Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ingólfshöfði
Tractor tours May 5-Aug 18 Mon-Sat noon • 4000kr • T 894 0894, W oraefaferdir.is
Jutting 10km out to sea at the extreme eastern edge of Skeiðarársandur (see p.301),
the flat prong of Ingólfshöfði is reputedly where Iceland's first official settler, Ingólfur
Arnarson , landed. Tipped by a lighthouse, Ingólfshöfði's soft, grassy turf and low cliffs
attract summer colonies of razorbills, guillemots, greater skua and - especially - pu ns ;
bring a camera. There's a memorial stone to Ingólfur at the top, and views stretching
westwards along the coast over the massive, black-sand desert, with Vatnajökull rising
inland. You can't get out here in any sort of conventional vehicle, but Öræfaferðir runs
tractor tours from the Ringroad (at Hofsnes farm) in summer; just give it a miss if the
weather's bad, as there's nowhere to shelter from the rain along the way.
Öræfajökull
Hikes to Hvannadalshnúkur summit with Mountain Guides 23,900kr • T 894 2959, W mountainguides.is
Inland from Ingólfshöfði, the Ringroad bends sharply round the base of Öræfajökull ,
an ice cap covering the Öræfi volcano , whose devastating eruption in 1362 covered the
whole region in tephra and caused its abandonment. Öræfi's protruding peak,
Hvannadalshnúkur , is the highest point in Iceland at 2199m; you need to be fit and
well-equipped for the 22km, fifteen-hour return hike up through snowfields to the
summit. The route doesn't require technical climbing skills, but you definitely need an
experienced guide - do not attempt the ascent without one.
7
Skaftafell National Park
Bordered by Öræfajökull to the east and Skeiðarárjökull to the west, Skaftafell National
Park covers 1700 square kilometres of barren lowland sandurs , highland slopes
brimming with wildflowers, sharp mountain ridges and, of course, glaciers. The two
major sights here are Svartifoss waterfall and the icy tongue of Skaftafellsjökull , and the
park is also one of Iceland's premier hiking venues, featuring paths that offer anything
from an hour's stroll to a demanding full-day trek. Aim first for the Visitor Centre (see
p.299), just north off the Ringroad on Route 998, to get advice and maps.
Skaftafellsjökull
One of Skaftafell's shortest walks runs from the Visitor Centre to the front of
Skaftafellsjökull itself, an easy thirty minutes through low scrub around the base of
yellow cliffs. The woods end at a pool and stream formed from glacial meltwater,
beyond which stretch ice-shattered shingle and the glacier's 4m-high front, streaked
with mud and grit and surprisingly unattractive. Look seawards to appreciate how
much the glacier has retreated in recent times, leaving behind gravel hillocks known as
moraines. Don't climb onto the glacier: crevasses and general instability make this
extremely dangerous.
Svartifoss
A half-hour walk - or five-minute drive - uphill from the Visitor Centre onto the
plateau brings you to Svartifoss , the 20m-high Black Falls. Though the curtain isn't
especially high or broad, it drops to a small plunge pool over an impressive
amphitheatre of dark, underhanging hexagonal basalt columns - natural formations
which inspired the architecture of Reykjavík's National Theatre. Many of the park's
hiking trails begin at the falls.
Morsárdalur
Morsárdalur is the 10km-long, flat-bottomed glacial valley west of the Skaftafellsheiði
plateau; you can get here either by following trails from Svartifoss, or along a flatter
 
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