Kópasker

The "Sléttan", as the Melrakkaslétta is often called, is the
peninsula reaching from Kópasker in the west to Raufarhöfn in
the east. The coastline is indented with creeks and lagoons
and has grassy heathlands and dozens of lakes teeming with
fish. This area offers shelter and is a temporary stopping
place for thousands and thousands of birds that come here for
the summer or rest here for their further flights to the north
or to the south. Seals can also be seen resting on skerries
and whales are spotted off the coast as well as foxes and mink
on the heaths close to rivers and lakes.

The richly varied vegetation has few parallels. No one place attracts the traveller more than some other place. Nature in its entirety
does. A veritable mecca for lowers of nature. This is infact
one of the best places in Iceland to see the midnight sun and
from late August to April the famous northern lights.

The Earthquake Center at Kópasker is an interesting exhibition of photographs and other material connected to the seismic activity in Öxarfjörður in 1975, the Kópasker earthquake on 13 January 1976 and the volcanic eruptions at Krafla 1975-1984.

The exhibition is to be found in the Kópaskeri school building and is open daily from 1 June-31 August from 13:00-17:00. Admission free.

This dramatic canyon, Jökulsárgljúfur, was formed by the actions of water, fire and ice. Enormous, catastrophic glacial bursts are believed to have carved out the deep ravines and rocky basins, the most famous of which is Ásbyrgi.
The Hljóðaklettar outcrops are the cores of ancient volcanoes, revealed when the river swept away all the loose volcanic material.
The waterfalls on the River Jökulsá á Fjöllum, Selfoss, Dettifoss, Hafragilsfoss and Réttarfoss are powerful and impressive.
The Hólmatungur district is an area of contrasts: crystal clear streams and bubbling brooks cross the land before emptying into the raging, chocolate-coloured torrent. A delicate balance of flora and fauna thrives under the protection of cliffs and scree slopes.