Verborgen parels in Þórsmörk

Hidden Gems of Iceland

This collection features unique sites across Southern Iceland, from the 1973 U.S. Navy DC-3 plane wreck on Sólheimasandur’s black sands to the isolated Þrídrangaviti Lighthouse perched on a basalt pillar. The list includes the reconstructed Viking-era farmstead at Stöng and the hidden Gljúfrabúi waterfall tucked inside a canyon. Explore the volcanic landscapes of the Gjáin valley, the Þjófafoss waterfall on the Þjórsá river, and Seljavallalaug, one of Iceland’s oldest outdoor swimming pools built into a mountainside.

Hidden Gems of Iceland — Kaart

Hansueli Krapf / CC BY-SA 3.0

A

Wrecked DC-3 Plane

Abandoned U.S. Navy DC-3 aircraft wreck lies on a black sand beach, known for its striking and surreal appearance. The site features a relatively intact fuselage set against a dramatic Icelandic landscape.

Hansueli Krapf / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Gljufrabui

A 40-meter waterfall partially hidden within a short canyon, accessible by trail and staircase.

Reykholt / CC BY-SA 3.0

C

Gjain

Gjáin is a small valley with small waterfalls, ponds, and volcanic structures situated in Þjórsárdalur in the south of Iceland.

Grunkhead / CC BY-SA 3.0

D

Thjofafoss

Þjófafoss is located on the river Þjórsá on the east side of the Merkurhraun lava fields in the south of Iceland, at the southwest tip of…

E

Stöng Commonwealth Farm

Þjóðveldisbærinn Stöng is a reconstructed viking-era farmstead in Iceland, located in the Þjórsárdalur valley near road 32 in Árnessýsla…

BiT / CC BY-SA 3.0

F

Seljavallalaug

Seljavallalaug is a protected 25-metre outdoor pool in southern Iceland.

voilier.evidence@gma… / CC BY 3.0

G

Thridrangar Lighthouse

Isolated lighthouse built in 1939, perched atop a 36-meter high basalt rock pillar in the Westman Islands. Accessible only by helicopter, it stands on the highest of three sea stacks known as Háidrangur.