eNewsWire

Europe’s newest – and biggest – national park is up and running in South Iceland, and it is hoped massive investment will bring massive rewards.

Since opening Europe’s largest national park in June, Icelandic authorities have been busy improving the facilities and getting the word out.

The Vatnajokull National Park in south Iceland incorporates the old Skaftafell and Jokulsargljufur national parks, as well as the entire Vatnajokull glacier.

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

Vatnajokull glacier is the largest in Europe and covers 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 quite extreme too: 13,000 square kilometres, or 13 percent of the entire country.

Turning the entire glacier into a national park was a move intended to draw attention to the rapid melting of Iceland’s glaciers and to aid researchers in highlighting the reasons.

In contrast to the scientific community, tourists are set to be the second big winners. The Park aims to have completed construction of its second visitors’ centre shortly, and an additional four visitors’ centres will be completed by 2012.

In addition to this, the network of rangers’ stations will increase from four to 11 under the current 10 million euro investment plan.

In return for the investment, Iceland hopes to see a total increase of five to seven percent in visitor numbers to the country over the next few years.

South.is is the website for the tourist industry in South Iceland. As such, it is an invaluable English-language resource for those interested in the region.

The site contains lots of useful information, including details of current events, accommodation, restaurants and attractions, including Vatnajokull National Park. South.is is also home to an inspiring collection of photographs from South Iceland.

More information on the new Vatnajokull National Park and South Iceland in general, can be found at www.south.is

A new website brings together everything about South Iceland in one place, making the region even more accessible to visitors and boosting the tourist industry.

Among the services offered on South.is is a complete listing of South Iceland museums and exhibitions. The website brings together details of all museums in South Iceland in one place, making navigation of the region easier than ever.

Among South Iceland’s museum highlights is the fascinating folk museum at Skogar, which has flourished under imaginative management, and by being set in beautiful countryside near the iconic Skogarfoss waterfall.

The vast, sparsely populated expanses of South Iceland would not seem like prime museum territory – but the website South.is begs to differ. As well as the above, listings exist for many dozens of museums and galleries and over 40 churches of interest.

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

As the name suggests, South.is is more than just a list of museums. A complete guide to South Iceland, the new website is still growing and quickly becoming one of the tourist industry’s biggest assets.

South.is offers compete listings of accommodation, activities, restaurants, events and much more – all easily navigable and decorated with stunning photography.

The website is also a leading English language guide to the Icelandic horse, including where to ride them, where to buy things for them, and when horse shows are.

Visit South.is for more details on museums in South Iceland.

The largest event in the world involving Icelandic horses will be taking place next week in Iceland.

The 18th Icelandic Horse Festival or ‘Landsmot’ will take place at Hella in South Iceland from 30th June to 6th July, reports Icelandic travel website South.is.

Landsmot is the Icelandic name for the biannual National Horse Show – a leading event in Iceland that has been recognised worldwide as a premiere show for Icelandic equestrianism and 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 has extensive listings on accommodation, activities, attractions, restaurants, museums and events in the south of Iceland.

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