es in Iceland. The famous iceberg lake of Jökulsárlón was formed following the melting of the Breiðamerkurjökull's glacier. The show is fascinating! Today, the lake is growing larger and larger, so that the glacier front is now 3 km from the sea and can only be seen if the weather is clear. The lake ends its journey in the ocean, passing through a small channel where the pieces of ice pile up before running aground along the immense black sand beach that borders the area. Boat tours are organized all year round to get a closer look at the icebergs (but we don't endorse them).
Take your time to discover the Jökulsárlón lagoon and don't stop at the two large car parks on either side of the channel. Solitary and much more impressive points of view are accessible from small car parks located upstream, before reaching the channel. You will find all the details in our article dedicated to Jökulsárlón.
The Mýrdalsjökull is another large glacier located west of the Vatnajökull. With its 596 km², it is the 4th largest glacier on the island. Road 1 runs along it for more than 40 km, but the glacier is located about 10 km from the road, and it is mainly on the other side of the road, from the F210 that the view is most spectacular. A route that is also recommended for all adventurers equipped with a good 4x4. You will find more information in this article dedicated to F210 track.
The Mýrdalsjökull is now under close surveillance as it hosts several volcanoes, including the famous Katla, whose crater is buried under several hundred metres of ice. Its eruptions are fairly regular, and there is every indication that the next eruption may be taking place in the near future. This could then have devastating consequences, following the formation of huge Jökulhlaup.
Sólheimajökull is the only glacier of the Mýrdalsjökull which is located in the south of the island, making it easily accessible from Route 1. It is also probably the first glacier you will discover during your stay in Iceland if you turn counter-clockwise.
The Sólheimajökull stretches for nearly 10 km towards the ocean. The glacier is majestic, still slightly tempted by the black ashes projected by Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. To get close to it, you must use Highway 221 for 4 km, which is well signposted from Highway 1. Once you arrive at the car park, you will have to walk for about 15 minutes on a path without difficulty.
At the end of the trail, a rope will stop you from going further unless you are guided on a glacier excursion by a guide. Indeed, as mentioned above, walking on the glacier is very dangerous, as ice can break on your weight. But from here, we can already have a very interesting view of the glacier and above all admire its impressive dimensions.
Nevertheless, we braved the ban to get close to the ice and discover the big cavities of a fascinating blue. We continued the few tens of meters while being very careful to always stay on the earth. But it was when we came back that we found out that we had actually been mounted on a large block of ice, itself covered with earth. Looking closer, we see a large stream of water coming out of this block of ice a few meters further, indicating that our path was actually just over a layer of ice above a river. What was nothing but curiosity could have ended in drama if the ice had given way under our weight, taking us with the current...
The Eyjafjallajökull was made famous in 2010 by the eruption of its volcano, which disrupted air traffic for weeks. But above all, it is a 78 km² glacier, just 2 km from its neighbour, the Mýrdalsjökull. Its smallest surface area ranks it in 6th place among Iceland's glaciers.
Viewpoint on the Eyjafjallajökull
From Route 1, a viewpoint has been set up to see the glacier and above all the top of its mediatized volcano. Some panels tell the story of the two eruptions in 2010.
Today, the ice has returned to its place and the volcano is now covered with a thick white mantle.
We are coming to the end of this article. Of course there are dozens of other glaciers belonging to the Vatnajökull, but