Visit to Iceland (4): South Coast Adventure
On our third and final full day in Iceland, Silvia and I left our hotel at 8.30 am and only returned at 7 pm as we went on an organised tour called the South Shore Adventure, a round trip of some 400 km involving five stops. The weather was so unseasonably pleasant that our female guide – who narrated everything in both English and German – described it “awesome”.
The first stop was at a waterfall called Skogafoss which is 62 metres high. Although the weather was generally mild, here the conditions were very windy and very chilly. Next stop was at a village near the coast called Vik where we had lunch.
A short ride from Vik on the coast itself we visited the volcanic beach of Reynisfjara. This looks amazing and has been the scene of shooting for “Game Of Thrones”. The black crystalline sand is overlooked by towering columns of white basalt with caves composed of black basalt. The beach is noted for its dangerous tides which claim victims on a regular basis.
Next we visited the glacier called Solheimajokull. This used to be much, much bigger but, over the last decade, global warming has melted so much of it. What remains in rendered ugly by black soot from the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjnallajokull.
Our fifth and final stop was to another waterfall – even more impressive than the first. Seljalandsfoss is 65 metres high and it is possible to walk right behind the thunderous downpour, although not without becoming pretty wet.