Day 4
Today's highlight is a trip to the ice cave under the Katla volcano. Katla is located north of the southernmost village of Iceland Vík í Mýrdal. Its peak reaches a height of 1512 meters and is partly covered by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier with a thickness of 200 to 700 meters and an area of 595 km². The volcanic crater has a diameter of 10 kilometers. Volcano eruptions occur approximately every 40 to 80 years. The last major eruption occurred in 1918.
The trip is organized by a local tourist agency and starts in the town of Vík. To overcome difficult terrain they use such a special off-road.
We complete part of the journey on foot. Crampons and helmets are mandatory.
Our guide is a very funny person. He reminds us that Katla has been late for another explosion for a long time and if we are lucky today so we'll be first to see it. At the sametime, however, we also received important instructions for safe movement on a glacier.
Looking at the glacier holds your breath. The hills ahead are made of pure ice covered with ash from the recent eruption of the neighboring volcano Eyjafjallajökull. We 're on foot from here.
The icebergs are getting closer.
Glacial water patiently digs into a new glacial cavity.
Now we walk on the glacier.
And the terrain is getting harder and harder.
Here is the goal of our tour.
The cave was dug by water flowing from the top of the glacier.
Although the cave is not large the experience of it is impressive.
The ice from the glacier itself is harder and more durable compared to ice formed on water surfaces. This is due to the pressure caused by thick layers of ice.
View from the cave.
The way back again reminds you of staying on another planet ...
... maybe that's why you can find this hill in one of the Alien movie.
And we're on Earth again (though it doesn't quite look like that).
We are on the cliff of Dyrhólaey overlooking the double arch bridge ...
... and the nearby iconic "Black Beach" Reynisfjara.
Reynisfjara is truly a mystical place. It's a pity that it's crowded by so many visitors.
You have to wait for a photo without tourists.
So I tried it from the other side. The view from the town of Vík is worth it.
In the evening we moved 80 km farther to the gorge Fjaðrárgljúfur.
Justin Bieber in his video clip "Iĺl Show You" popularized the canyon to such an extent that the Icelandic government completely closed the canyon in 2019. At present, it is possible to see the gorge only from above...
... or from the bridge over the river Fjaðrá.