Dettifoss, Stuðlagil Canyon and Seydisfjordur

The campsite we stayed at was slightly up route 864, which happened to be a perfect location for us because our first stop in the morning was Dettifoss. We had decided to view the waterfall from the east side primarily because of the movie Prometheus, but once we got there it was clearly the better side anyway.  At least for what we like better. Which is a more natural, less “touristy” feel. The other side will give you a wider and perhaps better few of the waterfall, but there’s rope fences in place to stop people from venturing too close. The ground you walk on is also dirt and grass. Vs The east side; our choice, which has basalt columns/boulders for the ground, and no ropes for restriction. We were sitting feet from the edge! It was incredible!

Of course it was raining again, and that mixed with the mist proved to be difficult, but between constantly wiping down my gear, I was able to create some shots I’m happy with.  There are also a collection of smaller waterfalls nearby but we didn’t check those out because we wanted enough time to explore our next destination. It’s unfortunate it ended up being it was impossible to get too.

When I was researching locations, I came across this magical looking canyon not far off the main road in the direction we would be heading. A few people commented that it was difficult to find but they laid out some directions, so we weren’t worried. WELL, it turns out you have to go into private properties. The whole area around the canyon is farmland, there was no pathways or roads that we could actually use. We tried a few things and looked for ways down from other spots, but no matter where we went it was clear that we would be going through locals land.  During one of our drive arounds we did happen to cross paths with some locals on the side with the official rode (happens to be the wrong side for the best access to the canyon as said by some of the reviewers) and they asked if we were looking for the canyon. This wonderful family is actually building a platform for tourists to use off of their property. It is still in construction but she said we could walk around her yard and “get down there” if we want. She mentioned to “be careful” though and that it’s “very steep”. Wow, was it ever. I’m not sure if there already was somewhat of a path in place down to the bottom, there were pegs but they appeared more like markers for where they want to make pathways. It didn’t really look walk-able to me.

My husband asked if I wanted to try going down and I confidently declared that I’m not a goat! My husband instead, flew the drone down and at least got some footage so we can watch later. Feeling a little defeated by our goals, but thankful at the kind locals we met, we left to continue on with our day. We headed to Egilsstaðir which is roughly 1hr away and arrived for 7:30pm. Just before entering the city, we filled up on gas at Olis and got some free coffees (Always fill up here! It’s amazing. Your vehicle rental company may even provide you with a discount card, AND every time you purchase gas you get a free coffee). In the city we attempted to replenish some of our groceries but we had just missed the closing time. Right cross the street there was this beautiful looking building, so my husband suggested I check it out. From there we stopped off at another stunning church for a short peruse and then continued on to the town we will be camping in; Seydisfjordur.

Right as we were leaving Egilsstaðir, and do I mean right (it was the last little bit of road before it starts ascending up a mountain) I saw this beautiful park filled with my favourite purple flower; the arctic lupin. It all happened so fast, I remember seeing rolling hills of flowers and rushing water and before I knew, I blurted “OH MY GOSH!!! TURN AROUND!!!”. There was a small gravel parking lot that we left our vehicle in and we enjoyed the area for short while. It turns out its an actual park called Selskogur with quite a lot of pathways. It looks like an absolutely beautiful location but we weren’t able to spend anymore time there.

** this park, specifically the entrance, likely looks most impressive during June and July when the arctic lupins are flowering.

After another successful venture minus some unfortunate gear mishaps, we continued back up the mountain. Part of the reason why I wanted to stay at this particular campsite, which was not on the way to anywhere we needed to go, was for the drive. I could tell from Google maps that it would be amazing and it certainly did NOT disappoint. Lakes, sprinkled with ice chunks, snowy topped mountains, waterfalls and loads of adorable sheep. My husband gave two thumbs up and forgave me for planning something out of the way. On the way down (the first time) it was still cloudy out, but by the time we found the campsite and checked out the little town, the clouds had cleared. It was remarkably early, so early that we could get enough sleep and wake up to see the golden hour of morning! Buuuut my husband really wanted to go back up into the mountains to get some drone footage. I was reluctant, but went along, and I am so glad I gave in! (Not that I had much of a choice…. we are sleeping in our vehicle) Wow was it ever ethereal. The reds, pinks, oranges and purples of the sky were reflecting on the water and snow. Everything just lit up and looked so magical. We spent about an hour up there, that plus the time back and forth…. put us in bed again for….2am! Are you sensing a pattern yet?