Vatnajökull

Vatnajökull (say it: VAT-na-yuh-kutl) is Europe's largest glacier by volume, covering roughly 8% of Iceland's total landmass. It's not just a sheet of ice — beneath it lie active volcanoes, including Grímsvötn, which last erupted in 2011. The combination of fire and ice happening simultaneously, right under your feet, is genuinely difficult to wrap your head around until you're standing on it.

The glacier is the centrepiece of Vatnajökull National Park, and you can explore it in several ways depending on the season. Summer brings glacier hiking tours from access points like Skaftafell and Svínafellsjökull, where guides take you across cracked blue ice with crampons and ice axes. In winter, the glacier's outlet tongues form stunning ice caves — the crystal ice cave near Jökulsárlón is one of the most visited, running tours from November through March when the ice is stable enough to enter safely.

Skaftafell, on the glacier's southern edge, is about 330 km from Reykjavík — roughly a four-hour drive along the Ring Road. Most visitors combine it with a stop at Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, just 45 minutes further east. If you only have one day in South Iceland, this stretch of road earns it.