冰岛南岸冰川徒步旅行团 - 索尔黑马冰川深度体验｜自驾集合

埃亚菲亚德拉冰盖(Eyjafjallajökull)，也译作艾雅法拉冰川，是一座举世闻名的冰岛火山，2010年的火山大爆发曾一度阻断欧洲的航空交通。艾雅法拉冰川海拔1651米，是冰岛南岸的主要景点之一。

地理概况

艾雅法拉冰川的面积约为100平方公里，是冰岛的第六大冰川。冰岛第四大冰川米尔达斯冰川(Mýrdalsjökull)与其毗邻。与艾雅法拉冰盖一样，米尔达斯冰川下也掩藏了一座活跃的火山，名为卡特拉(Katla)。艾雅法拉火山的爆发震慑了世人，其实卡特拉火山内蕴藏的能量要远远超过艾雅法拉。

两座火山的岩浆房实则彼此连通，艾雅法拉火山的爆发也意味着，卡特拉火山亦将在本世纪内大规模爆发。

Gígjökull等多条分支冰川从艾雅法拉注出，许多河流也得到冰川融水的滋养，冰岛南岸塞里雅兰瀑布的水源就来自于艾雅法拉冰川。

艾雅法拉火山爆发

冰岛是一个火山之国。1783～1784年的拉基火山大爆发(Laki)在冰岛与世界历史上都记下了浓墨重彩的一笔，巨量火山灰从冰岛飘至欧洲大陆，甚至间接导致了法国大革命的爆发。2010年3月20日、4月15日，历史再次重演，艾雅法拉火山两度喷发，滚滚浓烟从火山口源源不断地涌出。

最危险的还不是火山岩浆，而是随之而来的能够摧毁一切的强劲冰川洪流。800人从该地区撤离，动物被挪至室内，有呼吸系统问题的居民也必须留在室内。

欧洲的航空交通因火山爆发而全面阻滞，截止4月15日晚，火山灰已抵达英国、斯堪的纳维亚与德国部分地区。欧洲旅客们的行程也被滞留了8天之久，在苏格兰与爱尔兰地区，部分航班甚至被推迟了一月之久。

火山爆发中并无人员伤亡，但冰岛南部居民的呼吸系统却受到了不同程度的影响，许多农场也被火山灰与冰川洪流摧毁。

自公元874年冰岛有人定居以来，艾雅法拉火山曾爆发了4次，分别在公元920年、1612年、1821～1823年以及2010年。19世纪的火山爆发中逸出了大量氟化物，深刻影响了当时的冰岛人与冰岛动物的骨骼构造。

今朝的艾雅法拉火山

如今冰岛南岸已经重归平静，艾雅法拉也成为了颇受欢迎的安全旅游景点。在Hvolsvöllur小镇，游客可以参观火山展览，了解Þorvaldseyri农场在火山爆发后的重建与新生。

冰岛的火山都被严密监控着，游客无需担心会在冰岛旅行时遭遇火山爆发的危险。近期内，艾雅法拉火山没有爆发的可能，但卡特拉冰川已在“蠢蠢欲动”。

索尔黑马冰川(Sólheimajökull)是冰岛南岸米达冰川(Mýrdalsjökull)的分支冰舌，距离雷克雅未克只有158公里，是距离首都最近的冰川之一。

由于距离雷克雅未克很近，便于抵达，索尔黑马冰川目前已经是最受旅人欢迎的冰岛冰川徒步目的地之一，与冰岛东南部的斯维纳山冰川(Svínafellsjökull)并称“冰岛最受欢迎的冰川徒步地点”。

索尔黑马冰川的地理

索尔黑马冰川共8公里长、两公里宽，作为米达冰川其中一支冰舌，索尔黑马冰川和米达冰川两者之间没有明显的分界线，甚至会让人有种“索尔黑马冰川面积更大”的错觉。

米达冰川(Mýrdalsjökull)除了索黑马冰川外还有许多其他的冰舌，是冰岛第四大冰盖。在米达冰川厚实的冰块下还隐藏了冰岛最“恶名昭彰”的火山之一：卡特拉火山(Katla)。

在卡特拉火山附近的艾雅法拉冰川火山(Eyjafjallajökull)，就是曾经在2010年全面大爆发，瘫痪了欧洲航空交通的“罪魁祸首”，根据过往经验，通常在艾雅法拉冰川火山爆发后卡特拉火山也会随之而爆发，但到目前为止卡特拉火山仍没有任何爆发的迹象。

你完全不需要担心会在游览冰川火山时会遇到突发性的火山爆发。冰岛有着完善的火山检测系统，主要检测到一点动静都会及时通知当地的旅行团营运商和居民。因此只要你报名的冰川火山旅行团仍然正常出发，就说明火山是非常安全的。

让人惋惜的是，索尔黑马冰川面积正在逐年锐减，冰川脚下的冰河湖也因为冰川的快速融化，变得越来越大—每年这个冰河湖都会扩大大约一个标准奥运泳池的面积。预计在这未来的100年之内，索尔黑马冰川将完全消失。

全球变暖已经是一个无可逆转的现实。如果你有幸在索尔黑马冰川消失之前到访，请好好珍惜它日渐消逝的美丽。

让索尔黑马冰川从冰岛众多冰川中脱颖而出，成为最受欢迎的冰川之一原因有三。首先，它非常易于到达，位于冰岛一号环岛公路旁边，无论是顺时针还是逆时针环岛都会必然会经过它。其次就是在它周围没有高耸的山脉，登上冰川后就可以毫无遮挡地看到辽阔的冰岛南岸绝色美景。第三就是它有许多高耸的冰墙，很适合进行攀冰活动，可以满足挑战者们的征服欲。

除了冰墙外，索尔黑马冰川上也有很多其他冰川特色地貌—冰缝、冰裂、冰窟，如果足够幸运的话甚至还可以发现冰洞，它丰富的火山灰资源也让它呈现出黑、白、蓝相间的颜色，让人有着登上异星球的错觉。

在索尔黑马冰川下还有一条又冰川融水创造出的冰川河—Jökulsá á Sólheimasandi。这条冰川河从冰川脚下一路缓缓而流，途径一片黑沙滩—Sólheimasandur，最终汇入大海。

索尔黑马冰川旅行团

不少雷克雅未克往返的南岸一日游都会包含索尔黑马冰川游览或者冰川徒步的项目，也有不少以索尔黑马冰川徒步为主题的一日游，让住在首都的旅人可以简单一天之内往返雷克雅未克和索尔黑马冰川。

如果参加冰岛南岸一日游到访索尔黑马冰川，旅行团通常还会带你造访冰岛南岸著名的斯科加瀑布(Skógafoss)、塞里雅兰瀑布(Seljalandsfoss)、雷尼斯黑沙滩(Reynisfjara)，部分长时间的一日游更会抵达瓦特纳冰川国家公园(Vatnajökull National Park)和杰古沙龙冰河湖( ökulsárlón)

攀登索尔黑马冰川是必须跟随冰岛本地的专业冰川向导才可以进行的活动。带团的冰川向导均受过专业训练，懂得处理遇到的各类冰川地貌，有资格带领从来没有冰川徒步经验的旅人开展安全、好玩的旅途。旅行团会为所有参加冰川徒步项目的旅人准备冰川的安全装备—冰爪、冰斧、头盔等，参加者只需要自己准备保暖防风的衣物和结实的登山鞋，就可以参加这个冰岛特色户外活动。

在正式开始冰川徒步项目前，专业的向导都会指导所有参加者正确使用安全准备的方法以及详细讲解冰川上的安全须知，以确保所有团员都可以在安全的情况下进行活动。建议准备参加旅行团的旅人都要确保你可以听懂向导的英文安全讲解，或者有同行翻译陪伴。出于安全理由，冰川向导有权利临时拒绝不理解安全须知的游人参团。

Mýrdalsjökull is a glacier in the south of the Icelandic highlands. It is the country's fourth largest ice cap, covering nearly 600 square kilometres (232 square miles), and its highest peak is almost 1500 meters tall. It is most well-known for sitting atop the notorious and explosive volcano, Katla.

Mýrdalsjökull is visible from Route 1 on the South Coast, sitting to the north of the village of Vík. It is visited on some snowmobiling, ice caving and helicopter tours, and one of its glacial outlets, Sólheimajökull, is the most popular place in the country for ice-climbing and glacier hiking.

Eruptions beneath Myrdalsjokull

Since 2010, the world has known of the volcano beneath Eyjafjallajökull; after all, it halted European air travel for over a week and stumped news readers everywhere. Few, however, are aware of the much larger volcano right beside it.

Mýrdalsjökull conceals Katla, one of the country’s most active volcanoes, having erupted, on average, once every fifty years since 930 AD. Because of the glacier above it, these eruptions tend to cause enormous ash clouds. It is these ash clouds that lead to flights being grounded, crops and livestock poisoned, and have the potential to change the world’s climate.

The last major eruption beneath Katla was in 1918, in which such huge lahar floods occurred that the southern coastline was extended five kilometres outwards. This area is also very susceptible to glacial floods, or 'jökulhlaup', during eruptions, even when the lava does not break through the surface of the ice. These are as dangerous as the lava itself, having wiped out whole Icelandic villages before.

Historically, the area was little settled for this reason.

Katla is connected to the same volcanic system as Eyjafjallajökull and usually erupts violently a few years after Eyjafjallajökull does. As the ex-president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson said in 2010:

So it is currently several years overdue. Katla is monitored heavily, and roads around it closed when seismic activity increases. All road closures around Iceland can be found on Road and Coastal Administration's website.

Tours on Myrdalsjokull

While there are no eruptions immediately imminent, tours continue to run onMýrdalsjökull, allowing visitors to enjoy the glacier. It is, for example, possible to snowmobile across its surface throughout the year and take ice caving tours beneath it from October to April, with departures from both Reykjavík and Vík.

Considering the ice caves under Vatnajökull glacier are usually only accessible from November to March, this provides a wider window of opportunity for travellers to Iceland outside of the depths of winter. It should be noted that the caves in Mýrdalsjökull do not have the same blue ice, however.

Tours around Myrdalsjokull

Mýrdalsjökull can be seen on all South Coast tours that reach Vík and beyond in clear weather. It can also be seen from above on helicopter tours that depart from Reykjavík.

The best perspectives of the glacier, however, can be found on the popular Fimmvörðuháls hiking trail, which goes between Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. Part of this hike can be done in a day, or you can take the complete route from Þórsmörk to Skógar on a three-day trek

The South Coast of Iceland is the country's most visited sightseeing route, along with the Golden Circle.

This incredible shoreline stretches from the greater Reykjavík area in the west to the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in the east and is lined with countless natural wonders such as cascading waterfalls, volcanoes, black sand beaches and glaciers.

Geography, Nature & Wildlife

The South Coast is the most easily accessible part of the country’s southern region, found along the Route 1 highway (the Ring Road), which encircles Iceland. The area consists of a diverse lowland that transitions between, marshlands, bays, cultivated pastures, estuaries and black sand deserts.

Underneath the soil rests a vast lava field, known as Þjórsárhraun. Its edges reach several hundred metres offshore where the ocean waves crash upon them, thereby protecting the lowland from the invasion of the sea. This results in the South Coast being unusually lacking in the deep fjords that so distinctly characterise the rest of Iceland's shoreline.

The region boasts vibrant bird life during all seasons. Freshwater birds nest in the marshlands and around the estuaries, while seabirds flock around the cliffs of Reynisdrangar and Dyrhólaey, including the North Atlantic puffin between May and August. Some species stay throughout the harsh Icelandic winter, including the northern diver, the loom and various species of gulls and ducks.  

Seals are often found along the shore, particularly around the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. As with everywhere in Iceland, you should always keep an eye out to sea, as whales and dolphins reside all along its coastline.

Highlights of the South Coast

The South Coast offers an unprecedented array of natural wonders that draw thousands of visitors each day.

When driving the route from Reykjavík city, the first major features are the two great waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, which sit beneath the notorious subglacial volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. On clear days from these beautiful cascades, the Westman Islands can be seen across the ocean.

A little further down the route is the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, which covers one of Iceland’s most explosive volcanoes, Katla. Many glacier hikes are taken here upon the outlet of Sólheimajökull.

The aforementioned Dyrhólaey cliffs are next, home to many seabirds. Even if you come outside of puffin season, they are well worth a visit; jutting out to sea is an enormous rock arch of the same name, which you can marvel at from many angles.

Adjacent to the village of Vík is the famous black-sand beach, Reynisfjara, home to the rock pillars of Reynisdrangar, said to be two trolls frozen by the light of the sun. Though beautiful, this area is gaining notoriety for its dangerous sneaker waves, so visitors should be sure to stay well away from the edge of the water, even on a calm, still day.

There are no landmasses between Reynisfjara beach and the continent of Antarctica, so you can imagine how the waves can build momentum.

After passing through Vík, you will cross the glacial sand plain of Skeiðarársandur, before entering Vatnajökull National Park, home to the largest ice cap in Europe, Vatnajökull itself, dozens of glacial outlets and the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.

While almost all of these sites can be seen from Route 1, they make up a fraction of what the South Coast has to offer. The vast sand plains of Sólheimasandur are home to a crashed DC-3 Plane Wreck, and within the Vatnajökull National Park is the dramatic Skaftafell Nature Reserve.

Less than a kilometre from Seljalandsfoss is the hidden gem of Gljúfrabúi waterfall, and short distances from Jökulsárlón you will find the Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash on the black-sand shore, and another glacier lagoon, Fjallsárlón.