Latest / Explore Iceland Travel Podcast / E.7: Exploring the South Coast: Part 1 from Reykjavik to Vík
Transcript
- Monika: Welcome to Explore Iceland Travel Podcast. If you're thinking of visiting Iceland or planning your next adventure there, you're in the right place. I'm Monica the creator of Plan Pack Explore, a travel blog where I help readers plan unforgettable trips to Europe. and I'm here to inspire you to travel to Iceland. And to plan your trip in a fun, stress free way. I'll share all the must know details about places to see, both the iconic landmarks and some hidden gems, proven itineraries tested by me and my family. and practical trip planning tips based on my own experiences and mistakes we made while exploring this incredible country. I'll cover everything I wish I had known before our first trip and things I've learned from all the trips that follow. And I'm not done yet. Think of it as travel advice from tourist to tourist. Honest, helpful, firsthand insights designed to make planning your Iceland adventure much easier and much more enjoyable. Tune in and let's explore Iceland together. The south coast of Iceland is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, areas to visit. And for good reason. It's gorgeous and full of amazing natural wonders. This is one of my favorite parts of the country, and honestly, it's what comes to mind when I think of Iceland. The south coast is a long stretch from Reykjavik all the way to Hafen, the unofficial end town of the region. In this episode, we're going to talk about the bus stops and places to visit between Reykjavik and Vik, the southernmost village in Iceland located about halfway through the south coast. We'll cover some of Iceland's most famous waterfalls, a unique swimming pool, a glacier, a black sand beach, and a few fun stops you may otherwise drive right past. So let's get started. The best way to explore the South Coast is by car, but you can also join many organized tours, and I have them listed in the articles I'm gonna put in the show notes. You can also travel by public bus, the Stray Toe bus, You can take line 52 to Celulandsfoss Waterfall and Line 51 all the way to Hafen. It is not the most convenient way, but it is available. Self-driving is best and if you haven't rented a car yet, I recommend Blue Car Rental or Lava Car Rental. They are local Icelandic companies, very reliable. And you can get an instant 5% discount on your reservation by using the links in the show notes. And another note, many of the stops on the south coast have paid parking now. So make sure you pay your parking fees at each stop. Or you may get fined by both the Icelandic authorities and by your car rental company. There's usually either a QR code to scan or a pay kiosk, or you can use the parka.is up on your phone to pay, which is very convenient. So let's talk about driving through the South Coast. The drive from Reykjavik to Vik is about 187 kilometers, or roughly about two and a half, three hours without any stops. But you won't be driving straight through. You're going to be making stops. There are so many places to stop along the way that can easily become a full day adventure just driving between those two towns. or even longer if you want to take a hike or join a glacier tour. As you leave Reykjavik, you'll pass through a few towns including Selfos, Hella, and Falls Valur. Those are great places to stop for gas and snacks. As you drive, you'll see green pastures, farms, moss cover mountains, all that awesome landscape. And if you're lucky, sheep an iceland that courses grazing along the road. Just remember that as tempting as it may be, it is not allowed and not safe to stop on the road to take all those views in and take pictures. Make sure you find a safe spot to pull over and and fully pull over from the road so you're completely off the road and not blocking any traffic. So once you leave the towns, your first stop will be Celia Lansforce Waterfall. it is one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls and you can easily see why. It's massive. The water drops about 60 meters from a cliff, but the really special thing about this waterfall is that you can walk behind the cascade of the water. There is a path that will take you around the waterfall right from the parking lot. You just follow the people. It's typically one way traffic. It is an amazing experience, but you will get wet. So bring waterproof clothing and make sure your cameras and your phones are well protected from the water because the mist and the spray can get pretty intense. This is also a place where you can see rainbows and sometimes double rainbows. I was lucky enough to see one on my third trip. It was a very windy but really sunny day. and we saw a double rainbow with my dad and it was absolutely wonderful. And before you leave, make sure you check out the small gift shop. It is small, but inside is full of really great souvenirs There's also a little booth with snacks and really good coffee right near the parking area. But don't go back to the car just yet. that's also a place where we're gonna visit stop number two. Glue for Bui waterfall. It is right next to Celluland's Foss. you leave your car in the parking lot and once you're done with Celluland's Foss, just keep walking past that waterfall, down that paved path. It's about five minutes. The first time we visited Iceland, we are wondering why do people continue walking on that path since we're done with the waterfall? Well, now we know. It was the end of our long day. We were tired from a day of exploring. We did a glacier hike in the morning and explored the south coast the rest of the day. So we didn't really pursue. But now we know they were going to Glyferbuy. It's a hidden waterfall inside a narrow canyon. And it's just like I said, a five minute walk from Celulansfos. You'll enter through a small opening in the cliffs and walk over some rocks inside this little canyon. You may get your shoes a little wet so make sure they're waterproof. And it's a really short walk and then it opens up to this really beautiful cave with the waterfall coming straight above you. It is really unique. Definitely recommend stopping there. Now you can go back to the car and keep on driving, but don't drive too fast. There is a little bonus stop. It's about 17 kilometers past Celia Lansfos. You will see on your left a fence of brass. Yes, there are women's brass hanging on the fence. It became a pretty famous spot. It actually has its own Google Maps location. It is called the Fence of Brass and it became as a prank after a party on the nearbar farm in twenty twelve. Yes, in twenty twelve. And then more bras were added over time and the farmers were try take them down and they just keep reappearing. So they just left it right now. It's a pretty famous stop It is also considered now a tribute to both victims and survivors of breast cancer and the show of support for research. So, It's a quirky little roadside stop and definitely makes for an interesting photo and a little break. And on to step number three. That's the unique swimming pool I mentioned earlier. It's called Selya Valalaugh Swimming Pool. It's a natural geothermal pool. It is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland built in 1923. originally to teach Icelandic children to swim. And You just park in a little parking area free as far as I know still. And just take a little walk. It's a 20-minute walk through a beautiful valley. You're surrounded by green moss-covered mountains. It's just beautiful. It's magical. As you know, it's my favorite word to describe anything about Iceland, especially on the South Coast area. but yeah, you're surrounded by mountains. You feel completely removed from the main road and all of a sudden you come to this swimming pool just there in the middle of nowhere. The water is naturally heated. It is only maintained by the volunteers. They gather about once a year to maintain the pool. So you can see some algae in the water. I've seen people swim in it. I never actually did. But even if you don't just go there and see it, it's one of the most unique places I've seen in Iceland. There's just a regular swimming pool. There's a lot of changing room there too. just in the middle of a beautiful valley. Definitely a sight to see. And as you go back to the car and continue driving, your next stop will be quick. It's called Ratschlier Cave. it's a Menmay cave carved into a rock at the base of a mountain. It was used as shelter for both people and animals in the past. but it is definitely a very interesting stop and worth having a look. there's a little parking area. You actually, I believe, have to pay for the parking right now, but it's definitely worth it. It's very unique and it's also obviously really pretty as everything on the South Coast. And then about three minutes past. As you drive, you'll see a couple of turf houses on the same side of the road and the sign for Drangarine. I probably am not pronouncing it correctly, but that's what it says on the sign. and there's a legend that the caves inside Drangarine, which is a giant boulder you'll see at the base of the mountain, are home to elves protecting the farm it's located on. Again, it's a quick stop, it's fun, and it's your chance to see the old Icelandic turf houses. So that's always unique. And the next stop is Skogafas. It's another big star of Islandic South Coast. It's a waterfall. It's absolutely spectacular. you can't walk behind it, but you can get really close to the water and be careful. you can get wet from the mist. It's also another spot where you can see rainbows. I was lucky to see one there too. So make sure you bring your waterproof gear as the mist can soak you Once you got your fill of the views from the base of the waterfall, you notice that there's a staircase on the right side of Scogafoss. It is 527 steps, but if you're able to make your way up the staircase, it is worth it. You'll be able to see Skogafoss from the top, and it's a very different perspective. And also if you have time. That's the beginning of a trail. It's called the waterfall way. It's a very long trail. You're not gonna probably have time if you're just touring the South Coast as a day trip. You're not gonna have time to walk the whole trail. It's seven kilometers. However, just walk maybe 30 minutes one way. It is gorgeous. That's what we did on our first visit. We just took a little stroll and the further you walk, the fewer people you're gonna see. And you just see waterfall after waterfall after waterfall, and the views are just amazing. So that's definitely something I recommend doing. It is a little bit of an effort to go up that staircase, but very, very worth it. Now, just like with Celia Land's Foss, you also have another smaller waterfall near Skogafoss. It's called Khfernafoss. You might have figured by now that anything Foss means a waterfall. So Khfernifoss. It is located right next to Skogafoss. I do recommend to drive over to Skogor Museum. that's the best parking lot for Khvernifoss. That's where the trail begins. It is about a five minute drive and it's about a 30 minute walk. You will have to pay again for parking. Both Skogafoss and Kronafoss parking lots are paid. if you don't want to pay again, you can just leave your car at Skogafoss and just walk. It's a 20-30 minute walk. And then you start another easy hike. About 20 minutes or so. It's a lovely hike. Again, magical. Through the valley, surrounded by green, mountains and we visited on a kind of a cloudy, misty day and it just added to the charm. It was beautiful. And you can walk behind that waterfall also. You have to walk in and walk out the same way you can't walk through like behind Celluland spaws, but still it is beautiful. It's smaller, it's not as tall, but it's pretty powerful and definitely worth seeing. The hike just is as pretty as the waterfall itself. So I definitely recommend adding that to your itinerary. And then as you keep on driving you'll come across the road leading to Solhelmeyer Kutel Glacier. That's the glacier that erupted in 2010 and paralyzed air traffic for weeks. So you may remember that event. it is one of the most accessible glaciers for Reykjavik. and once you reach the parking lot, you can just take a 10 minute walk towards the glacier down the path, and you will see a a glacier lagoon and you'll reach a viewpoint, it's like a viewing platform shortly before the glacier wall. And this is where you should stop. You should never go onto the glacier without a guide and without proper equipment, it's just not safe. But that's the easiest way to see the glacier and the views are absolutely beautiful. You can still see the ash from that eruption covering some of the snow. for us it was even more special because 2010 was when we had a big family event and my parents were about to fly from Poland to visit us just around the time of the eruption and we weren't sure they were gonna make it, but they did make it. It was a long flight around the ash cloud. but they made it. so for us visiting that glacier had an extra layer, a special meaning. We actually did a glacier hike, which is another thing you can do. There's a couple of companies that organize glacier hikes and ice climbing on that. We did a glacier hike during our first visit and I highly recommend. It was a really fun experience. It's not anything strenuous. You have to be reasonably fit, but You get all the safety equipment and the guy takes you up on a glacier and just walking on top of a glacier in Iceland is just a magical concept. So we really enjoyed it. And then as you keep on driving, you come across another place to visit. It's called Derhole or Derhole Cliffs, It's a protective nature reserve and it's famous for the cliffs and an enormous stone arch with a hole. rising from the ocean. There are two parking lots for their hole. There is the lower parking lot and the upper parking lot. They have names. I can't remember them off the top of my head, but they are listed in my guide. The lower parking lot has walking paths and offers a pretty view of the nearby rainy sphere at Black Sun Beach, which we'll talk about in a minute. this is also where you can easily see puffins in puffin season. They're just nesting on the cliffs. just make sure you come either early in the morning or later in the evening. Otherwise they're at sea trying to get their fish. but yes, that's where we actually saw puffins for the first time and it was really good. And then you have the upper parking lot, which is accessible by a short windy drive. it's pretty steep, but it's not anything scary. And that's where you can get a closer view of the arch. There's a lighthouse and also puffins. You can also hike between the lower and the upper parking lot. It's not a long hike. So that's also an option. And next is the famous Rainy Sfierra Black Sun Beach. That is the final stop before the village of Vik. and of course, everybody's heard about Rainy Sfiara. when we say Black Sun Beach in Iceland, that's what most people think about. It is famous for being surrounded by a wall of basalt columns and for the sea stacks, the Rainy's Dangar sea stacks. They are the two volcanic rock formations that stick up. From the ocean. right next to the beach. And they are believed to be trolls that got turned to stone because they got hit by sunlight. So there's a legend there too. this beach is also famous for the sneaker waves. They're strong waves coming out of nowhere that can sweep you out to sea. So be really careful. You'll notice that there's a board with lights at the entrance to the beach and make sure that the light is green. For you to walk around the beach freely. If the light is yellow or red, make sure you see where is the safe part of the beach that you can visit. If the light is red, don't go on the beach. lives unfortunately have been lost recently at that beach. So it's really beautiful but can also be extremely dangerous. So be careful, pay attention to the warning lights. They tell you how far you can go. And one rule of thumb at that beach, never turn your back to the ocean. That is not to discourage you from visiting that beach. I've been there a few times. It is beautiful. It's definitely something you want to see, but you do want to be careful and you want to pay attention to the warnings. And then you're going to arrive in the village of V. Vik is like I said, the southernmost village in Iceland. It is a great place to stop for food, for coffee, even to stay overnight if you're not doing the South Coast as a day trip, if you're continuing on. Vik is best known for their famous Vik and Merdal church, the iconic white church with the red roof. It's perched on a hill above town. and you probably have seen it in many pictures online and postcards and calendars and things like that. but there's plenty of additional activities and attractions in Vic. you can go horseback riding on the Black Sand Beach. not on Rainy Sfiera, they do it on their town beach, Vic or Fiera. we actually have done it. It's a fun little one hour ride. You can have some black crust pizza, you can have some delicious coffee and pastry at the School Beans Cafe. It's actually right near the church. And it's a cafe. located in the converted school bus. And there's many other activities and things to do that I will cover in a whole separate episode about VEC, but VEEK is a great stop to break up your exploration of the South Coast. and that brings us to the end of our first part of the South Coast journey. We've covered a lot and it's only about half of what that region has to offer in the next episode. We'll cover everything going east from Vik towards Haufen. where the landscape becomes even more dramatic. With lava fields, canyons, more glaciers. The famous Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach and so much more. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions and I will see you in the next episode.