Lónsöræfi () is a wilderness area in south-east
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. The region is characterised by its varied geological formations. These mostly date from a period between 5 and 7 million years ago, when the volcano
Kollumúlaeldstöðvar was active. The glacier tongues of the eastern extreme of
Vatnajökull also impose themselves on the area. Visible to the north-west is Snæfell (1833m), the highest peak in Iceland that isn't part of a glacier. The mountains within the area itself include Sauðhamarstindur (1319m) and Jökulgilstindar (1313 m).
Lónsöræfi, while less known and less accessible
than areas such as
Skaftafell and the Southern Highlands, is nevertheless popular with hikers. A transport service from Stafafell farm into the reserve via all-terrain bus is available. Alternatively, the recent construction of a
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
for walkers over the river
Jökulsá í Lóni Jökulsá (literally ''glacier river'') is the name of several rivers in Iceland.
* Jökulsá á Dal, also known as ''Jökulsá á Brú'' or ''Jökla''
* Jökulsá á Fjöllum, the second longest river in Iceland
* Jökulsá á Breiðamerkursandi
...
at
Eskifell has improved access for hikers. There are mountain huts at
Geldingafell ,
Múlaskáli and
Egilssel run by regional associations of
Ferðafélag Íslands. A 4-6 day walking route from Snæfell to Stafafell is possible via the
Eyjabakkajökull glacier tongue. The area can also be reached from
Geithellnadalur . The nearest settlements of any size are
Höfn and
Djúpivogur
Djúpivogur () is a small town and municipality (Djúpavogshreppur ) located on a peninsula in the Austurland region in eastern Iceland, near the island of Papey and on the fjord Berufjörður. The municipality was formed by the merger of rural c ...
.
External links
Lónsöræfi page of the Icelandic Environment and Food Agency (in Icelandic)Ferðafélags Austur-Skaftafellssýslu (in Icelandic)Ferðafélag Fljótsdalshéraðs (in Icelandic)*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070306132618/http://www.hi.is/~annadora/lonsoraefi.pdf Lengthy report into tourism in Lónsöræfi, with photos (in Icelandic)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lonsoraefi
Southern Region (Iceland)