South Iceland
After leaving Reykjavík we hit the ring road and headed East. South Iceland is gorgeous, and there are so many things to see and do, many of them right off of the ring road. In fact there were so many things to see and do that we ran out of time (or in some cases the weather prevented us from visiting certain places). If you have the time I would definitely spend a couple of days along the south coast. We used the village of Vík as our base for exploring the area, spending 2 nights in the same AirBnb. But if you’re trying to drive the entire ring road you could obviously pick a couple of places to stay in South Iceland.
Vík
We used the village of Vík as our base for exploring southern Iceland. It’s a small village, but it has everything a typical traveler would need- grocery store, gas station, a few restaurants. The ring road runs right through the middle of town, so you can’t miss it. We chose it for several reasons. First, I found an AirBnb there that I really liked- I often choose a location based on accomodation. Second, I knew I wanted to visit Jökulsárlón, and this was roughly halfway there from Reykjavík, so it split the drive up nicely. And it was convenient to several places I wanted to see- the black sand beaches of Game of Thrones fame, several waterfalls, and Dyrhólaey. Overall, we really enjoyed Vík, and I’d definitely recommend it for anyone visiting south Iceland.
Dining
For a small village with a population of just over 300 people, there’s a surprising number of restaurants to choose from in Vík. A quick Google search shows 8 or 9 different choices. We typically eat breakfast at our accomodation, and we weren’t in town at lunchtime, but we went out for dinner both nights we stayed in Vík and really enjoyed both restaurants. The first night we had dinner at Smiðjan Brugghús- a brewpub known for their burgers and vast selection of beer. It was busy when we arrived but it was worth the wait, the burgers were delicious. On our second night in Vík we ate at Restaurant Sudur Vík, a more traditonal Icelandic restaurant up on the hill overlooking town. I had the lamb dish and it was really wonderful, easily one of my favorite meals on our entire trip!
Things to Do
Seljalandsfoss
Headed east from Reykjavík, first up is Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is a popular stop on the ring road, so it’s well marked and difficult to miss. Seljalandsfoss is a beautiful waterfall, however what sets it apart is that there’s a path that goes behind the falls, offering a unique view through the waterfall. It’s somewhere pretty much everyone goes, but it is really beautiful and definitely worth a stop. Once you turn left off of the ring road theres a large carpark. After you pay to park it’s a short walk to the waterfall. Be aware that the path behind the falls is pretty slippery from all of the mist (pro tip: wear a waterproof jacket if you’re going to walk behind the falls!). If you’re wanting to stretch your legs a bit more, there’s another waterfall maybe 5-10 minutes walk down the main path called Gljufrabui. It’s actually tucked back into a short canyon, so most of the waterfall is hidden. You can walk back into the canyon to get a better look, but you’re likely to get wet.
When we visited there was a food truck parked next to the small gift shop at the beginning of the trail- the hot chocolate was tasty! There were also some decent restrooms next to the gift shop.
Cost: free
Parking: 700 ISK (about $5.50 USD at the time of publishing)
Skógafosss
Skógafoss is another one of the most popular and famous waterfalls in Iceland- probably even more so after it was featured in both Game of Thrones (season 8) and Vikings. It’s also very easy to access right off of the ring road, a short drive east of Seljalandsfoss. There’s a large carpark and a short walk along the river up to the falls-go ahead and grab your waterproof jacket, you’re gonna need it! It’s a beautiful, impressive waterfall with a lot of volume. When we visited the spray coming off of the falls made it uncomfortable to try and get close to the base of the falls. As you approach the falls you’ll see a trail and stairs to the right- follow this and you’ll reach a platform at the top of the waterfall with what I imagine are some lovely views (we didn’t go up, my bum foot wasn’t having it).
There’s also a trailhead up there- the trail follows the river and there are apparently some more beautiful waterfalls if you’re willing to hike. The photos from the trail look incredible, and you can bet I’ve already added it to my list of things I want to do on my next visit.
We had lunch at the Bistro at Hotel Skógafoss during our stop- it’s right next to the main parking lot for the waterfall. It was really good and the prices were pretty reasonable (for Iceland), plus the view of Skógafoss from the dining room is excellent! I had the lamb soup (so good!) and Cody had a burger. Definitely recommend if you’re in the area at mealtime.
Cost: free
Parking: free
Dyrhólaey
Dyrhólaey is a peninsula with a large sea arch right next to the black sand beach of Reynisfjara. There’s an inlet/river that separates the two, so to get from one to the other you have to go back out to the ring road and then drive down the access road to the beach or Dyrhólaey. Don’t worry, there are signs.
There are two parking areas at Dyrhólaey. The lower area is accessible to most any car (there was also a really nice free public restroom at the lower parking lot), and there’s a few short paths that lead to viewpoints over the beach and of the sea arch. There’s a second car park on top of the hill, accessed by a steep gravel road and accompanied by a sign that says you have to have 4 wheel drive to get there. There’s also a footpath that connects the two parking lots. It’s worth going up to the top, especially on a clear day. The views of the coast and the mountains and glaciers further inland are fantastic!
Cost: free
Parking: free
Reynisfjara
There are lots of black sand beaches in Iceland, but for some reason when you say “I went to the black sand beach” everyone seems to mean this particular black sand beach. That’s likely because it was used as a filming location for Game of Thrones– any fan of the show will recognize the basalt columns this beach is famous for as part of Dragonstone. Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, it’s a beautiful beach and I think it’s well worth a stop. Just know that you will very likely not have this popular spot to yourself. This introvert went first thing in the morning. There were still quite a few people there, but the car park wasn’t completly full, and once we got past the main columns and the “cave” (there isn’t really a cave like in the show) things thinned out substantially.
Iceland does a good job with their signage, so finding the beach is easy. Turn towards the coast at the sign and follow the road till it dead ends at the carpark. There’s a small cafe at the carpark, and a short stroll to the basalt columns from there.
We actually stayed at in an AirBnb literally 100 yards away from the carpark, and it was pretty awesome. We had an excellent view of Dyrhólaey from the cabin and could see the lighthouse at night. But on a serious note- our host impressed upon us that this is the most dangerous beach in Iceland, his words exactly. There are plenty of signs as you walk towards the beach too. Rogue waves are common here- our host had lots of stories to share about them and people who lost their lives here. So please, be careful. Stay well back from the waves.
Cost: free
Parking: free
Jökulsárlón
Jökulsárlón, and the neighboring Diamond Beach, are probably two of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon with large icebergs that have broken off of the glacier and are on their way out to sea, where they may wash up on the shore forming the “diamonds” of Diamond beach. It is a beautiful place and absolutely worth a visit. You can admire the icebergs and the views from the shore, but there are also various boat tours that take you out on the lagoon. We happened to vist on a cold, windy, rainy day. We did our scheduled boat tour anyway. It was really neat to get out there and get close to the icebergs. I’m not gonna lie, I wish the weather had been better and that we could have seen the glacier, but we still enjoyed our tour. We did get super cold and moderately wet from the rain though. We had a light lunch at the cafe/gift shop by the lagoon- it was decent- and warmed up a bit. Unfortunately the weather just got worse, and we couldn’t bring ourselves to go back out in it to see the Diamond Beach so we began the 2 hour drive back to Vík instead.
Cost: varies depending on tour operator, we paid about $94 USD for the tour we chose, or you can view the lagoon for free from several carparks off of the ring road
Parking: free
The drive out from Vík to Jökulsárlón was stunning! Both of these photos were taken near Skaftafell National Park.
Additional places to explore!
Dear reader, there are so many things to do in southern Iceland. So. Many. This has been one of my longer posts (so far), and believe it or not, there were a lot of things I wanted to do and see that we didn’t get to see at all in this region of Iceland. Some of that was due to weather. But for the most part we just ran out of time. So, I thought I’d include those things for you. Now obviously I can’t give you any insight or advice, I haven’t been any of these places after all, but these places should be pretty easy to find with a quick search. Also the drive along the ring road through south Iceland is just incredibly beautiful. I think at one point we were driving back from Jökulsárlón and I looked out the window and counted like 7 or 8 waterfalls in the distance. There are some waterfalls and things to see literally right on the ring road, so leave yourself time for a few random stops as well.
- Reykjadalur Hot Springs/Thermal River
- Seljavallalaug Swimming Pool (between Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss)
- Kvernufoss (in the same area as Skogafoss)
- Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon- may be closed depending on weather, check online for more information
- Skaftafell National Park and Svartifoss
- The Diamond beach at Jökulsárlón- I know. I know. We were there. Why didn’t we go?! It was raining sideways. We had been out in the cold, sideways rain for like 45 minutes already. We hadn’t even warmed up yet. We couldn’t bring ourselves to do it. We’ll just have to go next time.
