"Jökulsárgljúfur - glacial canyon in North Iceland." Jökulsárgljùfur by Regina1965

Jökulsárgljùfur Travel Guide: 15 reviews and 92 photos

In Jökulsárgljúfur canyon runs the glacial river Jökulsá á Fjöllum, which is Iceland´s second longest river. Jökulsárgljúfur canyon is a National Park and here is Dettifoss, Europe´s larges waterfall (volume wise). It is breathtaking to say the least. There are two other waterfalls here, Selfoss and Hafragilsfoss waterfall.

Hljóðaklettar.

Hljóðaklettar

Hljóðaklettar "The Echo Rocks" are in N-Iceland just south of Ásbyrgi in the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park. When coming down the road leading to Hljóðaklettar a whole walley of extraordinary rock formation opens up.

These extraordinary rock formations, many of them standing in the middle of Jökulsá river (Jökulsá á Fjöllum) are the remains of volcanoes which have been eroded for centuries after centuries by the strong currents and floods of Jökulsá, which is the river coming from Dettifoss and Vatnajökull glacier, leaving only these extraordinary volcanic plugs behind.

Ásbyrgi.

Ásbyrgi

Ásbyrgi "The shelter of the gods" is one of the most magical places in Iceland, and definitely one of my most favourite places here in Iceland.

It is like out of this world and one cannot but say "wow" when it opens up as you see it from the road. It belongs to Jökulsárgljúfur National Park and is 3.5 km in length and 1.1 km across with the walls being up to 100 meters high! According to Norse mythology Óðinn was once riding his 8-legged horse, Sleipnir, and it put one of it's hoofs down and created Ásbyrgi, which is in the shape of a very big horse-shoe. The geological explanation varies to a great extent from what the Vikings believed, but I will stick to this explanation :D

By the way, Ásbyrgi is the capital city of the Hidden people "Huldufólk" of Iceland and psychic people have seen many homes, public buildings and concert halls belonging to Huldufólk "The hidden people" in the cliffs. There are many stories in our folklore about human encounters with the Hidden people, so you never know what might happen when you visit Ásbyrgi!!

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:Absolutely breathtaking.

Last visit to Jökulsárgljùfur: Jul 2012
Intro Updated Oct 27, 2012
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Reviews (15)

The cliff walls by the dance floor. - Jökulsárgljùfur

Ásbyrgi - the dance floor. Things to Do (14)

On the way back to the parking lot and closing the ring from the upper view platform by the pond, take a left turn and... more travel advice

Hiking in Hljóðaklettar. Things to Do (14)

There are several good hikes here in Hljóðaklettar. One of them is hiking to Tröllið - The Troll. This hike is an easy... more travel advice

Birdlife in Ásbyrgi. Things to Do (14)

There is varied birdlife in Àsbyrgi, especially by the pond. I have seen a lot of ptarmigans by the campsite, they are... more travel advice

Hiking from the campsite to Botnstjörn... Things to Do (14)

There are several good hiking trails here. One of them is Skogarstigur, which is 3,6 km, and takes you to Botnstjörn... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Camping in the hoof-print of a horse in...

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Comments (3)

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balhannah Aug 22, 2012 at 7:43 PM

Wow! What a page! Love that waterfall, something about the power of water seems to mesmerize me, I just love standing watching and hearing it roar!
What a wonderful campground, and I love all the funny shapes of rocks and mountains. It really is a beautiful area and your photo's are superb!
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balhannah Aug 22, 2012 at 4:49 PM

Regina, I will have to return as the ratings service isn't working now.
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  balhannah Aug 22, 2012 at 7:32 PM
  
  I miss not seeing the comments on the front page of vt. If I saw somebody who commented on an excellent page, then I would check it out too!
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  Regina1965 Aug 22, 2012 at 7:36 PM
  
  Yes, you are right, I was thinking exactly the same at this very moment.
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Nemorino Aug 21, 2012 at 9:43 AM

When your friend got lost it was great that you could climb up on a rock and could see that she was walking in the right direction, so you guided her through the phone. (Nobody has ever done that for me when I got lost, LOL.)