Day 3: South Coast Iceland

26 September 2018

Today is a day of waterfalls but we have an agricultural start and a volcanic display. Before breakfast we explore the hotel grounds checking out the goats and the Icelandic horses. Then as we drive today we are passing through the fertile farmland of the southern coast. It is mostly supporting extremely woolly sheep, goats, horses and some cattle. There are lots of bales of silage being prepared for the winter too. The land mostly supports animals although some barley is grown and one farm grows wheat. There are lots of glasshouses and with free/cheap electricity and water they could grow just about anything but it is cheaper to import most things other than the basic tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce.

First stop of the day is at the Lava Museum that has a great exhibition of volcanos and earthquakes that are multimedia and interactive: you can literally experience different types of earthquakes and see what different volcanic eruption types are like.

Then we visit our first waterfall: Seljalandsfoss – a breathtaking 60m drop over the edge of cliffs that were part of a former coastline. We are able to walk in behind the waterfall as well and it is spectacular. Further along there are other waterfalls and Gljufrabui is only 40m tall but drops into a cave so is also quite amazing. I venture into the cave but get stuck there for a while because stupid people kept coming in without letting anyone out and it was only a small space and there wasn’t room to pass.

We then pass Eyjafjallajökull – that infamous unpronounceable volcano that disrupted air traffic back in 2010. It still has its head in the clouds but we stop to photograph the farm at its base that became famous for being in all the news footage.

We then visit another museum: the Skogasfn Folk Museum at Skogar that has a large collection of cultural artefacts and period houses from earlier times. We are supposed to have a guide but we are a bit late and they are busy when we arrive so we start by exploring the historic houses outside ourselves and then come back in for the guided tour. We are ‘fortunate’ to have the director of the museum talk to us but despite a few jokes he is rather boring and we are glad once he stops. There are masses of artefacts from boat building equipment, oilskin clothing for fishing, boats of different sorts, old bed heads, eating bowls, agricultural equipment and much more.

We have a delicious minestrone soup and freshly baked bread for lunch in the museum cafe and then go for another walk to another smaller waterfall out the back of the museum. This is just a warm up for the next waterfall: Skogafoss which is also 60m tall but is 25m wide. There are beautiful rainbows around it too. It seems to rain every time we get out of the vehicle to go for a walk.

We head to the seaside township of Vik, Iceland’s most southerly village, to visit the supermarket and gift store (and get fuel). Here the biggest danger is the floods that happen if the Hakka volcano erupts, it is underneath the glacier so will melt the ice. There will be an automatic alert via cellphone to any one in the area with the advice to head up to the church on the hill (but there doesn’t seem to be any plan beyond that so you are on your own).

Then we double back a bit to visit the black sand beach at Reynisdrangar and the stepping stone rock formations. There is a bizarre photo shoot happening with a woman in a skimpy red dress battling valiantly against the wind and cold. There are all sorts of warnings about the dangerous Sneaker Waves that have killed several tourists, so we are very cautious.

After that we head to an island with a hole in the rock but it is very cold so we don’t stay very long. As a final ‘treat‘ we get the option to walk up to a double storey cave formation but I have a headache so just go to the base.

Then we head to our guesthouse and settle in. Tonight’s dinner is included and we have Arctic Char (fish) on the menu. The sky is relatively clear so we hope we may see the northern lights but no such luck as it clouds over. I am happy to have an early night.

 

Please join me over the next several posts as I take you on our Journey to the Arctic (and more).

The Joy of Business Class

Copenhagen Stopover Day 1
Copenhagen Stopover Day 2

Arctic Express: Northern Lights
Day 1: Copenhagen to Reykjavik
Day 2: Reykjavik to Constable Point, Greenland
Day 3: Scoresby Sund: Frederiksdal & Flyvefjord
Day 4: Scoresby Sund: Nordvestfjord & Ingmikortilaq
Day 5: Scoresby Sund: Eskimobugt & Immikkeerikajik
Day 6: Scoresby Sund: Danmark Island & Vikingsbugt
Day 7: Scoresby Sund: Cap Hope & Ittoqqortoormiit
Day 8: Scoresby Sund: Steward Island & Constable Point
Day 9: Constable Point back to Reykjavik

Iceland Discovery
Day 1: Reykjavik: Blue Lagoon
Day 2: Golden Circle
Day 3: South Coast
Day 4: Jokulsarlon
Day 5: Eastern Fjords & Moorudalur Valley
Day 6: Moorudalur Valley & Lake Myvatn
Day 7: Akureyri & Trollaskagi Peninsular
Day 8: Grabrok Volcano & Snaefellsnes Peninsular
Day 9: Snaefellsness to Reykjavik

Toronto, Canada
Day 1: Reykjavik to Toronto
Day 2: Toronto to Port Perry
Day 3: Lake Muskoka
Day 4: Millbrook
Day 5: Back to Toronto
Day 6: Toronto
Day 7: Niagara Falls

 

 

 

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For this and other similar tours see:

Explore Europe with Intrepid Travel (a range of different travel styles – see my post on travel styles)

Peregrine Adventures (Comfort tours)

Geckos Adventures (for 18 to 30s)

Note: After people telling me they had booked an Intrepid Tour on my recommendation, I now have affiliate links with the Intrepid Travel group of companies and may receive a commission if you book a tour online within a couple of months after clicking through to these sites.  So if you are enjoying my tips and stories and finding them useful in choosing your own travel, please click on these links and help me to bring you more .

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