Hvolsvöllur LAVA

South

About 105 km east of Reykjavík on Route 1, Hvolsvöllur is a small South Coast town with two museums that reward a stop. The main draw is the LAVA Centre, an interactive exhibition opened in 2017 on Iceland's volcanoes and earthquakes. Visitors move through rooms on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and Iceland's volcanic systems, with real-time seismic monitoring and an earthquake simulator. Admission is charged (around 5,200 ISK for adults). It is a useful primer before driving toward Eyjafjallajökull, Katla, or Hekla. The Saga Centre nearby is dedicated to Njáls saga, one of the great Icelandic family sagas, much of whose action unfolds in this region. Exhibits include a 90-metre tapestry depicting saga scenes, a replica Viking longhouse, and a model of Þingvellir as it looked around the year 1000. Practically, Hvolsvöllur has fuel, a supermarket, accommodation, and restaurants — useful given how sparse services get further east. The town is also a departure point for highland routes to Þórsmörk and the Fimmvörðuháls trail.

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