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Gönguleið um Fimmvörðuháls, Icelande
GPS: 63.533226907628, -19.508372848382
Skogafoss is one of Iceland’s most popular waterfalls, along with the neighbouring Seljalandsfoss. It is located on the south coast of the island, near the small town of Vík, the only isolated community of 300 inhabitants together with the tiny village of Skógar in an area of 70 km². The waterfall emanates from the coastal river Skógá, which rises in the mountain pass of Fimmvörðuháls before plunging into the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Skógafoss is a classic rectangular waterfall, 60 metres high and 25 metres wide. This massive wall of water is incredibly powerful and has the ability to mesmerise visitors from near and far. It is preceded by twenty smaller waterfalls, positioned upstream from Skógafoss. In summer, the flow of this waterfall is greatly reinforced by the melting of two enormous glaciers (Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull) that it crosses. These are ranked among the largest ice caps in the country. On a sunny day, a single or double rainbow appears permanently due to the plumes of mist and the high level of spray produced by the Skógafoss waterfall. In winter, a spectacular display of ice in a snowy landscape is always on display for courageous visitors who come to see the waterfall up close in a windswept area. On site, a 300-step path leads up to the top of Skógafoss and up close. It leads to a hiking trail that takes several hours to several days to reach the Eyjafallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers, the Fimmvörðuháls pass and then on to the Landmannalaugar massif in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve.
Surrounded by rock formations and a black sand beach, Skógafoss waterfall was particularly exposed to the ash clouds caused by the activity of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010. This spectacular natural phenomenon brought air traffic in northern and western Europe to a standstill for several weeks. Small-scale accommodation facilities in this remote area of Iceland, slightly set back from the Skógafoss waterfall, offer the opportunity to spend the night in a unique setting.