(See my of my posts about Iceland here)
After an evening spent exploring waterfalls and a good nights’ sleep, we continued on the South Coast. When planning our trip, we absolutely wanted to go to the “iceberg lagoons” at the farther end of the South Coast, but had trouble finding a place to stay along the way. Therefore, we had a lot of distance to cover on this day since the only available lodging we were able to find was about an hour and a half past the Iceberg Lagoon. Despite the long drive, we visited several really cool places along the way!
Reynisfjara Beach:
Our first stop of the day was at Reynisfjara Beach, which is one of the more famous black sand beaches. We got there fairly early, so it wasn’t very crowded yet. The beach is quite large, but it is especially known for its basalt columns that cover the side of a small hill and the view of several large rock formations in the ocean. We walked along the beach and climbed over some rock piles. As we returned, the beach had gotten very crowded with people. We were glad we got there early and had some time there before it got so busy.
Fjadrargljufur Canyon:
From Reynisfjara, it was about an hour drive to our next destination. Fjadrargljufur Canyon is a less-visited spot but is easily accessible from the main road. It is a canyon largely covered in green grass and moss and the views were amazing! I thought there was an hour-long hike here, but we either missed the hiking trail or my information was flawed. Instead, we followed the path that led along the top of the canyon. It was a really pretty walk, though it was very windy! This was one of the few sunny days of our trip, so we really enjoyed the gorgeous weather despite the wind.
Fjallsarlon Lagoon:
After an hour or so at the canyon, we drove about two hours to Fjallsarlon Lagoon. This is a smaller version of the more famous Iceberg Lagoon. We walked along the water edge looking at the various icebergs that stick out of the water. It was still sunny and somewhat warm out, so we laid on the warm rocks on the beach for a while soaking up the sun. While definitely smaller than the Iceberg Lagoon (named Jokulsarlon), we really enjoyed our time there. The icebergs are so incredibly gorgeous, and it wasn’t crowded at all!
We drove on another hour and a half to our Airbnb at Stafafell, where we stayed in a tent at a campsite. It was a really windy night, so we didn’t get the best sleep, but the campsite was well equipped and even had a small camp kitchen where we met and talked to a few other campers for a bit.
Notes:
Where we stayed: Stafafell (Airbnb)
Costs: We made all of our meals at our Airbnbs or in the car. I don’t think there were any parking fees this day.
Tips:
- Get to Reynisfjara Beach early if possible! When we arrived there, there were only a handful of people walking around, but within an hour it was very crowded.
- If road conditions are decent, I definitely recommend spending some time at Fjadrargljufur Canyon. Note that there is a steep hill at the beginning of the walk, but it was otherwise fairly flat.
- Don’t skip Fjallsarlon Lagoon! I’d recommend going to this before you go to Jokulsarlon, since it would probably seem underwhelming after going there. Based on other reviews online, Fjallsarlon can be a bit of a hit or miss in terms of how many icebergs are there. When we went, there were quite a few, but at other times there are fewer icebergs. Either way, there is a nice view of the glacier.
The Oke Den 