If someone asks me what they should do on an evening in South Iceland that has nothing to do with the Northern Lights, I now have a clear answer: go to Mr. Iceland and listen to Valdimar tell stories.

Mr. Iceland is a working farm in Hvolsvöllur that has quietly become one of the most acclaimed travel experiences in the country. And I mean that literally – Reject Average Magazine, a US adventure publication that has personally tested over 500 experiences across 78 countries, recently ranked Mr. Iceland #4 in the world on their Top 10 Single-Day Guided Adventures list. The only things rated above it were jet-skiing to Catalina Island, canyoneering a river in the Philippines, and rafting in New Zealand. Not bad company.

Guest listening to stories by candlelight at Viking Story Night.C
The room goes quiet when the stories start. That’s the point — Viking Story Night is less about performance and more about what happens when people actually listen.
The farm also got picked up by MBL. This week, after the international recognition started circulating, it has been featured in Bloomberg Originals, National Geographic, The Times, and Vanity Fair. I’m happy to say we’re now partnering with them, and as a Stuck in Iceland subscriber, you can book their Viking Story Night with 10% off. Sign up for the Stuck in Iceland newsletter to get the discount code for this experience, and many others.

What Is Viking Story Night?

It’s an evening event held at Efri-Úlfsstaðir, the historic farm widely considered the home of Njál’s Saga – one of the most important Icelandic sagas ever written. The farm sits about 15 minutes from Hvolsvöllur and roughly 1.5 hours from Reykjavík. It runs every night starting at 20:00 and lasts about 90 minutes.

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The price is $150 per person (your 10% subscriber discount brings that down to $135).

What I like about it is that it’s genuinely Icelandic, not a theatrical Viking show. No costumes, no stage. Just people gathered around a long wooden table in a candlelit barn, being told stories the way they were always meant to be told – out loud, in the place where they happened.
Storyteller Valdimar Flygenring gesturing while telling Njál's Saga to guests seated at a candlelit table in a rustic barn at Mr. Iceland farm.
Valdimar Flygenring mid-story — sagas of honour, loyalty, and consequence told in the very place they’re believed to have happened. You don’t need to know Icelandic history to feel the weight of it.

How the Evening Unfolds

The night begins in the stable, where you meet the Icelandic horses before anything else. This sounds like a detail, but it’s actually a deliberate choice by the Mr. Iceland team – spending a few quiet minutes with the animals before the stories begin sets the tone.

It slows things down in a way that feels right.

If you want, you can put on a traditional Icelandic wool cape for the evening. Again – practical, not performative.

From the stable, you move into the old barn hall. Gravel underfoot, concrete walls, candlelight. Guests sit together at one long table, and as the storytelling begins, small tastings of traditional Icelandic food are passed around: hákarl (fermented shark), dried fish, smoked lamb, Brennivín, and Icelandic malt drink. These aren’t courses – they’re shared by hand, the way food has always been at gatherings like this.

Then Valdimar Flygenring starts talking, and the evening becomes something different.

Who Is Valdimar Flygenring?

Valdimar is a local Icelander with deep roots in the area, and he’s the reason this experience works. He tells stories from Njál’s Saga – the actual saga, in the place it’s set – but also branches into Icelandic folklore, the old ways of life, and the stories of elves, trolls, and hidden forces that Icelanders still carry with them today. Not as fairy tales. As people walk carefully around.
Everything is told in English, and no background knowledge is required. Valdimar knows how to pace a room.
Two guests in Icelandic wool capes toasting with beer mugs by candlelight at Viking Story Night, Mr. Iceland farm, South Iceland
The evening has its own rhythm — drinks shared by candlelight, strangers becoming good company. Viking Story Night at Mr. Iceland, South Iceland.

Why I Think This Is Worth Your Time

Most evening activities in Iceland are either the Northern Lights (which require clear skies and luck) or Reykjavík nightlife. Viking Story Night is something else: a 90-minute, screen-free, deeply Icelandic experience that works year-round, in any weather, for couples, families with older kids, solo travellers, and groups alike.

It’s also one of the better answers to the question: “How do I actually connect with Icelandic culture, not just see it?”

Mr. Iceland has over 1,100 Google reviews and 46 TripAdvisor reviews – and looking at what people write, the word that comes up most often is “unforgettable.” That’s not a word people use lightly after a tour.

Practical Details

  • Location: Efri-Úlfsstaðir, Hvolsvöllur (coordinates: 63.6406° N, 20.2957° W)
  • Distance from Reykjavík: Approx. 1.5 hours
  • Time: Every night at 20:00
  • Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
  • Price: $150 per person
  • Booking: Must be made at least 2 hours before the event
  • Group size: Limited (kept deliberately intimate)
Book Viking Story Night at Mr. Iceland – and use the discount code for 10% off as a Stuck in Iceland subscriber.
Stuck in Iceland has a partnership with Mr. Iceland. If you book through our link and use the subscriber code, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only partner with experiences I genuinely recommend.