Svinafellsjokull

Svinafellsjokull comes down from Oraefajokull beside Skaftafell and used to be the easiest blue ice in the country to walk up to, which is why film crews used it repeatedly through the 2010s. That changed when surveys found a large fracture in the mountainside of Svinafellsheidi above the glacier: the concern is that a mass of rock could fail into the ice and generate a wave large enough to run out across the ground below, so the area is monitored and access has been restricted since 2018. Guided trips still operate under the current rules, which change with the monitoring. The tongue itself is heavily crevassed and streaked with ash.

What you actually see

• A tongue off Oraefajokull - blue ice close to the road.
• A fracture in the mountain above - monitored since surveys found it.
• Access under restriction - the rules change with the monitoring.
• Crevasses and ash streaks - the working surface of the glacier.

When to go

June to September. Two to three hours, subject to whatever access is permitted that season.

Honest expectations

The restrictions are real and worth respecting; what is open changes year to year, so check before driving in. There is no independent walking onto the ice. The approach road is gravel. Facilities are at Skaftafell, not here.

Nearby

Skaftafell is minutes west; Fjallsarlon is east along route 1.