Destination: the Southern Coast, Iceland

During my week in Iceland, I used Reykjavik as my base for day tours to other parts of the country. In total, I did three day tours, one per day back-to-back, each which lasted 10 to 12 hours. Admittedly, it was intense, but all the same my excitement kept me going, and I never felt exhausted for the next one.

Now, a popular practice is to rent a car and make your way around the Ring Road, which covers the entire circumference of the country. I’d considered doing so, but at the same time I wasn’t comfortable driving a manual car (and automatics were too expensive), as well as traveling solo, so the cost wouldn’t be worth it. That was why I ended up deciding to pay a bit for organized day tours– not only did I not have to worry about driving, but I could also enjoy the lovely sites that Iceland had to offer!

My first organized day tour was to the southern coast. Known for its waterfalls, glaciers, and black sand beaches in Vík, the southern coast is a popular visit (along with the Golden Circle) and, with its gorgeous seaside landscapes, it’s no wonder why. I was especially excited to see Vík, as I found its black sand to be otherworldly and just surreal.

The tour bus picked me up from my hostel at 8:30 and, after picking up a few more passengers from their respective accommodations, we set out for good towards southern Iceland. Along the way, our tour guide told us a bit of Iceland’s geography and climate– interesting facts I learned were that the country is essentially made out of volcanic eruptions and that it never gets hotter than 25°C– in fact, that’s considered a “heat wave!”

Our first stop was at Skogafoss, one of the tallest waterfalls in Iceland. At 60 meters (200 feet) high, the drop is quite steep, and what was cool (even a bit scary) was that there were no rails surrounding the edges of the waterfall– you could literally go up to its source and feel the power of its splash! Daunting, to say the least, but also sublime at the same time.

There was also a stairway alongside Skogafoss that people could take to reach the top of the waterfall. I went up, but I would say that the views from ground level were much better than the top, since the latter was obstructed by the trees and rocks around it. All the same, I could see the mountainous landscapes surrounding the area, which reminded me a bit of the Scottish Highlands.

We continued to our next destination on our way to Vík– we stopped at Sólheimajökull, a glacier part of the bigger Mýrdalsjökull. Probably one of the largest glaciers I’ve seen, let alone still attached to the volcanic mountain upon which it rests. Our tour guide told us that unfortunately, due to global warming, the glacier is rapidly receding, having lost over half to perhaps 70% of its land mass within the last three decades. In fact, it’s speculated that it’ll virtually disappear by the end of this century, which is absolutely frightening. All the same, we saw people, small like ants, doing glacier walks in the distance. We didn’t have the time to do it, but it looked pretty cool, albeit a bit scary.

Following that, we made our way further south, where we soon reached Vík. Besides being the location of the black sand beaches, it’s also the southernmost town in the country. We had a short lunch break there– during the break, I ventured out towards the black sand for some photos. Wind was absolutely insane, not only chilly, but also strong. If I hadn’t been careful, it could’ve knocked me off my feet! Still, the views of the ebony pebbles against the white, foamy waves were a striking contrast, and it’s not surprising that people find the place so beautiful and mysterious.

Our tour guide took us to the other side of the black sand beach, where we spent some time enjoying (or rather, trying to enjoy) ourselves along the shoreline– again, the wind made temperatures colder than usual, so it wasn’t the most-pleasant weather to be outside for. I got some good shots of the black sand and craggy rocks jutting out in the ocean, along with the distinctive rock reliefs on the cliff’s underside, resembling that of pipes. Considering that Vík was the principle reason for me to visit Iceland in the first place, I was so glad that I was able to do so.

Vík was our turning point for the tour, so afterwards, we were en route to Reykjavik. However, we had one last stop along the way at Seljalandsfoss, which was recently made popular for being where Justin Bieber had filmed one of his music videos. Other than that, it’s distinctive in that visitors can walk behind the waterfall, as there’s a small relief behind it. Of course, it was at our own risk, but that didn’t stop me from going for it– after all, when would I get the chance again to come back?

Seljalandsfoss is perhaps one of my favorite waterfalls I’d seen during my Iceland trip (and I would even say for my entire trip that month). Besides its towering, powerful presence, I liked how I could interact with it, namely by going behind it and getting rather soaked in the process. Absolutely gorgeous, and I very much enjoyed getting wet!

That was the final stop for the day– by then, it was past 17:00, so then it was a matter of making the journey all the way back to Reykjavik. We had to take a different route than usual, because there had been a car accident on the main road (am told it’s a rarity, but it happens), but we still returned to the capital at a reasonable hour. The tour bus dropped me off in front of my hostel around 19:30– I was tired, but satisfied with my day. Again, Vík had been on my top places to see for a long time, and I was glad to see it then.

More adventures in Iceland coming soon, so stay tuned!

 

— Rebecca