Today we first made the 2.5 hour drive to Svartifoss, a waterfall within Vatnajokull National Park. This place was clearly the place to be if you're into hiking. There were throngs of people camping there, with intense (in tents?) hiking gear, walking sticks, huge backpacks that tell you they mean business. Within the national park there are like a billion trails to explore, of all levels of difficulty. We chose to stick just to seeing Svartifoss, but on my next trip (cause I'm coming back, dammit!), this will definitely be a place that we could explore more. We had a lovely picnic lunch next to Svartifoss, sunning ourselves on the large rocks next to the river that Svartifoss turns into. My mom says that this was her favorite meal of the trip, eating in the sun, with the sounds and sights of Svartifoss right next to us.
Next we made our way to the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. This was by far one of the most unique experiences that Iceland has to offer. It is a lake that huge chunks of ice that break off the mountains end up. It gives the whole area this translucent blue glow, and the sight of these huge glaciers drifting peacefully in a lake is just mesmerizing. Also, we saw a sea lion!
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| This was one of many unique landscapes in Iceland. After a volcanic explosion, the resulting landscape is a moss covered lava field, devoid of any plant matter aside from a thick layer of soft moss. Very eerie but beautiful. |
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| The view of a snow capped peaks, shrouded in clouds at Vatnajokull National Park. |
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| On the hike up to Svartifoss, we are gifted with the view of a smaller, downstream waterfall: Hundafoss. |
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| Svartifoss from a distance. I loved how from afar, most of these waterfalls were not all that impressive, but up close, once you get to know them, they become unique and memorable each in their own way. |
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| The black basalt columns surrounding Svartifoss (black falls) gives this waterfall its unique flair. |
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| The mesmerizing and peaceful glacier lagoon. |
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