🌋 Crater Lake in Skaftá River
🗺️ How to Get There:
Begin your journey by reaching the Langisjór campsite (see my Langisjór entry for detailed driving instructions). From the fishing hut at the edge of the lake, start hiking east along the shoreline of Langisjór. Your goal is to get as close as possible to the crater lake visible in the distance, located on an island in the middle of the braided river system. After hiking roughly 8 km, you’ll start getting to its level, from here, climb one of the nearby hills or ridges to gain enough elevation and clear signal for your drone.

From this position, the crater lake will still be about 2.5 km away, so only attempt this flight with a high-end drone, fresh batteries, and proper signal management.

This is not a casual shoot, it’s an adventure for experienced pilots with solid endurance and situational awareness. The payoff? One of the most surreal, otherworldly shots you can take in Iceland.

📅 Best Time of the Year to Visit:
Mid-July to early September. This route and campsite are only accessible when F-roads are open and river levels are lower. Avoid in early season or after heavy rains.

📸 Photography Tips

Best time of day:

• Late morning to early afternoon for contrast in river braids

• Golden hour if you're camping overnight and able to time it

Recommended gear:

• High-end drone with long range (e.g., DJI Mavic 3)

• Multiple batteries

• Hiking gear + GPS for safety

Composition ideas:

• Top-down abstract of the crater surrounded by braided channels

• Include the sweeping river flow lines to highlight scale

• Use long focal length drone shots to compress layers of textures

• If cloud shadows appear, wait for full sun for best color contrast

• Cinematic video pan across the river’s chaos to the serene lake center