The day was long but the sites were well worth it!

– Three waterfalls 1) Urridafoss 2) Skogafoss and 3) Seljalandsfoss

– Black sand beach (Reynisfjara Beach)

– Solheimajokull Glacier

– Lunch in Vik at the Ice Cave Cafe

The day was rainy but warmer than previous days. We had a mini-bus tour, which I selected so we would have fewer people on our tour bus, but we always had at least one person get back to the bus late. At the end of the day this behavior delayed our return by almost an hour! People – be responsible and pay attention! Anyway…

The South coast of Iceland that we traveled today is so beautiful. Volcanic landscapes are absolutely stunning!

First stop was the Urridafoss waterfall. It’s not on the top 10 list but was worth a short stop. A multi-falls in the middle of the river and a smaller single falls on the river bank nearby.

Next up was the Skogafoss Falls. It was amazing, very wet the closer you got to the Falls, with stairs to climb to the top of the falls for viewing. We chose not to climb to ensure we had time to take proper photos of the falls. And getting wet was so easy as an instant rain fall began as soon as we stepped out of the bus!

Solheimajokull Glacier is the second largest glacier in Iceland. Landscapes nearby had a variety of holes large enough to make a cow disappear according to our guide. It truly is beautiful, but can be dangerous to go on an unescorted walkabout!

The first thing you see as you round the corner towards the glacier are large ice pieces that have broken off from the main body and have begun their melt down. The dark lines seen are from previous volcanic ash falls over time.

I was excited to see the glacier but what we saw was a very small view. We didn’t sign up for the glacier hike, but could see the edge of the glacier where large pieces break off each year. Fascinating!

There were also several kayaks sitting next to the water but I couldn’t see people. That could be fun but not in the rain…

A group of maybe 20 people were geared up for a hike to the glacier. They carried ice axes and crampons. I thought about signing up for it when booking tours, but decided with unknown weather, it might be a risky outing that we weren’t prepared for. Despite that, Rick was bummed he didn’t get to walk on the glacier.

Next up was Reynisfjara Beach. It was beautiful with its basalt formations, black sands and large dangerous waves. This beach is heavily photographed as we noticed later at the more expensive art shops. We had very low clouds with rain and wind so it was difficult to capture all the beauty. Despite the weather, it was amazing.

We did stop for lunch in the village of Vik, very near the Reynisfjara beach, but it was so rainy that we didn’t walk around much. We grabbed lunch at a nice indoor center with a bistro, groceries and clothing. I would have liked to explore the village a little more…

Last but not least was the Seljalandsfoss Falls. I found the entire area gorgeous with multiple falls as far as you could see.

You could walk behind the falls, but again the rain was coming down fairly hard and it was a guarantee anyone going behind the falls would get wet. I could think of a hundred things I would rather do than get soaked! It was our last stop of the day and everyone was ready to get home. We had another 130 kilometers to drive back to Reykjavik. Oh my! Time to get moving!

All in all it was a good day filled with amazing landscapes. Worth the time spent, and I would recommend the tour to anyone traveling to Iceland.

#Iceland2023