Fláajökull að vetri til

Fláajökull in the winter (Myndasafn Brunnholl.is)

Sub-glacier

This is one of the many glacier-tongues flowing south from the Vatnajökull icecap. These tongues move about a meter a day and play a central role in shaping the landscape. Fláajökull, for example, has retreated more than a mile (2 km) during the last hundred years.

For this reason, access to glacier-tongues varies, and crevices can make them dangerous to explore without a guide. But Fláajökull is very accessible.  A lagoon has now formed behind an embankment along which you can drive to its eastern end. From there a marked trail leads you up to the ice itself.