Hofn (Höfn) - The Lobster Town
Hofn (Höfn) - The Lobster Town
Its spectacular setting makes Hofn popular with visitors – half a dozen glacier tongues frame the view and on a calm summer evening, the stroll along the seashore redefines the word scenic.
With 2,150 inhabitants and a thriving lobster fishery, Hofn markets itself as the lobster town and just about all the local eateries serve the delicacy in one form or another.
The harbor area is worth visiting but continues beyond the port to Osland Nature Reserve, teeming with birdlife during the breeding season. The monument to seamen there is a fantastic sunset viewpoint.
Hornafjordur fjord is constantly being filled with gravel and debris brought down by the glacial river Hornafjardarfljot, and it's a constant battle for the locals to keep the harbor deep enough for ships to dock.
Originally, the region's trading post was at Paphos north of Hofn, but at the end of the 19th century, it was moved to Hofn, where the harbor conditions have never been easy.
On August 2nd, 1924, one of four American aircraft on a flight around the world landed in Hofn after an 8½ hour flight from the Orkneys – the first time a plane had landed in Iceland from abroad.
Hofn is a convenient point to stock up on essentials and there is a good supermarket on the right as you enter the town.