Start of Tour
Seljalandsfoss
One of Iceland’s most famous waterfalls and a must-see. The waterfall isn’t large, but it is beautiful nonetheless. What makes this waterfall special is that you can walk behind it, giving great photo opportunities, especially in the twilight.
Gljúfrabúi
Next door, only a few-minute-walk away, is Gljúfrabúi. Another small but spectacular waterfall. A canyon obscures it from the road, so you will have to walk into it to see the waterfall.
As both Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi will make you wet due to the spray, we recommend waterproof shoes and a coat.
Skógafoss
Nearby is the much larger Skógafoss Waterfall.
This beautiful waterfall has been used in a few films, such as Thor: Dark World and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
This is a much larger and more powerful waterfall, so don’t try to walk behind it.
However, you can walk up to it; just don’t go too close. You can also walk up a few steps and see it from above and the flattest area of Iceland to the south. The steps are the start of the hike over Fimmvörðuháls to Þórsmörk.
There is also an exciting folk museum in the area, Skógar Folk Museum. It’s a cultural heritage collection of 8000 regional artifacts exhibited in 6 historical buildings and 3 museums!
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
The beautiful, expansive, and famous Reynisfjara is a place everyone should visit. It is important to keep out of the waves, though, as they can be very dangerous.
The beach is often considered one of Iceland’s best black sand beaches, and National Geographic even put the beach on its top 10 list of non-tropical beaches people should visit.
To one end, you can see Dyrahólaey, and on the other are the Reynisdrangar rock formations, basalt columns, and a small cave. The story goes that Reynisdrangar was made when two trolls tried to drag a three-masted ship to land. The trolls and the ship turned to stone when the sun hit them.
Vík í Mýrdal
The small town of Vík in Mýrdalur is a great stop. It is possible to check out the black sand beach, with a brilliant view of the Reynisdrangar rock formations, and hike up to the small local church for a great photo opportunity.
Fjaðrárgljúfur
Fjaðrárgljúfur was made famous by Justin Bieber when he came to Iceland a few years back and shot a video.
The place is lovely and well worth the visit. The canyon is up to 330 feet (100 meters) deep and about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) long.
It was created by progressive erosion by flowing water from glaciers during the Ice Age.
Jökulsárlón / Diamond Beach
No visit to South Iceland is complete without a stop at Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and the nearby Diamond Beach.
Jökulsárlón is by Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier and is made up of meltwater from it. It started forming in the mid-20th century and has slowly but surely been eroding the Breiðamerkursandur beach.
It is now the deepest lake in Iceland at 932 feet (284 meters) and covers about 6.9 sq mi (18 km2).
Since the 1970s, it has increased fourfold in size and has doubled in size in the last 15 years.
Despite being a sad reminder of the rising temperatures, it is a stunning lake. It is one of the deepest in Iceland and has a rich animal life. Seals can regularly be seen swimming in the lagoon or chilling on icebergs.
Beautiful icy-blue icebergs are floating all around, and on the other side of Ring Road, you find Diamond Beach. It is so-called because of the melting icebergs scattered on the beach. The clear ice against the black sand beach is a sight to see. The outlet glacier Breiðamerkurjökull is responsible for the Breiðamerkursandur beach (of which Diamond Beach is a part). It has a breadth of about 25 kilometers.
End of Tour
