Vik, Eldhraun Lava Field, Fjadrargljufur Canyon, Skaftafell & Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Southern Iceland Road-Trip in Winter in 10 Days – Day 5

After witnessing the magnificent waterfalls and few amazing beaches of South Iceland, we spent overnight at The Barn Hostel close to Vik. It is an important village in South Iceland set along a dramatic stretch of coastline. First, we drove ahead of Vik to visit another bunch of interesting sites, this time in South-East Iceland. We started with the impressive Eldhraun lava field – the biggest lava flow in the world. Then we headed to the picturesque Fjadrargljufur canyon – a stunning and magical canyon of South-East Iceland. Later, we visited the Skaftafell and hiked there to check out the stunning waterfall called Svartifoss. Finally, we checked in at Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon to call it a day.

Highlights of the Day

• Vik i Myrdal
• Eldhraun Lava Field
• Fjadrargljufur Canyon
• Skaftafell
• Svartifoss
• Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

Vik

We checked out from The Barn Hostel and drove to the center of the village of Vik. It is Iceland’s most popularly photographed village located in the southern tip of the country. This picturesque village is surrounded by glacier-topped mountains, rugged sea cliffs and black sand beaches. The first thing you would notice while approaching the village is the Vik i Myrdal Church – a beautiful white church located on top of the hill. We decided to drive up to the church to enjoy the view from there. The alluring sight of the Reynisdrangar rocks and the black sand beach of Reynisfjara rimming the village made the drive up to the church worthy, even though the church was closed. We drove ahead to the South-East of Iceland.

We also stopped by Krona supermarket in Vik and brought few groceries for the day so we do not feel hungry on the way. Fruits are always the best for breakfast. We also brought breads, hummus, crackers, vegan cheese and more so we could make lunch on the go and gorge on them whenever we feel hungry.

Eldhraun Lava Field

We drove for around 40 min on the Ring Road and reached a spectacular land of mossy lava field. It is called Eldhraun. It is the largest lava flow in the world. Spanning around 565 sq. km., Eldhraun is of both historical and geological importance. From 1783, the lava eruption continued for 2 years. It is known as the Skaftareldar, meaning The Skafta River Fires. This is because the original lava flowed down the riverbed of the Skafta river. This was a devastating event for Iceland as it lead to disease, crop failure and disasters, forcing a mass migration of people living there to Denmark. Hence, it is considered to be the most poisonous eruption to date. Eldhraun lava field is also the place where the Apollo 11 crew trained for their moonwalk practice in 1969. This happened because for its similarity to the surface of the moon.

However, you are not allowed to walk over the lava field as it is surprisingly very fragile. There are sharp lava rocks just beneath the soft green moss at various parts of the field, making undulating shapes that seem to be very risky to walk on. So we stopped the car at one of the parking lots just off the Ring Road to take some photographs and explore the area.

Fjadrargljufur Canyon

Next, we drove on the Ring Road for maybe 10 min and took a left turn to 206 Holtsvegur. The road takes you to one of the most spectacular canyons of the country – Fjadrargljufur canyon. It is just 12 min away from Eldhraun Lava Field. This is a serpent-like canyon that was formed 10,000 years ago from progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers through the rocks over a long period of time. So basically a glacial lagoon was created when the hard rock obstructed the glacial river. It then started getting eroded and finally this beautiful canyon emerged.

You do not get to see the canyon from the Ring Road; there is a gravel road in good condition that leads you there. Once we parked the car, we walked along the canyon all the way to the top to get some incredible views of the surrounding. There is also another walkway to get down to the base, to simply enjoy the majestic view in all direction with the sound of the water.

Important Note:

Note that you need to find out if the canyon is open to visitors when you travel, especially during spring or late winter. Due to a music video called “I’ll show you” shot by Justin Bieber in the Fjadrargljufur canyon attracted too many visitors there. As the canyon could not withstand this much traffic, so in March 2019, it was closed to visitors until June 1st, 2019, so nature could recover. It happened in the following years as well. This is because the fragile vegetation during spring cannot withstand all this traffic. It is of utmost importance that we respect this closure so that nature will get enough time to heal.

Svartifoss in Skaftafell in Vatnajokull National Park

We made some sandwiches while we were still at the parking lot of the Fjadrargljufur Canyon, and had them for lunch. Then we got back to the Ring Road and drove around 75 km before we took a left to reach the Skaftafell Visitor Center. Skaftafell is a nature reserve located in Vatnajokull National Park – the largest glacier in Europe, covering 10% of Iceland’s landmass. Vatnajokull National Park was also nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and I will give more details about it on my next blog as we explored an ice cave in Vatnajokull National Park the following day.

You will find interesting hikes in Skaftafell, one to Svatifoss waterfall and another to the base of the glacier. Both hikes start at the Skaftafell Visitor Center, where you pay for parking and get to use the bathroom. We decided to visit Svartifoss as it is one of most popular waterfalls of Iceland. Also, we already planned to visit the Vatnajokull National Park in depth the following day, so skipping the hike to the base of the glacier.This hike is of 5.5 km round trip from the Skaftafell Visitor Center and takes about 2 hours in total. The hike is easy but all uphill on the way to the falls. So it requires a reasonable level of fitness and decent hiking boots.

Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

After Svartifoss, we drove 30 min on the Ring Road, crossed a small cluster of farms called Hof on our left side, and reached Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon hotel. It is a brand new four-star hotel in Hnappavellir, a popular climbing area in Iceland. The main reason behind me booking this hotel online was because of its amazing location. We are almost midway between two of Iceland’s most spectacular natural attractions – Skaftafell that we visited today and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon that we would visit the following day. Hence, the hotel is an excellent base for wilderness fans. The other facilities are free WiFi and free parking. There is a restaurant and bar. There is also a laundry service. Moreover, the icing on the cake is the dry sauna and a Northern Lights wake-up call service. We enjoyed sauna followed by a nice dinner before we got cosy in our comfortable beds.

Dinner at The Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon Restaurant

I was amazed at the exquisite Icelandic fusion cuisine the restaurant offered us. As we mentioned that we are vegans, the waiter suggested the Vegetarian Feast platter that could be shared between us. It included salt-baked celery root with pickled mustard seeds, hazelnuts and green apples. There was fermented fennel with grilled bok choy, quinoa and baked parsnip. Finally, it also had coconut ice cream with caramel, blueberries and toasted coconut as dessert.

Total Distance Traveled: 180 km

NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)

Let us have a look at the shared expenses of Day 5 in Iceland – Vik, Eldhraun Lave Field, Fjadrargljufur Canyon, Skaftafell & Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon

• Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon (1 night): 75
• Dinner at Fosshotel: 25
• Food and Miscellaneous: 20

Total expense (roughly): 120 USD

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