Álftafjörður

Álftafjörður is a lagoon that Starmýrarfjörður, which is no wider than a large surf crosses them, separates the lagoon from the sea. The fjord is quite large, but relatively shallow and large areas of it dry up when the tides are low. There are several islands in Álftafjörður, Brimilsnes being the largest.

To the south of the fjord rises Krossanesfjall, just over 700 m high straight up from the sea, but to the north are Mælifell and Sellönd. When this is released, we receive four valleys that rise from Álftafjörður, to the west. Their southernmost is Starmýrardalur. The mouth of the valley is narrow, but when it enters it opens slightly but high mountains, Flötufjöll and Miðfell to the south and Selfjall to the north, rise rapidly. Selá lies around the valley and has its source at the top of Starmýrardalur. At the mouth of the valley, the river flows through Sjónarhraun and from there in a bend to the northwest over Stekkjartún where it joins Starmýrará, which originates in Hæðir. From there, Selá falls into Krossavík south of Álftafjörður.

North of Selfjall lies Flugustaðadalur, about 14 km. long. Like Starmýrardalur, it is narrow and the lowlands are small. To the east of the valley, the Suðurá / Flugustaðaá river, which originates in Bláskriðir at the bottom of the valley, falls under Tungutindar and Flugustaðatindir. Under Tungutindur by Tungusporð, the river Hofsá merges, which comes down from Hofsvötn east of Hofsjökull and together they flow east through Hofshólmur to the west of Álftafjörður.

The mouth of Flugustaðadalur is to the south of the rivers and the mouth of Hofsdalur to the north, the division remains so until Tungutindur takes over and separates the valleys, so that Flugustaðadalur stretches further west and Hofsdalur bends to the northwest. Both valleys are fairly well-vegetated and there is considerable birch scrub. When you reach the valley, you face Jökulsgilsgrindur, Grísatungur and Hofsjökull (1280 m).

At the northern side of Hofsdalur, steep mountain slopes take over and Selfjall (950 m) is the highest peak and beyond the mountain range is Geithelladalur, about 18 km long. High mountains are bends due to the valley all the way west of Þrándarjökull (1248 m) on the south side, but when you reach the bottom of the valley, land rises rapidly and the plateau northeast of Vatnajökull, so-called Hraun, is exposed. The valley is grassy and there is a lot of forest there. The Geithellaá river flows through the valley, which is a considerable waterfall and has its main source in large water into lava. It falls through Geithelladalur in waterfalls and gorges until it reaches the lowlands. From there it flows through gravel ears and falls into branches to the west of Álftafjörður.

It is recommended to take a good time travelling through Álftafjörður and Hamarsfjörður to enjoy the natural beauty the area has to offer.