Unique View of Stuðlagil Ravine

Among the most popular places to visit in East Iceland this summer is Stuðlagil ravine in Jökuldalur valley. The place is stunning, both due to the blue-green color of Jökla river (a.k.a. Jökulsá á Dal), running through it, and the 30-meter (98-ft) high basalt columns on both sides.

After the building of the dam for Kárahnjúkar hydroelectric power plant, which opened in 2009, the water level of the river in Stuðlagil ravine dropped by 7-8 meters.

Just like numerous other Icelanders, mbl.is journalist Hallur Már Hallson, has spent his vacation traveling the country. One of the highlights of his travels was visiting Stuðlagil, he states.

In the video above, he gives us a unique view of the spectacular ravine.

He notes that a project is underway, aimed to improve access to this natural wonder, in addition to restrooms being installed. The place has been visited by about 500 people a day this summer.

According to east.is, the official travel guide to East Iceland, the ravine can be accessed both from the east and the west. Coming from the west, you cannot go down into the ravine, only view it from above. This is where work on observation decks is underway, requiring extra caution to be taken by those who visit.

The other way to access the ravine is from the east, which allows you to go down into the ravine, but this involves a roughly 10-km-long (6-mile) hike (5 km each way), which can take up to three hours.

For more information, visit east.is.