Discover South Iceland
Glaciers – Geysirs – Volcanoes – Mountains – Waterfalls

Attractions : Highland Pearls and Waterfalls

The Icelandic Highlands north of Mount Hekla offer some beautiful natural scenery that is for the most part accessible by road vehicles. Hiking from the main roads is of course always an alternative in this barren moonlike landscape, mostly untouched by human influence.

Around Landmannahellir there are hiking tours suitable for everybody. For example to Hellisfjall, Mount Loðmundur, Sáta or lava field hiking in Lambafitjahraun. You can also look for caves in Hellisfjall.

• Thjorsá is the longest river in Iceland. On its way to the sea it falls off some cliffs in many places and there forms beautiful waterfalls. Some of these waterfalls are well-known, but some others are unknown pearls to discover, especially those in the highlands. The waterfall Thjofafoss in Thjorsá south of the hill Búrfell is well known and easy to reach.

Other Sites of Interest in the Highlands

• Hrafntinnusker in Torfajökull glacier is place you have to look at. The English name of this 1128 m high mountain is The Obsidian Skerry. It is situated some distance east of the infamous volcano Hekla. It is accessible by 4wd vehicles from the north and south.

• Jökulheimar on the west of Tungnaarjökull is one of the valley glaciers that "flows" from Vatnajökull. This is a good place to "get away from it all": the silence is often total, unbroken even by bird calls. This is a favorite destination for Icelanders in 4 wheel drive super-jeeps and other off-road vehicles on an all-year basis to get in contact with nature.

• Lakes Kvíslarveita. About 50 – 80km in distance from Hotel Highland/Hrauneyjar. The National Electricity Authority started work on the Kvislaveita Project in 1980. It was divided into five phases, and four of them were finished in 1985. When the dams had been constructed to divert water flowing to River Thjorsa from Lake Thorisvatn, the lakes have comprised of an area of 21 square km and are now connected by man made canals. They are in a sensitive area of natural beauty and provide very good fishing for trout.

• Langisjór is a beautiful lake in the Highlands of Iceland about 155km from Hotel Ranga and 60km from Hotel Highland. Its surface measures about 26km2; its greatest depth is 75m. The lake is situated rather far from civilization at the south-western border of the Vatnajökull glacier. On the other hand, the environment here is extremely beautiful and it has also been called “the bluest lake on the planet” by Damien Rice. Its beauty has also inspired many musicians and artists.

• Driving through the unique area of Sprengisandur - the great interior Icelandic desert - on your way to the north of the country is a great adventure. You pass on rough roads through rivers, canyons, valleys, passes and peaks through a seemingly endless vastness and raw nature in a landscape that is always constantly changing in appearance. One will never forget a trip taken through the interior of what many call “the last frontier in Europe”. Not a spot to be left alone hitchhiking – as it may take some time to get a ride.

• Thorisvatn is the second largest lake in the country, set in extraordinary surroundings of volcanic wasteland. It is also an ideal place for angling. Another place of interest to anglers is the beautiful, blue-watered River Kaldakvísl, where brown trout and Arctic char are to be caught. Fly-fishing for arctic char weighing up to 12 lbs in this highland river is truly world-class fishing. In Fellsandavatn you can fish for trout by fly-fishing in the summer and ice fishing in the winter.

• The Þjórsárver wetlands of central Iceland are a unique ecosystem. Bounded by the Hofsjökull glacier to the north and by volcanic deserts to the east, south and west, these lush wetlands are characterized by tundra meadows intersected with numerous glacial and spring-fed streams, a large number of pools, ponds, lakes and marshes, and rare permafrost mounds. Covering some 120km2, they are an important oasis in an area with very little plant cover. There are also old remains from the outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur here.

• The proposed Vatnajökull National Park, from a natural science point of view, will be unique in the world at large. Nowhere else is there such a combination of dynamic ice cap and outlet glaciers, frequently active sub-glacial volcanic activity and associated with massive outburst floods (jökulhlaup), and scenic mountain grandeur.

Highland waterfalls
The Highlands are full of vibrant splendid waterfalls. And rainbows as well – one of the upsides to all the precipitation that can sometimes be found here! It is recommended to see as many as possible as these free-flowing pillars of water to invoke one with a sense of purity along with a recharging sensation of natures vitalizing power.

 It is also a good idea to drive and see the majestic waterfall Dynkur in the River Thjórsá. The road is signed but it is only suitable for jeeps and off-road vehicles. It is also an excellent trip to drive down to the waterfall Fagrifoss in the Kaldakvísl canyon on the way. There are also many other waterfalls to visit in the waterfilled flowing region.

The waterfalls Hrauneyjarfoss and the sometimes turquoise coloured Sigaldafoss are both easy to reach.

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