Asbyrgi ideally follow Godafoss on our trip in Iceland, as it means "Refuge of the Gods".
A legend tells that in Asbyrgi the local Gods took refuge here after their statues were thrown in the Godafoss falls.
Is not possible to show the majesty of Asbyrgi with a picture; you must go there to understand how small we are in front of the nature. Probably, this aerial picture can give you an idea about it.
The canyon was probably created by enormous floods, due to the partial melt of VatnaJokull glacier caused by a volcano. I can barely believe to this... the walls are so high and vertical that I would prefer to believe the legend: the canyon was created by Odino's horse!
There are paths both on the edge and the bottom of Asbyrgi. The edge path is longer and probably more scenic. We went through the bottom path, best option would probably be to walk on both paths, spending at least half day here.
The path starts next to the car park. Asbyrgi is one of the few places in Iceland where trees are still alive. In a few meters we reach the lBotnstjörn lake at the bottom of the canyon.
We took some pictures from many observation points , but none of these can properly show properly the canyon . Many birds nesting on the rocks croak loudly, making the place even more unreal. The only picture that show the canyon size is this one, showing some hikers on the canyon edge .
The bottom trail is very short, we can come back to the car park heading our next stop.
Point of interest: Asbyrgi canyon, Botnstjörn lake
Difficulty: Low
Difference in height: 10 m
Maximum height: 50 m
Length: 1,2 km
Duration of journey: 1 hour
Suggested season: Summer
Technical equipment : Not required
Difficulty: Low
Difference in height: 10 m
Maximum height: 50 m
Length: 1,2 km
Duration of journey: 1 hour
Suggested season: Summer
Technical equipment : Not required