t mankind is very insignificant when nature rumbles.
Glacier and global warming
The Vatnajökull is so large that its extremities end in a sort of small, narrow and long glaciers. But here, the word "small" is relative as everything is on an oversized scale! There are about 30 glaciers extensions scattered all around the large glacier, and they are most numerous south of the ice cap.
Unfortunately, global warming is affecting Vatnajökull, which is shrinking from year to year. Studies show that the glacier may have disappeared in 100 years.
From Route 1, you can easily discover the great glaciers that shape the landscape. Let's discover them from west to east.
2The Vatnajökull's glacier and secondary glaciers
The Skeiðarárjökull is the first glacier from the Vatnajökull, visible from Route 1 from the west. Impossible to miss it, it is impressive despite the fact that it is located 5 km from the road. Its front extends for almost 15 km and goes up to the centre of Vatnajökull for almost 30 km.
For long minutes our car ran along this impressive glacier without leaving it. It is at this moment that one becomes aware of the immensity of the Skeiðarárjökull, which is only a very small part of the Vatnajökull.
It is this same glacier that was at the origin of the powerful 1996 Jökulhlaup, whose remains can be seen on the right-hand side of Route 1, about 3 km before reaching Skaftafell. Here, some panels tell the facts of 1996 in pictures.
The Skaftafellsjökull's glacier is much smaller than the previous one, but still very impressive. It is located directly after the Skaftafell campsite. From here, a 2 km long one-way trail leads to the glacier, and reaches the edge of the lake at its foot. It is not uncommon to see small icebergs.
A few kilometres from Skaftafell is the beautiful Svínafellsjökull glacier. Easily accessible by a small unpaved road, don't miss to stop and discover the glacier and its small iceberg lake. Here, the water is rather muddy, but the charm is no less.
The pieces of ice still bear the blackish traces of the ashes from the last eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull, which magnifies the contrasts on the ice. From the lake, the glacier stretches upwards. Take a few hundred meters of the path that starts from the car park to have a more unobstructed view of the glacier. You will then see the glacier's heights appear, tinged with an incredible sky blue! For more information and photos, please visit our article dedicated to the Svínafellsjökull.
It was by chance that we discovered Kviárjökull glacier, a part of the Öræfajökull, a secondary glacier from the Vatnajökull, which is a little further back from the road. Halfway between the Skaftafellsjökull and Jökulsárlón, the access to the Öræfajökull is simply signposted from a small sign indicating Kviamyrarkambur. A dirt road of about 300 meters leads to a car park. Then, a path climbs up small hills that will allow us to take a little height to admire the glacier from above.
This time the observation is done from a little further away, but the panorama is really nice, especially when the sky is clear.
Fjallsjökull and its lake, Fjallsárlón
Near Route 1 is the Fjallsjökull and its iceberg lake, the Fjallsárlón. This little gem was still a little-known place a few years ago, but it was without counting on the arrival of mass tourism in Iceland. Today, the lake has become an almost as popular attraction as Jökulsárlón. It is also possible to make boat tours.
The Fjallsjökull glacier ends its journey in a small lake. The opposite bank is not far away, which allows you to admire the icebergs and glacier at the same time. What's interesting is to stay and watch the icebergs drift and hear large blocks of ice crumbling away from the glacier in a huge crash. There is an isolated point of view, still little known because it is accessible after an unpaved track of about 1.5 km and not yet marked in 2016. To get there, we give you all the information in our article dedicated to Fjallsárlón.
The Breiðamerkurjökull and its lake, Jökulsárlón
This is one of the most popular plac