This is the eighth blog post about my Iceland trip from last year. This time about the places I think that you must see in South Iceland from Skaftafell to Vik. Check my other posts for Reykjavík and Western Iceland, and the eastern, northern and the southern part of the Westfjords and the North and the East of Iceland. As usual, I’ll probably miss some great places so let me know in the comments!
Must see Skaftafell – Svartifoss and hiking
Skaftafell is the southern part of the Vatnajökull National Park and offers beside a great visitors’ centre and campground, some very nice hikes. You can find a list of all the hikes here and the hiking map here. I did a couple of the smaller hikes, all of them are well marked. The hike to Svartifoss is quite short, and it’s certainly a must!
In summer or early fall, you might have trouble getting the waterfall all to yourself, so just integrate the tourists into your timelapse and have some fun. 🙂
Hike S4 (on this map with an explanation here) to Kristínartindar is quite challenging as it goes up quite steeply in challenging terrain with some rolling rocks, but if you happen to be there on a beautiful day it’s certainly worth the exercise! It will take you at least 6 hours, especially if like me you tend to carry to much photography gear with you wherever you go.
Must see – Fjaðrárgljúfur and Fagrifoss
Once you have done all the hikes in Skaftafell and are heading back to Ring Road, you should plan a stop at Fjaðrárgljúfur which is a very narrow and beautiful canyon.
If you have a good enough car (four-wheel drive) and aren’t scared to cross a couple of rivers, go further up the dirt road to see Fagrifoss. The drive there was almost too much for me and my car, especially as it was raining but we managed to make it there, and back again in one piece.
Must see – Vik
The small village of Vik is well known for its black sand beach which goes on for miles, and it would have been great to spend more time there, but the wind and rain were very fierce that day, so all I managed was a short walk before needing to find shelter from the elements.
Must see Reynisfjara and Hálsanefshellir cave
Reynisfjara is just on the other side of Vik, but you’ll need to drive around a whole mountain, and it has the same black beach and also some awesome stone formations,
plus if you are lucky: Puffins!
Must see – Puffins
I didn’t manage to see the puffins at Látrabjarg cliff as they had already left for their winter migration (read all about Látrabjarg here) but they were still hanging out at the cliffs above Reynisfjara. They make burrows in the ground and have a very peculiar way of flying; all this makes them a very cute spectacle.
In the next post, I’ll tell you more about my favourites in the South of Iceland.
Don’t hesitate to let me know if I forgot something on my list.
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