A True Icelandic Forest Trail!
Hallormsstadur is a beautiful and tranquil forest reserve located about twenty minutes from Egilsstaðir. It's amazing to walk in what is said to be Iceland's only forest. The forest can provide shelter from the wind, so sometimes the weather inside the forest is better than in the town.
There is a botanical garden here that was planted as early as the early 1900s. We walked around this botanical garden and were amazed by the variety of tree species, many of which come from places with dense, tall trees around the world, with some trees reaching up to 20 meters high. Iceland is experimenting with different tree species to see which ones can thrive in the harsh subarctic conditions.
After spending a few days in Iceland, it was wonderful to take a walk in the woods. It indeed has an impressive native birch forest. There are also many planted conifers here, and besides birch and conifers, there are many types of mosses and fungi to see. But if you choose the right route, you can see mature birch trees, which might be what Iceland originally looked like. There are many things worth seeing here, so I would recommend it to anyone who loves nature and ecology.