Into the Glacier
Outdoors, Glaciers, Ice Caves
Langjökull Glacier, West Iceland
Lómagnúpur is one of Iceland’s most striking geological formations — a massive, near-vertical cliff face that erupts from the flat southern coastal plains between Vík and Skaftafell. Standing 767 m tall and almost perfectly perpendicular, it was once the shoreline of a pre-historic sea and now stands kilometres inland as the plain has built up with glacial outwash.
The cliff is home to nesting seabirds including fulmars and ravens, and its sheer scale can only truly be appreciated up close. According to medieval Icelandic saga, the spirit guardian Þórður Víkingsson leapt from this cliff; it has been a landmark for travellers and sailors for centuries.
Lómagnúpur sits beside the Ring Road (Route 1) between Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Skaftafell and is visible for many kilometres. Pull off at the roadside viewpoint for the best close-up view. No marked hiking trail to the summit; view from base only for most visitors. Accessible year-round by regular car.
