Day 3: Southern Iceland, Hella – Vik

Today we explored Southern Iceland, between Hella and Vik. Southern Iceland is a popular destination as the landscape transforms from plains of flat farmland into Volcano and Glacier mountain ranges. Vik is situated just behind a wall of mountain if you are entering from the west. Its a really cool town protected by the mountains and it sits on the water. It is what I would consider a small fishing town. We drove from Hella to Vik and on the way we stopped at a some of the sights. Unfortunately Vik is a little expensive for us to stay in so we re fueled and drove back to Hella.

Vik and Hella are only an hour and a half apart but we spent all day going in to the mountain range and out into the coast line. We stopped at the following sites:

Gljúfaúi and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls
Skógafoss Waterfall
Dyrhólaey Arch
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Seljalandsfoss waterfall is a 30 minute drive east of Hella, and is considered the best waterfall in Southern Iceland. facing the west this waterfall looked stunning as the rising sun shone just over the top. The water cascades a stunning 60 m before entering a pool near the bottom. Mist and spray help maintain a healthy green around the falls. We were daring enough to walk behind the falls but make sure you are prepared. We saw many people walk behind the falls only wearing a down jacket. We were fully equipped with our waterproof jackets, pants and shoes. We also wore our crampons because there is a thick layer of ice surrounding the falls created by all the mist. Even in the summer I would recommend either quick drying material or waterproof material, as it would be uncomfortable to be wet. I would also highly recommend hiking boots that are waterproof, as they were essential for this waterfall and for Gljúfaúi.

Gljúfaúi is only 500m north of Seljalandsfoss so you can easily reach both in the same trek. In my opinion Gljúfaúi was more interesting as it is not as popular. As a result you can get incredible photos by entering into the crack. Gljúfaúi pours into a crack along the mountain wall. You can just see the top of it from the outside, but once inside you can basically stand directly under it. To enter the crack you can walk or try to tip toe you way through the cold stream. Yve and I have completely waterproof shoes and pants, which allowed us to walk directly upstream. We saw many people tip toe or balance along large rocks to get in and out. Just downstream is a basin for bathing in the crystal clear water (probably something to do in the summer). These two waterfalls soak your outer layers if you walk into Gljúfaúi or walk behind Seljalandsfoss. Gljúfaúi waterfall is definitely a contender for best natural sight for today’s trip.

After Gljúfaúi and Seljalandsfoss, we went to another waterfall, Skógafoss. Skógafoss has a great open mouthed stream running away from misty landing allowing for great wide open shots. Seems like everyone has this idea and as a result it is very packed and hard to get a photo without anyone in it. You can walk into the crashing water and soak downstream in the summer, but in the winter it is just pretty to look at the rainbow that it forms. Along the east side is a set of stairs that take you to the top of the falls and you can look into the basin. Its a good height up so if you are afraid of heights it may not be for you. In my opinion this was an underwhelming waterfall but it was made worth while for its hostel and restaurant on site.

Yve and I ate at the on site restaurant, Hótel Skógafoss. She had a tasty vegetable soup (1500 ISK) while I had a delicious arctic char and garlic mash potatoes (2700 ISK). Both were the best food we’ve had so far and we had zero complaints. The soup was hearty and not overly salted, while the char remained flavorful and contained a crisp crunch with its fried skin. For a roughly $51 (CAD) lunch I was pretty happy and would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind paying the premium.

After our lunch we made our way to Dyrhólaey Arch. There is a small lookout at the top of a large cliff that we used to view the Dyrhólaey Arch. I am glad we rented a 4×4 vehicle as we climbed the hill to reach the lookout. There were multiple cars and smaller SUVs parked at the base and the occupants of said vehicles had to walk along the road to reach the top. I enjoy driving our 4×4 and had quite a lot of fun climbing and balancing the tires across deep ruts in the road. So for me this location was already winning me over. At the top you can see the glacier and volcanoes to the North, while to the south you can see the beautiful archway hanging over the water. Along the West and east you can see the black sand coastline, which Yve found beautiful to watch. It is an amazing feat of mother nature to see natural archways, and you should try and see them as they are slowly eroding and being washed away (it’s all part of nature). One of the best parts was to turn around and look at the massive glaciers and put everything in perceptive. I saw numerous people just stare and soak in the landscape. Overall was a one of the better sights we saw. Also the drive down was loads of fun.

Our last stop before refueling in Vik was Reynisfjara black sand beach. This is a classic tourist trap with sneaker waves so be careful. There have been numerous cases of people being swept away by large waves resulting in death. The black sand is gorgeous to look at, there is a gradual gradient from large round stones to fine powdery black sand. The stones are volcanic in nature and result in black sand when pulverized. There are many photo opportunities along the beach and along the beach wall. The waves were massive today and we saw many people get wet from misjudging how far the waves would reach. Luckily no one was knocked off their feet but it could have definitely been a possibility. The beach wall is made by rectangular blocks that stagger resulting in an almost staircase like wall. Many people enjoy sitting and taking photos on this wall as well there are little coves which are fun to play around. Overall a good sight, Yve gives it a 8.5/10 for its black sand and wicked waves. There was also a restaurant on site, but since we spent so much money on lunch we cheaped out and ate instant noodles that we brought.