Gjáin in Þjórsárdalur valley
This beautiful natural phenomenon and oasis at the edge of the central highlands should not be passed by if you are traveling in the Thjorsar Valley. The Red River (Rauda) cascades into and through this gorge, and the surroundings are amply vegetated. River Thjorsa ran through before a dike was built between the mountains Sandafell and Skeljafell to redirect it.
One of the younger Tungnaa-Lavas ran down the gorge, leaving a thin layer on its bottom and walls and a thicker layer on the edges. The lava formations are worth taking a closer look at. An easy 10 minutes walk takes you into this beautiful area from the archaeological excavations at Stong, and another approach is from the car track on edge.
Some find this place so beautiful they (secretly) have strewn their ashes in the river to be forever united with monumental nature in this "paradise on earth."