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1.0 Guided walks from the Skaftafell National Park Visitor Centre.
Friday 6 May, 15.30-19.00, Excursion to Skaftafell National Park.
After general introduction at the visitor center you can select one of the following guided walking tours:
1.1. To Skaftafellsjökull glacier. 1 ˝ hrs.
Easy walk, on a level path. Object of interest: a very distinct and regular morain landscape formed by a retreating glacier and a glacial river in the last 100 years, the plant succession in the glaciers wake and the pockmarks it left on the hillside. Walking on glacier permitted.
1.2. To Skaftafell moor. 2 ˝ hrs.
The first half of the walk is uphill (200 m). Object of interest: the wiew on to mountains and melting glaciers and out to a vast outwash plain formed by jokulhlaup, glacial outbursts of volcanic origin from under the Vatnajokull ice cap. On our way to Sjónarnípa past Svartifoss and to the farm Sel we learn about the formation of tuff and basalt columns and of people living and progressing in a constant state of natural catastrophies.
1.3.To Svartifoss waterfall 2 hrs.
The first half of the walk is uphill (200 m). Object of interest: the gorge and its waterfalls culminating in the Black Waterfall so named because of the black basalt columns surrounding it. We visit the wiewpoint Sjónarsker, the pulpit of a special outdoor schoolroom for learning geomorphology in a glacier zone on the top of a geothermal powerhouse.
1.4. To Morsárdalur valley 2 ˝ hrs.
Easy walk,on level ground. Object of interest: the story of the making of the park its management and the impact of progress and tourism. A walk along the foot of the Skaftafell hillside past the Lambhagi plant garden, across the great dikes and the new footbridge on Morsa river to the mouth of the Morsardalur valley.
...or after the introduction, you can take the bus to the Skeidarársandur:
2.0 A guided bus trip with Matthew Roberts 2 ˝ hrs.
A trip on a bus across the Skeidarársandur outwash plain. Object of interest: Jokulhlaup and glacier retreat. Who told Crichton they were not? Stop at the river Gigjukvisl and the morains from 1920. Stops at kettles from different jokulhlaup and the key sites of the 1996 outburst visited.
...from the Hotel Skaftafell we will arrange a stroll on Friday night:
3.0 A stroll to the past from Hotel Skaftafell 1 hrs.
An easy walk from the Hotel Skaftafell, without a guide. Main object of interest: Svínafellsjökull a glacier on the move. A path leads from the Hotel up to the Svinafellsjokull glacier. It is retreating fast and the morains recently left by the glacier have been under ice for approximately 2400 years. Muddy ground at the glaciers edge.
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