Day 4 of the trip was scheduled to take us from the southern tip of Iceland towards the east over a 300km drive. It was drama drama and more drama all the way today what with moss-covered lava fields, trek past canyons and waterfalls, boat ride in a glacier lagoon only to sign off with lobsters for dinner…
After a heart breakfast at Icelandair Vik, we set out for the Vatnajökull (pronounced Vat-na-yu-kut) National Park. But surprise awaited us just round the corner. We hit the Eldhraun lava fields formed by the greatest volcanic eruptions in recorded history. Miles upon miles till the distant horizon, lay lava fields covered in green moss that covers the cooled and molten lava spewed out in the late 18th century causing a geo-climatic upheaval that affected most parts of the earth. You can’t help but stop to gaze at the now serene, most alien-looking landscape.
Much as you want to linger along the moss fields, we drove along for Fjaðrárgljúfur at the Vatnajökull National Park. Belonging to the Ice Age, Fjaðrárgljúfur is a majestic canyon formed by erosion by water flowing from the Vatnajökull glacier. Deep down flows the Fjaðrá river towards the moss fields. Trek up the canyon to see it in its full glory…
Proceed onwards to the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur (pronounced kir-kir-buy-aar-lus-tur). We could have spent an entire day here amidst its crystal-like waterfalls, wildflowers filled highlands and the still Systravatn lake. We walked up to the basalt rock formation that resembles a church’s floor and then went trekking past Systrafoss waterfalls to reach the vast highlands on a plateau.
Beyond Kirkjubæjarklaustur we entered the glacier world. Literally! We drove to Skaftafell to walk up to the foot of the glacier and its lagoon with its vast black sand beach. Here onwards too, to our left, the sight of glaciers never left us until we reached the spectacular Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon — the crown jewel of Iceland. Famous for its floating icebergs and sleeping seals, this is where you can take a boat tour in the lagoon to see the glacier up and close. Special clothing and jackets are available on hire for the boat tour in the freezing waters.
The Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon tour is really the showstopper for the day. With a fill of the drama that Iceland had to show us from Vik to Jökulsárlón, we headed for Hofn for a hearty meal of Iceland’s famous lobsters. A small picturesque fishing town, we dined at the very gourmet Humarhofnin.
And retired at the Glacier World promising ourselves its nice hot tubs the next morning…
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Planning a trip to Iceland? Here is help with the itinerary of a 10-day roadtrip in Iceland