Road Trip: Chasing Waterfalls & Wonder on Iceland’s South Coast
Please note: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something following a link on this page, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog (AKA feeding my ice cream addiction around the world!) Rosemary
After the end of our NCL Prima 11 Night Northern Europe cruise, I took advantage of NCL Air’s free two day deviation to explore more of Iceland. During this time, I went to the Perlan Museum, snorkeled Silfra, and explored the South Coast as a day trip from Reykjavík. (See the other top spots section for more info and links to my posts detailing my experiences for those activities).
ICELAND LOGISTICS
Language / Communication:
ICELANDIC: Halló – hello (Hah-loh) | Bless – good bye (bless) | Því miður – sorry (thvee mi-thur) | Vinsamlegast – please (vin-saam-leh-gast | Takk – thank you (tak)
English was widely spoken throughout Iceland.
Currency: / Money Matters
Icelandic Krona (ISK) 1 USD = 130.58 ISK (CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE)
Credit cards were widely accepted (we were able to use Visa and Mastercard throughout Iceland but I couldn’t always use my AMEX). We found that other than for tipping in local currency, we didn’t need to carry cash (ie tipping guides on already paid tours). Speaking of which, Iceland is similar to Norway in that tipping is not obligatory with high/living wages and strong workers laws so there isn’t a need for a tipping culture (vs in the US where workers are reliant upon tips as part of their salary). As such, it is a nice gesture of appreciation to tip if you receive great service.
REYKJAVÍK
Reykjavík is the northernmost capital in the world, is the largest city in Iceland, and serves as the country’s cultural, economic, and governmental center. Foreigners are drawn here as it is among the cleanest, greenest, and safest cities in the world. Plus the whole population of Iceland is 400,000 so even with the majority of people living in/around the capital area, so it won’t feel crowded to most visitors.
One of the reasons why I love GetYourGuide is that they have this awesome part of their site dedicated to Trip Inspiration with City Guides
Safety
Iceland is often touted as the safest country in the world to travel to and that extends to the capital as well. After such a long and complicated knee injury/recovery, I was really nervous to travel again but especially solo. It was serendipitous that our cruise ended in Reykjavík as I don’t think there could have been a better place to venture out alone. I have tried to explain what I mean with the feeling that I have when I am in Iceland but I compare it to what I wish that I felt when home – safe in all regards. Not once did I feel threatened and also didn’t experience any type of sexual harassment (which unfortunately was the first time this had ever happened for me!).
Transportation
Free options: Reykjavík is compact enough that it remains easy to explore by foot and this is always the best way to get around a city as there are many cool shops, cafes, bars, restaurants to check out.
Cheaper options: city buses – Reykjavík has a really great bus system called the Strætó – check Strætó’s website for timetables and ticket prices. Reykjavík Hop-On Hop-Off Bus does conveniently has stops along the major tourist attractions: Reykjavik: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour. Consider the Reykjavík: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Perlan Museum Entry Ticket – here’s why the Perlan is one of my top place in Reykjavík. For those comfortable using scooters, there are lots of electric scooters available as well.
Pricier options: Taxis – do note that there are no ride sharing services (they are illegal to support job taxi drivers job security). On that note: while expensive, I have had nothing but great experiences with taxis in Iceland both with others and many times solo (wish that this was true for the rest of the world!) so I never missed my ride sharing apps!
SOUTH COAST
Discover and be awed by this road trip marveling at the incredible landscapes of Iceland’s south coast with black sand beaches, waterfalls and glaciers! Note that the drive times
IMPORTANT NOTES: In the first three locations, I was doing a flying dress shoot so unfortunately I was very limited in time to take photos and explore (curious what my photo shoot experience was like? Or to see better photos of these locales, check out this post!) Instead of listing them in the order that we saw these locales, I organized this as how I would have done a day road trip from Reykjavík (but am including the times we were there to give you a sense of how crowded or not locales were!)
In case you aren’t driving or if you are on a cruise (they do offer pick-up from the cruise terminal), here are a couple of tours that will go to most of the same places:
We had a great time on our Golden Circle Tour with BusTravel Iceland (they run this tour as well) – read about our experience here!
Another highly rated / small group tour that affords you the opportunity to see how Iceland is that land of fire and ice with a chance to admire the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano!
Skógafoss
Start at the powerful Skógafoss waterfall (82 feet/25 meters wide with a 200 feet/60 meters drop). As typical with Nordic nomenclature, the origin of the name is from the Skógá river and foss meaning falls and drops from the cliffs that once marked the old coastline.
You can experience the power of the Skógafoss up close – the spray is really powerful with rainbows often being produced on sunny days! As always, dressing for the weather and conditions will make your experience more enjoyable – a waterproof jacket, pants and shoes are recommended if you want to get close to the waterfall.
There’s a second way that you’re able to view the falls and it’s from a higher vantage point (visible at the top right of the photo). There is a moderately challenging climb of 527 steps to a viewing platform at the top of the falls.
Kvernufoss
I will write a longer post about this waterfall since it’s not as well-known as our other stops which are insta-famous and stops on tours hence their popularity. But if you are driving, don’t miss out of on this gem!
Kvernufoss is only a six minutes drive from Skógafoss but feels so secluded due to less people and the hike in. The only other people we encountered were a group of 5 hikers during the hour we were here (from 8:20 – 9:20). The walk to the waterfall is 15-20 minutes on a mostly flat, well maintained pathway along the Kverna river (see what I mean about names of things here?)
The allure of this waterfall is the gorgeous walk to see it but also that you are able to experience it up close in front and behind the waterfall!
Make time for a coffee and sweets break at the Freya cafe located inside the Skógar Museum -depending on when you started your morning before or after Kvernufoss.
Sólheimajökull Glacier
Drive about 25 minutes to the next destination: Sólheimajökull is an outlet glacier of the much larger icecap of Mýrdalsjökull to the north and is one of the most accessible glaciers (as it is just 98 miles (158 kilometers) from Reykjavík. Important to note that you can drive to the glacier but if you are wanting to climb it, you must do so with a guide – be respectful of Icelandic law and the glacier.
It is five miles long and just over a mile wide (about eight kilometers long and two kilometers wide) but sadly is rapidly shrinking like all glaciers in Iceland. It used to be a short walk to the glacier from the parking but now takes 20 minutes. The glacier retreated .5 mile (almost 1 kilometer) between 2000 and 2015.
A glacier lagoon at its base reveals how quickly it is receding: the length of an Olympic swimming pool every year. Perhaps this is sadly, an irreversible consequence of climate change and it may be gone within decades.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Thirty minutes away, you’ll drive to another of Iceland’s iconic landscapes: Reynisfjara beach. Here’s the fire portion with the black sands formed from sea-worn black volcanic rocks. Also at the stop, one can see the bizarre and otherworldly basalt column wall (unfortunately with my knee, this was ruled out as a photo shoot location but I sorta wish I would have grabbed an insta pic whilst I was here). You may also have seen many photos of the cave on the beach. The sea is beautiful but dangerous and you need to be aware of what creeper waves in the area!
Stop in Vik for a lunch break.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
As you can see here that Seljalandsfoss is one of the most visited falls in Iceland – the queue was so long and I was so tired (I started my day at 2 AM), that we didn’t go behind the waterfall. Fun fact: the water that feeds this 60m tall waterfall originates from the (in)famous Eyjafjallajökull glacier-capped volcano – the one that grounded flights in Europe in 2010 and what has been credited for setting off Iceland’s travel boom!
OTHER TOP SPOTS AROUND/IN REYKJAVÍK TO EXPLORE
Blue Lagoon
One of the most enjoyable things to do in Iceland is to go to a lagoon and take a dip in the geothermal heated water. I consider this a must to truly experience the land of fire and ice in the same way you should sauna when visiting Finland or eat pasta and gelato in Italy. The most iconic of the lagoons is the Blue Lagoon. We did this Blue Lagoon Admission with Transfers excursion – read about our experience and how convenient it was to get to the Blue Lagoon here.
Perlan Museum
Why is the Perlan one of my FAVORITE places to go in Reykjavík? Fun and immersive museum experience? – check! Incredible 360 views of Reykjavík? – check! Delicious and reasonably priced food, drinks AND ice cream? – check! Read about my experience here. If you want to have the transportation figured out for you: consider the Reykjavík: Hop-On Hop-Off Bus and Perlan Museum Entry Ticket – where the Perlan and the cruise terminal are two of the 16 stops for the bus
Snorkel Silfra
I love unique experiences and this was perhaps the most one I have ever done. The Mid-Atlantic Rift or Ridge, which runs through Iceland, marks the boundary between two tectonic plates – the Eurasian and North American plates. Silfra Fissure is a rift formed within this incredible feature so you are literally snorkeling between two continents in some of the clearest and cleanest water I have ever been in. Read about how I was able to also touch the two continents, at the same time!
Golden Circle
If you are spending one day in Reykjavík, the choice is normally either the South Coast or the iconic Golden Circle Tour…both are incredible. The Golden Circle tour is the most popular day route from Reykjavík and takes you to the Geysir geothermal area, Gullfoss, and Thingvellir national park with this tour having the additional stop at Kerid Crater. Wanna know more of what our tour was like – read this!
2 Comments