The South Coast – A unique day tour from our guesthouse

South Coast day tour is certainly one of most popular day tour in Iceland. It offers a magnificent and diverse experience of Icelandic nature. The black sand beaches besides the ocean and the coastline, also the glaciers, the bird life during summer and the nation´s history are just examples of what you will experience in this tour.

Urriðafoss waterfall:

Firstly you should start with driving to the waterfall Urridafoss. Urriðafoss is a waterfall located in the river Þjórsá, in southwest Iceland, and is the watermost waterfall in Iceland. In the early days of power companies, plans were to build a power plant in Urriðafoss and make a railway to Reykjavík from the waterfall. However, that did not happen, but now Landsvirkjun is planning to build hydropower stations on the lower part of Þjórsár river, at Urriðafoss and Núpur. Urriðafoss proposed Power Plant is expected to have a capacity of approximately 125 MW and for this reason a power-generating capacity of 930 GWh per year. The powerhouse will be underground and a tunnel leading from the powerhouse will open to that end out into the Þjórsá River, below Urriðafoss waterfall and therefore the waterfall is expected to disappear.

Lava Centre:

Secondly you drive towards east and through the historical area Rangarvallasysla, the setting of the medieval saga Njalssaga. Furthermore you drive to The Lava Centre in Hvolsvollur. The Lava Centre is an interactive, high-tech educational exhibition depicting volcanic activity beside earthquakes and the creation of Iceland over millions of years. You can examine the various volcanos eruptions and lava flows, volcanic and rift systems, faults and glacial floods that make Iceland a showcase of volcanism. The centre introduces the Katla Geopark plus Iceland’s elaborate monitoring system for in fact surveying volcanos and earthquake zones.

Seljalandsfoss waterfall:

Thirdly you will drive to Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful, high waterfall we surprisingly can walk behind and into a small cave. The waterfall drops 60 m (197 ft) and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull.

Gljúfrabúi waterfall:

Gljúfrabúi is a beautiful waterfall located close to its better-known waterfall, Seljalandsfoss. It is one of the hidden gems of the South Coast, and an excellent spot for photographers and nature lovers.

Eyjafjallajokull volcano view:

Fourthly you will stop at good viewpoint towards our famous volcano Eyjafjallajokull, that indeed made the air traffic problems the year 2010.

Skógarfoss waterfall:

Fifthly you continue the trip to Skogar, where there is another big waterfall, Skogafoss. Skogafoss waterfall is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 15 metres (49 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces n addition a single or double rainbow which is normally visible on sunny days.

Solheimajokull glacier:

Following you drive to Solheimajokull glacier that is an outlet glacier from Myrdalsjokull which has Katla caldera on top. The glacier is melting and shrinking rapidly due to climate change and in the future most likely other glaciers in Iceland will become extinct.

Dyrholaey:

Afterwards you drive to Dyrholaey, a promontory reaching out into the ocean, displaying magnificent birdlife.

Vik in Myrdal:

Further you drive from Dyrholaey to Vik in Myrdal where we rest for a while. At Vik you can drive or walk by the coastline and visit a souvenir shop, which specialises in woollen clothes.

Reynisfjara black beach:

Lastly on your way back you should visit Reynisfjara black beach, a beautiful black sand beach under Reynisfjall mountain where there is a large vaulted cavern called Hálsanefshellir. The cave is not deep, but its really beautiful surrounded with amazing basalt columns.

Our suggestion is overall, do not miss the South Coast day tour.

See photo gallery here>>>>

Highlights of the South Coast:
» Urriðafoss waterfall
» Lava Centre
» Seljalandsfoss waterfall
» Gljúfrabúi waterfall
» Eyjafjallajökull volcano view
» Skógafoss waterfall
» Sólheimajökull glacier
» Dyrhólaey
» Vík in Mýrdalur
» Reynisfjara black beach