Skaftafell is a preservation area in öræfi, southeast Iceland. It used to be a manor farm and a national park, but has been a part of Vatnajökull National Park since its establishment in 2008.
Skaftafell is renowned in Iceland for its agreeable climate and the sunny days in summer, uncommon in the south of Iceland. There is a natural
birch wood, Bæjarstaðarskógur, as well as many species of birds and
Arctic foxes.
Svartifoss waterfall is one of Skaftafell's best known attractions, mainly for the basalt column walls that flank it.
The waterfall
Svartifoss (
Black Fall) flows over a step of about 20 metres. Its name comes from the black
basalt columns behind it. In the Middle Ages there were some large farms in this area, but they were abandoned after two
volcanic eruptions and the ensuing glacier runs. The two surviving farms now mostly make a living from tourism.