Stuðlagil Canyon Private Tour from Seyðisfjörður

This private Stuðlagil Canyon tour from Seyðisfjörður takes you inland to Iceland's tallest basalt columns and a turquoise glacial river, with your own private guide and vehicle for the day.

• Private guide and vehicle straight from the ship
• Stuðlagil Canyon, with some of Iceland's tallest basalt columns
• The glacier-fed Jökulsá á Dal river running turquoise in summer
• A stop at Rjúkandi, one of East Iceland's tallest waterfalls
• A drive through the quiet farming valley of Jökuldalur

Your day, stop by stop

2Rjúkandi waterfallOne of East Iceland's tallest waterfalls, a short stop by the road.

Rjúkandi drops in two stages, about 60 and 33 metres, down a steep hillside beside the Ring Road in the Jökuldalur valley. The name means roughly 'the smoking one', after the spray that rises off the falls, especially in a strong wind. It is a roadside stop that needs no detour, with a small free car park by the bridge.

Walking · short, easy walk from the car park

Read our Rjúkandi guide →

3Jökuldalur valleyA quiet farming valley along the Jökulsá á Dal river.

A long inland valley of scattered farms along the Jökulsá á Dal river, giving a look at rural East Iceland on the way to the canyon.

4Stuðlagil CanyonBasalt columns lining a glacier-fed river.

Stuðlagil is a canyon of tightly packed hexagonal basalt columns on the Jökla river, in the upper Jökuldalur valley in East Iceland. Most of the columns used to be hidden under grey glacial floodwater. After the Kárahnjúkar hydropower project diverted much of the river, the water level dropped and the columns came into view, with a blue-green river running between them. The shortest way to see it is from the viewing platforms on the west side, about 250 metres from the car park.

Time here · about 1 hourFacilities · car park; limited facilities on siteWalking · mostly flat gravel path with two small slopes

Read our Stuðlagil Canyon guide →

About the Stuðlagil Canyon private tour

Stuðlagil is a canyon in East Iceland that was mostly hidden until a hydro dam upstream lowered the water level and exposed rows of tightly packed basalt columns along both banks. On a private tour from Seyðisfjörður your guide drives you straight there from the ship, so you get the most time possible at the canyon during your call.

On the way you stop at Rjúkandi, one of the tallest waterfalls in the East, before driving up through Jökuldalur, a long farming valley following the Jökulsá á Dal river. At the canyon there is a short, easy walk to the eastern viewing area, or a longer route down a staircase to the western side for a closer look at the columns and the water.

The river runs a striking blue-green through summer, when meltwater from the glacier feeds it, but can turn grey-brown during overflow periods, most often from August into October. Your guide will tell you what the river looks like on the day.

Bring closed, sturdy shoes rather than sandals, and a warm layer even in summer, as the highlands weather can turn quickly.

• Entry to Vök Baths

Questions people ask