Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon

About Fjaðrárgljúfur

Fjaðrárgljúfur's basalt walls are around two million years old, but the canyon itself was carved more recently, in roughly the last 9,000–10,000 years, by glacial meltwater and the small river that still runs along its floor. The result is a sharply zigzagging gorge with mossy, near-vertical walls, seen from a marked path along the rim rather than from the canyon floor.

The walls are steep and in places sheer, with narrow fins of rock jutting into the gorge and the river looping between them far below. From the viewing platforms you see the whole serpentine line of the canyon, the green hills around it and, on a clear day, the mountains inland.

The canyon was little known outside Iceland until Justin Bieber filmed part of a music video here in 2015. Visitor numbers rose sharply afterwards, and the fragile moss and thin soil along the rim struggled under the extra foot traffic. Some viewpoints and paths are now closed on a seasonal basis, particularly in spring and autumn, to let the ground recover, so check current access before planning a visit around a specific viewpoint.

Quick facts

How Fjaðrárgljúfur was formed

The rock here is mostly palagonite, a soft volcanic rock laid down during cold periods of the Ice Age, and it is thought to be around two million years old. The canyon is far younger. When the last Ice Age glacier retreated about 9,000 years ago, a lake formed in the valley behind a barrier of harder rock. The overflow from that lake, swollen with meltwater and loaded with sand and gravel, cut down through the soft rock in front of it and carved the gorge.

In time the lake filled with sediment and disappeared, and the river lost much of its force. What runs through the canyon today is the Fjaðrá, a small, clear river that rises on the heaths inland, not a glacial torrent, so the gorge is now changing only slowly. Along the walls you can see layers of volcanic rock and sediment, and side streams drop into the canyon as waterfalls, the largest of them Mögárfoss at the upper end.

How to get to Fjaðrárgljúfur

Some viewpoints close seasonally to protect the vegetation, especially when the ground is wet. Check current status before you go if a particular view matters to you.

Visiting Fjaðrárgljúfur: the rim walk

The visit is an easy out-and-back walk along the eastern rim, on a gravel and matted path with fenced viewing platforms.

Justin Bieber and "I'll Show You"

Fjaðrárgljúfur was a quiet local spot until 2015, when Justin Bieber filmed the video for "I'll Show You" in South Iceland. The video opens with shots of the canyon's snaking edge, and visitor numbers shot up in the following years. In 2019 the canyon was closed for several months so that the trampled ground could recover, and the paths, ropes and platforms you see today were built to cope with the traffic. The lesson is simple: stay behind the ropes, even if someone in a video did not.

Best time to visit Fjaðrárgljúfur

Safety and practical tips

• Stay on the marked path. The rim vegetation is thin and easily damaged, which is why closures happen.
• Wear proper shoes; the path has some uneven and exposed sections.
• Pay for parking before you leave; the fee is per car and paid by app or online.
• Walk all the way to the top platform; the view of Mögárfoss and the canyon is the best of the visit.
• Check for seasonal closures before visiting if you have a specific viewpoint or photo in mind.
• Keep well back from the edge outside the fenced platforms, especially with children and in strong wind.
• Do not fly a drone without checking the rules for the protected area first.

Facilities and accessibility

A car park with toilets and rubbish bins. Parking is paid in the Parka app: about ISK 1,000 or ISK 1,300 per car, depending on the car's registered seats, plus a small transaction fee (source: parka.is). There are no cafés or shops at the canyon itself; the nearest services are in Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

On the map

Nearby places worth a stop

KirkjubæjarklausturNearest village with servicesSystrafossWaterfall above KirkjubæjarklausturStjórnarfossSmall waterfall just outside the villageEldhraunMoss-covered lava field from the 1783 eruptionFagrifossWaterfall reached by a gravel roadDverghamrarSmall basalt column cliffs

Where to stay near Fjaðrárgljúfur

Kirkjubæjarklaustur is the nearest village with hotels and guesthouses, a convenient overnight stop between Vík and Skaftafell.

Fjaðrárgljúfur FAQ