On our summer trip to Iceland, we were greeted not only by stunning landscapes and wonderful experiences but also by the country’s notoriously unpredictable weather. On our four-day trip, we only had one afternoon and evening of sunshine! If, like us, you are based in Reykjavík and only have one clear day during your summer Iceland trip, we strongly recommend reserving it for the South Coast, with sites along and just off the ring road from Reykjavík to Vík. With its stunning waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, and basalt columns, it was one of the most scenic excursions we’ve taken in a long time. Because of the fabulous hikes, stunning coastal scenery, and variety of waterfalls, our preference was to give priority to this route over the Golden Circle route on our sunny day.  

1-Day Trip Itinerary and Map

Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of a 1-day excursion along the South Coast: we traveled right around the time of the midnight sun (i.e. the summer solstice), so we had close to 22 hours of daylight (and the sky never really got dark even during the “night.”) We needed every second: we left our apartment near Reykjavík at 8:15AM and didn’t return until 12:30AM the next morning, including over 7 hours of driving between the various sites and possibly the best kept “secret” 10 mile hike in Iceland.

• If the skies are clearing later in the day, start with a short detour to the colorful Kerid Crater (45 minutes from Reykjavik, 15 minutes of walking), which is nice even when it’s cloudy.
• Take in the dramatic blue and black ice of the Sólheimajökull Glacier and lagoon (2 hours from Reykjavik, with a 1.2 mile roundtrip hike to the edge of the glacier with no crampons or guide required).
• Watch the seabirds fly over the rocky landscape of Dyrholaey and check out the basalt columns at the black sand beach at Reynisfjara (2.5 hours from Reykjavik).
• Stop for a late lunch at Black Crust Pizza in Vik and capture an iconic shot of the Lupine-lined hills around the Vík i Myrdal church, which also offers great views over the town (2.5 hours from Reykjavik).
• Start a long late afternoon hike at Skogafoss along the famous waterfall-lined Fimmvörðuháls trail (2 hours from Reykjavik)
• Peek behind the Seljalandsfoss waterfall at the setting sun around 9 or 10 PM (1.5 hours from Reykjavik)

Packing List

Several of the locations on the South Coast have either paid parking or bathrooms, but almost all of them took credit cards or mobile payments (actually, at some places, it was the only option). Nevertheless, a few Icelandic Krona were handy for us to have from time to time. Because of the remoteness of some locations on the hike, many restaurants closed before we were done with our day. We therefore planned to stop for a larger restaurant lunch and packed sandwiches for dinner (consider bringing a cooler bag to keep things fresh, as we did). The hikes on this trip can be over uneven surfaces, so waterproof hiking boots are definitely in order. And because of the unpredictable Iceland weather, carrying a light raincoat, hat, and gloves came in handy on several occasions. Make sure to bring sunscreen, snacks, and plenty of water!

Resources

A few super helpful resources we used during our trip were:

• Webcams and weather: to get an idea of when skies would clear, we planned the overall day using the Iceland Met Office and used the weather app on the Apple iPhone to get a more detailed hourly forecast for different locations. We also used some of these webcams to check out places right before we arrived to confirm the forecast.
• Book: As always, the DK Eyewitness series produces a nice little book called “Top 10 Iceland” that has suggested itineraries and lots of photos to help you focus on the things that excite you about Iceland the most. We found an older edition of this book in the library.
• Blogs: We used two blogs about Iceland to plan our trip. One was from the Earthtrekkers, an awesome family who embrace the outdoors. There were lots of good tips about which day hikes to take advantage of and which parts to skip on their blog. The photos also gave a good sense of what to expect in good and bad weather. And of course Marta’s blog over at Inafarawayland has awe-inspiring photos and lots of good advice about hiking.

Kerið (Kerid) Crater

• 69 km from Reykjavík
• Colorful crater with a turquoise lake in the middle
• Time to visit: if you need to spend a little time someplace while it’s cloudy, or else as part of the Golden Circle route
• Trail: 0.9 mi, ~30 mins around the rim and down to the edge of the lake

This striking lake in a 3000 year old volcanic crater is about a 15 minute detour each way off the ring road. (It’s also accessible as an extension from the Golden Circle route). We decided to stop here en route to the coast because the skies needed a little more time to clear. For a small entry free, you get to walk in a ~1 mile loop along the rim of this beautiful crater and down to the shore of the lake. Even with grey skies overhead, the turquoise color of the lake against the red backdrop of the crater was remarkable.

Sólheimajökull Glacier and Lagoon

• 166 km from Reykjavík
• A jagged blue glacier, striped with volcanic ash, that breaks off and floats into a small lagoon
• Time to visit: anytime, but book ahead if you want to take a guided tour on the ice
• Trail: 1.4 mi, ~1 hour out to the edge of the Glacier and back. Plan for more time (and reserve in advance) if you want to take a guided tour on the ice.

If you’ve looked at lots of travel blogs about Iceland, you may have seen stunning images of icebergs floating in a glacial lagoon at Jökulsárlón. Getting all the way out there in a single day is a stretch from Reykjavik at ~ 4 hours each way. However, there is another glacier and lagoon at Sólheimajökull, which is only a two hour drive from Reykjavik. Without a guide, you can walk to the edge of the glacier (1.4 miles roundtrip) to see the dramatic blue and black crags set against a green valley with waterfalls in the distance. There were also lots of little icebergs floating in the lagoon that also had the iconic blue and black color. If you want to walk out onto the ice, you’ll need to book a tour in advance; please respect the signs that advise you not to walk onto the ice without a guide and the correct equipment.

Dyrhólaey and Reynisfjara

• 179 km from Reykjavík
• The most scenic bathroom, plus dramatic cliffs, a black sand beach, basalt columns, sea birds, and puffins, if you are lucky
• Time to visit: anytime, but try early or late to see puffins when they are not out at sea fishing
• Trail: as long as you want, but plan to park at both parking lots.

On the South Coast, we were told that one of the most likely spots to see puffins is at Dyrhólaey, a point surrounded by a set of dramatic seaside cliffs, natural rock archways, and black sand beaches. Unfortunately, puffins tend to go out to sea to fish during the day, so we weren’t able to spot one on our visit! However, the other sea birds, the lighthouse, the black sand beach vistas, and the dramatic rock archways off the coast were very impressive! As an added bonus, the ultra-clean, pay-for-use bathroom near the lower parking lot (it takes credit card) offers amazing views of the coastline from the sinks as you wash your hands.

Our next stop was the beach at Reynisfjara, a black sand beach with dramatic basalt formations. Although these destinations are right beside each other on the coast, there is no road linking them directly (which adds to the beauty of the area), so you need to budget about 20 minutes to drive between the stops. Reynisfjara’s dramatic coastline, with its towering basalt columns rising from the black sand beach, holds a special place in Icelandic architecture. This natural wonder of close-packed hexagonal columns directly inspired the design of Reykjavík’s famous Hallgrímskirkja church. In more recent times, Reynisfjara was also a filming location in Game of Thrones! It was used as the backdrop for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, a castle at the easternmost end of the Wall.

Vík

• 188 km from Reykjavík
• A seaside town with beautiful lupine fields and amazing black crust pizza!
• Time to visit: anytime, especially when you need food and gas in beautiful surroundings

By this point in our day, we were hungry and ready for a bit of a break, and the seaside town of Vík provided the perfect stopping point. One of the many homages to Icelandic volcanic cuisine is the Black Crust Pizza – a pizza crust containing charcoal. The pizzeria in Vik is located in a main hub where many of the tour companies pick up, so parking can be a bit hard to come by, but the pizza comes out quickly and is super delicious! Note that they have both regular and black crusts, and you can get any pizza you want on either crust. Their pesto is more of a tapenade, and is a nice addition to the pie. If you want to refill your water, they will gladly do this as well from the sink behind the counter.

After pizza, we headed up to the Vík i Myrdal church. The hilltop church surrounded by vibrant purple lupine fields is one of the iconic postcard picture spots in Iceland, but is also a relatively recent addition – lupine was only moved to the South Coast in 1976. Lupine’s history in Iceland is full of controversy and nuance. It was introduced to Iceland in the early 20th century from Alaska, primarily to combat soil erosion and improve land reclamation. Though it succeeded in its mission, its rapid (and beautiful) spread displaced native flora, reducing biodiversity and changing the landscape’s character.

Skógafoss

• 156 km from Reykjavík
• Huge waterfall and a trail of waterfalls in a verdant valley along the Skóga River
• Time to visit: late afternoon is fine in summer, when the crowds are fewer and the light is soft on the green hills
• Trail: The first 5 mi of the Fimmvörðuháls Trail (i.e. 10 mi out and back past 26 waterfalls and to the bridge over the Skoga River, with 2000 feet of elevation change)

After a very late lunch in Vik, we started backtracking along the Ring Road to an impressive waterfall named Skogafoss, which roars over a moss-laden black cliff over black rock pebbles below. It is very popular because it is so close to the main road, but early or late in the day, you may have a clear view of Skogafoss.

The real fun begins, though, at the staircase to the right of the falls. After a quick and steep climb up, you are able to peer over the falls as they tumble down. More importantly, this is the start of the Fimmvörðuháls Trail. This trail can be done a one way trek that takes you from the Ring Road to the volcanic highlands in the interior of Iceland. However, the first 5 miles of this walk, which follows the Skóga River as it weaves through ultra-green, rocky terrain, takes you past a series of 26 waterfalls and multiple canyons carved by the river. This is one of the nicest hikes we have ever done, anywhere. The scenery is so colorful and dramatic (accented at times by rainbows from the waterfalls) that it feels otherworldly. And because we had plenty of daylight, we started this hike around 4PM and had the trail after the staircase almost entirely to ourselves for miles and miles. The hike is a gradual uphill over 5 miles, with the bridge over the Skóga serving as the perfect scenic point to turn around. We returned to the trailhead around 5 hours later, and had the view of Skógafoss basically to ourselves.

Seljalandsfoss

• 129 km from Reykjavík
• An short path behind an incredible waterfall that faces the setting sun. A second waterfall in a cave is accessible further down the path
• Time to visit: late in summer (9-10PM) to see the sun setting from behind the falls
• Trail: ~1.5 km roundtrip if you visit both the Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui waterfalls

By total chance, it was around 9PM when we arrived at our final destination of the day, Seljalandsfoss. This 60 meter waterfall is fed by the Seljalands River, which originates in the glacier Eyjafjallajökull (which covers the volcano that erupted in 2010, creating havoc for air travel in Europe). The short path from the parking lot allows you to walk all the way around the falls to experience it from every angle! Make sure you wear a rain coat and bring some microfiber clots to wipe your lens if you get wet from the blowing water, because the pictures from here (especially with the setting sun in the background) are spectacular! If you are in the mood for another waterfall in this area, you can walk around to Gljufrabui; just follow the path along the green, flowery cliff due North from Seljalandsfoss and poke your head into the narrow canyon to see this “secret” waterfall. The bathrooms here are free of charge, and so make a nice final rest stop before heading back.

About 2 hours later, the sun had just set, and we were finally back at our AirBnB to rest after a very long and beautiful day in Iceland. We’d love to hear your feedback – what are some of your favorite stops in Iceland, on the South Coast or elsewhere?