You can see an example of the damaged areas that are now blocked off. In the distance, you can see the mossy lava mound field that we passed through yesterday.
The canyon is lush and green. It took about an hour to hike along the length of it.
We then continued to drive along the Ring Road. The stark black sand desert, called Skeidararsandur, opened up to beautiful volcanic mountains and glaciers.
Further down the road, we stopped at Fjallsárlón iceberg lagoon which is located at the end of the glacier Vatnajökull. We ate lunch (soup and sandwiches) at the visitor center, then walked down to the shore of the lagoon for a closer view of all the icebergs floating in the water. It was gorgeous!
We then headed up the road to another larger glacier lagoon called Jökulsárlón. There is a river where the icebergs float out to the ocean. Often they end up on the shoreline in an area called Diamond Beach. We saw some chunks of ice as well as a few sea lions basking in the sun.
We had reserved a zodiac boat tour with Ice Lagoon Adventure Tours to get a closer view of the icebergs. They suit you up with warm clothes and life vests and they take you out in groups of about a dozen people on zodiac boats for an exciting exploration of the lagoon. You sit on the side of the boat and hang on for dear life!
The icebergs have stunning colors and shapes when viewed from close up. We even saw a large chunk of the glacier "calf" off from the main glacier - an amazing experience!
The sparkling bright blue chunk of ice in the foreground just broke off the glacier. For about 15 minutes we watched in break into smaller chunks and rollover. Spectacular!
Our hotel for the evening was Seljavellir Guesthouse near Hofn. The rooms were simple but modern and comfortable. Our rooms faced a farm with some mountains in the distance.
Dinner that night was delicious fresh langoustine at Pakkhús restaurant overlooking the harbor in Höfn. Beyond yummy!
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