Stuðlagil Canyon, transliterated as Studlagil, is an extraordinary natural attraction located in a remote part of eastern Iceland. The Jökla River, with its bright blue-green coloured water, has cut its way through massive basalt columns resembling the shape of an organ, creating a gorge up to 30 metres deep in places.

The most beautiful part of Studlagil Canyon, with its massive basalt cliffs, is just under a kilometre long, yet it's definitely worth the detour from the Ring Road around Iceland.

There are several marked trails around the canyon, and you can descend all the way to the bottom, but expect a fairly steep drop.

Until 2017, Studlagil Canyon was off limits to tourists. This year, however, the canyon was featured in the in-flight magazine of the former Icelandic airline WOW, which caused a tourist boom.

How to get there?

The turnoff from the main road number 1 is between Egilsstaðir and Lake Mývatn, if you go in that direction then it is on the left. First you turn onto road 923, which after a while turns into a gravel but good quality and straight road. After about 10 km you will come to a small parking lot, located just a few dozen meters from the canyon.

You can drive here without any problems in a conventional car, even in winter.