South Coast Iceland

 Planning a long road trip along the South Coast, we headed east out of the city.  Though the initial hour of the drive provided no highlights, we were soon into stunning mountains, countless waterfalls, huge glaciers, endless lava fields, sheep farms, horse breeders, and cliffside puffins.

Stopping for the Thjorafoss falls, more water tumbles over these falls than any other in Iceland.  Salmon and sea trout migrate up the Thjora River, and a handful of anglers were poised along the shoreline trying their luck.  Only fishermen are allowed along the river banks, other visitors have to stay at the top overlooking the falls.

Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi are the next falls along the trip. Providing the opportunity to walk behind it, Seljalandsfoss is one of the country’s most popular falls, and a number of visitors donned rain ponchos to venture behind but still emerged wet.  The nearby Gljúfrabúi can be seen through crevices in the mountains hiding it.  Visitors willing to get their shoes wet can wander through the gaping hole to get a closer view. 

Continuing eastward, we stopped next at Eyafjallajökull.  In Spring, 2010, this volcano erupted bringing air travel in Europe to a standstill for 8 days due to the heavy plumes of ash.  Stopping at the visitor's center, we saw a film that was created during the event.  It was scary stuff, but the park ranger told us they generally have a lot of warning prior to the eruptions, and deaths in Iceland due to volcanic action are rare. 

Skógafoss was our next stop, yet another gorgeous waterfall.  This one is a little taller and much wider than Seljalandsfoss but doesn’t offer the chance to walk behind it.  But it’s still a popular stop, and in the mid-afternoon sun, there was a full rainbow running across near the bottom.  For Game of Throne fans, numerous shows over three years were produced in Iceland, and the memorable Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen’s first kiss at a half-frozen waterfall was filmed here.

Finally, we stopped at Reynisfjara.  The black sand beaches run alongside dangerous waters known for their killer rogue waves.  Basalt columns in beautiful geometric shapes next to the beach were formed due to the way basaltic lava cools.  Countless puffins nest in the protected grassy cliffs above the stony formations.  With winds gusting around 30 mph and literally jerking the camera around, taking photos of the birds was a challenge. 

Now it was time to head back to Reykjavik.  We had crammed a lot of stops into the day but still had a 2 1/2 hour drive back.  Departing the next morning, we had a flight to Copenhagen, with an overnight stay, and then boarded the Norwegian Getaway cruise ship for a 9-day cruise in the Baltic Sea.