"The Smelly Fishing Village !" Top 5 Page for this destination Höfn by coceng

Höfn Travel Guide: 95 reviews and 145 photos

VIK I MYRDAL<<<<<HOFN>>>>>JOKULSARLON
ICELAND20th June 2004 (Sunday)
12 o'clock, in Vik; The next bus (ONE bus per day...) would be at 2 pm. My plan was to reach Skaftafell National Park at 2 pm & would catch the bus from there to Hofn...(pronounced HUB).
Tried to hitch-hike, not possible.
Nobody wanted to give me a lift.
Somebody even suggested to me that I should stand next to the 2 girls who were also by the road side, waiting to be picked up !
We waited ! Waited & waited...We ended up taking the bus at 2 pm !
Bus number 12 from Reykjavik...
At least I tried to hitch-hike, to no avail...
The bus stopped briefly at 2 amazing places :
Skaftafell National Park
Jokursarlon...
Reaching Hofn at about 4.30 pm.
The bus dropped us in front of The Youth Hostel. A bunch of us got out.
Right away, the (stench) smell of (dead) fish poked into our nose !
The weather - Oh So Cold ! Brrr...
Like in Vik, we had to call the counter girl to come (by her car) to check in.
No shoes can be worn inside The Youth Hostel, as in Vik's.
No fishy smell inside The Youth Hostel either...Good.
My room mates were Brian (USA) & Antonio (Spain)...
I went out on my own to walk around Hofn. Tried very hard to ignore the smells of dead fish...
Hofn has good sceneries but that's about it really. Walked along the road next to the sea...
The supermarket, the bank & the post office, all within easy rich from The Youth Hostel & Hofn is not a big town either.
Captured enough photos to make my marks that I was there in Hofn.
Went back to the hostel...
Mingled with some people at the hostel : Many nationalities; Japanese, French, Spanish, Germans, Norwegians including some bikers as well !
The looked butch & as big as their bikes, when the 'uniforms' were off, some of them were as skinny as sticks !
Gossip-ing about them with the rest of the 'normal un-bikers gang' !
I also tried to cook !
Siggi in Reykjavik bought me Spaghetti Bolognese in a packet - just put in boiling water, stir & you can eat it right away !
But for me,...errr, how much water should I boil ? Is the pot big enough ? Is the fire too big ?
Well, a few people ended up helipng me to cook a packet of instant Spaghetti Bolognese...
When it's ready to eat, I realized that it was a packet for 3 to 5 people !
Unfortunately, nobody wanted to have a plate; I ended up eating half a pot !
The other half I had to throw it away...What a waste 'cos it was so delicious, maybe NOT to them all.
I went to sleep with a big full stomach that night !
The following day, 21st June; My plan was to go to Vatnajokull, which would also bring me to Jokulsarlon & back to Hofn in the evening...
Little did I know that I had to pay for the excursion ! I thought it was included in my Omni Buspass as well...The ONLY advantage was 10% off from the full price using my bus pass.
I was furious but didn't voice it to anybody...
Was I NOT well-informed ?
I felt cheated...but nothing I could do.
Instead I took the 8.30 am bus, re-tracking back to Jokulsarlon (my Omni Buspass allowed that...).
I thought that I should spend some times there instead...
My story, photos & tips for the trip to JOKULSARLON...

Reaching back Hofn in the evening from Jokulsarlon, I was bushed !
Nevertheless, there was a very satisfied feeling being there in Jokulsarlon with the amazing sights of icebergs all sizes; That place is also ONE of Iceland's attractions known to the world over as locations of some James Bond movies ! Which movies ? Well, you have to watch them all then...
Nik, a German friend that I met in Jokulsarlon had a plan for both of us the following day...he was also on the same bus back to Hofn.
In Hofn, Nik set up his own tent at the camping ground while me, slowly walking back to The Youth Hostel.
On this second night ('midnight sun') in Hofn, I didn't feel like going out...I was just tired.
Still, puffed away outside the hostel, chatted with people inside the hostel.
No cooking...
Had to sleep early.
The next day, I would continue my journey circling Iceland by bus.
My next stop would either be Egilstaddir or Lake Myvatn, or further on...I shall see.
Also, on my bed I was dozzing off thinking what would I experience on the following day !
All depended on Nik !
All depended on Nik...
Good night Hofn.

Last visit to Höfn: Jun 2004
Intro Updated Aug 13, 2004
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Reviews (11)

Sights Around Hofn... Favorites (4)

Beautiful flower ! Beautiful plant !...Well, depends on how you look at it. This was taken on my 3rd day in Hofn at... more travel advice

Sights Around Hofn... Favorites (4)

The population of Hofn is about 1600. It's not a big town. Hofn is also the last destination of buses from Reykjavik,... more travel advice

Sights Around Hofn... Favorites (4)

The population of Hofn is about 1600. It's not a big town. Hofn is also the last destination of buses from Reykjavik,... more travel advice

Sights Around Hofn... Favorites (4)

The population of Hofn is about 1600. It's not a big town. Hofn is also the last destination of buses from Reykjavik,... more travel advice

Things to Do (6)
See All Sights Around Hofn...

Hotels (1)
Very Comfortable Place...

Comments (3)

matcrazy1 Jan 3, 2005 at 4:59 PM Report Abuse

Great shots!
dassi Aug 17, 2004 at 10:34 AM Report Abuse

I would like to go there when they have lobster party wich they do at least once every summer. Cool photos and nice coments. I do my self think of Jokulsarlon as one of the most beautiful places in Iceland
diocletianvs Aug 1, 2004 at 2:25 AM Report Abuse

That photo of two kids on the street in the middle of the night is so...... Icelandic! I can almost hear Björk playing in the background.