Hiking around the village is very nice because the scenery is magnificent, big mountains and the big Atlantic ocean. On the other side of the fjord from Hauganes is Mt. Kaldbakur, which is considered one of the seven energy sources in Iceland (in company with no less mountains than Mt. Herðubreið and Mt. Snæfellsjökull).
Mt. Kaldbakur in the background. Photo copyright: I bodi natturunnar, ibn.is
Þorvaldsdalur is a valley that leads up west from Hauganes, approx 2 km from the village, is uninhabited -the last resident left the valley in 1979. It is approx. 20km long, has steep mountains with extraordinary rock slides and rock avalanches. The area is a very popular hiking trail during summer and hosts an annual off-trail/terrain running event; Þorvaldsdalsskokk (25km) in the first week of July. Make sure you have proper shoes for hiking and don’t forget to pack a lunchbox (there is no service there!). During winter there is risk of avalanche because the mountains are steep so be very careful when walking or snowmobiling.
By Ahjartar – eigin skrá, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42245806
From Þorvaldsdalur valley, there are traces of old buildings in the valley where you can look through and your thoughts can wonder to the people who used to live there and the living conditions and elements they embarked.
The old road to Hauganes is a gravel road path uphill from the middle of the village, you wont miss it once you’re there. It leads all the way down to the highway but you might have to walk through a horse fence on the way (just make sure you close the gates if you open any).
Another easy walking path is the (very calm) by-road to our sister-village Litli-Árskógssandur. It’s a maybe 4km walk (one way) where you take a right turn from Hauganes up on the hill to farm Brimnes, which leads you to a 3km calm gravel road which will lead you to a path down by a river but you’ll find a small walking bridge over it which will lead you to the village. It’s all very strange but worry not. In Litli-Árskógssandur there is a brewery – Kaldi (one of the best in Iceland – be sure to know your way back if you stay there for a few hours – and be careful at the bridge on your way back!) and you can take the ferry to Hrísey Island (not a good idea straight after the brewery visit though, the 15 min boat tour might get messy). Hrísey is a great experience on its own. The scenery along the way is truly magnificent, make sure you take lots of deep breaths and listen to the birds chirping.