The south coast of Iceland has some of the most dramatic and popular landscapes in the entire country. Heading out early from Hofn, we reached Jökulsárlón glacier lake as the sun was rising. We watched the icebergs drift slowly through the narrow waterway into the Atlantic Ocean, before heading down to the beach to see them washed ashore. This black sand beach littered with chunks of ice is aptly named Diamond Beach. We explored on both sides of the outlet, photographing the waves as they rolled in, a perfect play between black sand and translucent ice.
Fjallsárlón was the next in a succession of glacial arms reaching off Vatnajokull, the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland, and the second largest in area in Europe. Svínafellsjökull Glacier gave us an up close and personal view of these mega ice structures. Bright blue cracks run through the ice like lightening and the crevasses ran up and over the mountains behind. For me, this was one of the most powerful landscapes of the whole trip!
Needing a break from the car, and the glaciers, we hiked out to Svartifoss. This waterfall is dominated by the basalt cliffs as it cut its way through. I stepped out onto some rocks further down the river to capture this narrow passage, the walls scoured by the glacial melt waters. The hike also gave ample opportunity to capture this entire scene from high ground.
A gravel road lead us out to Haoldukvisl glacier, although with some rain moving in, we only got to see the face of it. Our next stop was Dverghamrar and Foss á Síðu waterfall. Dverghamrar means Dwarf Rocks, where folklore suggests dwarves live amongst them. One among them is the tale of Ólafía, daughter of Páll and Margrét Ólafsdóttir, the residents of the Foss. Ólafía was driving sheep by the rocks when she heard someone singing a hymn. She looked for the singer and found no one there, leading everyone to believe that the dwarfs had been singing.
Passing through the mossy green lava fields of Eldhraun, we stopped at our final destination for the day, Reynisfjara Beach. Passing through Vik, we got to photograph the distant sea stacks from the east, before heading around to walk along the black sands. The basalt cliffs tower above the beach, hexagonal caves and walls built into them from the extreme swells and waves. We walked around to get a clear view of the sea stacks and stayed for a good hour watching the sea birds, who call this place home. Passing locations we would backtrack to the following day, we settled in a riverside cabin just outside of Hella.
Day two started with quiet possibly the most famous location in Iceland, Skógafoss. We were the very first car there that morning, so I ran around like crazy, photographing as much as possible before others arrived! It’s hard to put into words the beauty of this place… just wow! Once the crowds began to gather, we started our climb to the top and hiked along to Steinbogafoss. The trail does continue but was not yet open for the season.
The main glacier for the day was Sólheimajökull. Hiking to the water’s edge, we were met by a wall of ice. Surround by black sand, the blues here seemed brighter and more vibrant than the others. Coming from such a dry country like Australia it’s hard to fathom the amount of fresh water held here.
A long walk across a plain of black sand brought us to the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck. It seems so out of place, almost alien amongst the natural landscapes we had seen. The juxtaposition to all the natural beauty we had seen made for a nice change of pace for my photography.
Returning to the natural wonders, Gljufrabui waterfall offers something special in that the trail takes you behind the falls. Getting there in mid-afternoon though had us contending with multiple tour buses and a full car park worth of visitors. It was still nice to walk around but it did dampen the excitement. Finishing the day, we took a detour along road 264 to Keldur. This little gathering of buildings including a church and grass houses, stood beautifully in front Helka volcano, which lies in the distance to the north.
Our third day saw us driving a loop, starting on road 26, then on to 32 and finishing on road 30. The Commonwealth Farm is a historically accurate reconstruction of the three buildings, including a longhouse, which stood 7 km to the north at Stöng; the farm is believed to have been buried under volcanic ash in 1104 following the eruption of the volcano Hekla. The reconstruction was built in 1974 as a part of the national celebrations of the 1100th anniversary of the settlement of Iceland in 874.
A little further along road 32 we reached Hjálparfoss. This twin fall carved out of the hexagonal basalt cliffs is situated in the lava fields of Hekla near the point where the rivers Fossá and Þjórsá join. The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River. It was a bit of a hike, crossing the valley full of steam and bubbling pools, we arrived at the swimming area towel in hand ready to go. This was such a relaxing way to finish the day and its totally free!
Our final day exploring this amazing country had us up early once again. Taking a left at the town of Selfoss, you make your way back down to the coast. Passing Strandarkirkja, a church built by sailors in reward for safe passage, we headed inland for the final time to explore the green lake Gígvatnsvatn and the geothermal area Krýsuvík. We hadn’t had the smell of sulphur overwhelm us for a few days, so this was a great final reminder of how harsh a place this can be.
As we walked amongst the Selatangar coastal ruins, thoughts of early settlers, living between these volcanoes and raging seas, left us on awe. Our coastal route ended at Reykjanestá, the south-western tip of Reykjanes peninsula. Here you bear witness to the mid-Atlantic ridge that marks the edges of the two diverging plates. This is why the region is so volcanically active, and such a wonderful place to explore.
The Bridge Between Continents, Miðlína or Leif the Lucky Bridge, is a walkway linking the North American & Eurasian tectonic plates. A perfect final stop and a symbolic way to end our trip. The powers that have shaped this beautiful island, giving it such diverse scenery, all came from these tectonic plates. From Volcanoes in a sea of lava fields, to icecaps reaching out with its glaciers, Iceland really is a place of fire and ice. My wife and I both agree this is one of the most special places we have ever visited, and we will be back again one day in the summer to explore the central highlands!
