Seljalandsfoss waterfall, the first stop on our 1day tour of Icelands hotspots.
Skógafoss waterfall is bigger than Seljalandsfoss. You can approach the bottom of the waterfall and feel the spray of its water. You can also access the top of the waterfall by a very steep 500 stairs
Gullfoss waterfall (Golden falls) is one of the most iconic waterfalls in Iceland. The waterfall drops a total of 32 meters over the 2 different stages of the waterfall.
The Icelandic horse is one of the tallest breed of horse. Although many refer to them as pony they are classified as a horse. This classification could be down to their strength as well s their temperament
Nestled in the middle of this valley you will find the Seljavallalaug swimming pool. The hike to the swimming pool is bright and colourful in the spring with endless fields of Alaskan Lupine giving the valley a carpet of purple
Icelands black sand beach stretches along the southern coast. Along it you can find many unique rock formations such as Dyrholaey cape (The arch with a hole) that you can visit up close or view from afar.
Walking along the black sand beach you can also reach the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck. To show how big black sand beach can be the walk to the plane is 4km each way. There are markers marking your way from the car park, be sure to stick to it.
The Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck has been on the beach since 1973. It has an eery feel it located in the middle of nowhere. In each direction all you can see is sand and mountains in the distance in good visibility.
The weather in Iceland can change so quickly, one of the most impressive sights in Iceland comes down to its dramatic landscape and ever-changing weather.
With a clear sky you can still have good visibility even into the early hours of the morning. This photo was roughly around 11.30pm.
Here again we visited the Seljalandsfoss waterfall however this time we had the sunset glowing off the rocks of the waterfall creating the rocks to glow red.
Sunsets in Iceland are really something else, combined with the landscape the colours mix together to create something spectacular.
Iceland has a lot to offer, from waterfalls to hidden swimming pools there is plenty to keep you occupied for weeks.
I first visited iceland in January 2016 for 1 week where i was unlucky to have a week full of rain and very low visibility, despite this we still managed to make it to the big sights you should see such as the geyser, Skógafoss waterfall, Gullfoss waterfalls.
I later visited Iceland again in July 2018 and the weather turned out perfect for seeing Iceland in all its beauty. On this visit i had arrived with a cruise ship which meant we had 24 hours before leaving. So we left as soon as we were allowed off the ship and rented a car and took off to see what we could in the time we had. Having to squeeze everything into 24 hours we had mapped out where we wanted to see and how long we could realistically spend there. Even in 24 hours we managed to get to:
- Skógafoss waterfall
- Seljalandsfoss waterfall
- Gullfoss waterfalls
- Black sand beach
- Seljavallalaug hidden swimming pool
- The Sólheimasandur plane
- The Great Geysir
Because of the time of year we visited we knew we would have light in the evening as well which would allow more time to visit these places. Travelling into the night allowed us to see a full change in Icelands weather with it raining as we arrived, it then became cloudy before sunshine breaking through at midday to the sun setting and seeing the land turn to an orange colour was breathtaking. Although we only managed to do the south coast it was still a lot to see in the timescale and definitely worth it.
For anyone visiting Iceland for a few days or weeks then the south coast is something you should travel, with so much to see and hidden gems to find its definitely one to travel.
