GRÓ LRT Fellows Visit South and Southeast Iceland on Three-Day Field Trip
The 2026 fellows were met with a true Icelandic mix of sunshine and showers as they set off on GRÓ LRT’s annual field trip through South and Southeast Iceland last week. The three-day excursion focused on land degradation, restoration and climate change, as well as the realities facing local communities living near Iceland’s retreating glaciers.
The journey began with a visit to the southern territory of Vatnajökull National Park in Skaftafell, where the group hiked up to Skaftafellsjökull glacier in pouring rain. There, they saw firsthand how the retreating glacier has shaped the landscape. Some fellows even jokingly considered claiming the newly exposed land emerging from beneath the ice.
They later visited the Cultural Heritage Museum of famous writer Þórbergur Þórðarson at Hali, which provided insight into how nature, isolation and local conditions have shaped life and work in the region.
On the second day, the group visited Nýheimar Knowledge Centre in Höfn in Hornafjörður, where they gained insight into regional research, community development, and the impacts of climate change on glaciers and local wildlife. They also visited the Hoffell farm Visitor Centre. At Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, the fellows admired one of Iceland’s most striking glacial landscapes, watched the seals in the lagoon, and captured plenty of photos despite the strong wind.
On the final day, the fellows headed west along the south coast, stopping at Skógafoss waterfall before visiting Þorvaldseyri farm at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull. At Þorvaldseyri, farmer Ólafur Eggertsson told and showed the fellows how the 2010 eruption affected the farm and the family, and how much work went into clearing ash, rebuilding and bringing the land back into use.
The group then continued to Hveragerði, where they visited the Horticultural School and received an introduction to the ForHot Natural Experimental Site at Reykir, which offers valuable insight into ecosystem responses to soil warming.
The group arrived back in Reykjavík late in the afternoon, tired but richer for the experience.
Let the pictures speak for themselves.
