Skaftafell is a national park which was founded on September 15th 1967 at which time it covered an area of 500km2, it was enlarged in 1984 and now emcompasses 1700km2.

The Skaftafell landscape has been shaped by glacial action and water erosion. The valley glaciers Skeiðarárjökull,Morsárjökull and Skaftafellsjökull are prominent features of this landscape, and the rivers Skeiðará, Morsá and Skaftafellsá emerge from them. Skeiðará is the most dangerous of the three and was a considerable hindrance until it was bridged in 1974. It is known for great floods (jökulhlaup) caused by volcanic activity and geothermal heat under the ice in the Grímsvötn area.

The volcano Öræfajökull erupted in 1362, producing the greatest tephra fall in recorded history in Iceland. Among the scenic spots in Skaftafell is Svartifoss (the photo above on the right), which is about 1 hour walk away from the camp-site. Another is Morsárjökull which tumbles down steep cliffs, and even from a considerable distance one can often hear the rumbling and cracking of ice plunging over sheer rock faces.