found. You might see seals, puffin, or spot White-tailed eagle by Breiðafjörður. Not to mention Icelandic sheep and horses, but May is lambing season and after that sheep’s are set free with their lambs for the summer, so you’ll want to drive slow around the countryside while they might run around the road.

Sit on a soft tuft and take in the smell of sea and plants, listen for sounds from birds, young lambs and waterfalls. You are never as close to nature as you are in these moments. If you’re lucky enough, meet some hidden people, elves or trolls who live in harmony with us Icelanders.

Take time to taste the region, try some of the many cheeses that are made in Dalabyggð. You can find accommodation of many kinds, from hotels and guesthouses to cabins and camping sites so everyone should find something to their liking. Meet the locals, hear their stories, learn about the way of life in Dalabyggð, get directions and consult about where to go and what to do. You don’t have to go off-road to experience everything that Dalabyggð has to offer but might get a better sense of everything if you take a little walk. This is a place to travel slow, to take everything in, to enjoy and to just be.

After a trip to Dalabyggð you might just get as deep-minded as Auður, full of pleasing and relaxing memories from your trip to the region.