Mýrdalsjökull

Covering an area of 595 km2, this icecap is situated in the southern region of Iceland, to the east of Eyjafjallajökull and to the north of one of the most popular destinations in the south – Vik í Mýrdal.  Mýrdalsjökull or ‘Mýrdals glacier’ or ‘Mire valley glacier’ covers the volatile Katla, considered an active volcano, which is said to erupt every 40 to 80 years and last erupted in 1918. 

Covering an area of 595 km2, this icecap is situated in the southern region of Iceland, to the east of Eyjafjallajökull and to the north of one of the most popular destinations in the south – Vik í Mýrdal.  Mýrdalsjökull or ‘Mýrdals glacier’ or ‘Mire valley glacier’ covers the volatile Katla, considered an active volcano, which is said to erupt every 40 to 80 years and last erupted in 1918.

To the west of the glacier is Þórsmörk and towards the north lies the Highland region. Mýrdalsjökull is Iceland’s fourth-largest volcano and is visible from the Ring Road or ‘Hringvegur.’  In fact, before the construction of the Ring Road people were afraid of crossing the plains due to constant glacial floods ‘jökulhlaups’ and deep rivers, knowing the region as a wet location with annual precipitation of 10 meters. Sólheimajökull, which is considered an outlet glacier or tongue of Mýrdalsjökull glacier, is about 165 km from Reykjavik, from where trails lead towards various points of the glacier, as normal vehicles cannot go further. Outlet glaciers are smaller portions of the large glacier which extend to the surrounding valleys.

The region is among the must-visit places in Iceland for those who are both physically and mentally fit, as the glacier can present challenging situations with different turns, which is why guided tours are the best option. Tours in this region include visiting ice caves, snowmobiling, helicopter tours etc. Glacier hikes and ice-climbing too are popular at Solheimajökull.

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