We started out early today to reach Skogafoss, one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. It is 62 meters high and 15 meters across, and the spray below often forms rainbows on sunny days. There are many day tours from Reykjavik that come to Skogafoss, so our goal was to reach before the buses did.
Pulling into the parking lot a little after 9, we were worried that it already seemed full. A closer look as we walked toward the waterfall revealed lots of camper vans – what a beautiful place to camp! There was also ample space in the parking lot, we just hadn’t been able to see it all from the road.
There was a scattering of people around the waterfall yet ample room to get good photos. The sky was blue and the sun out, and sure enough there were rainbows dancing in the spray. The sun was also low enough in the sky that the cliff face cast a shadow over the waterfall so that it wasn’t blindingly bright in photos. I was struggling with the amount of water on my glasses and not too keen on another soaking so I didn’t go up too close to the waterfall. Mervin was able to get much closer and took lots of photos. Both of us were able to get a number of photos without any other people appearing in them.
After taking our photos at the base of the waterfall, we climbed up to the top of the cliff on a long metal staircase. It was hard work but the view was absolutely worth it! Besides looking down at the waterfall, you can see all the way to the ocean. There is a hiking trail that starts at the top of the cliff and follows the river Skoga, which has four more waterfalls within a few kilometers of Skogafoss. We followed the path far enough to see three of them enjoying the pleasant hiking weather and amazing views.
When we came down again, the sun had shifted so that the waterfall was less shadowed. Mervin went to take a few more pictures. Then as we turned to walk back to the car, the first large tour bus pulled up and people started streaming out. A perfect time for us to leave!
Our next stop was the black sand beach near Vik. We walked along it for a short ways admiring the patterns on the cliffs and caves beneath them as well as the fine grit of the sand. It was fiercely windy, flinging sand at us and at times making it hard to even walk. Finding it rather unpleasant we only spend a short time there before heading onward.
Our hotel for the night was two and a half hours beyond Vik, so we had a long drive in the afternoon. I successfully navigated several one lane bridges. It also turns out that early summer is roadwork season so we encountered several work crews and some long stretches of fresh chip sealing. The extra gravel insurance we got at the rental company was definitely worth it! At one point on a freshly chip sealed road two camper vans decided to roar around us going a responsible 50ish km/h, throwing up rocks as they passed. Thankfully it doesn’t look like the car took any real hits but the insurance is good for peace of mind.
The drive was largely across lava fields and glacial outwash. The landscapes were other worldly. In some areas of the lava fields the rocks were covered in moss, in others they were bare. The glacial outwash was just mile after mile of gravel and sand stretching from the hills out to the ocean. We stopped at an information board next to some twisted metal remains. In 1996 when the volcano erupted, the rapid heating melted part of the glacier and triggered a massive flood that swept over the outwash in a 36 hour period, washing out and destroying the ring road.
There were some surprising areas of greenery interspersed between these dramatic landscapes, with farms and of course many sheep. We stopped for a break and a short walk at a place called Dverghamrar. Following a relatively nondescript path we found sharply angular cliffs suddenly rising on each side of the path. The local legends say this is the home of dwarves. We enjoyed a nice loop walk before continuing on our way.
Tonight we are staying at the Foss Hotel Glacier Lagoon. There aren’t many options for accommodations out here, and this one stood out as getting us close to the Jokulsarion glacier lagoon, our first destination for tomorrow.
Mervin