If you continue driving east along the ring road, you will soon notice another one of Iceland’s remarkable waterfalls, Skógarfoss, which falls down some 60 metres into the river Skógá, and is the main appeal for photoenthusiasts arriving at Skógar.
Located south of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier, with the Eyjafjöll Mountains hovering in the background, Skógar is a wide grassy stretch boasting incredible natural beauty, a modern hotel, church, several reconstructed turf farmhouses and historic buildings as well as a unique folk museum.
The museum itself is located in a large building across from the farmhouses and features an interesting exhibition all year round. Established by Þórður Tómasson in 1949, the museum’s general concept is to introduce Icelandic society to interested visitors. It gives an insight into the way the country slowly developed into a growing community and educates visitors about the everyday life of farmers and fishermen in the country by displaying artefacts, tools, clothes and household items which Tómasson has collected over the years or which have been donated to the museum. The exhibition is divided into several sections, each emphasising a specific period in the country’s history. These priceless items include an 18th-century fishing boat, and a haymaking tool. In 2002 a new exhibition space, dedicated to developments in technology and transportation in the 19th and 20th century, was added to the museum.
Skógar also has a nice camping site, located only metres away from Skógarfoss. The site gets quite crowded during summer, attracting weary travellers who want nothing more than to be lulled to sleep by the calming sound of the waterfall.