The Leif Eiriksson Center in Búðardalur in Dalir is edicated to explorer Leif the Lucky and his father Eric the Red. The exhibiton  traces the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, documenting their discoveries of parts of Greenland and North America. According to the tale, Leif arrived in America in the year 1000 AD, about 500 years before Columbus. The written sources are backed by archaeological evidence. An audio guide leads guests through the captivating exhibition, including works by ten renowned Icelandic visual artists.

The center, which opened in 2020, is located in the Dalir region in West Iceland, where Eric the Red and his family lived before seeking new adventures and settling in Greenland. 15 km from Búðardalur, you’ll find Eiríksstaðir, a living museum and replica of their longhouse.

The Leif Eiriksson Center offers delicious soups and freshly-baked bread, cakes, and pastries – don’t leave without sampling the famous local Dalaostar cheeses.

Ten ideas for exploring Dalir and the surrounding regions:

1. Eiríksstaðir is a living museum in the Dalir region in West Iceland offering first-hand life experiences in the Viking Era.
2. Soak in the pool where Saga heroine Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir of Laxdælasaga once bathed in the quiet country getaway Laugar í Sælingsdal.
3. While on the Saga Trail, explore the places where Auður djúpúðga, Geirmundur heljarskinn, Sturla Þórðarson and other settlers and historic characters used to live.
4. If you still have an appetite for Saga legends, visit the Settlement Center in Borgarnes and learn all about skaldic warrior Egill Skallagrímsson.
5. The peaceful rural setting of the Dalir region is ideal for longer and shorter walks.
6. Taste the local dairy products, cheeses, skyr and ice cream, and visit Creamery Erpsstaðir for a peek into a modern Icelandic dairy farm.
7. Get yourself a fishing permit to catch trout in Haukadalsvatn lake.
8. Pet some cute domestic animals and perhaps a few strays at the Hólar petting zoo.
9. Drive on to Borðeyri to visit one of the country’s smallest villages.
10. If you head north, drop by Reykhólar in the southern Westfjords for a healing seaweed bath.

For more information and travel tips in West Iceland, go to www.west.is