Jökulsárlón · Sports & events

The park's own trails go to the snout of Skaftafellsjökull, not onto it. Getting on the ice means a guided trip with crampons and a rope from one of the licensed local companies, most of which meet at the Skaftafell car park or at farms in Öræfi. Summer is the walking season; the ice is crevassed and moves.

Natural ice caves under Vatnajökull are strictly a winter product — local operators run them from about October to March with 4x4 transfers and switch to glacier hiking and ice climbing from April to September. Caves close without notice when the ice shifts, so book something you can move.

The route to the country's summit goes from this side of the massif and is listed among Skaftafell's long options. It is a full guided glacier day rather than a hike, normally attempted in spring, and it is the most serious thing anyone does in this area.

S3 round Skaftafellsheiði is a 16.6 km loop of five to six hours, graded challenging; S4 to Kristínartindar is 18 km and six to eight hours, graded difficult. Start early, check the forecast at the visitor centre, and do not treat either as an extension of the Svartifoss walk.

Höfn's Ungmennafélagið Sindri plays well below the top division and there is nothing else in the region. Iceland's Besta deild karla is played in the capital area, in Keflavík and in Akureyri; from Höfn the nearest of those is the better part of a day's drive. The pitch, the hall and the pool in Höfn are the local sport.