A waterfall on basalt columns
Svartifoss drops in front of a wall of black hexagonal columns.
Eysteinn Guðni Guðnason — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0
The most visited part of Vatnajökull National Park, and an unexpected green oasis between glacier tongues and black sand plains on the south road. Skaftafell was an independent national park until 2008, when it was absorbed into the larger Vatnajökull, and it is still treated in practice as a destination in its own right because it has its own visitor centre, campsite and trail network. The contrast is what distinguishes it: the area is sheltered from the wind between mountains, so birch and shrubs grow in a country almost without trees, with ice and black volcanic sand immediately around it. Its best-known trail leads to the Svartifoss waterfall, which drops in front of a wall of black hexagonal basalt columns. That wall influenced modern Icelandic architecture, including the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavik. Practical points: entry is free and the car park charges. The Svartifoss trail is about ninety minutes there and back with a moderate climb. Longer trails reach viewpoints over the glacier. The weather changes fast — take waterproof layers.
Svartifoss drops in front of a wall of black hexagonal columns.
Reykjavik's famous church facade draws on those columns.
Birch and shrubs in a country almost without trees.
Within Vatnajökull National Park, the south road
Svartifoss, the classic route: about ninety minutes return with a steady but non-technical climb, passing two smaller falls on the way. With more time, add the extension to the viewpoint over the Skaftafellsjökull glacier tongue.
You can walk to a viewpoint near the Skaftafellsjökull tongue, but going onto the ice itself requires a guided tour. Do not approach the glacier edge or its lagoon: the ice calves without warning and the water is near freezing. Guided trips leave from the site itself.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.