Welcome to China-Iceland Arctic Science Observatory (CIAO) , SMILE SWT #15 and Consortium meeting #9 which will be held at CIAO, Kárhóll, Iceland on March 17th-20st, 2020.
CIAO is located at Kárhóll, in North-Eastern Iceland, close to the municipality Laugar, a 45 minutes drive from the town of Akureyri. Akureyri has a domestic airport – AEY with multiple daily flights from Reykjavik – see further information below.
The meeting organizers recommend that participants accommodate in Akureyri during the conference. Daily bus transfer will be provided to and from the conference hotels, Hotel KEA and Icelandair Hotel, located in downtown Akureyri – see booking instructions below.
In order to provide good service for all participants a registration page has been created. Please register to the conference here.
SMILE conference organizers have block booked hotel rooms for conference participants, at the best available rates, at two quality hotels in Akureyri, Icelandair hotel and Kea hotel.
The prices of rooms at both hotels include breakfast.
The hotels are very comparable in quality and are only a 10 minute walking distance apart in downtown Akureyri.
For participants staying until the 21st of March please book at the Icelandair hotel.
For participants stay until the 20th of March or less please book at the Kea hotel.
The booking can only be guaranteed until the 1st for February so please book your room before that time as Akureyri is a busy city this time of the year.
If you have any questions or need assistance with your travel arrangements please email the local conference organizers at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call +3544612800.
Further information on travel to and from the conference venue.
PLEASE NOTE - When arriving to Iceland you will arrive at Keflavik International airport – KEF.
To travel to Akureyri we recommend you to take a domestic flight. The flight duration is about 45 min. Your flight to Akureyri departs from the domestic airport in Reykjavik – about 1 hour drive from Keflavik airport!
Not all booking systems provide the option of booking the domestic flight in connection to you international ticketing so if NOT go to http://www.airicelandconnect.com .
To travel from Keflavik International to the domestic airport there is the option of a bus or a taxi. The bus to the domestic airport leaves from outside the arrival terminal and takes just over an hour with changing to a smaller bus at the Reykjavik terminal. Price per person 4.999 iskr. You can buy a ticket online, on the plane or at the airport – www.re.is .
A more convenient way between the airports and faster is to take a taxi. They have a fixed price of 16.490 iskr for up to 4 people and 21.990 iskr for up to 8 people, so cheeper than the bus if people can joint together - http://www.hreyfill.is/en/keflavik-airport .
It is also possible to rent a car at the airport in Keflavik and drive to Akureyri and the CIAO. The distance is about 450 km and it will take 6 - 7hr. If you require assistance please send an email to us.
The following maps show the location of the CIAO and the route to drive should you not require the bus.
We look forward to welcoming you to the conference and wish you a nice trip to Iceland.
