The south of Iceland is full of the epic scenery that is the drawcard for this country. Glaciers, silky waterfalls and misty mountains. Our travels had taken us around the island to the town of Höfn, and now it was time to explore the south as we slowly made our way back towards Reykjavík.
There are many opportunities to get up close to glaciers – hiking, guided walks onto the ice, and boat rides in the glacial lagoons. One of our favourite glacier encounters was a walk from the remote Haukafell campground to Fláajökull glacier. We wandered along glacial moraine, tall rocky walls above us, until we were face to face with the icefall across a lagoon. This was a magical walk, and we hardly saw anyone else, as it is more out of the way compared to the glaciers in Skaftafell national park.
After our glacier walk, we headed to the ‘diamond beach’ (Breiðamerkursandur) and Jökulsárlón lagoon. The massive car parks here in juxtaposition to the campground at Haukafell. The weather was grim – grey, cold and drizzling, but we donned our raincoats, gloves and beanies and set out on the black sand beach. We marvelled at nature’s ice sculptures dotted on the black sand as well as being tossed about in the waves. These ‘icebergs’ are pieces of ice that have calved off the glacier, and after floating around in the lagoon for many years, eventually make their way out to the ocean, where they are washed ashore, sparkling like diamonds on the dark black sand. We were blessed with a day where the shore was littered with many pieces of ice of all shapes and sizes. It was lots of fun.
We left Jökulsárlón lagoon for a later day, when we planned to return for a boat ride. On to the town of Kirkjubæjarklaustur to camp for the night, as the rain drummed on the van.
Rain continued to fall the next day. We drove, seeing the odd peak amongst the mist. We took a break at a lovely café and gallery called Café Vatnajökull. They served delicious soup with free refills, and a fellow traveller showed his skills on the piano in the corner. A perfect little place for the traveller to take refuge from the elements.
As the rain started to clear, we were able to explore Vatnajökull and Skaftafell national park. Another glacier hike, again with spectacular views of the ice formations. An exciting moment when we heard (though did not see) the thunderous clap of a piece of ice calving from the glacier – a reminder of this ever-changing landscape.
Next we made our way to Skaftafell national park, and walked to see the elegant Svartifoss, tumbling through mist over basalt columns. Lovely green birch forest surrounding the stream.
The next day we returned to Jökulsárlón for our tour of the lagoon on an amphibious boat. It was lots of fun driving straight into the lagoon, then cruising among the icebergs. We didn’t do many organised activities during our Iceland trip, but this was one that was definitely worth doing. Afterwards we checked out diamond beach again, but this time there were only a few small pieces of ice on the shore. It can be the luck of the draw (and tide). We did spy quite a few seals riding the incoming tide into the lagoon.
We then went to Fjallsárlón, another glacial lagoon nearby, and wandered around enjoying the view of more icebergs beneath the glacial arm flowing down the mountain.
We left the icebergs behind, and headed west once again. After grabbing supplies in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we took a narrow gravel road inland through Katla Geopark to Þórsmörk. An amazing drive, in some places so narrow that should you meet another car someone would need to reverse. A lookout provided views of glacier-capped mountains, and the braided rivers flowing over a black sand river delta towards the ocean. Our campsite for the night – probably one of our favourites – was in a remote valley, with a dining area set in a cave, lit by candles. How magical.
In the morning we woke to mist hovering among the spiky black and green peaks. We enjoyed a short walk up the valley to a small waterfall. We may have stayed longer to explore, but we had finally run out of gas for our camper, so needed to head back to civilisation to seek out a refill. On our way we visited Gígjagjá (often called ‘yoda cave’) before finding ourselves in Vik. A wander through the tourist ‘mega store’ was more than enough civilisation for me. On we went to Reynisfjara, where basalt columns line the black sand and powerful ‘sneaker waves’ splash against three spindly sea stacks.
By now we were among the most popular of Iceland’s tourism spots. The next day we joined the crowds to view a number of waterfalls, including Gluggafoss, which means window-pane falls, as the water cascades down through a chute. Then Seljalandsfoss, the big waterfall that you can walk behind. Despite the crowds, it was fun to feel the spray.
Nearby we stopped to check out some man-made caves among the mountains. There are a number in the area, used by farmers for storage, but apparently not a lot is known of their origin. Next, Skógafoss, another of the iconic waterfalls, and deservingly so. There is a campground right at the falls, but as much as it would provide opportunity to see the falls by sunrise and sunset, the prospect of basically camping in the massive car park did not grab us as fun. One of our favourite waterfalls in the same area was Kvernufoss, another fall that you can walk behind, surrounded by the green and black vegetation and geology of the Katla geopark.
Before the day was out we made our way to Seljavallalaug, a geothermally heated pool reached by a walk through a valley, to bath beneath misty green mountains. Not as warm as some pools, but scenery worth a million dollars.
We were down to our final days in Iceland, but first, we just had to get into the highlands again. We left the ring road, following route 26 through volcanic plains, passing the infamous Hekla, once of Iceland’s most active volcanos, known to spew out lava ‘bombs’ without warning. We turned onto Route F208, a rocky gravel and potholed road through the volcanic plains. Stopped at a lovely waterfall with aqua water plunging into a pool. Further along the road another blue river fed by a series of waterfalls falling like ‘tears’ into the narrow Sigöldugljúfur canyon.
We paused for lunch by a wide and mighty river, before making our way on past red-tinged scoria cones. Eventually we reached the Landmannalaugar campground, situated just on the other side of a river crossing. Through we went – our awesome camper was fine. Sadly a small sedan that tried their luck a bit later found itself in a sorry, soggy state, likely facing a huge bill from an unimpressed rental company.
Landmannalaugar – what a place! Multi-hued mountains, lava fields, sulfur steaming vents and rivers flowing through wide valleys. A most delightful and very hot thermal pool to soak in as the frost settled on the surrounding ground. We were there right at the end of the summer season, and could definitely feel that an icy winter was not far away. Shards of ice made cool patterns on the ground by the river in the morning, and we were glad that we had a near full cylinder of gas to keep the heater going in the van during the night. This is one of the spots I hope to return – I’d love to one day walk the multi-day Laugavegur hiking trail.
The drive back to civilisation was pleasant. We stopped to skim stones by lake Frostastaðavatn, the sun shining on the dark blue water. Lunch at a highland hotel for a bit of a treat, a chance to try the traditional Icelandic lamb soup.
After Landmannalaugar, it was time to follow the Golden Circle, so named because the vegetation of the area takes a distinct golden hue. One of the key attractions is Geysir, where water spurts up into the air from the Strokkur geyser at regular intervals. We also enjoyed the steaming fumaroles and view from above the rocky volcanic hill.
By this stage in the trip the kids were inclined to say they had seen enough fosses, but there were still a few waterfalls worth stopping to see. Both Gulfoss and the beautiful Brúarfoss, where clear blue water funnels through a distinct trench, sit on the rift where two continental plates are pulling apart.
Kerid crater is a another great geological site to stop and view the deep red volcanic earth, with a blue pool nestled at its base.
Then it was on to Þingvellir (Thingvellir) national park, a place of nature and history, having been the site of Iceland’s first parliament. Þingvellir also sits on the continental rift, with a big canyon running through the park, lots of lava rocks, the Öxarárfoss waterfall, and the amazing Silfra trench, where you can snorkel in the cold, clear blue water between the continental plates. (We didn’t snorkel, but did enjoy watching as a group shuffled down to the start of the trench and brave the cool waters). Þingvellir had a lovely campground, the aurora once again dancing overhead, and a beautiful golden glow as the sun rose in the morning.
We were now on the final stretch, heading back towards Reykjavík. We weren’t too fussed about seeing the capital itself, so we skirted past the outskirts of the city and on towards the Reykjanes Peninsula. We went to the Raufarhólshellir lava tunnel, which was a really good short and relatively easy walk through the cave, with its red walls and interesting formations.
We passed the town of Selfoss, clearly a tourist place, evidenced by the fast-food outlets absent through much of Iceland. We stopped at Stokkseyri, a quiet place where lava has flowed out to the ocean, creating cool formations and a peaceful spot to watch birds and just play. We camped in the town of Þorlákshöfn, a quite town by the ocean. We watched the waves, noted a few seals swimming as we sat on rocks by a big square orange lighthouse. As night fell, once again the aurora danced for us – a farewell display on our last night in our campervan.
We squeezed the last out of our final day – exploring the Seltún geothermal area, with green lakes, steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud (the other side of the lake we had made our first stop in our first day in our van). We then lunched at some tall sea cliffs, checked out blue lagoon (just the walking path not the actual baths themselves), and finally braved the rain at the bridge between continents, another place where the continental rift is visible.
Sadly, it was time to return our camper. We spent our final night in a guest house in Keflavík, before flying on our way to the UK, and further adventures.
Oh Iceland. You were all and more than I expected. Thank you for an amazing adventure and many special memories.
For further information
If road tripping, you want to regularly consult the Icelandic Meteorological Office: vedur.is Driving in strong winds, especially in a campervan is not fun at best, and dangerous at worst.
Another essential website is roads.is to check for updates on road conditions and closures.
We hired our van through JS Campers, and would happily recommend them as a great company with extremely well-set up 4×4 campers.
To find campgrounds in Iceland: tjalda.is Most campgrounds don’t require a booking, which is perfect if you want to travel without a fixed itinerary. This website lists prices and facilities for each campground. Some campgrounds do take bookings through the parka website or app, which can also be used to pay for parking.
We bought a camping card. At the time of writing this costs 179 euros. It is not accepted at all campgrounds, and is most likely going to be worth it if you are travelling for more than three weeks, particularly if you’re flexible and happy to stay in some smaller towns and places that are a little more off the beaten track. The camping card is not accepted at a lot of the more touristy campgrounds in the south and golden circle.
