Leaving the Hvoll Hostel early in the morning, my journey takes me further east to Höfn with stops at …
Svartifoss
Trail and Waterfall
A beautiful 15Km hike into the Skaftafell area of Vatnajökull National Park provided me with breathtaking views of Svartifoss (Black Falls) and Svínafellsjökull (Glacier).
The ice-cold meltwater from Svínafellsjökull glacier feeds Svartifoss, which tumbles down 20m over a cliff, bordered on both sides by tall black basalt lava columns, reminiscent of church organ pipes. On the way there, I passed three other waterfalls; Þjófafoss (Thieves’ Falls), Hundafoss (Dogs Falls) and Magnúsarfoss (The Falls of Magnús).
Two other waterfalls I passed on the way to Svartifoss ...
Svínafellsjökull
(Glacier)
Svínafellsjökull
is not officially a glacier in itself, but rather a glacial tongue, part of Vatnajökull
the largest glacier in Iceland, which covers 8% of the country.
Svínafellsjökull is a narrower area of ice extending south from the larger
glacier. It stretches around 8 km long and 800m wide, just a shadow of the size
of the main glacier Vatnajökull.
It was upsetting to see how much of this glacial tongue has receded in recent years. I got up close to see the rivers of meltwater flowing from it ~ almost like it was shedding tears as it slowly dies. You will see the glacial ice that is next in line to flow away, is covered in volcanic ash from past eruptions.
Fjallsjökull
Glacier and Fjallsárlón Glacial Lagoon
After the previous much longer than anticipated hike, I went off and done another, but much shorter, to Fjallsjökull
Glacier. This glacier is an outlet of Oraefajokull, an ice-covered volcano. Not
too far away from Fjallsjökull Glacier is Fjallsárlón, a small but stunning
glacier lagoon filled with many icebergs. Fjallsjökull’s glacier tongue
measures about 5Km long, leading to the Fjallsárlón lagoon.
Jökulsárlón
Glacier Lagoon
Moving further drive east is another impressive glacial lagoon on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. It is the deepest lagoon in Iceland at a depth of 248m. The lagoon flows through a narrow gateway into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving a spectacular sight of the large chunks of ice, which have broken off Vatnajökull Glacier.
It is often said, "timing is everything", well in the space of about three seconds both of the following photos were taken. I watched this iceberg collapse and turn over through my camera lens ...
Diamond
Beach
The beach
takes its name from the many chunks of ice of various shades of blue, white,
and black that glisten like diamonds against the black volcanic sand.
After their
journey across the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, the icebergs drift out into the
Atlantic, where waves tumble and polish them before washing them back ashore. The
contrast of the jewel like ice against the jet black volcanic sand is surreal,
a natural gallery that changes with every tide and light condition.
While resting between waterfall and glacial hikes, I met this little guy. We sat together for about ten minutes, during which he sang the whole time ...
After all that, it was an incredibly stunning drive to Höfn on Iceland’s west coast. I would confidently say, the scenery was a lot like Switzerland, I hitchhiked through there during summer 1982 on my way to the Greek Islands, also the landscape has a fair amount of Scotland, and for good measure a sprinkling of Newfoundland.
My home for two nights is the Höfn Hostel, which is absolutely
beyond perfect ~ incredible ~ as a bonus it is surrounded by mountains and glaciers.
I have really enjoyed the past few days here in Iceland, but
I suspect it may peak here in Höfn, I am rather excited about getting out tomorrow
to explore in detail this area.
The Höfn Hostel, with some very quick pics of the surrounding area ...
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