South Coast of Iceland: day tour from Reykjavik | Iceland
Go on the South Coast of Iceland tour and see its natural wonders! Think black sand beaches, glacier lagoons, waterfalls, ice caps, mountains, volcanoes, wildlife, and more. It’s a heavy day tour so I do recommend doing the south coast in two days at least!
We booked our South Coast of Iceland tour with GetYourGuide.
Check out my Instagram page for more photos and videos!
1) Vík í Mýrdal
Our first stop is at the southernmost village of Iceland: Vík í Mýrdal!
2) Reynisfjara & Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach
Visit South Iceland’s (including Vik’s) beaches to see black sand beaches! The sand and pebbles you find here originate from volcanoes, which gives them a black color. Walk on the beach and make sure to check out Garðar Cliff with its basalt columns resembling organ pipes. Look out to sea and spot the Reynisdrangar rock pillars. According to Iceland folklore, legend has it that these are petrified trolls!
Fun Fact: Lovina Beach, Bali (Indonesia) also has a black sand beach. Although it had a more tropical vibe than the beach in Iceland 😉
Fun Fact: Reynisfjara Beach can be seen in Game of Thrones to represent the coastal land around Eastwatch by the Sea, the Night’s Watch castle that the army of the dead is seen marching toward.
Warning: No Swimming allowed! Don’t go to close to the water as it has high under waves. People tend to drown here if they’re not careful and a big wave swoops them off their feet.
3) The river canyon of Fjadrargljufur
The weather conditions didn’t allow us to visit the stunning river canyon of Fjadrargljufur. The canyon is 100 meters deep, with steep walls covered in moss and grass (summer).
4) Wildlife
Try to spot some wildlife while discovering the south coast of Iceland! When we were driving to the lagoon, we saw an Arctic Fox crossing over! Even our driver was surprised as it was not the usual area where the Arctic fox should be! Lucky us!
5) Europe’s largest glacier lagoon: Jökulsárlón Lagoon
Europe’s largest glacier lagoon? You can visit it during your south coast of Iceland tour! Get blown away by the beauty of the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon (Vatnajökull National Park) and just admire this beauty! Watch the floating icebergs, seals resting on ice banks, and Guillemots swimming in the lagoon. I could just sit here for hours!
Movie Fact: Tomb Raider, Batman Begins, James Bond: Die Another Day, Game of Thrones, and many more have filmed some movie scenes here!
6) Diamond Beach
Right near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is Diamond Beach – Breiðamerkursandur in Icelandic. This black sand beach gets its name after the icebergs that wash up on the shore from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier. They float from Jökulsárlón lagoon to the coast, running ashore on the beach like giant diamonds, varying in size and color.
Warning: No Swimming allowed! Don’t go too close to the water as it has high underwaves. People tend to drown here if they’re not careful and a big wave swoops them off their feet.
7) Hofskirkja
Hofskirkja church is a turf church in South-East Iceland. Only 6 turf churches remain in Iceland with Hofskirkja the last one in traditional turf style.
Fun Fact: The walls are made of rock while the roof is made of stone slabs, covered with turf.
8) Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
On the South Coast of Iceland, you need to visit the 60-meter-high Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, a must-see attraction for trips down the south coast of Iceland!
Fun Fact: You can walk behind the waterfall!
Sad Fact: We couldn’t walk behind the waterfall due to the pathway being frozen with ice as it is winter!
Want to do this trip as well? Find this tour on GetYourGuide!
Life of a Passion – Travel Blog
2 Comments
Eva
Heb deze reis onlangs gedaan en het was echt prachtig!! Zeker een aanrader !
Jammer dat de Blue lagoon bij ons gesloten was, maar de sky lagoon was zeker een goed alternatief 🙂
Life of a Passion
Gelukkig dat er Sky lagoon is inderdaad! Reden om terug te keren voor blue lagoon! 😀