This resort is off-putting to some. Ignore the posturing Eurotrash, conspicuous in brightly coloured expensive outdoor apparel, unsoiled.
Instead, turn your gaze up to the Matterhorn, “iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps and the Alps”. This valley is one of the great natural wonders of the world.
Zermatt … is in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.
The village is situated at the end of Mattertal at an altitude of 1,620 m (5,315 ft), at the feet of Switzerland’s highest peaks. …
Zermatt is famed as a mountaineering and ski resort of the Swiss Alps. …
To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town’s view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerce. …
width 25 metres (82 feet) and drop of 60 m (200 ft).
The Skógafoss Waterfall hike (also called the Skógá Trail or Waterfall Way) is one of Iceland’s most spectacular easy walks. Perhaps 25 waterfalls and spectacular canyons.
This trail starts at massive Skógafoss and follows the Skógá River upstream for 8 km (5 miles). If you reach the bridge, I’d say you’ve gone too far. 😀
In fact, hike as far as you want. Turn back when you like.
Elevation Gain:500 meters
I waited about 5 days for a good weather window — and it was worth it. I even had some sunshine.
I hiked the waterfalls up and down twice over 3 days. Going early morning and late evening to minimize the number of other hikers on the trail.
The trailhead is at Skógar on the Ring Road (highway 1). There is a campground and hotels. Book well in advance.
Skógafoss is also the start / finish of the challenging Fimmvörðuháls trail which ends at Thórsmörk. In good weather you can do the entire 22 kilometres (14 mi), 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of climbing in a long day. It crosses a glacier between two recently active volcanoes — which you can also climb.
Of course Thórsmörk is the start / finish of the most famous hike in Iceland, the Laugavegur. If you have 4-6 days, the BEST hike is Landmannalaugar to Skógar. It includes the The Skógafoss Waterfall Way, connecting Fimmvörðuháls and Laugavegur.
The flight encountered severe icing and the crew were forced to land on a frozen river at Sólheimasandur.
All 7 crew members survived and were rescued by helicopter, but the aircraft was written off. The unsalvaged remains of the aircraft were left at the scene.
In January 2020, two Chinese tourists died of hypothermia near the wreckage after getting caught in a storm that went over the area.
A month later, SAR units had to rescue several tourists that had ignored a warning from the police to not trek to the wreckage due to deteriorating weather in the area.
This was amongst the prettiest houses I saw on the islands.
I’d heard about a popular route for locals, crossing a mountain pass and finishing in Leynar. It’s not on any tourist guidebook I’ve seen, including AllTrails.
It’s not signed. Finding the trailhead on highway 50 was tricky. Look for a large stone cairn. It is somewhat marked on the Maps.me app.
I left my bike in a depression and followed the cairns.
I had great weather and totally enjoyed a few hours on this wet trail.
I saw only 3 other hikes on a beautiful day, all Faroese. They’d come to see the basalt columns.
It’s marshy. Waterproof socks recommended.
You know you are close when you see this light station.
Leynar has a large black beach.
Here’s the view of the town you see from the highway.
besthike.com 