Raudholar (red hills) are a series of red volcanic cinder cones that stand in sharp contrast to the surrounding grey/brown/green landscape of Vatnajokull National Park, near the Hljodaklettar rock formations. Here are the red hills with the Jokulsa river flowing nearby.
Since the trail on our originally planned route, leading up Stollen, was snowed in, we hiked up to Lake Nykurtjorn instead. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful hikes I have been on. We were rewarded with views of Eyjafjordur, the village of Dalvik, and the snow capped mountains of the Trollaskagi Peninsula while trekking along moss green hills beside beautiful waterfalls and streams and wildflower meadows. As we returned from the lake the clouds had darkened, but the sunlight emerged in streaks bathing the valley in a golden light. We were in the right place at the right time.
We saw a bunch of water fowl around the Lake Myvatn region in northern Iceland, but it was by Lake Botnstjörn in the Asbyrgi canyon that I was able catch a shot of this rust-brown Eurasian wigeon cleaning itself.
Hafragilsfoss is a beautiful 80+ ft waterfall that flows through the Jökulságljúfur canyon, downstream of the better known Dettifosss. Dettifoss is mightier and more awe inspiring to look at, but this quieter smaller waterfall just seemed more elegant.
We started our hike up Lake Nykurtjorn (in the Akureyri) near a stable so we had ample opportunity to see the graceful Icelandic horses up close. This blond brown beauty was particularly striking.
The sunsets in the Lake Myvatn area, where we stayed for a couple of nights, are among my favorite moments. The colors were different each day we walked up to the lake to view the long dusk. The whole trip was worth just seeing the the sky and the water bathed in some lovely hues of yellow, orange, blue and pink.
On the second evening at Lake Myvatn, I happened to catch this photographer who was setting up her tripod against the dramatic backdrop of the pink, purple and blue sky.
-Photos and text by WT adventurer Vardhini Shankar, Northern Iceland Expedition
