Three Essential Southern Iceland Tours
Reykjavik January 2019
Introduction
This was our second visit to Iceland, the first was for our honeymoon in 2011. This time it was with friends to celebrate a big birthday. I love this country so much! The geology is spectacular, and the culture is friendly and inclusive (most people speak English). Tour guides are knowledgeable, and its history is fascinating. Icelanders are very proud of their Viking Heritage.
It's an expensive country to visit in terms of food and accommodation, but it's well worth it in my opinion.
The best way to see Iceland is to either hire a car, or book tours. We chose to do the latter this time, and booked three tours:
1. A South Shores Tour - Skógafoss Waterfall, Reynisfjara black sand beach, and Vik
2. The Golden Circle Tour - Seljalandsfoss waterfall, Thingvellir National Park, The Geysir Geothermal Area, and Gullfoss waterfall.
3. The Blue Lagoon (transfers and tickets)
These three tours cover all the top sights in Southern Iceland, and rain, snow, or sunshine, you will see some stunning sights.
Don't forget to spend some time in Reykjavik as well. We visited the Hallgrimskirkja, and the Perlan as part of time spent in the city itself.
Day 1 - The South Shores Tour
Our accommodation was the Skuggi Hotel which is in a great location in the north of the city, close to the water of Faxa Bay, and walking distance from most of Reykjavik's attractions and shopping streets.
We booked our South Shores tour through Grayline Iceland. This is a full day coach tour covering approximately 250 miles.
Our first stop was Skógafoss waterfall, about 97 miles south east of Reykjavik. Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland. It's 80 feet wide, with a drop of 200 feet. The waterfall often produces rainbows due to the spray, and I managed to capture a brief one with my phone camera.
Skógafoss waterfall
After spending a little time here walking down to the waterfall, and taking photos, it was time to get back on the coach to make our way to the second stop of the day - Reynisfjara black sand beach near the town of Vik.
The sand at Reynisfjara is black as it is formed from cooled lava that has flowed into the ocean during volcano eruptions. The cliffs are made of basalt and have naturally formed into hexagonal columns similar to those of the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. Looking out to sea there are several sea stacks that are said to be petrified trolls.
❗️Do not go near the water's edge as massive "sneaker" waves 120 feet high can unexpectedly occur among smaller waves. Check the signage for current conditions ❗️
We were lucky on the day we visited that most of the beach was safe.
Halsanefshellir Cave and Reynisfjara and black sand beach
Basalt Cliffs
Just 10 minutes to the west of Reynisfjara is Iceland's most southerly town - Vik. The town only has 750 residents, but is the largest settlement for miles around. The town itself is picture perfect in the snow and we had time to wander around and take in its beauty.
Vik
The final stop of the day was Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This is located not far from Skógafoss (our first stop of the day). In fact we drove past it on the way out, but our guide decided that the waterfall would be quieter later in the day. He was right.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall has a path that runs behind the falls. Unfortunately, it was too slippery on the day we went to be able to do that walk. Another stunning waterfall nonetheless, although the light was fading by the time we got there.
Seljalandsfoss
I'd definitely recommend this tour, but you will get different things out of it depending on the time of year you go. In the winter you will see some stunning snow covered scenery, but the daylight will be short. In the summer, it will be more likely that some of the sights will be more accessible, but won't get the beautiful snowscapes. We might go back!
Day 2 - The Golden Circle Tour
This was another coach tour that we booked through Grayline Iceland.
The Golden Circle Tour is probably Iceland's most popular day trip and for good reason. No trip to Iceland, whether a weekend break or a longer tour would be complete without it!
The first stop was Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park. Home of the ancient Viking parliament and the divide between the American and Eurasian continental plates. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers some dramatic geology. As yu can see from the pictures, the snow was pretty heavy that day and there wasn't much daylight.
Next on the agenda was a short visit to Faxafoss waterfall. This was just a quick photo stop on the way to Geysir. The daylight was improving by now.
Faxafoss Waterfall
The next stop on the tour was the Geysir Geothermal Area.
Geysir means "gush" in Icelandic and its where the word "geyser" that most of the world uses to describe this phenomenon comes from.
Geysir itself, while still considered active hasn't erupted since 2016, and before that following an earthquake in 2000.
However, there is another very active geyser nearby called Strokkur, and this erupts with fountains of boiling hot water every 10 minutes or so. You can feel it underneath your feet when is is about to go. The sulphur smell is potent. When the geyser does erupt, the water is forced out of the ground so violently that the hot water meeting the cold air seems to scream as it explodes upwards.
Even though the light was still poor, we were in between snow flurries at this point and were able to hang around for at least two eruptions of Stokkur, see a completely snow covered Geysir (good job it was sign posted!), and see various bubbling sulphurous mud pots, steam vents hissing into the cold air, and streams that were warm to the touch in the freezing atmosphere.
Geysir
Strokkur Geyser
The final stop on our day trip was to Gulfoss Waterfall. One of Iceland’s largest and definitely one of the most photogenic, Gullfoss sits on the Hvita glacial river which has its origins at the Langjokull glacier. Water plunges 98 feet from the top of the falls into the river below. The sound is deafening, with a rumbling like constant thunder.
Gulfoss Waterfall
Gulfoss Waterfall
Then, with the light all but gone, it was time to make the trip back to Reykjavik
Day 3 - The Blue Lagoon
We booked our return transport and admission through Reykjavik Excursions, but you can also book this tour through Grayline Iceland as well. This was the second time we have been to the Blue Lagoon. In writing this, I Googled our particular package to remind myself of the cost and am shocked to see the price has shot up. There's no way we paid £130 each! Most of the cost is the entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon itself. Tickets to the Blue Lagoon range from £84 to £112, but hey, you do get a bathrobe and a towel to borrow included in the price! There is also an onsite restaurant and shop where you can buy wellness products.
We had a brilliant time relaxing in the warm to hot waters of the lagoon, drinking Blue Lagoon cocktails at the swim up bar. At times the atmosphere was so steamy that you couldn't see people near to you. There is peace and quiet in all that steam. It's hard to describe, but the feeling of being in very warm water, with your head sticking out into the sub zero temperatures is very pleasant! Our feet were so smooth afterwards due to the sand like silica bottom pools.
There are saunas and steam rooms as well, but that's not my thing. However, I absolutely loved the gushing waterfall that you could stand under that was so powerful that you could barely stand up in.
However, as amazing as it was, I think if we ever go back to Reykjavik, I would want to try the Sky Lagoon in the south of Reykjavik instead.
Swimming in the Blue Lagoon
Day 4 - Reykjavik
For our final day we took a Hop-on-hop-off bus around Reykjavik. The weather was awful for most of the day - very wet and dull. We caught our bus at the Laugavegur (which is one of the main shopping streets) in the hope that once we had done a circuit on the bus, the weather might have improved enough to have a stroll down the pedestrianised street, and perhaps do some shopping.
We alighted the bus two stops later to have a look at Hallgrímskirkja, which is one of Reykjavik's most famous landmarks, and the largest church in the country. The church was open and we went inside, partly for respite from the weather, and partly because, although I am not particularly religious, I find churches very calming.
After this, we boarded the next bus and got off two stops later again at the Perlan (the Pearl). Perlan is an exhibition centre and museum situated on Reykjavik's highest hill. It also has a cafe, restaurant, bar, ice cream parlour, and gift shop, but the best bit is the 360 degree viewing platform at the top of the building giving you views out over Reykjavik and beyond.
We went for the views and a bite to eat.
Sculpture outside Perlan called Dansleikur (Dance Party)
View from Perlan to Reykjavik, including Hallgrímskirkja
Back on the bus again, we stayed on for a while, finally alighting at the Harpa Concert Hall. From here we walked along the waters edge towards Solfar (The Sun Voyager), which is a sculpture on a small peninsula of a viking ship. After this, we walked down to Laugavegur (one of the main shopping streets), and did some all important souvenir shopping, before having our final night's dinner.
Solfar (The Sun Voyager)
I love Iceland, and I'm sure we will be back one day. Next time I'd like to hire a car and drive round the circumference of the island visiting all the small towns and villages along the way!
