Svartifoss and Glacier Viewpoint
Svartifoss and Glacier Viewpoint
Duration: 1.5 hours. Difficulty: moderate, around 200m of ascent and descent. Interest waterfalls, views of the glacier. Start/End: the trail starts left of the toilets at the Visitor Centre at Skaftafell.
Proceed through the campsite until you reach an information board at the foot of the wooded slope. Take the main trail which climbs through woodland. Past two waterfalls, bear right to Svartifoss and cross open moorland. You will arrive at a viewpoint over the falls.
Descend to the waterfall, which is framed by basalt columns, then return to the viewpoint. Now from the viewpoint take the trail which heads east across the plateau. Crossing a stream by a footbridge you will eventually meet another footpath.
Bear left here and continue over Austurheidi plateau to Sjonarnipa, a viewpoint over the glacier marked by a cairn. In clear weather, you can see Iceland’s highest summit from here, 2110m Öræfajökull. Now take the path following the ridge in a southerly direction – it’s not very clear to start with but soon you will see an obvious trail.
There are good views down over the glacier as you slowly begin to descend. The last section of the walk is through woodland and you will pass the campsite below you before finally, you rejoin the path you started out on.