Vatnajökull National Park celebrates 15 years

When Vatnajökull National Park was established it marked a new era in nature conservation in Iceland. The park is the largest protected area and the park also had a new type of governance connected to as it connects seven municipalities, land owners and other stakeholders.

The natural and cultural history of the Vatnajökull National Park is unique on a global level. The nature there is shaped by heavy volcanic activity in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and a climate defined by a confluence of warm and cold currents in the sea and air.

In these past 15 years the park has continued to grow and evolve and today it covers around 15% of Iceland. In these years tourism and nature protection has changed and the park has adjusted to new times. The number of travelers have grown rapidly over the years and therefor the infrastructure and staff numbers has grown. The daily challenges of the park remains the same to work with ever changing nature, to protect it and the cultural heritage.

On this day we always publish the summer program of the park with interpretation walks lead by rangers in all areas as well as events. We recommend to all visitors to participate and to make our visitor centres the first stop on they're travels through the park to get good advice and information.

Welcome to Vatnajökull National Park this summer!