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After visiting the Thorsmork glacier lagoon and walking up to the top of a ridge to get a view of the beautiful Icelandic scenery, me and the Iceland Excursions crew stopped at this impressive ravine, called Stakkholtsgja. Green cliffs towered up on either side, sometimes lit by stunning sunshine. Underfoot, black river stones rolled into the distance, like a natural highway unto oblivion. In this current stage of history there is no river there but a stream, which we as a party had to cross numerous times -- and some of the older members of the crew couldnt handle it, and fell into the cold water! I got my shoes and socks wet but as Batti the driver said, it is good to get intimate with Iceland! Stakkholtsgja is certainly one of the best places I have visited in Iceland thus far, but my days of exploring Iceland are only in their infancy LOLLike boulders tossed by giantsAnd a gushing stream slices through the middle of it all.
Thórsmörk is an idyllic place of exceptional meteorological conditions hidden in the embrace of glaciers and mountains. Thórsmörk is a place of breathtaking landscapes and a fauna of great variety. It is the home of 170 seminiferous plants as well as a variety of trees, moss and fern. There are several hiking possibilities from the lodges in Húsadalur. A short hike leads to interesting caves and the canyon of Markarfljótsgljúfur. The peak of Valahnjúkur offers a magnificent view and following a path from there a bridge over Krossá makes it possible to visit the part of Thórsmörk that lies on the other side of the river. From Húsadalur it is also possible to take the beaten path to Landmannalaugar, a treasured place where natural pools offer unique bathing facilities fed by hot springs
Wer noch Zeit und Muße hat, kann zurück im Haupttal noch ein Stück Richtung Westen weitergehen (ca. 250 m), nach dem Queren des Baches aus der Stakkholtsgjá geht es links einen kleinen Rücken hinauf. Von dort hat man einen Blick auf die Gletscherzunge Steinsholtsjökull und einen kleinen Gletschersee. Dieser war allerdings '01 ausgetrocknet.

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