Things to see and do Stafafell

The vast bay of Lón is a crystalline lagoon where hundreds of young wild swans can be observed during the summer. This bay is situated between two impressive promontories: Eystrahorn and Vesturhorn. Vesturhorn, one of the few formations of the plutonic rock (gabbro) of Iceland, and Brunnhorn form a course between Skarðsfjörður and Papafjörður. Once, the latter was a fishing station and a shopping mall from 1861 to 1897. There were the ruins of Syðrifjörður, which had been abandoned since 1899, and, just to the south, Papadóttir, with some remains of Irish monk habitats that lived here before arrival of the Vikings. At the foot of the Eystrahorn is the Hvalnes farm, the lighthouse and the old fishing station. The Hvalnes farm served as a framework for the movie Paradise reclaimed.

The imposing and unspoilt nature of Lónsöraefi stretches all along the Eastern edge of Vatnajökull glacier, between Hvalnes, “cap of whales” to the Snaefell mount on the central plateau. In this mineral immensity, there are some valleys secret, surprising oasis of vegetation. The vertiginous deep gorges were carved by glacial streams in the massifs rhyolitic of tone clear or colourful including Reyðarártindur and Hvannagil. Beware, difficult track, inquire before you venture there.