The magical Uxatindur, a beautiful mountain on the way to Laki in Iceland

by Gerry van Roosmalen

On the F207, deep in Iceland’s rugged interior, my attention was drawn to a striking mountain towering above the landscape in the distance. If I’m not mistaken, it was Uxatindur. A mountain that looked quite impressive even from afar.

A fair bit lower down, I spotted a waterfall. From the road, it looked little more than a tiny white streak against the dark mountainside. But that was precisely what I found fascinating. In such an immense landscape, the waterfall seemed almost insignificant, whilst up close it would probably make a very different impression.

The landscape around the mountain really appealed to me. The rugged slopes, the deep valleys and the vast scale of the interior meant that I really only wanted one thing: to go there.

But unfortunately, I didn’t have the time that day. I would have loved to find out how close I could get to the waterfall and what the landscape looked like up close. Whether I could have done so without getting my feet wet, I didn’t know at the time either. After all, in this part of Iceland, rivers and streams aren’t always easy to cross.

So I had to make do with looking from the F207. Sometimes that’s enough to ensure you never forget a place. Uxatindur and that small, yet probably enormous, waterfall stayed in my mind for a long time.

Perhaps that’s the best reason of all to go back one day.