The Sale Of Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon: Who Will Own It?

The Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, located near Kirkjubæjarklaustur in South Iceland, has been for sale for the past six years. Fréttablaðið reports that the offer from a private company has been accepted, but now it is up to the state, which has the pre-emptive rights to purchase the land, to make the final decision.

It’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) time, this Friday, May 13th! You can get in on the fun by joining one of our membership programmes: the top two tiers of our High Five Club to join the call or becoming a member of our YouTube channel to watch and comment live. Sign up today!

The details of the purchase deal are confidential, but it is estimated that the price is between 300 and 350 million ISK. The offer came from a private investor who works in the tourism industry in Iceland.

Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson could still exercise the state’s pre-emptive rights and purchase the land, but they have a limited time to make the decision.

The Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon area covers 315 hectares. The area became very popular with foreign tourists when Justin Bieber swam in the canyon in one of his music videos in 2015. There is no admission fee to the canyon, and it is unknown whether the private investor would want to charge admission.