Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge, Iceland

Rauðfeldsgjá is a natural gorge on the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland. In my opinion, this canyon is one of the most beautiful hidden places on whole Island.

Rauðfeldsgjá translates as 'Red-Cloak Rift', and the gorge was named after the 9th-century saga of the half-troll Bárður Snæfellsás. The saga says that in anger he pushed his cousin Rauðfeldur against the cliffs of the mountain, that the mountain cracked and that's how the gorge was created. The saga is of course more interesting and much longer, but consider this a good motivation to read several Icelandic sagas, as they are full of trolls, giants, dragons...

The canyon itself is another place where the heart stops and where you are sure that you have stepped into a new world. The cliffs of the gorge are only a few meters away from each other. Almost all the time you can see a glimpse of the sky high above. The cliffs are overgrown with lush moss, which makes the scene completely fairytale-like.

In the summer, it is possible to enter the gorge, sometimes climbing from rock to rock, sometimes wading on the glacial river that flows through it. After a few climbs, you will reach a part of the gorge that radiates complete peace. You will only hear the sound of water and the song of the birds nesting in the gorge. The moss absorbs a part of the sounds. The feeling that the gorge leaves is very difficult to describe. Of all the places I discovered in Iceland, Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge is one of the most hidden and most beautiful places to visit.