Photograph of the week: Mount Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss, Iceland

At 463 metres (1,519 ft), Kirkjufell mountain in Iceland is hardly a towering behemoth. (For reference, Mount Everest is eight,850 metres/29,035 ft.) This doesn’t make it any much less arresting, nevertheless.

What makes this Iceland’s most photographed mountain? A mix of issues. Its distinctive, pyramid-like form. A panorama of ever-changing, all the time beautiful colors. The image-perfect three-forked waterfall – Kirkjufellsfoss – close to its peak. Or, for those who time your go to excellent, the magical show of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), with Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss as a backdrop, that ceaselessly happen between late September and early March.

Situated on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula close to the fishing city of Grundarfjörður, Kirkjufell has additionally been voted one of many high 10 most lovely mountains on the planet by plenty of sources, together with The Mysterious World, The Conservation Institute, and Journey Triangle, to call just some. You may additionally acknowledge it from its starring function – as ‘Arrowhead Mountain’ – within the sixth and seventh seasons of the HBO unique sequence, and cult basic, Sport of Thrones.

Whereas tens of millions (sure, tens of millions!) of ardent Sport of Thrones followers will, little question, proceed to think about Kirkjufell as Arrowhead Mountain, in Icelandic Kirkjufell really means ‘Church Mountain’, named for its apparent resemblance, from sure angles, to a church steeple. In the meantime, Danish sailors initially referred to Kirkjufell as Sukkertoppen, or ‘The Sugar Prime’. Whichever identify you select to name it, Kirkjufell stays a must-see on any journey to Iceland. It’s each lovely, and geographically fascinating. Previously a ‘nunatak’, an uncovered peak not lined by ice, protruding between two glaciers over the past Ice Age, the current day peak is a results of glacial erosion and volcanic exercise, full with sediments containing fossils on the decrease layers, and rocky layers fashioned by lava larger up.

For those who select to see these lava layers shut up by climbing to its peak, we suggest that you just accomplish that with a information. Whereas climbing Kirkjufell is taken into account by some to be not more than a scramble, it may be hazardous and deadly falls do happen. An alternative choice? Embark upon a totally mesmerizing two-hour kayak journey that approaches Kirkjufell from the north.

Getting there’s a simple 185 km (115 mi) from the capital of Reykjavík, or about 110 km (70 miles) from Borgarnes on the Ring Street. This makes Kirkjufell a simple day journey or you possibly can keep in close by Grundarfjörður and take the time to discover extra of the world. Actually, chances are you’ll wish to go twice: as soon as in summer time and as soon as in winter. In summer time, Kirkjufell exhibits off for guests with vivid shades of inexperienced and purple foliage, and guided climbs and viewing visits occurring in any respect hours, together with below the midnight solar! In winter, it’s straightforward to see why the snow-tipped Kirkjufell was as soon as nicknamed Sukkertoppen. Regardless of the season, you will discover the mountain utterly reworked, and undeniably magical.

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