Vatnajökull National Park - Iceland

 When Miguel told me that he was going to travel to Iceland, I asked him to send me a card of the Vatnajökull National Park, the only UNESCO site I was still missing from the country. He sent me not one but two, one written and stamped from there and the other one when he got home. 

 

Vatnajökull National Park is the largest of national parks in Iceland, it  covers 13% of the country and ranks among the largest national parks in Europe.  

Vatnajökull National Park is unique on a global level due to its geological history, which has been largely written by the protracted conflict between fire and ice. Many places can boast of volcanoes or glaciers, and some even have both, but nowhere else can you witness the struggle that rages between plate boundaries, mantle plume and plateau glaciers like in Vatnajökull National Park. The interaction between these phenomena and other land-shaping factors has resulted in the creation of a natural environment that is ever-changing and of a more diverse character than any other defined area in the world. Vatnajökull National Park offers the opportunity to experience the shaping of the earth in real time.

The park was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 5 July 2019 on the basis of its unique natural characteristics.

 Photo: Hörour Finnbogason

Dettifoss is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Its enormous power can be felt if you lay your hand on a rock close to the waterfall, it vibrates! The waterfall is 44-45 m high and about 100 m wide.
In a geological sense, Iceland is a young country. Among his young country's characteristics are the numerous waterfalls that have not yet eroded the embankments in their path. - in: https://www.vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon by the ring road and was recently designated as a part of Vatnajökull National Park. It's still blue waters are a sight not to be missed, as it is dotted with icebergs from the edge of Breiðamerkurjökull, a part of the Vatnajökull glacier. The lagoon flows through a narrow gateway into the Atlantic Ocean, leaving the spectacular sight of the large chunks of ice on the black sandy beach. In wintertime, the fish-filled lagoon hosts a number of seals, which visit the lagoon for an easy meal. Year-round curious seals can be seen basking on the blue-tinted icebergs. - in: https://www.south.is