Europe’s largest national park, which was opened at the beginning of June, is located in south Iceland and is over half the size of Macedonia.

Vatnajokull National Park is made up of the old Jokulsargljufur and Skaftafell national parks, as well as the entire Vatnajokull glacier.

Icelandic travel website www.South.is describes Vatnajokull National Park as the ‘meeting point of extremes’ – a sentiment instantly confirmed by the statistics.

Vatnajokull is the biggest glacier in Europe by volume and blankets six active volcanoes under its 8,000 square kilometres of ice. Fire and ice are extreme contrasts; but the National Park’s sheer size is extreme too: 13,000 square kilometres, or 13 percent of the entire country.

Creating a national park over the whole glacier was partly a political move intended to draw attention to the rapid melting of Iceland’s glaciers and to aid researchers in highlighting the reasons.

Although partly created for scientists, the second big winners will be the tourists coming to the south of Iceland. The park aims to have completed construction of its second visitors’ centre shortly, and an additional four visitors’ centres will be completed by 2012.

As well as this, rangers’ stations will increase from four to 11 under the 10 million euro investment plan currently underway. Iceland hopes to see a total increase of five to seven percent in visitor numbers to the country over the next few years in return for the investment.

People interested in the south of Iceland and Vatnajokull National Park can visit www.South.is – a leading English language website for the tourist industry in south Iceland. The site contains information on accommodation, current events, restaurants and attractions as well as an inspiring collection of photographs from the area.

A complete interactive listing of all the museums, galleries and multimedia exhibitions in South Iceland has been launched on the new travel website, South.is.

The huge area of South Iceland, with its few inhabitants and many sheep, does not immediately seem like prime museum territory – but the website South.is begs to differ. Listings on the site exist for dozens of museums and galleries, and over 40 churches of interest.

One of South Iceland’s museum highlights is, most visitors agree, the popular Skogar folk Museum, which has flourished under imaginative management, and by being set in beautiful countryside near the iconic Skogarfoss waterfall.

Other notable South Iceland museums include the exciting ‘Ghost Centre’ and the Hvolsvollur Saga Centre. Visitors with children may be interested in a visit to the Slakki Farm Zoo and the Icelandic Wonders Museum.

More than just a list of museums, South.is is a comprehensive guide to activities, accommodation and restaurants in south Iceland, among other things. The website is designed to be easily navigable and decorated with stunning photography.

South.is also provides an English language guide to the Icelandic horse, including where to ride them, where to buy things for them, and when horse shows are.

For more details on museums in the south of Iceland, visit South.is.

The leading event in the world for Icelandic horses kicks off this week in Iceland, reports Icelandic travel website South.is.

The 18th ‘Landsmot,’ or Icelandic National Horse Show, will take place at Hella in South Iceland from 30th June to 6th July.

The biannual festival is the main equestrian event in Iceland and is globally recognised as the premiere show for Icelandic horses and Icelandic horse breeding. Various competitions will showcase the best horses in the country, from the classic Icelandic ‘gaedingakeppni’, to ‘tolt’ and racing competitions.

South.is was recently launched as a website for the travel industry in South Iceland and includes an extensive section on Icelandic horses. It covers everything from horse rentals and riding lessons to horse breeding and horse shows in southern Iceland.

The website also has extensive listings on accommodation, activities, attractions, restaurants and other events in the south of Iceland.

For more information on Icelandic horses and South Iceland, visit www.south.is

South Iceland has secured an important advantage in the battle for tourist attention in the form of the new All Season Hotels website.

The company, which operates a number of quality hotels in South Iceland, has launched a new informative website, which not only advertises the hotels, but also offers an interesting insight into southern Iceland with dramatic photography and an extensive activity guide.

The four All Seasons Hotels are very different from each other and together offer a very diverse cross section of South Iceland – all within easy reach of Mount Hekla, Geysir, Gullfoss and Landmannalaugar for example.

The company’s Hrauneyjar Highland Centre is a guesthouse and service centre on the very edge of civilisation, where roads and electricity give way to total Highland wilderness. Hotel Highland offers the same stunning vistas and Highland solitude, but with a twist of luxury, including à la carte dining, spa and helipad.

Hotel Skogar is an intimate, friendly hotel, right next to the world famous Skogarfoss waterfall and Hotel Ranga offers four-star luxury in stunning countryside and boasts membership of the prestigious Special Hotels of the World organisation.

For more information on All Season Hotels and South Iceland in general, visit www.allseasonhotels.is

Hotel Highland is situated next to one of Europe’s last untouched wildernesses and is the only quality hotel anywhere in the Icelandic Highlands. In conjunction with Hrauneyjar Highland Centre, it offers a complete base of operations for exploration of the interior.

Hrauneyjar is often described as the last outpost of civilisation – the place where the Highlands truly begin in all their stark, dangerous, enticing beauty. Accordingly, the Centre is home to the last fuel station, shop, cafe, hotel, guesthouse and tourist information office before reaching the North of Iceland, some 250 kilometres away over rough, unpaved terrain.

The Centre is only 150 kilometres from Reykjavik and accessible on paved roads all year round in any size vehicle. So while Hrauneyjar can be proud of its moniker of being on the very edge of civilisation, it is definitely still part of it.

Guests at Hotel Highland are able to enjoy a la carte restaurant service, luxury suites and a bar, just like back in the capital – but they also get stunning Highland views, outdoor and indoor hot pots and a sauna and solarium.

Visitors to the Hrauneyjar Guesthouse get a more simple service, including the option of sleeping bag accommodation, at low prices. But all guests are assured the same breathtaking Highland views, and the same range of activities, as well as the assistance of Hrauneyjar Highland Centre’s dedicated staff.

Hrauneyjar Highland Centre and Hotel Highland are ideally located within reach of the Southern Highlands’ greatest attractions, including Landmannalaugar and Mount Hekla, in one of the most spectacular and volcanic areas of Iceland.

For more information on Hotel Highland and Hrauneyjar Highland Centre, visit www.allseasonhotels.is

One of Iceland‘s most popular hotels has re-opened its doors to guests for the busy summer season.

Hotel Skogar is a small luxury hotel located by the 60m Skogarfoss waterfall near Vik in south Iceland.

The hotel is popular with both foreign and Icelandic guests and is a favourite location for writers and travellers escaping to the countryside. It is also often used a wedding and honeymoon destination and a romantic retreat for couples.

For most of the year, Hotel Skogar is only available for groups and tours, but from 1st May to 1st October the hotel opens to individual members of the public. The hotel has 12 en-suite rooms, an outdoor sauna and hot tub area and a gourmet restaurant.

South Iceland is one of the most-visited areas of the country due to its proximity to Reykjavik and the number of activities on offer. Popular attractions include bird watching at the spectacular Dyrholaey ocean cliffs, walking or windsurfing on the black sand beaches at Vik and visiting the Myrdalsjokull glacier with a snowmobile, jeep or ice climbing tour.

Skogar is also one of the starting points of Iceland‘s most famous hike – the Landmannalaugar to Thorsmork walk – a 4 day route that takes hikers through some of Iceland’s most spectacular scenery.

Visit www.allseasonhotels.is for more information on Hotel Skogar and other luxury hotels in south Iceland.