Skaftafellsjökull - Skaftafell glacier

Article By: Dan Hill

5 years ago

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Nature-Glacier Nature-Lagoon Nature-View point

The walk to the lagoon to see the Skaftafell glacier in the Vatnajökull National Park was my personal highlight of my visit Iceland. We started from the visitor centre at Skaftafell - and from here there are 9 graded hikes to take - labelled S1-S6, and M1-M3. There are advisories and specific precautions to take if you are hiking in the winter time (please check the national park's website). We visited at the end of May 2019, and conditions were very favourable. We took the easiest route - which was S1: Skaftafellsjökull - at only 3.7km - since we had a sleeping 2 year old in our baby-carrying backpack. The trail is flat and easily navigable - and winds through woodlands until the glacier comes into view. As someone who has never seen a glacier in person before, this was an incredible moment. The glacier's melt-water flows into a lagoon, in which there are some smaller floating icebergs. You can walk across some scrub-land to until you are fairly close to the glacier - and are only stopped by the melt-water itself - which runs out of small waterfalls at the end of the glacier. If you are more adventurous, there are plenty of trails to choose from - and the visitor centre has lots of information to advise you.