The 272km (169 miles) between Vík and Höfn -- the most austerely beautiful stretch of the Ring Road -- contain just one small village, Kirkjubæjarklaustur. (You can just call it "Klaustur," as locals do.) Klaustur means "cloister" and refers to a Benedictine convent located here from 1186 until the Reformation. Today the village is not much more than a few houses and a pit stop, but it also serves as a crossroads for the interior route to Landmannalaugar and the Fjallabak reserve. Another road leads to the Laki Craters, one of Iceland's most awe-inspiring volcanic formations.
