Sigurgeir's Bird Museum

The birds were collected and mounted by one man. Sigurgeir Stefánsson assembled most of the specimens on display and never saw the museum open. His sister runs it now. She gives an introduction first, then leaves visitors to work through the rooms at their own pace. The mounts are carefully done: the birds are posed as they stand in life, and it is easy to picture the habitat each one came from. The café is part of the visit — soup, bread and arctic char, and a patio at the back where live ducks are on the water in front of you.

• Time needed: Plan for more than a quick look. The introduction comes first, and an hour goes by easily.
• Winter: The birdlife outside is a summer sight. In winter the setting is quiet and the exhibition is the whole visit.
• How the visit runs: The host gives an introduction, then you go through the rooms on your own.
• On site: Toilets, and the museum works for children — parts of the exhibition are hands-on.

Arrival is by car. The museum has its own car park, and the way in from it is step-free. The building stands on the shore of Lake Mývatn, so the exhibition, the café and the patio over the water are all reached from the same door.

Better: Summer, when the area around the building is full of birds and the lake in front of it is busy with them.

Avoid: Winter, if the live birds are the point — the setting goes quiet then.

The exhibition indoors does not change with the season, but what can be seen from the patio does.