South Coast · Iceland
Skaftafell (Vatnajökull National Park)
The national-park visitor area below Skaftafellsjökull, open all year; the flat outwash plain in front of the centre gives a wide sky with glacier tongues on the northern horizon.
See tonight's live score and best time to go for Skaftafell in Aurora Atlas
Why it works for the aurora
- View
- North-east to west over the glacier outlets.
- Darkness
- Very dark sky, grade 0 on a scale from 0 (darkest) to 5. No towns or road lights nearby; the faintest aurora shows.
- Aurora
- Near the edge of the auroral oval: aurora on most active nights, low in the northern sky on quiet ones.
Getting there
- Distance
- About 74 km by road from the middle of South Coast (estimate), roughly 1 h 25 by car.
- Parking
- National park car park at Skaftafellsstofa (paid).
- Coordinates
- 64.0160, -16.9660 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Before you go
Dress for standing still in the cold, bring a head torch with a red light, and park only where parking is allowed. A forecast is guidance, not a promise: check the road and weather warnings for Iceland before a night drive. See our winter safety note.
Spot information from vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is.