The reserve has within it habitats and ecosystems representative of the East fjords region including all the common species of flora and fauna you might expect plus a few rarities.

Wander a few minutes from the door and you are either on the beach, staring in awe at the sea bird colonies on the cliffs or surrounded by wild flower meadows and that is just around the house – the rest of the reserve has many natural spectacles for you to discover including waterfalls, snowfields, reindeer, interesting geological formations and a large arctic tern colony.

Further information www.skalanes.com

Skalanes is in the middle of a well connected network of mountain huts and marked hiking trails so a stay with us fits into an active holiday in the mountains of east Iceland. 　There are also a fair number of very interesting day long hill walks, hikes, climbing, ice climbing and mountain skiing possibilities making Skalanes an ideal base for these activities.

Further information www.skalanes.com

A sightseeing tour lasting little longer than one hour to the snow avalanche barriers at Mt. Bjólfur.

This tour is ideal after dinner at Hótel Aldan or Skaftfell Bistro to extend the evening with a interesting but relatively short drive at an schenic view point.

Included
1.5 hours tour with a local guide in a modified 4×4 vehicle for icelandic conditions.

Participants must wear good footwear suitable for a walk/hike, a windproof jacket.

Min 3 passengers, max 6 passengers pr vehicle.

Booking information:
Tel. 861 7008 e-mail skalanes@skalanes.com

A guided walk up along the south side of Vestdalur river from seashore up to about 200 m high. We cross the river on a footbridge and follow the contour of the hill and the meadow back along some fields where cows, sheep and horses graze. A few nice waterfalls are on the way.

There are diverse subjects to talk about but this is a walk that’s mostly aimed at people wanting to exert themselves a bit and maybe do a bit of photography and look at plants along with remains og archaeological sites from a very diverse periods.

Included.
2.5 hours walk with a local guide. Drive from the hotel lobby to the starting point of the walk and back again.

Participants must wear good footwear suitable for a walk/hike, a windproof jacket.

Min 2 passengers. There is no maximum for this tour.

Booking information:
Ólafur Pétursson tel. 861 7008 e-mail skalanes@skalanes.com

Anybody interested in birds will be rewarded with close encounters of some of the 47 species that use the Skálanes site each summer. The ponds around the house are home to a good sized Eider colony. During May and June some of the down is collected from the nests and used to make duvets and pillows; an Icelandic farming tradition. Due to their close proximity to the house it is possible to watch their day to day activities without even leaving your room. Some other bird species of note include Black-tailed Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Golden Plover, Merlin and you may even be lucky enough to observe Europe’s largest falcon the Gyr Falcon.

Info on species, migration times, and interesting spots for spotting different birds at skalanes@skalanes.com. See also www.skalanes.com