Þingvellir National Park

What makes it special

From the Hakið viewpoint you look along Almannagjá gorge and out over Þingvallavatn, the lake. The rift between the North American and Eurasian plates runs right through the park, and the gorge path takes you along it.

Down in the gorge, the Law Rock, Lögberg, sits beside the path, with signs that explain its history. The Alþing, Iceland's old assembly, met around this rock.

Further along, Öxarárfoss is the only major waterfall inside the park, and its viewing platforms show the full drop. Þingvallakirkja, a simple church with a cemetery beside it, stands near the lower car park.

Silfra, close by, is a spring-fed fissure between the two plates. Its water, filtered through lava rock, is some of the clearest in the world.

Visiting

Park at P1 by the Hakið visitor centre and start at the viewpoint. Inside the centre, the Heart of Iceland exhibition covers the park's history and nature in under an hour.

From the viewpoint, follow the boardwalk down into Almannagjá, stopping at the Law Rock. Allow up to an hour for the gorge and its signs.

Carry on to the viewing platforms at Öxarárfoss. Then walk back up to P1 and drive round to P5 to see the church and Silfra.

Guided or on your own

Join a ranger walk if you come in summer. From June to August the park runs free guided walks in English every day, about an hour long, with no booking: one at 10:00 from Þingvallakirkja and one at 14:00 from the Hakið visitor centre.

To snorkel Silfra, book with a tour operator, who gives you the meeting point and supplies the drysuit, hood, gloves, mask and fins. A tour lasts about three hours, with under an hour in the water. You must swim confidently and sign a medical form, and most operators set the minimum age at 12.

Tips

Wear sturdy shoes, because the paths can be wet in spring and icy in winter. Wind roughens the lake later in the day, and under a Silfra drysuit you need warm base layers.

For a shorter walk to the waterfall, park at P2, below Öxarárfoss, where the path is shorter and flatter than the walk down from Hakið.

Pay for parking at the machines by the visitor centre or online at Checkit.is. With a disabled parking permit you pay nothing, but your number plate has to be taken off the camera system at the Hakið visitor centre.