Skaftafell is the nation's second national park and is the home of Svartifoss, or the Black Waterfall, Iceland's most recognized waterfall. The park has no roads, but has miles of hiking trails that connect its many campgrounds. Other attractions of the park include the Laki crater area and the Jokulsaron glacier lagoon. The park is about 5,000 square kilometers in size, almost 20 percent of the landmass of the country. It is an easy 2-hour drive from the capital.
Thingvellir is a location of great beauty, as well as a large amount of historical significance. The Althingi, one of the oldest parliaments in the world, had its founding here in 930. This is also the site where Iceland officially became a Christian nation in 1000. Establishment of the current republic was in this spot in 1944. Thingvellir is the country's first national park, added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage List in 2004. The park is also home to Almannagjá, or Everyman's Chasm, one of the world's premier examples of plate tectonics.
This waterfall is a national monument noted for its uniqueness and natural splendor. Gullfoss, or Golden Falls, is a two-tiered waterfall. The River Hvítá changes direction after its first drop before dropping over another ravine. A few miles away is Geysir, a geyser that is another national landmark.
The Blue Lagoon is a health spa featuring a man-made pool of therapeutic mineral water. Visitors enter the naturally hot water, scoop up mud from the bottom and let it dry on their faces while relaxing in the pool. Visitors believe the waters treat arthritis, psoriasis and eczema.
This park is home to the national monument area that contains the waterfalls Hafragilsfoss, Selfoss and Dettifoss. Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The park is full of other treasures like the Karl and Kerling rock pillars, also called the Old Man and Old Woman, and many canyons and natural formations.
