Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.12.2009, Blaðsíða 43

SEljalandSFoSS: The mother of
all waterfalls! Sure, it may not be the
highest, it may not be the mightiest…
but you can walk behind it. And that’s
pretty cool. Just follow the foot path at
the bottom of the cliff and get up close
and personal with this pretty waterfall.
Seljalandsfoss is visible from the ring
road, so you can’t miss is.
SEljaVallalaUG: An outdoor
swimming pool built in the 1920s. The
pool is situated in a deep valley between
high mountains with little waterfalls
and a stream flowing right next to it.
The location is breathtaking and the
experience amazing. From the ring road
turn off towards Raufarfell and follow
the signs to Seljavellir. From there you’ll
have to hike straight ahead on a narrow
path into the valley for around one
kilometre. Bring a swimsuit—you’ll never
know whether someone will show up...
FjallSáRlÓn: A small glacier lake
near Jökulsárlón. The cool thing about
Fjallsárlón is that the glacier itself is
really close. It rolls over the mountain
and seems to be crawling down the
green landscape straight ahead.
Suddenly, it stops and there is a wall of
ice and a lake with icebergs below it.
From the ring road, turn off at the sign
that reads Fjallsárlón and follow the
gravel road until you reach the huge
mass of ice.
Visiting the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
is like stepping into a fairytale. The
dreamlike world is one of the great-
est natural wonders in Iceland, by far.
And it’s very easy to access, even in
winter, since it’s situated right along
the ring road.
Jökulsárlón is the largest of the
glacial lakes in Iceland. The clear
water is filled with huge odd shaped
icebergs that break off Breiðamerkur-
jökull, a glacier tongue of Europe’s
largest glacier, Vatnajökull. The white,
green, blue and even black coloured
blocks of ice drift around in the lake
all while the huge mass of white that
is Vatnajökull towers in the distance.
Eventually, the icebergs are carried out
to sea by a short river.
Jökulsárlón was formed when the
glacier starting retreating sixty or so
years ago, leaving behind a deep lake
filled with melt water. It is constantly
growing in size, as the glacier keeps
melting. At 284 metres deep, it is cur-
rently the deepest lake on the island.
One perk of visiting Jökulsárlón in
winter is that chances are pretty high
that you’ll find yourself all alone with
nature. There is complete silence,
apart from the occasional cracking
and sudden breaking of ice with the
following splash. It is apparent that
the glacier is very much alive. The fact
that there are no boat rides or organ-
ised tours on the lake during winter
doesn’t matter at all. Walking along
the black shores is quite enough, and
an amazing experience in itself.
Just on the other side of the bridge
the icebergs float under is a sight not
to be missed. Follow the river to the
black beach by the ocean, where end-
less amounts of icebergs get stranded
on the shore. The glittering ice sculp-
tures on the black sand are an incred-
ible sight.
Not to be missed.
27
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 18 — 2009
Travel | Jökulsárlón
Note that the Seljavallalaug swimming pool is not regularly maintained, it has no showering
facilities (and very modest changing booths) and it’ll often have a bunch of algae in it.
You venture there of your own accord, and on your own responsibility.
loUiSE PETERSSon
loUiSE PETERSSon
Welcome To Fairytale Land!
Visiting Jökulsárlón in winter
SiGHTS To SEE on THE Way
Always best price online.
Various online-offers to all Air Iceland's destinations.
www.airiceland.is
websales@airiceland.is / tel. +354 570 3030 Contact Air Iceland or
travel agent for reservation.
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