South Coast:

After spending a quiet day in Reykjavik (check out the Reykjavik city post), we were ready to get out and explore more of Iceland. Today’s adventure? The South Coast. We once again took GeoIceland just as we had for the Golden Circle and the Reykjanes Peninsula. Since we took 3 tours with them, they gave us a 10% discount! Wohoo! Without the discount, this tour is around $112, and it is definately worth the cost. [South Coast Tour Cost = $112]

To get to the South Coast, we drove through some of the same lava fields we passed through on the way to the Golden Circle, but this time the harsh black fields were softened by a layer of snow. It was beautiful with the clear blue skies in the background and the barren snow covered lands stretching out in every direction. And, it was neat being able to see this and comparing it to what we saw just a couple days previous.

Just as on the Golden Circle trip, we got the chance to see Icelandic horses! (I promise, this day tour deviates from the Golden Circle trip right after this.) Even though we already had the chance to see these adorable animals, we still eagerly scrambled off the bus and ran over to pet them and snap a few pictures. Actually, to be honest, I think the real reason for the stop was for a view of some volcanoes in the distance, but I couldn’t tear myself away from the horses to look at some famous snow covered volcano…

As we continued down the road, we passed by Seljalandsfoss. We all looked at each other questioningly. Were we seriously just driving by one of the most famous waterfalls on Iceland’s South Coast without even stopping? But our guide assured us that we would be stopping on our way back to Reykjavik when there would be fewer tour buses and the sun would shining on the falls creating rainbows. Sounded good to me!

And then we passed by another one of the stops overlooking Eyjafjallajökull, the E15 volcano. Again, the guide assured us we would stop by later when it wasn’t so crowded. By this point I was really hoping the guide was right because I didn’t want to miss out on all these amazing stops along the South Coast!

Skógafoss

But then we finally came to a different attraction, Skógafoss! And as we pulled up, I could see that our guide did in fact know what he was doing. It was far less crowded than the stops we drove by, and the lighting was perfect. The waterfall was shimmering in the sunlight and at certain angles, you could even see rainbows. It was beautiful! There was a step trail that ran up the side of the hill for a supposedly spectacular overlook, but we were so mesmerized by the view at the bottom, we never made it up the trail. Skógafoss may not look that large from a distance, but as we approached the falls, the size became apparent. It was huge! Not like Niagara Falls huge, but still pretty large. And, it was pretty cool with the mist freezing to the cliffs and snow all along the rocks at the base of the falls.

Tip: Bring a cleaning cloth for your camera as it will get wet from the mist if you get up close. Pro-photographers set up in the middle of the river quite a bit away from the falls. So be sure to check out that view if you don’t want to get your camera lens misty.

Tip 2: They do have clean toilets here in the camping area, but you are supposed to donate money.

Vik

After Skógafoss, we headed further along Iceland’s South Coast towards the small city of Vik. To get there, we had to pass over some mountains where we encountered a snow storm. This was exactly why we avoided renting a car in Iceland. I’m sure we could have made it since we are both experienced drivers in the snow (thanks to Chicago winters), but it was nice not having to worry about driving in heavy snow on tiny roads with no shoulder and no railing in an unfamiliar country. Instead, we go to sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful snowfall outside our cozy shuttle bus.

For lunch, we stopped at Vik, the easternmost point of the tour and our trip to Iceland. They essentially have cafeteria to cater to all of the tourists, and the food was exactly that. Cafeteria food. It didn’t seem like the type of place to try any seafood or fish dishes, so I stuck to something I thought they couldn’t mess up. A cheeseburger and fries. I wasn’t wowed. Actually, I barely enjoyed it. Maybe they put lamb or pork in their burgers because it tastes a little off. It also had way too much sauce, and even though I tried to wipe most of it off with a limp french fry, it still ended up as an gooey tasteless mess. So, the pro-tip of the day, bring your own lunch if you go on this tour!

We then headed back west towards Reykjavik, but we had several more stops and a full afternoon of driving.

Black Sand Beach of Vik

First up was the black sand beach of Vik. I was super excited about this stop, so I jumped off the bus the moment the wheels stopped rolling. It seemed pretty breezy in the parking lot, but as soon as we made our way onto the beach, I was blown away (pun intended). We obviously weren’t actually blown away, but the wind gust seriously halted our walking. And the strongest gusts definately required bracing for unless you wanted to be pushed around. But enough on the wind, it was the views we were here for! And they were amazing with the cold Atlantic Ocean crashing against the desolate black beach. One thing I was surprised by was that it wasn’t really black sand and the name implied. Instead, it was more like a black rock beach. Still unique and inspiring regardless.

One of the coolest parts of the beach was the basalt rock formations. If you remember the picture of Hallgrímskirkja the post about A Day in Reykjavik, you can clearly see the architects got their inspiration from these column like rock formations. To me, it looks like a grand stair case for some mythical creature.

Dyrhólaey

Did you notice the natural stone arches far away in the black sand beach picture? That was our next stop, the small peninsula of Dyrhólaey. The views from the tip of the peninsula were absolutely stunning, and this was probably my favorite stop during the entire Iceland trip, and definitely my favorite stop during the South Coast Tour.

To the east, there were views of 2 natural arches above the Atlantic Ocean, and beyond that you could see the black sand beach of Vik we had just come from.

To the west, the view was even more dramatic. As you looked along Iceland’s South Coast, you saw where the Atlantic Ocean clashed with the black beach. The white waves were such a stark contrast to the black. Behind the black sand beach was a large flat field with lakes that abruptly changed into snowy mountains. At one point, there was even a rainbow. It is still mind blowing just thinking about how all that stunning scenery could all be captured in one view. I could have spent days here just soaking it all in.

Sólheimajökull

Sólheimajökull, a glacier, was our next stop along the South Coast. It was a unique experience for me, but evidently it is pretty similar to Glacier National Park here in the USA. There was a small cafe with free toilets next to the parking lot, so we took a quick break and then we were off to touch the glacier!

Not too long ago Sólheimajökull extended all the way to the parking lot, but in recent years it has been retreating very rapidly. Now, there is roughly a 15 minute easy hike on a gravel path to see the glacier. It is a great walk though with fantastic views. In fact, I enjoyed the hike just as much as I enjoyed the glacier.

The glacier wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought it would be brilliantly blue and white. Instead, the blue ice was just barely visible, and black sand/dirt filled all the crevasses and covered some of the peaks. It did make for an interesting contrast, but it was “dirtier” than I expected. One of the coolest parts was seeing an ice cave. There was a little stream or pond with walls of ice surrounding and dripping into it. It was also neat to see ice climbers hiking down the glacier. Next time, that is what I’m going to do! I think the glacier would have more impressive if I got to strap on some crampons and hike up to the top.

Eyjafjallajökull

We finally made it back to one of the stops we passed by earlier in the day with a view of Eyjafjallajökull. Do you recognize the location of the picture below? It was made famous when all the TV crews came to film the E15 volcano eruption. And be warned, if you call it E15 instead of Eyjafjallajökull, you will get a lecture on how Eyjafjallajökull isn’t that hard to pronounce. Uhh… Sure it isn’t hard… Cool fact: While the eruption disrupted flights all over Europe, the airport in Reykjavik was still up and running and basically unaffected.

Seljalandsfoss

We boarded the shuttle bus with one last stop on the agenda. Seljalandsfoss. But we drove by it a second time without stopping, and we again all looked at each other questioningly. I whipped out my camera and frantically tried to catch a picture of the magnificent waterfall as we cruised by. The guide must have noticed the terror on our faces and our clicking of pictures because he suddenly made a u-turn and apologized for almost skipping it. Phew!

This was by far my favorite waterfall that we saw in Iceland. It was beautiful with glistening mist and rainbows, but the best part was you could walk all the way around the falls. The entire 360! So, off we went on the trail! Let me tell you, it is extremely misty and wet. This was the one time during the entire trip that I wished I had my rain pants on, and I was so happy my jacket was waterproof. It was so worth getting soaked though. The view was gorgeous with the water rushing by us and rainbows from every direction.

I unfortunately did not get a good picture behind the waterfall because the wind was whipping the mist around so furiously that I wasn’t able to wipe the drops off my camera lens, and the one picture I did manage to capture before my lens became saturated with droplets, a kid stepped in front of me. Oh well. I got other pictures from the sides and front!

There are free toilets here, but there is only 1 stall, so expect a line.

Dinner in Reykjavik

Melissa and I were so hungry after our full day on the South Coast of Iceland that we hopped off the shuttle bus before it could even pull on to our hostel’s road and made a bee-line for the nearest restaurant. Well that and we were typically the last people dropped off and we didn’t want to sit on the bus as it went all over Reykjavik. But anyways, we decided to try out the Kebab House (Kebabhusid) since I had read rave reviews of delicious falafel wraps at a bargain price for Reykjavik. I unfortunately can’t remember the price, lost my receipt, and paid in cash…. but I think it was around $10. (Do you remember Melissa?) The portion was huge! It wasn’t really a pita wrap like I’m used to, but instead it was a gigantic pita type bun sandwich. It was good, fresh, and hot, but I wouldn’t say it was great. The falafels were standard, and it had typical iceberg lettuce shreds, but it also had a weird tomato ketchup sauce that I just wasn’t a huge fan of. Nevertheless, it did a good job of filling me up for a reasonable price, so I was happy.

Packing List for Iceland’s South (March):

• Snacks/water bottle/water
• Lunch (the stop in Vik isn’t great)
• Camera/extra battery/extra memory card/cleaning cloth
• Windproof waterproof heavy jacket
• Sweater
• Gloves/hat/scarf/long underwear
• Boots/heavy socks
• Sunglasses
• Kleenex
• Dramamine/ginger (long bus rides)
• Bonus 1: Thermos w/ hot beverage
• Bonus 2: Waterproof pants could be useful at the waterfalls but not necessary