Whales, whales and whales again

Local whale watching company in Dalvik has been very pleased these days and proud to announce every day departures starting at 9am in the morning. 

There have been lots of whales to be seen in the fjord lately,especially many humpback whales. Recently, they spotted up to 6 humpback whales in one of the tours, dolphins & porpoises! 

And, this is just a reminder that if you book via our GO LOCAL ICELAND initiative, you get 15% discount. This offer is valid all-year round.

For those who don´t fancy whale-watching tours - and I know -  that you´re many, here is a secret revealed that I promised in one of the previous articles:

Well hidden treasure in Hjalteyri  is a hot pot located by the sea shore. This small village is located in a very special bay with very deep waters - apparently a favourite spot for whales.

On top of this, there´s a diving center that can help you explore the sea bed with its unique and only geothermal cone found in the world you can scuba dive to.

And last but not least - fresh news about more cheap flights to Iceland via www.norwegian.com. They will fly to this island not only in the summer time but the schedule is planned even for January 2015. Just bear in mind that they don´t fly every day. Those wanting to come from Prague - you might want to check the connections that www.norwegian.com operates between Prague and Oslo.

Good luck and see you around.

Cheaply between Iceland and ex-Czechoslovakia

Since we´re especially connected to both, Slovakia and Czech Republic, here comes an inspiring post to help you get oriented within some options of getting to Iceland cheaply in the summer of 2014.

It is really important that you answer a few questions for yourself when deciding what services to invest in. The thing is, that nowadays you can get really cheaply to various places in the world (including Iceland), by combining air-tickets from various low costs companies. However, there´s a big difference in terms of risk that you´re taking, when you have your e.g. 1 stop combination bought in 1 air-ticket or whether you end up buying 2 separate tickets. If there´s a delay, only the combination bought on 1 ticket guarantees less hassle and no extra costs (depending on the conditions of the tariff that you ended up buying).

So, if you want it really really cheaply and decide to risk, you always have to bear in mind consequences when things don´t go as planned.

Another question to answer is: What is cheaply for me, or in other words, what is the maximum I´m ready to pay and what comfort do I want for what I´m willing to pay?

I´d say that it is still very reasonable to pay around 400 EUR for a return between ex-Czechoslovakia and Iceland, in the high season. Although prices can range from 300 EUR all the way up to 600 EUR for one person and a return.

1, direct flights? almost
Well, there´re no direct flights between the above mentioned countries and Iceland, announced for the summer of 2014, but you have great options from BERLIN, VIENNA or MUNICH, presuming that you don´t mind getting cheaply (train or bus) to any of these 3 cities.

AIRBERLIN or WOW AIR are there to fly you from Berlin or Munich directly to Keflavik and let´s have a look at a few examples:

WOW AIR
04.08.2014      Berlin Schoenefeld - Keflavik: 198.13 EUR
12.08.2014      Keflavik - Berlin Schoenefeld:  145.44 EUR
TOTAL: 357.44 EUR

AIRBERLIN
04.08.2014      Berlin Tegel- Keflavik: 246.44 EUR
12.08.2014      Keflavik - Berlin Tegel:  169.70 EUR
TOTAL: 425.64 EUR

Now, remember that the prices include different services and also offer different comfort, not to mention the options for changing the ticket. So we definitely encourage you to check the details of the tariff you decide to buy really well.

2, Combinations with 1 STOP.

Usual air-tickets scanner sites come handy here, such as:

skyscanner.com

opodo.com

dohop.com

Nevertheless, I´ll give you some tips here to ease your headaches when searching for reasonable combinations:

London (Luton) could be a place to change, as EASY JET offers directs to Keflavik this summer. For more info on this click here.

11.08.2014      London Luton - Keflavik: 83.49 GBP
18.08.2014      Keflavik - London Luton:  111.36 GBP
TOTAL: 194.85 GBP

Brussels could be another place as Thomas Cook started off some nice offers this year. For more info click here.

13.08.2014      Brussels - Keflavik: 99.99 EUR
20.08.2014      Keflavik - Brussels:  139.99 EUR
TOTAL: 239.98 EUR

Oslo. Yes, believe it or not, national carrier of Iceland: icelandair.is charges very low for flights between Oslo and Iceland. If you´re able to get to Oslo really cheaply and are able to find good time combinations, then definitely have a go!

03.08.2014      Oslo - Keflavik: 103 EUR
10.08.2014      Keflavik - Oslo:  110.00 EUR
TOTAL: 213.00 EUR

and that´s it for a start.
Go ahead, start playing with it and let us know in case you find some new and fresh combinations so that we can share it with others for the summer of 2014.

and last but not least, one offer from a Czech photographer searching for 1-3 co-travellers for the period of:
15.6. - 26.6.2014. More info here and details about his work here. 

Unique and handmade for you to take home

I came across very special candles the other day, when in Reykjavik and could not do otherwise but buy them. They were hand-made in Iceland, and the ingredients used were: soya wax, rowan berries, 2000 years old lava stones and Icelandic moss. The scent is charming and calming and I loved them so much that I decided to contact the producer directly and order quite some pieces so that I have enough as presents for my close ones.

Since there´s no retail currently with these products in Akureyri, I find it important to share the details so that you can either order it, or simply stop by in Húsavík and get them there, if this is something of your taste.

It is Railis, who is to be contacted and you can find him at Túngata 4 in Húsavík. For more details, check out the following webpages:

www.etsy.com/shop/railis
www.facebook.com/railisdesign

And last but not least, they´ve been busy creating all kinds of great stuff, not only candles, so those interested, check out their offer in the catalogue here.


Hm, one more hidden hand-made treasure to share. A friend of mine took me to Hjalteyri the other day. Tiny village with a huge old abandoned fish factory which has turned into rough cultural spot. In the building in front of the factory, there is a great artist Lene who has been creating breathtaking products made of mostly animals´ skin and hair (spreads, necklaces, bracelets, pouches, bags, ...you name it). BUT, it´s really not easy to find, as there´s no sign on the door. So, just knock on the blue door and ask for Lene and enjoy her unique kingdom with unique souvenirs.

While in Hjalteyri, I was introduced to a secret place, so stay tuned and check out the BLOG soon, as I´ll reveal more details about this in the next article.

Until then, happy travels.