Accommodation
2 x 4 person cottages: Two bedrooms (one double, one with a bunk bed), and a loft with four mattresses. Good bathroom with shower. Sitting room with kitchenette, couch, TV, DVD player, radio and CD player. Dining table and chairs for eight people. Stove, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. Furnished porch with a BBQ and hot tub.
3 x 2 person cottages: One twin bedroom. Good bathroom with shower. Sitting room with kitchenette, couch, TV, DVD player, radio and CD player. Dining table and chairs for five people. Cooktop with two hobs, refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. Furnished porch with a BBQ and hot tub.
Boards
Guests prepare their own meals. There is a small convenience store and diner in village Laugar, called Dalakofinn, (3 km / 1.8 mi), where you can buy necessities and have a light meal, like pizza, burgers, Icelandic meat soup, pan-seared trout, fish stew, sandwiches and more.
Service and recreation
Horse rental and riding tours at farm Garður in Aðaldalur (16 km / 10 mi) and Saltvík (just south of town Húsavík, 32 km / 20 mi). Whale watching and sea angling in town Húsavík (40 km / 25 mi). Birdwatching by Lake Mývatn and salmon river Laxá í Aðaldal. Various hiking trails. A nine-hole golf course by Húsavík (36 km / 22.5 mi) and close to Reykjahlíð by Lake Mývatn (30 km / 18.5 mi). There is a 25-metre pool and hot tubs in Laugar, a small village where you’ll find a convenience store, diner and a bank. The nearest town is Húsavík, where you’ll find supermarkets, restaurants, a swimming pool and various tourism services (36 km / 22.5 mi).
Hikes, a renovated turf house, Goðafoss waterfall
Einishús belong to farm Einarsstaðir in Reykjadalur valley, a green and inviting country where heaths and shallow valleys are prominent features. You can easily find various natural gems in the vicinity, no matter whether you travel by car or on foot. For example, the former stately farm Grenjastaðir is a good district museum, set in one of Iceland’s largest renovated turf houses (14 km / 9 mi). Located by the head of valley Laxárdalur, you’ll overlook river Laxá when walking the grounds. The salmon river is, in some people’s minds at least, Iceland’s most beautiful salmon river. You’ll only have to drive a short 10 km (6 mi) from Einishús to reach waterfall Goðafoss, and the hike would only take you about two hours. Once there, you can visit the crafts shop Fosshóll where you can also get a cup of coffee and some refreshments.
Whale watching, Ásbyrgi, Jökulsárgljúfur canyons, Dettifoss waterfall
Húsavík (36 km / 22.5 mi) is a well-established market town and a lovely stop on your travels – not least for those looking to see the gentle giants on special whale watching tours on the bay. Tours depart daily, and you can also visit an interesting whale museum to learn even more about the various species found around Iceland. For some natural beauty of a more stable nature, visit Ásbyrgi, the northern-most part of Vatnajökull National Park, followed by Jökulsárgljúfur – glacial river canyons of magnificent beauty – and the powerful waterfall Dettifoss. Located relatively close to one another, you’ll have to drive about 96 km (60 mi) from Einishús to reach these attractions.
Lake Mývatn and the magic of nature
The world of Mývatn (30 km / 19 mi) – the lake itself, the varied birdlife and the surrounding countryside, shaped by thousands of years of volcanic activity – is unparalleled. It’s renowned for natural beauty and awe-inspiring landscapes. You can tour Dimmuborgir (literally, the Dark Cities), hike up crater Hverfjall, admire nature’s sculpting by Kálfaströnd and Héðinshöfði, and ponder the wondrous colour palette of the bubbling mud springs by Hverarönd and Námafjall. After a day’s worth of touring, not much will top relaxing in Mývatn’s very own nature baths before driving back to Einishús.
Hosts: Einir and Guðfinna