20 May 2024: Jökulsárlón & Svartifoss (South Iceland)

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon – Diamond Beach – Svartifoss – Vík – Selfoss

This was a huge day. 👍

A 1-Hour Zodiac Boat Tour of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Exploring Breiðamerkursandur (Diamond Beach)
A walk to Svartifoss in the Skaftafell Nature Reserve
A brief visit to Vík and the Reynisdrangar basalt stacks
Ending the day with a great meal in the town of Selfoss and a night in the Guesthouse Lambastadir which had a great view.

This day will require more than one map. Here’s the overview:

We started at the Aranes Country Hotel (disappointing) and ended at Guesthouse Lambastadir (excellent). The landscape we travelled through was varied and stunning.

Highlights Slideshow

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

The white areas on this map are mountains covered in ice and snow. There are amazing views from the road on the drive down the coast.

We had to leave early as our zodiac boat tour was scheduled for 9:20 am and we had to be there half an hour early to gear up.

We were hoping the fog would lift.

Cathy was very excited when we came across this heard of Icelandic horses on the road! Highway 1, the main road around Iceland.

Icelandic horses are a distinct breed. They are relatively small for a horse but are larger than most ponies. They are know for their hardiness and strength.

The Glacier Lagoon

The lagoon is full of small icebergs that have detached from the glacier.

This is our initial view from the car park.

We were already rugged up with lots of layers. The tour operator provided another layer, which we appreciated once we were out on the lagoon. We were told these jump suits would inflate if we fell in the water and keep us alive for a short time.

A common or harbour seal. Just the one.

A kind person from our group in another zodiac shared this photo they took of us looking at the seal.

That’s the glacier in the background.

More blue ice with the glacier behind.

The extra gear was much appreciated.

Ice flowing out to the sea.

Eider ducks.

Breiðamerkursandur (Diamond Beach)

Some of the ice (tiny glaciers) ends up on Diamond Beach.

I think this fish head had been there for a while.

Arctic terns. Noisy and swift.

These extraordinary ice ‘diamonds’ are scattered on the black sand and rock beach.

The abstract patterns in nature are just wonderful.

After the boat trip we each bought some extra woollen hand protection as our gloves were soaked through.

Svartifoss (Black Falls)

More incredible views from the road as we zipped past on our way to Svartifoss. There is only a narrow strip of flat land and the mountains are quite close to the road.

According to our guide book:

Svartifoss, in spite of being just 20 metres high, and not particularly powerful, is one of Iceland’s most popular waterfalls. The beauty of its formation and surroundings draw thousands of guest a year and have inspired artists for centuries.

Svartifoss is best renowned for the hexagonal basalt columns that surround it and lay shattered at its base. These columns, which are very dark, lend the feature its name: Svartifoss means ‘Black Falls’.

The geology surrounding Svartifoss has inspired many artists and architects, spanning generations. To list them all would be impossible, but perhaps the most notable is Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Reykjavík, which took elements of Svartifoss’s columns and Thor’s hammer in its design.

The waterfall was a good 40-minute, steep walk from the car park.

Walking back to the car park. We were up high with great views.

Back on the Road

Past the mountains and on to a flat area with large rivers / inlets (?) and lots of basalt (sometimes covered in moss or grass).

Black basalt as far as the eye can see.

The Basalt Stacks Reynisdrangar at Vík

Vík, also called Vík í Mýrdal, is located 186 kilometers southeast of Reykjavík and is the southernmost village in Iceland.

We didn’t have time to walk down to the black sand and pebble beach. The Reynisdrangar basalt stacks are 66 meters tall.

According to local folklore, these large basalt columns were once trolls trying to pull ships from the ocean to shore. However, the trolls turned into solid stones when dawn broke on the horizon.