The Official Tourist Guide - East Iceland

34
NATURE RESERVES
Hvannalindir
Hvannalindir, name derived from the plant
Angelica Archangelica (hvönn), is an unique oasis
at an altitude of 640 m surrounded entirely by
deserts. It is a well-sheltered haven at the edge of
a lavafield. The River Lindaá flows from the south
along the edge of the lava with banks red from
Angelica.
arctic river beauty and white angelica.
A total of 32 species of flowering plants have been found and 30
species of birds have been observed at Hvannalindir and around. Six
species can be considered annual nesting birds in the area: pink-footed
goose, long-tailed duck, ptarmigan, purple sandpiper, red-necked
phalarope and snow bunting. Hvannalindir is an important cultural
site as the ruins of an outlaw’s camp, where found by the edge of
the Lindahraun lava field. It is widely held that the legendary outlaw
Fjalla-Eyvindur and his consort Halla lived in the Hvannalindir area
for a few years around 1767.
Kverkfjöll, Caldera lake.
Kverkfjöll and Hveradalur
Kverkfjöll volcanic massive is a true home of ice
and fire where hot springs have melted a set of
caves in the glacier. The Kverkfjöll Mountains are
divided into eastern and western halves by Kverk,
a wide pass cutting through steep, rocky walls, filled
with ice, the Kverkjökull. Massive glacier tongues
extend from the Vatnajökull ice cap on both sides,
Dyngjujökull and Brúarjökull to the west and east
respectively. Under the ice, two calderas form part
of the Kverkfjöll Ridge, at an altitude of around
1,800 m. Numerous volcanic eruptions have
occurred since the ice caps melted around 10,000
years ago, causing catastrophic floods in the River
Jökulsá á Fjöllum.