Skógafoss

Skógafoss is a true roadside stop: the falls are visible from the Ring Road and the car park is at the bottom of the river bed, so a quick look costs twenty minutes and the full stop, base, staircase and the first kilometre of the Fimmvörðuháls trail along the upper river, takes an hour and a half.

For a route planner the question is whether to do it in the morning or the evening. Coming from Reykjavík on day one it falls naturally after Seljalandsfoss and before lunch at Vík; coming the other way it is the last big stop before Reykjavík. Midday in summer is the busiest window. The campsite is at the foot of the falls, so campers get it empty at 06:00.

The practical line, confirmed on parka.is today: the car park is run by Parka and charged per vehicle class, 1,000 ISK for a car up to five seats, 1,300 for six to nine, 400 for a motorcycle, with the fee covering a five-hour stay and the toilet block. Pay in the app or online within 24 hours. There is no fuel at Skógar; the nearest is Vík to the east or Hvolsvöllur to the west.

Safety from the Environment Agency, which manages the site: stay on the marked paths, do not climb the slopes beside the falls, and treat the staircase as closed when it is iced. Spray reaches the whole river bed on a south-westerly, so cameras and children get wet.