Spectacular South Coast

We really were blessed today. It was an absolutley extraordinary day of amazing scenery in glorious sunshine, something we learned has been in short supply here over the summer.

We had a big day of sightseeing planned so we hit the road promptly at 9am for a short drive down the road to our first destination, Skogafoss. It’s considered to be one of Icelands most beautiful waterfalls and we could see it for several kilometers as we approached along the ring road.  The sun was shining on the very top and to the side of it, giving us another lovely rainbow.

Next stop Dyrholaey Peninsula. Dyrhólaey Peninsula is a 120-metre promenade famed for its staggering views of Iceland’s South Coast, as well as its historic lighthouse and wealth of birdlife. It is home to a rock arch of the same name.It is also the most southernmost part of the Icelandic mainland. We drove up the very rough road to the lighthouse and were first greeted by the awesome view to the west of the long black sand beach.

We walked up to the lighthouse and wondered what the huddle of people at the cliff edge were looking at. It was Puffins! This was a great satisfaction for Jatta who had been very keen to see some Puffins on our trip. They really are the cutest little birds, with their distinctive beaks.

The view at the tip of the peninsula of the arch rock is stunning and on the other side there was yet another gorgeous view looking east toward the Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks.

The drive from here to the most famous of Icelands black sand beaches was only 20 minutes or so. Raynisfjara Beach is stunning with its basalt column cliffs and caves and the sea stacks just off shore. In Icelandic legend, it was said that the Reynisdrangar are the remains of a battle between two local trolls and a three-masted ship. When daylight broke, the two trolls were turned to stone, and the ship was trapped with them for all eternity, forming a group of sea stacks which now called the Reynisdrangar Columns.

There were flocks of tourists on the beach and flocks of birds flying above, including more of those cute puffins.

We stopped briefly in Vik to fill the car and to pick up some  nice bread rolls for a picnic lunch. We ate them in the car as we were driving along because we were on a pretty tight schedule. We needed to reach the glacier lagoons of Vatnajokul glacier by 3.30pm because I’d booked us on a zodiac boat ride.  Unfortunately this meant we didn;t have time to see one of the canyons along the way but just the drive by scenery helped make up for it. really, in Iceland everywhere you look is a “sight”! We started to pass the tongues of the HUGE Vatnajokul glacier which covers an enormous chunk of the country.

Finally we pulled in at the Fjarlsarlon glacier lagoon where we were given massive coats and life vests for our trip out onto the water. When I first put the jacket on I thought I was going to cook! They are so bulky and warm, designed to keep you alive for a few minutes just in case you fall into the near freezing water. However, once we were out on the water the temperature dropped dramatically and I was glad to have the jacket.

We set out and passed many icebergs, some no bigger than a loaf of bread and some as large as a small island. The guide talked about the three different kinds of ice, black, blue and white and how they are formed. h was a young Portuguese man who had come to Iceland to challenge himself and he told us how lucky we were to have a beautiful sunny day, theyve had a very wet and grey summer this year and winter is on its way as this morning they had the first day where a fine layer of ice covered the whole lagoon first thing in the morning.

He pulled a chunk of ice from the water and invited us to eat it, the water is so pure and the ice so clean.

Back on dry land we drove 6 minutes up the road to the much larger Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon. This one is much more touristy, they draw big crowds and run big amphibian “duck” boat tours as well as the zodiacs. There were many seals playing in the water amongst the icebergs and it was surreal to watch the bergs float gently down the river to the open sea beyond the bridge.

Down on the beach the icebergs wash up on the sand to melt, glittering in the sun and giving the beach its name “Diamond Beach”

That was our final stop of the day so we headed off for the final 50 minute drive to the Fosshotel Vatnajokul. It’s out in the middle of nowhere with a fantastic view of three tongues of the glacier flowing down the mountain. We ate in the restaurant on Icelandic lamb and the boys enjoyed the local Vatnajokul beer as we gazed out at the sun setting behind the mountain. We felt so blessed with the amazing weather we’ve had today, especially a day of so many fabulous sights. Southern Iceland has been incredible!