Fjadrargljufur Canyon (Iceland, Feather canyon) – Visit tips + Photos

The shape of the Fjadrargljufur canyon Iceland is as strange and tortuous as its name. An easy path allows you to walk along its 2km all the way to a waterfall. It is a favorite for photographers because of all of its angles. Here is my travel guide to help you plan your visit.

Located is South Iceland, Fjadrargljufur (or Fjadra Canyon) is a 100 m deep and about 2 kilometres long serpentine canyon with the Fjaðrá river flowing through it.
Its Icelandic spelling is Fjaðrárgljúfur.

The bedrock is mostly patagonite from cold periods of the Ice Age and it throught to be 2 million years old. It is believed the canyon formed at the end of the last Ice Age, about nine thousand years ago. When the glacier retreated a lake formed in the valley behind a hard resitant rock. The run off from the lake flowed to where Fjadragljufu is today and erosion did the work.

It is a favorite for most tourists in Iceland, but for me, it did not make it to my top 10 landscapes in Iceland.

Where is the Canyon of Fjadrargljufur Iceland

• Located a short drive from Road 1 on the South Coast, East of Vik
• Vik to Fjadrargljufur = 1h
• Driving West on the Ring road, it is 6 km from town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. 

How to get to Fjadrargljufur Iceland

• You need to rent your own car to reach the canyon (check out my guide about car rental in Iceland)
• Turn North on Route 206 for approximately 2.3 km (gravel road). It is clearly indicated.
• Pass the intersection, continue straight there is a parking area on the right before the bridge.
• The Fjadrargljufur canyon (with its GPS coordinates) is included in my eBook that helps you easily plan your road trip:

Visiting Fjadrargljufur

• Clear paths take you along the edge of the canyon. It leads you to a waterfall. But I did not have enough time to get there. I think it says 1 hour
• When water is low you can also walk through the bed of the canyon using caution
• Amenities: toilets

Fjadrargljufur closed?

• The Environmental agency may decide to close the Fjadrargljufur trail if the vegetation is suffering because of weather and tourism

Accommodation near Fjadrargljufur

• You can stay in Vik only 1h away (see the best rated accommodations in Vik) or choose something more in Nature such as
• The Hunkubakkar Guesthouse with its cute cottages - Check out photos and availabilities
• The adventure Hotel Geirland also with individual cottages - Check out photos and availabilities

Photos from the Fjadrargljufur canyon's entrance

Here are some pictures from the beginning of the path going along the edge. Some are looking into the canyon and some are looking towards the coast were there is a beautiful lava field.

It was the end of the day, I was tired and did not take good pictures that truly give you an idea of the strange shapes and arches of the canyon. It is a very special place.

And at the end  you can see a waterfall inside the "feathers" : 

Want to see more of Iceland's beauty?

Strange shapes, don’t you think?