15 Best Sights in Vatnajökull National Park–Skaftafell, East Iceland and the Eastfjords

At the southern end of Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, a powerful outlet stream carries an endless parade of icebergs under a bridge and into the mouth of the sea, where they are tossed and tumbled in the waves before reaching the black sand shoreline where they dazzle like giant polished diamonds. It's the perfect spot to walk around and just appreciate the stunning scenery.

Nature makes its own music at Heinabergslón, one of several glacier lagoons between Skaftafell and Höfn. A pleasant symphony of chiming candle ice is interrupted now and then by the air-fracturing sound of icebergs crashing as they calve from the serrated edge of the glacier. IceGuide offers kayaking tours on the lagoon, but you can drive there on your own (note this is a gravel road) and follow walking trails in the area. Look for the sign about 3 km (2 miles) west of Flatey Farm.

Literally translated as "Glacier River Lagoon", Jökulsárlón is where you can see large chunks of the glacier tumble and float around in a spectacular ice show. The scenery is so magnificent, it has been used as a location for scenes in some James Bond movies (A View to a Kill and Die Another Day), as well as Lara Croft Tomb Raider. West of the lagoon, on the Breiðamerkur sands, you'll find the largest North Atlantic colony of skua, sizable predatory seabirds that dive-bomb intruders during nesting season. Boat and zodiac rides on the lagoon are hugely popular, but you can spend hours just walking the area and admiring the spectacle.

Time and effort are rewarded with extraordinary views of epic scenery at Morsárdalur, where the silence is frequently interrupted by the formidable, air-fracturing sound of the Morsárjökull glacier cracking and churning in the distance. The valley is also home to Morsárfoss falls, which, at 787 feet, snatched the highest waterfall crown from Glýmur when it was discovered to be at least 100 feet taller. Morsárfoss only became visible in 2007 when Morsárjökull started melting.

One of the more popular spots to visit in Skaftafell is the Sjónarnípa viewpoint, which is a 4- to 5-mile hike with several challenging sections. It offers glorious views of Skaftafellsjökull glacier. You can either head straight to Sjónarnípa from the visitor center via Austurbrekkur or take a turn-off on the trail up to Svartifoss heading east over the heath.

The 2.3-mile round-rip walk to the Skaftafell outlet glacier is one of the more comfortable options for seeing a glacier, with the trail to the edge of the glacier paved half the way there. Starting from the visitor center, the trip to Skaftafellsjökull takes around 30 minutes each way. The color of the glacier occasionally dazzles in brilliant shades of blue.

Prepare to have your breath taken away twice by Svartifoss (literally, 'Black Falls'): once by the trail, which is rather steep, and again by the waterfall itself, a wonder of natural architecture. The falls feature a single torrent of water plunging over a wall of symmetrical basalt columns that look like a pipe organ. The mile-long, rubber-lined trail starts from the campsite at Skaftafell. Do not be tempted to drive up the access road—this is for staff only and strictly prohibited.

Lush, leafy heaven can be found at Bæjarstaðarskógur, 22 hectares of vibrant woodland, where the native Icelandic birch trees grow thick and tall between a carpet of wood cranesbill, stone brambles, and meadow buttercups. The challenging 9.8-mile circular hike from Skaftafell Visitor Centre takes you towards Sjónarsker down to Kamgil and across the footbridge over the Morsá river, where a marked trail leads to the forest.

Smaller and considerably colder than Jökulsárlón, Fjallsárlón offers an alternative perspective of iceberg calving activity, and with the snout of the glacier being much closer to the shore, you don't need a long lens to see the action. Services at the lagoon include boat tours, a modern visitor center, and a restaurant.

East of Skaftafell, rising sharply above the vast plains of black sand is Ingólfshöfði, a solitary headland surrounded by sand and sea. In a region of ice, it steals attention from the inland sights. Taking its name from Iceland’s first settler, Ingólfur Arnarson, who probably spent his first months here, the location is also a beautiful nature preserve with abundant bird life, especially puffins and skuas who make their home there during nesting season. Visit it on a joyous tour with From Coast to Mountains. 

Some say you haven't truly experienced Skaftafell until you've conquered the twin peaks of Kristínartindar. Standing at 3,212 and 3,694 feet, the views from the vertigo-inducing summits, which are connected by a narrow path along a jagged ridge, are the best in the region, taking in the vast expanse of Skaftafellsjökull, Morsárdalur, and Skeiðarársandur. The trail to Kristínartindar is a challenging six to eight-hour round-trip (approximately 11 miles) from the visitor center. Access is closed usually starting from mid-September and over the winter because of snow, ice, and windy weather. Due to meltwater in the spring, the path stays closed until around May or early June, depending on conditions.

A stop on the popular Svartifoss trail, Sel is a lovely old traditional turf-topped house built by Þorsteinn Guðmundsson in 1912 and occupied until 1946 when it was abandoned. The restored property is now maintained by the National Museum.

Sjónarsker is a vantage point on the popular Svartifoss–Sel trail around 1,000 feet above sea level. Take the western route up from Svartifoss. From here you are rewarded with superb panoramic views, and with the help of the compass-style locator disk installed there you can quickly identify the surrounding landmarks.

As a filming location for several big-budget films and the wildly popular HBO show Game of Thrones, Svínafellsjökull is often referred to as the “Hollywood glacier,” attracting countless fans to its formidable icy terrain. More recently, it has been a cause for concern as scientists discovered the glacier was becoming more unstable and too dangerous to warrant any glacier walking activities (so glacier tours take participants to nearby glacier tongues). You can drive the very bumpy access road to the car park giving access to a few trails (on regular terrain, not on ice) for some great close-ups. It's off the Ring Road just east of Skaftafell.

Designed to look like a giant shelf of books, the Þórbergssetur museum is a fitting tribute to the author Þórbergur Þórðarson (1888–1974), whose life and works have been curated into an interesting exhibition. There's a good restaurant here too, specializing in farm-raised arctic char.