It’s impossible to call one place more beautiful than another. Yet still… Langisjór, which stretches southwest beneath Vatnajökull, is one of those spots where nature and the surroundings are at their very best—for just a few short weeks in summer. Charming and stunning on a good day.
Langisjór—this twenty-kilometer-long and two-kilometer-wide lake, covering 27 km²—is truly unique. It remained so remote that it went undiscovered and unnamed until 1889, more than a thousand and fifteen years after Iceland was first settled. The lake lies at nearly 700 meters elevation, aligned along tectonic rifts running southwest to northeast beneath Tungnaárjökull in Vatnajökull. It’s an exceptional area, accessible only for a little over two months, from the start of July until mid-September. Since 2011, Langisjór and its surroundings have been part of Vatnajökull National Park.
Photos & text : Páll Stefánsson
Langisjór: 14/01/2026 – RX1R II, A7R IV + Linhof – 2.0/35mm Z, FE 1.2/50mm GM +65mm
