Category: South Coast of Iceland

few hours east of Reykjavík you go from thundering waterfalls to black sand beaches, from glacier tongues you can walk up to, to an iceberg-filled lagoon where seals drift past on chunks of a thousand-year-old ice. For travellers with three or four days in the country, it’s the route that delivers the most Iceland per kilometre.
This section covers the headline stops in proper detail.

Seljalandsfoss, the waterfall you can walk behind. Skógafoss, wide and powerful with a staircase up the side for the view. Reynisfjara, the black beach at Vík with its basalt columns and dangerous sneaker waves. Sólheimajökull, the easiest glacier in the country to set foot on with a guide. Jökulsárlón, the glacier lagoon, and Diamond Beach right beside it. And further east, the quieter corners around Höfn where the crowds thin out and the langoustine is worth the detour.

I’m honest about how to do it. The classic mistake is trying to reach Jökulsárlón as a day trip from Reykjavík — it’s doable but exhausting, and you’ll spend most of the daylight driving. Two or three days with a night in Vík or Kirkjubæjarklaustur is far better. My guides tell you what’s realistic in your timeframe, which stops deserve an hour and which deserve three, and how the route changes between summer and winter (Reynisfjara in particular demands respect year-round).
Many of the operators, guesthouses, and restaurants along the south coast partner with me, and my newsletter subscribers get exclusive discount codes for a long list of them.

Browse the guides below and you’ll plan a south coast trip that fits your time — and skips the rookie mistakes.