One Day Itinerary to the South Coast of Iceland
From thundering waters to black sand beaches and unique rock formations – this road trip offers a huge bunch of highlights and should not be skipped on any Iceland visit.
One – out of many – must do’s, when visiting Iceland is to drive along the south coast.
There are many stops on the way and in Iceland the saying “The route is the goal” really applies as the landscape are just breathtaking.
On this drive along the south coast you will be able to tick of already some major sightseeing spots and natural wonders from your Iceland bucket list, such as:
Iceland has a lot of waterfalls. Really – a lot.
But the Seljalandsfoss might be one of the most iconic and one of the most famous ones. Why that? It is not super high or wide, it also is not really “strong” when it come to the water, which runs through it.
It is as simple as that: It is super easily accessible. You can already see the waterfall when approaching from the ring road and you can drive all the way to it and park more or less in front of it. It is part of every (every!) touristic bus tour and you will find tons of pictures of it on Instagram.
BUT do not get scared off from visiting it, when in Iceland. It is simply one of those bucket list spots, which you need to take off of your list, when visiting the land of fire and ice.
The most remarkable fact about this waterfall is, that you can walk behind it.
But do not expect to do this during wintertime. Everything around the waterfall gets frozen and the stairs to the back of the waterfall gets closed as it is just too dangerous.
The waterfall itself is about 60 meters high and thunders off the lower escarpments of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcanic massif, which rises just behind the waterfall.
If you are adventourous enough you can “hike up” the stairs close to the waterfall and view the waterfall from above. But be beware the stairs are literally deep-frozen in Winter.
Do not miss: There is another – less known – waterfall close by, which might be even more breathtaking and unique than Seljalandsfoss. It is called Gljúfrabúi.
Gljúfrabúi is “hidden” behind a small gap between two cliffs and it is a breathtaking view to see it through this small “window”.
How to get to Gljúfrabúi: Just follow the small path on the left-hand side of Seljalandsfoss. After about 600 meters you will find the gap on the right. Even though, several small paths on the way seem to lead to the waterfall, there is only one entrance between two cliffs along the stream. You can also go “inside”, but you will definitely get wet. As the entrance was frozen and very slippery (we saw several persons slip and fall), we unfortunately did not do this.
The entrance to both of the waterfalls is for free, but you have to pay about 400 ISK for parking. Usually you can also pay via credit card or mobile phone, but I would suggest to always have a small amount of cash with you.
From Seljalandsfoss we continued on the ring road. The next stop usually is the – not less known – “Skógafoss” waterfall. As we still had some kilometers to go to our final destination that day, we decided to skip it. Just as Seljalandsfoss you can also see the Skógafoss, when driving the ring road and it is just a short detour to get there. The Skógafoss is also about 60 meters high, but not as narrow as Seljalandsfoss. The water thunders down from the cliffs behind the small town of Skógar and is about 25 meter wide.
The next stop on this itinerary is the Dyrhólaey Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is located on a small mountain directly at the coast side. The lighthouse itself already offers a great photo motive, but do not miss the views around – and below. Right at the cliff behind the lighthouse you can find the famous Dyrhólaey stone arch. The stone arch is a popular landmark and in summer time you find huge colonies of puffin breading at those cliffs.
A visit of the lighthouse also offers the best views of the black sand beach “Reynisfjara”, which lies at its feet as well as the famous rock formation of “Reynisdrangar” in the far distance.
The black sand beach of Reynisfjara is a must see – especially in winter as the snow adds even more drama to this breathtaking landscape.
In order to get to Reynisfjara and Reynisdrangar you have to continue on the ringroad in to the direction of Vík. After about 15 km you have to change to the route 215 and continue all the way to the Black Beach Restaurant. Here you can park your car and after about 200 meters walking you will find yourself at the black-sanded beach of Reynisfjara.
The Reynisfjara beach is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary beaches – if not even *the* most beautiful and extraordinary beach in whole Iceland. In 1991, the beach was ranked as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.
This place has so much drama and offers so many unique photo motives, that you can easily spend hours here searching for great angles.
From the beach you have yet another view of the Dyrhólaey stone arch and you will find yourself close to the Reynisdrangar stone formation. The basalt formation rises vertical out of the water – one appears to be another stone arch, while the other one looks like a chimney. But from different angles – e.g. from above and from Vík – not only the perspective changes, but also the look of the basalt sculptures.
Another highlight of the beach: the basalt columns and the small cave, where you can find some shelter from the cold any icy wind. The columns within the cave are dark black and you can easily vanish, when standing in front of it, wearing black clothes. You will find this kind of basalt formations over and over again in different spots in Iceland, but this is one of the most stunning sceneries.
Safety Fact: The Reynisfjara beach is not just one of the most beautiful beaches, but also very dangerous.
So called “sneaker waves” run up on the beach much further than other waves, which you might have seen before. That kind of waves can have extreme strength and can easily knock you down or even drag you out into the ocean.
Always be cautious when visiting this beach and always pay attention to the waves and most important: do not turn your back to the ocean.
The last stop on this day is the small town of Vík í Mýrdal. As the sun was already about to set, we only visited the beach to have a look at Reynisdrangar from the other side. It is a very different perspective and it actually looks like a whole different stone formation.
If you want to visit the beach at Vík, you can park your car at the parking lot of the “Ice Cave Bistro”.
Enhanced road trip suggestions:
There are several other stops on this way, which can be visited:
- Skógafoss – Next to the Seljalandsfoss one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. Just as Seljalandsfoss you can also see the Skógafoss, when driving the ring road and it is just a short detour to get there. The Skógafoss is also about 60 meters high, but not as narrow as Seljalandsfoss. The water thunders down from the cliffs behind the small town of Skógar and it is about 25 meter wide.
- Kvernufoss – This waterfall is just a six minutes’ drive from Skógafoss. It is far less known as Skógafoss, but not less spectacular and you can even walk behind it – just like Seljalandsfoss. The location in a small canyon makes it a very scenic stop, which should be added on your list.
- Geothermal Pool Seljavallalaug – This pool was built in 1922 and is the oldest existing pool in whole Iceland. It can be reached via a short 20 Min walk. Leave your car at the parking lot at the end of the road 242 and follow the path down and along the river.
- Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck – Not a natural wonder, but still a spectacular sightseeing spot. Plan at least 1,5 to 2 hours to visit the plane wreck as you can not drive there with your own car. You can either take a shuttle bus, which takes 10-15 Min and departs daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. or walk 4 kilometers. The parking lot is located 6 km east of Skógar.
