Ranger program
Here you can find the interpretive program in Vatnajökull National Park for 2025. The Ranger program offers short walks accompanied by rangers and are free of charge. The walks are easy and suitable for most.
Skaftafell
Interpretive program from June 15 - August 15
Melting glaciers
Daily at 10:30 AM
Duration: ca. 1½-2 hours
Starting point: Skaftellsstofa Visitor Centre
Walk towards Skaftafellsjökull and the impact of glaciers on the landscape is discussed as well as what impact we have on the glaciers.
From a home to world heritage
Daily at 14:00 PM
Duration: 2 hours
Starting point: Skaftellsstofa Visitor Centre
Culture, history and the interaction between people and nature reflected in a walk through cultural monuments in Skaftafell.
Special events in Skaftafell
June 15 - Day of the wild flowers - interpretive walk at 13:00
July 19 - Glacier terminus measurements of Skaftafellsjökull with a local scientist, Svava Þorláksdóttir.
July 31 - World Ranger Day - Ranger Games at 13:00
Bank Holiday Weekend
- August 1: Disaster walk at 22:00
- August 2: Scavanger hunt, suitable for everyone
- August 3: Bonfire and music at 21:00
Jökulsárlón
Interpretive program from June 1 - September 30
Blue gold
Daily at 11 :00 AM
Duration: 45 minutes
Starting point: In front of the cafeteria at Jökulsárlón
The uniqueness of Jökulsárlón is discussed during a walk along the bank of the lagoon. The landscape is examined and how it changes when the glacier retreats.
About a mountain
Daily from June 15 - August 15 at 3:00 PM
Duration: 45 minutes
Starting point: In front of the cafeteria at Fjallsárlón
A circular route by Fjallsárlón and discussed the coexistence of man and nature in the area as well as the effects of water, glaciers and volcanic eruptions on Breiðamerkursandur. What was one of Iceland's most remote areas like centuries ago?
Special events in Jökulsárlón
July 31 - World Ranger Day - An interpretive walk at 11:00 AM about the effects of glaciers on habitation in the area. Starting point is at Jökulsárlón.
Jökulsárgljúfur
Interpretive program from June 15 - August 15
Ásbyrgi
Evening stroll
Daily from 1 July to August 15 at 8:00 PM
Duration: Around 1 hour
Starting point: Service house on the campsite
A light walk around the surroundings of Ásbyrgi.
Gljúfrastofa visitor centre
The key to the canyons
Daily in July from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Guided walk through the exhibition with a ranger.
Vesturdalur
Stroll around Hljóðaklettar
Daily at 2:00 PM
Duration: Around 1 hour
Starting point: Car park next to Hljóðaklettar
A walk around Hljóðaklettar and land formation will be examined.
Special events in Jökulsárgljúfur
June 15 - Day of Wild Flowers - We walk through the innermost area of Ásbyrgi exploring the flora with an emphasis on flowers, healing powers, and the benefits of wild herbs. The walk will take 1-2 hours.
July 19 - Svínadalswalk at 13:00. Starting point: The ranger house in Vesturdalur. A walk around Svínadalur where living, traveling, and nature in the valley are discussed.
July 20 - How does a volcano/old dike look from the inside? –Dettifoss at 14:00. Starting point: The parking lot at Dettifoss. The hike is led by a ranger and geophysicist. We will take a hiking trail through Hafragilsundirlendi. There are many interesting geological things to see, such as a graben, fractures, volcanic fissures and a cross section of an old dike. On the way, you have to go down a cliff, where there is a rope to hold on to. Nevertheless, this route can be a challenge for those who are afraid of heights.
Askja, Holuhraun & Herðubreiðarlindir
Interpretive program from July 15 - August 15
Askja
Silence & forces of nature
Daily at 1:00 PM
Duration: 1-1½ hour
Starting point: Vikraborgir parking lot, 20 min from Dreki
Guided walk to Víti (2,3 km) where we explore the geology of Askja and Dyngjufjöll, the mystery and surrounding forces - and the fateful visits of men.
Holuhraun
Land in the making
Daily at 9:30 AM
Duration: About a 40 minute drive each way - the walk itself takes 45 minutes
Starting point: The hut in Drekagil (guests follow ranger on their own car)
Standing on the very recent lava from 2014-2015 you see central volcanoes and active volcanoes all around. The lava brings a number of scientists with interesting researches every year, and living next to Bárðarbunga demands alertness.
Herðubreiðarlindir
An oasis in the highlands
Daily at 10:00 AM
Duration: 45 minutes
Starting point: Þorsteinsskáli hut
The walk takes you through the oasis, the vegetation as well as the lava field with it's many faces. The small things in nature are explored as well as the forces that created the lava, the springs and the queen of Icelandic mountains; Herðubreið.
Special events in Askja & Herðubreiðarlindir
July 10 – Knebel’s walk, at 13:00 o’clock, 1- ½ hour, Vikraborgir (Askja parking lot). Knebel’s walk is an annual interpretation walk in the memory of the German scientists Knebel and Rudloff, who disappeared during geological research at lake Askja on this day in 1907. The walk also tells the travel story of Ina von Grumbkof, Knebel’s fiancée, who travelled to lake Askja in 1908 in search for answers about their disappearance.
July 31 – World Ranger Day. Rangers invite guests for coffee and conversation at the rangers' hut in Drekagil from 3–5 PM. A short walk with a ranger to the strýta formation near Drekagil starts at 6 PM (30 min). We explore the geological history and majestic mountains of the region.
August 1 – Space walk at 20:00, Drekagil, 2-3 hours. An evening walk to (astro)Nautagil, in an area that has often been compared to the moon. NASA astronauts visited the area for practice in 1965 and 1967, before heading to the moon. The history of the area’s connection to moon and space research is highlighted in this popular annual walk with rangers.
Snæfellsstofa & Hengifoss
Interpretive program from June 15 - August 15
Hengifoss
Geology and history of Hengifoss
Monday - Friday in July at 10:00 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Hengifoss parking lot
A walk to Litlanesfoss which is about 30 meters high. Higher up in the gorge sits Hengifoss, the second highest waterfall in the country and a popular tourist attraction in the East of Iceland. The topic will be the geology and history of Hengifossárgil.
Hálslón
Ranger on site
Thursdays and Saturdays from June 15 - August 31 from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Ranger gives information to visitors.
Snæfell, Kverkfjöll & Hvannalindir
Interpretive program from July 15 - August 15
Snæfell
An evening with a ranger
Daily at 8:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Snæfellskáli hut
Rangers invite visitors for a chat about the diverse nature and history of highlands around Snæfell. The event takes place in the vicinity of Snæfellsskáli hut.
Kverkfjöll
Fire and Ice
Daily at 10:00 AM
Duration: 50 minutes
Starting point: Parking lot next to Kverkjökull, 10 min drive from Sigurðarskáli hut.
The traces of the retreating glacier are examined as well as the rough terrain that the glacier has eroded.
Hvannalindir
Desert Oasis
Daily at 1:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Parking lot next to Kreppuhryggur
Visitors learn about the struggle for survival in this remote place and the ruins of 18th-century outlaws.
Special events in Snæfell, Kverkfjöll & Hvannalindir
July 31 - World Ranger Day (Event advertised on later date)
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Interpretive program from June 15 - August 15
Skaftárstofa
The secrets of the rootless cones
Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:00 Pm
Duration: 1- 1½ hours
Starting point: Skaftárstofa
A walk through the hills of the area called Landbrot and how they can be utilized.
Fjaðrárglúfur
Tuff, moss and man
Daily at 2:00 Pm
Duration: 1 hour
Explore the surroundings of Fjaðrárgljúfur
Eldgjá, Hrauneyjar, Lakagígar & Nýidalur
Interpretive program from July 15 - August 15
Eldgjá
Formation of Iceland
Daily at 1:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Eldgjá Parking lot
Description: A walk from the parking lot in Eldgjá and along the bottom of the gorge towards Ófærufoss.
Nýidalur
Wilderness
Daily at 9:30 AM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Nýidalur hut
Description: A walk around the area with a conversation about the wilderness from different perspectives.
Lakagígar
Beauty and catastrophe - the impact of Skaftáreldar
Daily at 1:00 PM
Duration: 1 hour
Starting point: Laki parking lot
Description: A walk to the top of Laki mountain and the impact and history of Skaftáreldar discussed.