The Golden Circle - Land og saga

trips run by SBA-Norðurleið to Ásbyrgi from
Akureyri at 8:15 Mon-Fri & 8:30 Sat-Sun that
also stop at Hljóðaklettar and Dettifoss.
Hljóðaklettar (The Echoing Rocks) are
about a day’s hike from Ásbyrgi through
lush vegetation in the Vesturdalur valley.
They are a basalt formation of rocks which
are unique in their pattern and caves that
create strange echoes. It’s a great labyrinth
of vegetation and large rocks where it’s not
difficult to get lost, as there a many different
paths - so it’s wise to keep children close here.
as the thunderous power of the water sends
vibrations into the surrounding rocks
whilst rainbows play in the spray mist in
the sunshine. Located at the southernmost
part of the park, it is advisable to check in
at the nearest Information Centre to find
out about the road conditions. (Any trip
into the Interior Highlands should only
be undertaken after such a check has been
made. Conditions can change rapidly!)
Dettifoss is the largest waterfall but by
no means the only one on the river, which
an interesting crater to reach it. At 27 metres
high it, too, provides a spectacular sight.
Vocabulary box
á
foss
fjöll
gjúfur
jökul
river
waterfall
mountain
canyon
glacier
In 2008, the new Vatnajökull National
Park was formed by the amalgamation of
Skaftafell, Jökulsárglúfur and Vatnajókull
National Parks. It is the largest in Europe,
covering over 13% of Iceland.
Vatnajökulsþjóðgarður
Hlóðaklettar’s strange formation
Dettifoss in all its power
Gljúfrastofa Ásbyrgi • 671 Kópasker
+354 470 7100
asbyrgi@vjp.is
www.vjp.is
Budget_WhatsOn_augl_105x210mm_júní2010.ai 1 4.6.2010 14:22:05
Dettifoss Europe’s most powerful
waterfall earns its title! In Spring, the
already big waterfall triples in size, with
a phenomenal 193 m3/sec of water drawn
from the river’s massive catchment area
plunging 45 m into the canyon below.
Numbers like this, however, fail to do justice
to the magnificence of this natural wonder
makes this area all the more spectacular. Just
1 km futher south is the Selfoss waterfall at
10 m high, which derives its name from an
abandoned farm, Holssel. It is a special,
beautiful waterfall that is really worth the
extra time to visit. The third waterfall,
Hafragilsfoss, is found about 2 km north of
Dettifoss, and is well worth the detour across
Photo by © Frank Bradford
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Hlóðaklettar
58 www.icelandictimes.com