Visting the Skaftafell Region of Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park is, by far, the largest National Park in Iceland. It also holds the title of largest National Park in Western Europe, covering about 14,000 km² or roughly 14% of Iceland. It can take weeks to explore the entire park. Therefore, I’m going to share with you one area of the park called Skaftafell. Which you comfortably explore in a lot less time.

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Important Skaftafell Information

Skaftafell was established back in 1967 but more recently became part of Vatnajökull National Park when the park was created in 2008. The park itself is broken up into 7 different sections (each being represented separately on the park website) because of its vastness and changing geological formations. There are currently a total of 5 visitor centers throughout the park with one being located at Skaftafell. (Which is very helpful for your visit.) The visitor center is located a short distance off the Ring Road. Here is more information on address and visitor center hours.

Skatfafell Main Attractions

There are a couple main attractions when visiting Skaftafell and if you enjoy nature, hiking, waterfalls, and glaciers you’re in for a fantastic treat. Start your day at the visitor center to double check on things like weather conditions and trail access. Even if you know exactly what you’re doing I think it is always a good idea to speak to the rangers for a couple different reasons.

First, they will give you all the information you need on current trail conditions. Second, they will suggest trails for you based on your hiking abilities 3) It’s another person who knows where you are and where you’re headed. So, if you are hiking by yourself and get lost, injured etc. the ranger can say, “Oh I remember seeing him/her/they today, he/she/they were headed to the glacier”. Simply put it adds another layer of safety when you’re out in the wilderness. Anyway, let’s go ahead and talk about my two favorite main attraction at Skaftafell.

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Skaftafellsjökull

First, I would start at the visitor’s center. Then, you will walk a partially paved and gravel path to get an up-close look at a beautiful Icelandic glacier. The walk to Skaftafellsjökull is rated easy and round trip is 3.7 km (2.30 miles). Skaftafellsjökull is known as the glacier “tongue” to the bigger prized possession of Vatnajökull National Park known as Vatnajökull. Vatnajökull is currently on of the largest glacier in Iceland covering 8% of the island. After you get a good look at Skaftafellsjökull you can see why it’s considered Vatnajökull’s “tongue”. As it pushes through mountains and land mass to spread itself through the park. A must see on your visit!

Please admire the beauty of Skaftafellsjökull but also use common sense when exploring. A gravel path leads to the base on the glacier. The gravel path will end, when it does there is a small sign warning you of glacier dangers. There is little to nothing stopping you from getting yourself in a lot of danger. Remember, melting ice can easily fall and injure you. There are crevices in glaciers that the untrained eye might not notice because they are hidden under loose snow. Without a proper guide or equipment, you will be slipping and sliding all over the place. Remember glaciers are constantly moving. So, it’s always the right choice to take a guided tour when exploring a glacier.

Svartifoss

This is without a doubt my favorite waterfall in Iceland, Vatnajökull National Park. You’re going to love the uniqueness of this waterfall. It’s a rewarding three-kilometer (round trip) hike past three other smaller waterfalls brings you to Svartifoss or Black Falls. You will witness an 80 feet glacier waterfall cascades down to the surrounding landscape of breathtaking hexagonal basalt columns.

These columns are usually shades of brown, black, grey and even a burnt orange. I was lucky enough to see all these colors on my visit. If you didn’t know any better used assume the falls were manmade. It stands out from the crowd, it’s slightly unimaginable to think nature could create something so unique. The landscape is peaceful yet dark, lonely yet inviting, and slightly cold but its beauty provides warmth. These strange basalt columns even ever inspiring. The falls themselves had been the architect’s inspiration behind Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík.

How Basalt Columns Are Formed

Here’s a bit of background on how the basalt column landscape forms. Basalt is a volcanic rock. It’s actually the most common type of lava rock. The basalt column form when lava starts to cool. Then, the surface of the rock shrinks as is cools. This starts to form cracks and fractures throughout. Those cracks and fractures then travel down as the lava continues to cool. Ultimately, it creates these fantastic geometric columns that fascinate us. You have to visit Svartifoss for a perfect example of these columns. And the beauty is, because of the hike to get here, the location is not heavily trafficked. Therefore, you enjoy a bit of nature without much distraction.

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More Tips For Your Visit

• Toll of global warming through yearly Skaftafellsjökull photos
• Your complete guide to visiting Vatnajökull National Park
• Video to understand how Columnar Basalt is formed
• More basalt columns in Iceland
• Explore another National Park in Iceland

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Now go explore the land of fire and ice…Adventure Awaits!