Stuðlagil Canyon & Vök Baths | Shore Excursion from Seyðisfjörður

A shore excursion timed to your cruise call in Seyðisfjörður. You drive inland to Stuðlagil Canyon and walk down to the blue-green river between its basalt columns, then finish with time in the floating pools at Vök Baths.

• Timed to fit your ship's call in Seyðisfjörður
• A walk down into Stuðlagil Canyon, one of Iceland's newest well-known sights
• A stop at Rjúkandi waterfall on the way
• Time to bathe in the geothermal pools at Vök Baths, admission included
• Small groups, capped at 15 people

Your day, stop by stop

2Rjúkandi waterfallA short photo stop at a roadside waterfall.

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.

Time here · about 30 minutes

Read our Rjúkandi guide →

3Stuðlagil CanyonWalk down to the basalt columns above the blue-green 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.

Walking · 2.5 km each way on a mostly flat gravel path, two small slopes

Read our Stuðlagil Canyon guide →

4Vök BathsFloating geothermal pools on Lake Urriðavatn.

Two circular infinity pools float on Lake Urriðavatn itself, fed by a natural hot spring, so you bathe in warm water with the cooler lake around the edge. Admission is included. There are changing rooms, showers and a café on site.

Time here · up to a few hoursEntry fee · includedFacilities · changing rooms, showers and a café on site

About the Stuðlagil Canyon shore excursion

This tour is built around a cruise call at Seyðisfjörður, so timing matters more than distance: you cover a fair bit of driving inland to reach Stuðlagil Canyon and Vök Baths and get back to the ship on schedule. The canyon was mostly underwater until a hydropower dam changed the river's flow a few years ago, and it is now one of the most photographed spots in East Iceland, with tall basalt columns lining a blue-green river.

The path down starts on an easy, paved section, but the last stretch into the canyon is steeper and rockier, so you want reasonable fitness and shoes with grip. From there you head to Vök Baths on Lake Urriðavatn, where two geothermal pools float on the water and you can warm up before heading back to the ship.

This is a summer-only route; East Iceland's cruise season and the canyon path both work best from May to September. Weather on this coast can change quickly, so bring a layer even in summer.

Questions people ask