Take a road trip east from Reykjavik to find some of the iconic sights of southern Iceland – a classic mix of natural hot pools, waterfalls and the fabulous black beaches near Vík.

Hveragerdi

Not much happens before Hveragerdi which is the gateway to Reykjadalur, a beautiful valley of geo thermal activity amidst the roots of an extinct volcano.

Make it a day for this one: it is a stiff 3 km uphill hike with a 220 m elevation gain in order to reach the main hot springs at Klambragil. 

It is worth the pain though: the path leads through a lively geothermal area of steaming fumaroles, bubbling mud pots and colourful sulfurous slopes.

At Klambragil let your cares slip away as a hot river slides gently downhill over your body in a gentle massaging action.

The higher you go the hotter it gets. There are changing shelters near the popular spots, a wooden boardwalk and steps to get into the rather gravely stream. The water is only about knee deep so some wallowing is required.

It is worth walking up to the end of the valley where the people drop away and there are more mud pots, and, at the very end, a beautifully delicate waterfall amidst a lost world landscape of jagged outcrops. I was all ready to dive in but sadly it wasn’t hot!.

Even better, if you have the energy, add a 4 km loop around the mountain at the top of the valley, to make a 10 km walk in total. The views are fantastic and that hot river is a just reward.

Note: there is a paying car park at the base, but this can be avoided by parking at one of the pull outs on the approach road. There is a smart cafe and toilets.

Waterfalls galore

We overnighted at the simple campsite at Hella as it accepted the camping card. The following day we checked out an endless succession of stunning waterfalls, starting with Gluggafoss on the beautiful valley road Route 261 which branches off at Hvolsvöllur and leads to Fljótshlíð, just north of the southern ring road and 30 km east of Hella. Under the brooding presence of the Eyjafjallanökull glacier. this narrow waterfall is well worth seeking out.

It is rather fun as it has no less than 3 windows or arches caused by the water eroding the soft tuff rock. Stand underneath it for the full effect; the force of water in the bottom opening is so strong that it emerges in a horizontal spray. 

Just below the main waterfall there is a wider but shallower fall. It is possible to go behind it slightly and there is a great view of the glacier through the falling waters – or climb steeply up the hillside to see it from the top.

It is an easy 5 minute walk from the free carpark.  Nearby is Seljalandsfoss (a magnificent water fall that you can walk behind) and, 500m beyond, Gljúfurárbui in a narrow enclosed canyon – these two are unfortunately on every tourist’s radar, but well worth visiting.

We had a quick look at the magnificent Skógafoss, our old friend from the end of the Fimmvörðuháls Trail, which falls 60 m in a curtain of thundering water and spray.

If you enjoy waterfalls, I would highly recommend the Waterfall Way above it which follows the valley up for 8 km with no less than 24 waterfalls en route, all of which would be a destination in their own right. It is one of the most magnificent walks in Iceland.

Back on the ring road, Seljavellalaug is one of the oldest hot pools in Iceland, dating back to 1923. It is only a short detour which is worth it more for the beautiful valley location than the pool itself which is only tepid at best – you are not going to spend long in this one unless you are actively swimming. The changing rooms are also rather grubby. 

Nearby Rútshelliris is a quick stop to see a charasmatic shelter built onto a cave – it is the only area in Iceland where such caves were used.

We stopped for lunch at the Solheimajökull Glacier where a 11 km  tongue comes off the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Such outlet glaciers are in retreat everywhere. There is a lot of volcanic debris so the glacier is largely black and white – it is quite hard sometimes to find a white glacier in Iceland! 

Vík & Surrounds

Vik is most obviously a major tourist town, with a large Icebreaker store, restaurants and hotels. The only coastal town without an actual harbour, it is an anodyne sort of place but it does have the most stunning scenery nearby. 

There are some big draws: the Justin Bieber airplane wreck, the dramatic headland and sea arch of Dyrhólaey and the gorgeous black sand Instagram-able beaches. 

Let’s start with the aeroplane, which sits on a desolate plain at Sólheimasandur. It crash landed there – good old U.S of A – with no loss of life on 21st November, 1973.

Only the fuselage remains of the Douglas DC-3, but it is strangely compelling with its naked silver body on the black landscape. Justin Bieber skateboarded on it in his 2015 video I’ll show you which is strictly not allowed, but it doesn’t stop hoards of people making the tedious 3.9 km walk out to it. 

There is actually a shuttle bus (2,500 kr) from the car parking (750 kr) to the site; we actually bicycled which was a good if rather bumpy compromise.

On towards Vík, there is the rugged headland of Dyrhólaey. From the lighthouse there are views of the long black sand beach and a huge arched sea stack – the hole is supposed to be big enough to fit a yacht through. 

It is possible to walk down 1 km from the lighthouse to the lower parking area where further beach and sand vistas await, including the three distinctive sea stacks known as the Troll Rocks at the end of Reynisfjara beach.

This famous black sand beach was our next destination although it necessitated a drive around due to the river outlets. It is one of the major tourist stops so was quite busy, especially to the eastern end where there is a sea cave, basalt columnar cliffs and the classic Trolls view. 

However walk a short distance westwards and you are likely to have the beach to yourself – just watch out for the sneaker waves which do exactly that, catching many a tourist unawares.

One of the most fascinating things about these beaches is their actual composition: tiny polished pebbles and stones in beautiful rounded shapes – it is common to see people surreptitiously slipping handfuls of them into their pockets. 

There are lots of accomodation options in Vík but we headed to the campsite. The tent area is actually a nice grassy area amongst trees under a busy bird cliff – the camper vans have a pretty plain car park!

The popular option for coffee is the Skoolbeans yellow bus at the end of the campsite but we decided to celebrate our arrival in Vik with a black crust pizza from Black Crust Pizzaria: the dough is produced with charcoal from the local beech trees.

It tastes exactly the same as any other pizza dough but does look rather dramatic and they were yummy enough – just as well, as two pizzas and a beer didn’t leave any change from £50.