Sólheimajökull
Sólheimajökull is an accessible glacier tongue descending from the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, offering some of Iceland's best glacier hiking and ice cave experience…
Stuttlega
Heimsóknartími
1–3 hours (guided glacier walk)
Besta árstíð
Year-round, glacier hikes available all seasons
Leiðarvísir
Off Route 1 near Skógafoss. Parking at the end of the road. Glacier walks require guides.
GPS
63.5308, -19.3709
Um
Um Sólheimajökull
Sólheimajökull is an accessible glacier tongue descending from the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap, offering some of Iceland's best glacier hiking and ice cave experiences directly from the car park.
See a rapidly changing outlet glacier from an established South Coast visitor approach.
Ferðir nálægt Sólheimajökull
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Magic Iceland Travel · 10 hours 30 minutes
South Coast Waterfalls, Glacier & Black Sand Beach Tour
BusTravel Iceland · 10 hours
DT 402 Private Monster Truck South Coast & Eyjafjallajökull Volcano Sights
Superjeep · 8 hours
Private South Coast tour
EastWest · 10 hours
Myndir
Myndavefur
Bakgrunnur
Saga og bakgrunnur
The Sólheimajökull glacier is one of Iceland's most closely studied glaciers because of its dramatic and rapidly visible retreat due to climate change. The glacier has retreated roughly 1 km in the last 20 years and measuring stakes mark its steady decline. Glacier hiking with crampons and ice axes is offered on the glacier year-round, and natural ice caves form within the glacier each winter.
Sólheimajökull flows from the northwestern side of Mýrdalsjökull. The glacier terminus changes over time, so this record uses the established visitor approach rather than attempting to pin the moving ice edge. Visitors can view the glacier environment on foot, while travel onto the ice should be undertaken with appropriate guided glacier equipment and current safety information.
Þjóðsögur
Saga og þjóðsögur
Sólheimajökull is the most accessible glacier tongue in Iceland for walking tours — a river of ancient ice pouring down from the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap to within a 15-minute walk of the parking area. Guided glacier walks here take you across crevasses, past vivid blue meltwater pools and through seracs (ice towers) that form as the glacier flows over bedrock ridges beneath. The glacier surface is never the same twice: ice shapes reform, crevasses open and close, ash layers from Katla volcano create dark stripes across the ice. Sólheimajökull has retreated dramatically in recent decades — comparison photos from 20 years ago show the ice now hundreds of metres further from the road.
Visstu að?
The glacier has retreated significantly due to climate change
Staðbundin þjóðsaga
The Ice Spirits of Sólheimajökull
In Icelandic folklore, Sólheimajökull is home to ancient ice spirits who have dwelled in the glacier for thousands of years. These spirits are said to guard the ice and punish those who disrespect the glacier. Locals believe the creaking and groaning sounds of the ice are the spirits communicating with each other.
Kanna
Falin gimsteinar í nágrenninu
Glacier Sounds
Stop and listen — glaciers make haunting sounds as ice shifts and meltwater flows beneath the surface.
The creaking, groaning, and rushing sounds remind you that glaciers are living, moving rivers of ice.
Ice Colors
Look carefully at the ice — you'll see shades of white, blue, and even black from volcanic ash layers.
The blue color comes from compressed ice that absorbs red light, and ash layers mark historical eruptions.
Glacier Edge Ecology
The area where the glacier meets rock supports a unique micro-ecosystem of hardy organisms.
Pioneer plants and insects colonizing newly exposed land offer a real-time view of ecological succession.
Hjálp
Algengar spurningar
Staðsetning
Staðsetning
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