the tiny village of kirkjubaejarklaustur is on the hrinvegur, iceland’s route one and main road that circumnavigates the island. close to the village, kirkjugólf (or church floor) is a natural pavement of basalt. these are a group of basalt columns in the earth, but only their tops can be seen and, as the name suggests, together they appear as a paved church floor. the nearby skaftafell national park is 1700 km² and iceland's second largest national park with numerous hiking trails. the park is a fantastic example of iceland’s countryside and landscape; full of valleys, mountains and wildlife including many species of birds and arctic foxes. the skaftafell national park also includes many examples of the lively geological features for which iceland is famous. the waterfall svartifoss (black falls) flows over a step of about 12 metres. the striking laki craters are part of a volcanic fissure. the craters themselves are a 25 km long row of spectacular formations of red and black volcanic rock up to 100 metres high. the craters erupted in 1783 and lay waste a vast area of south iceland.