Facilities
At the local café, Kaffi Kjós, guests can enjoy snacks or meals in a homey and family-friendly environment, while taking in the view across lake Meðalfellsvatn. The café is open during the summer season. The barn at Hjalli has been remodelled as a venue for meetings and private parties. There is a good patio adjacent to it with an access to a charcoal grill upon request. Furthermore, a gas grill and tableware can be rented and dinner service provided.
Service and recreation
During summer, Kaffi Kjós operates a small farmer’s market where guests can purchase essentials, lamb meat from the farm and local crafts. Play area for children. Campsite with access to WC and showers.
The farm animals include horses, sheep and dogs. Horseback riding is available and there are good hiking trails in the area. The nearest swimming pool is located in Kjalarnes (Grundarhverfi), 23 km / 14 mi away and in Reykjavík, 50 km / 31 mi distance.
Create memories by the lake in the valley
Kjós is a flourishing region, set in a wide valley on the north side of Reykjavík’s city mountain, Mt Esja. On the south side a smaller mountain, Meðalfell, divides the Kjós region into two parts. The mountain’s namesake lake, Meðalfellsvatn, is surrounded by country cottages built by city dwellers who like to relax in the country. Across from Hjalli and on the other side of Meðalfell Mountain is the rough and steep north side of Mt Esja. These tricky hillsides often tempt avid climbers, but local guidance and the utmost care is highly recommended.
A beautiful drive to Þingvellir
A little further inland from Hjalli you will find bushy landscapes where country cottages also abound. Þingvellir National Park is 34 km / 21 mi away via the main road by Kjósarskarð. Laxá in Kjós, one of the better-known salmon rivers in Iceland, runs right by the Kjósarskarð route and a lovely waterfall, Þórunnarfoss is by the road 15 km / 9.5 mi.
Hvalfjörður Fjord and the second-highest waterfall in Iceland
Nature is at its best in Hvalfjörður. The fjord is approx. 30-km-long (19 mi) from mouth to head and there are many reasons to stop to enjoy the scenery and walk around. Birdlife is rich in this magnificent landscape offering great opportunities for charming hikes along the coast, over hills and through valleys. Glymur waterfall, Iceland’s second-highest waterfall in Iceland, tumbles over a 198-m-high (650 ft.) cliff in a deep gorge in the hills of Botnsdalur valley, near the head of the fjord (25 km / 15.5 mi). A lovely hike takes walkers up from the valley and through the gorge on the west side to the waterfall’s edge.
Hosts: Birna and Hermann