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Places of
interest in the South of Iceland.
Landmannalaugar.
One of the most visited place in Iceland is
Landmannalaugar. That is where The trail "Laugavegurinn"
starts but this hiking trail is one
of the most popular and most traveled hiking trails in
Icelandic wilderness.
It is equally popular with domestic and foreign hikers.
This is not without a reason as the trail offers a great
variety of landscape.
Mountains in almost every color of the rainbow, great
glaciers, roaring hot springs, big rivers and lakes.
Generally the hike lasts four days and the starting
point is Landmannalaugar (altitude approx. 600 meters)
Skaftafell National Park.
The national park was established the 15th of September
1967 and is one of two national parks in the country
according to laws of nature-protection.
The park is a masterpiece of seemingly impossible
contrasts of nature. Towering mountains, like
Kristinartindar imposing glaciers,
gulches with clear brooks and beautiful waterfalls,
birch woods, a wealth of wild flowers and lush
vegetation.
Places to explore on hikes include
Svartifoss,
Sjonarsker for a commanding view and Morsárdalur valley
with its fine birch forest Baejarstadaskogur.
Insect life is very varied and many bird species. The
Park is run by the Icelandic Nature Conservation
Council.
There is a visitor's center with permanent exposition on
the Park's main natural and historical characteristics,
basic
tourist services such as grocery shop, restaurant, a
camping area, organized hiking tours and activities for
children.
Open from June 1st to August 31st. At other times please
contact the park wardens.
Many people think that this is the most beautiful place
in Iceland. Here you have the opportunity to hike and
camp in one of Iceland's best kept secret.
In the park is Vatnajokull the biggest glacier in
Europe, with Hvannadalshnukur being the highest mountain
in Iceland 2119 meters.
In the park is the waterfall Svartifoss The route from
the campsite to Svartifoss is one of the most trodden in
the park and it
takes about an hour or hour and a half to walk to the
fall and return to the campsite, a journey well worth
taking. You can also
hike into Morsárdal where Bæjarstaðaskógur is, but there
you can find the highest fur trees in Iceland. Around 30
kilometers
further east is Jökulsarlon, which displays huge ice
rocks on their way to the sea.
Lómagnúpur.
Jokulsarlon
Jokulsarlon is around 50 km east of Skaftafell.
Jokulsarlon ( glacier lagoon ) is a deep lake clustered
with ice floes, between the
Breidamerkurjökull glacier and a ridge of glacial till.
The glacial lagoon began to form around 1950. before
this, the Jokulsa river
flowed from under the glacier directly out to sea,
swiftly and dangerously. Today the Jokulsarlon lagoon is
popular with visitors, who
can during summertime cruise on the water among majestic
ice floes.
The Mountain Ok elevation 1200 meters.
To ski Mountain Ok is a lot of fun. To get there you
drive the
Kaldidalur route ( The Cold Valley ) which
lies between the Mountain Ok and The Long Glacier and
its highest
elevation is 727 m.
Usually it is passable for most types of vehicles three
to five months of the year.
THE MOUNTAIN HEKLA
An active volcano for centuries, the mountain Hekla is
one of the most famous in the world. Old tales tell of
the belief that
the souls of the condemned traveled through Hekla's
crater on their way to hell.
The whole mountain ridge of Hekla is about 40 km long.
The fissure which splits the mountain
ridge is about 5,5 km long. The mountain is about 1491 m
high. It is thought that Hekla has had at least
twenty eruptions since the settlement of Iceland. The
biggest eruption was in 1104. Hekla has erupted four
times in the 20th century, the last time in 1991.
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