South Coast Tours

bushostelreykjavik.com - South coast tours

Waterfalls, Glacier & the Black sand beach  

Drive along the southwestern stretch of the ring road leading from Reykjavik along **volcanoes**, **waterfalls**, and **glaciers** to the **black sand beach** and Iceland's southernmost town, Vík. The tour starts with a drive through the Hellisheiði mountain pass bringing you through moss-covered lava fields and past geothermal springs down to farmland along the coastline.

On clear days, Hekla, the infamous **Eyjafjalljökull volcanoes** along with the Westman Islands can be seen rising in the distance as you approach the **Solheimajökull Glacier**, a photographer's delight and the first stop on the tour. The next destination is the otherworldly **black beach** known as **Reynisfjara** where the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crash upon the **black sands** from which the seemingly man-made hexagonal **basalt columns** rise to cliffs filled with nesting sea birds. After taking in your fill of the amazing geological formations, the tour will continue onto the small village of **Vík** with a church upon a hill overlooking three volcanic stone columns, said to be **trolls turned to stone** along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

After Vík, the trip back towards Reykjavik will take you to the powerful **Skógafoss waterfall** where a short walk up a flight of stairs will reveal one of **Iceland´s most scenic views**. From here we will head to the final stop, the 60-meter-high **Seljalandsfoss Waterfall** famous for the hidden pathway leading behind and around this stunning sight. With some luck and sunny weather conditions, **rainbows** may add to the spectacular experience at each waterfall. 

The Aurora is both wonderfully mysterious and magical, and once seen never forgotten. Simply put, nothing says “Icelandic Winter” like the idea of hunting for the Northern Lights. A result of powerful **solar storms**, the Northern Lights need **clear winter skies** to be visible. Rest assured, our expert operational team has decades of experience analyzing weather patterns. We carefully review on a daily basis the **cloud forecast** and the Northern Lights forecast. We never set off unless we think we have a good chance of spotting them, meaning we have a **high success rate**.

 SOUTH COAST AND NORTHERN LIGHTS

# Explore & walk on an Icelandic glacier

Travel along the south coast of Iceland, visiting the incredible waterfalls of Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss, go hiking on a glacier and then visit the famous Reynisfjara black sand beach on one of the must-do day tours from Reykjavík. The tour starts with a drive through the Hellisheiði mountain pass bringing you through moss-covered lava fields and past geothermal springs down to farmland along the beautiful southern coastline.

  
The first stop will be the stunning Seljalandsfoss waterfall which is one of Iceland's most famous attractions, with a dramatic 60-meter drop. To get a different perspective you can take a walk behind the waterfall into a wide cavern and look through the wall of water. 

The next destination is Skógarfoss waterfall. Up close, you will be able to feel the water spray on your face and you can also climb up the hill (all 527 steps) to see the majestic 60-meter-high waterfall from above and witness the water plummet down on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

After experiencing the waterfalls, we´ll take a lunch break.

After lunch, we head to the rugged Sólheimajökull Glacier for the highlight of the tour! Sólheimajökull is an outlet glacier that flows from the main ice cap of Mýrdalsjökull where the mighty Katla Volcano rests. You will walk on the glacier, wearing special crampons on your shoes and explore the amazing cracks, crevasses and ice expertly lead by a certified glacier guide.

We will make one final stop before heading back to Reykjavik, at the renowned Reynisfjara, also known as the Black Sand Beach, which was recently added to Trip Advisor´s Top 10 beaches in the world. It´s every photographer's dream, with powerful Atlantic waves crashing on the beach with a backdrop of jagged basalt sea stacks and the huge basalt-column cave.

  
Visiting the natural treasures of the south coast should be at the top of your Iceland list.