We tried several excursions in Iceland that didn’t quite work out: a hike we couldn’t get across a river for, puffin watching that was obscured by fog, wind, and rain, another hike that was only accessible by a road that turned from paved, to gravel, to rutted gravel, to grass, to grass and mud, to rutted grass and mud on a steep grade in the middle of nowhere. We decided to back out of before we got stuck on a mountainside in Iceland with nobody around for miles.
After that last attempt, the one where we almost got our rental Suburu stuck in mud high up on a mountainside, we decided to take a safe, well-travelled, known hiking trail at Skógafoss, one of the nearby waterfalls we hadn’t been to yet.
Skógafoss going over the dropSkógafossSkógafoss spray from upper viewing platform
The hike starts with a tremendous staircase next to the first fall of the trail, Skógafoss. The metal stairway climbs a vertical height of about 200 feet in a little more than 500 steps. At the top is a grated platform with nothing but air beneath your feet and a view of the fall from above. I battled vertigo to take a look and watch birds fly below us.
Most visitors climb to the top to see Skógafoss from above, then turn around and go back down, but there’s also a trail – Skógá trail or Waterfall Way — that follows the river for 15 miles, between volcanos, to the river’s glacial origin. Along the trail are so many waterfalls I lost count. We saw six or seven dramatic ones, plus some smaller ones, and we only hiked two miles of the trail. I’ve seen estimates that there are more than 20 falls along the entire path.
We had a cloudy day after a rain, so the grasses and mosses were bright green, almost neon at times, especially against the grey sky.
Fall 2 (after Skógafoss): HestavaðsfossFall 3Fall 3Fall 4: SteinbogafossThe third and fourth waterfalls we saw on the Skóga trailI love all the mosses and little pink flowersMore pink flowersFall 5Mosses, flowers, waterfallsOh yeah, in addition to the waterfalls, this hike is full of mountains, rock falls, and rock formationsMy son and I liked the tiny waterfall on the left; I guess these are falls 6 and 7Moss campion, my favorite little flowerWaterfall #8 in fewer than two milesAnd back down at #7 again — I think this one is called High Peaks
Every step along this trail was breathtaking. The trail is well marked and is obviously well trafficked, but it was not crowded; we often had periods where we were the only people in sight, and we sat and watched the waterfalls in solitude. It was kind of overwhelming how wondrous it was.
Two things our kids really wanted to see on the trip to Iceland were the black sand beach and puffins. Opportunities to see both were about an hour drive from our Airbnb, so after visiting the Seljalandsfoss waterfall on our first day in the southern part of Iceland, we continued on to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near the fishing village of Vik.
The contrast of black sand against blue sky and crashing arctic waves was a jarring sight to see. It’s unlike what we’re used to when we go to a sandy shoreline where land meets the ocean.
Reynisfjara sea stacks and black sand beach
As if the black sand and smooth stones that sparkle in sunlight weren’t enough to marvel at, there’s a giant mass of green mountain that reaches out and touches the edge of the beach, along with the Reynisfjara sea stacks jutting out of the water near the beach, neither of which are anything like we’d see at home. The beach plants were different from what we find in dunes on the east coast of the US, too; I love these little succulents in the foreground.
Green mountain meets the sea at a black sand beach
Where the land mass meets the sea is a mass of basalt columns that blow my mind in their rectangular geometry, almost like crystals but on a much larger scale. The blackness of the sand also made it hard to get the exposure right on my camera :D.
Basalt columns at black sand beachBlack sand and shooting towards the sun: failI love the snow-capped mountain peeking through in the background
A few minutes up the road from the black sand beach is the Dyrhólaey promontory where you can often see puffins, along with getting great views of the beach we were just on. We drove over, and to get away from the crowds who gathered at the easy to access spot from the parking lot, we attempted a hike to the top of one set of cliffs. Instead, we ended up in a cold windy cloud that soaked us and provided no visibility.
Foggy hike
We headed back down to the easy to access spot and saw puffins immediately 😍. I don’t have a telephoto lens; I had to rely on zooming in on the raw image file from my 35mm lens, so these photos aren’t as high resolution as I wish they were, but they’ll do for memories.
Puffins!Hello puffinThey’re funny little birdsPuffins on a sunny day
The puffin cliff had some beautiful views as well. We really lucked out getting a sunny day for all of this.
View of sea stacks from puffin cliffVolcano, I don’t know which oneBlack sand beach from above
I cannot get over the abundance of waterfalls in the southern part of Iceland. We drive along the road and pass waterfall after waterfall streaming down the sides of mountains. At the base of nearly every one is a house with sheep and fluffy little lambs hopping about. Each household has its own private waterfall.
Nearly every one of these waterfalls would be an attraction that draws tourists any other place. Here, there are so many they become commonplace. “Look, another waterfall. And another. And another.” Only the big dramatic ones have parking lots. Which of course, we visited.
The first one we went to was Seljalandsfoss. It’s a 20 minute drive from our Airbnb, but because there are no trees here and our house is on a hill, we can see the fall in the distance from the deck out front. The Photographing Iceland book I bought before our trip warned that you will get wet when you visit this fall and walk around behind it. I reminded the family over and over to bring raincoats, extra shoes and socks, and clothes they don’t mind getting wet. Guess who forgot their raincoat? Yep, me. Luckily it was sunny and warm on our first visit, and I did remember a towel for my camera, so even though I got wet, I wasn’t miserable, and my camera stayed dry. Plus, we saw rainbows!
Seljalandsfoss waterfallSeljalandsfoss from behind200 ft waterfall drop: Seljalandsfoss, IcelandRainbow in the waterfall sprayRainbow in frontRainbow from behindRainbows and waterfalls
Within a 1 minute walk of the big fall, which dropped about 60 meters (200 feet), were three smaller waterfalls, lush green grass, and happy yellow flowers.
A little side waterfall within 100 m of SeljalandsfossPretty flowers and yet another waterfall another 100 m down the path
Just beyond those, another 1-2 minutes along the path, is a hidden fall, Gljufrabui, that drops through a hollow in the rock. Its name means “gorge dweller,” and the fall is tucked away behind a curtain of rock. To see the water drop, you hop along wet stones (or wade) through a stream under an arch in the hillside, which takes you into a hollowed out column full of spray and the thunder of splash. Inside, you can look up 40 meters (130 feet) to see sky through the hole in the mountainside and watch the water cascade down into the mossy cave. It was super wet in there and I didn’t get any pictures because my lens instantly misted up, but this site has some pretty cool photos.
Even closer to our Airbnb is another fall, Gluggafoss, that we happened on when we tried a different route home one day. Unlike Seljalandsfoss, which had restrooms, a coffee stand, and a parking lot full of visitors, Gluggafoss just has an informational sign and space for a few cars to park. There was one person on his way out when we pulled in, so we had the fall to ourselves for as long as we wanted to stay; nobody else arrived while we were there.
Top drop of Gluggafoss waterfallFull Gluggafoss waterfallBottom drop of Gluggafoss with Eyjafjallajökull volcano in the backgroundLittle pink flowers – I think it’s moss campion, Silene acaulis, an arctic and tundra wildflower 😍
On our first day in Iceland, we visited one of the most popular tourist destinations, Þingvellir, in the early afternoon: peak visiting time. The parking lot was filled with white rental SUVs (including ours), the paths crawled with people (including us), and the sunlight was harsh for photography. Since the days are 20 hours long, with sunrise at 3:30am and sunset at 11:15, we decided that on our next outing, we’d go in the evening, when the light would be softer and maybe our destination wouldn’t be so crowded.
After dinner, we drove from Reykjavík to Haukadalur Valley in southwestern Iceland. We drove across a landscape devoid of trees, with the only relief being volcanic hills and rocks covered with moss and lichen. The haphazard piles of rubble scattered across the lava fields make it look like a massive construction site, but it’s just what the landscape looks like; as my husband described it, it looks like the earth barfed rocks everywhere.
As we drove across the open land, we saw a rainbow beneath distant clouds. We arrived to the geysers around 9:30pm. The earth steamed.
Rainbow over a sparse landscapeSteaming earth
Mosses and flowers grew in little hillocks upwind of some of the steaming pools, where they were constantly inundated with warm moisture.
Geothermal warmth for moss and flowers
The light was definitely soft, and it was also low. I should have brought a tripod, but I tried to pack light for this trip. Next time.
One geyser in the park, Strokkur, erupts every 5-20 minutes. As we walked the path toward the large grouping of geysers, we heard Strokkur gurgle then saw it erupt from the path. Once we arrived to its edge, we waited for its next eruption. And waited. And after 20 minutes, it blew again.
Waiting for Strokkur to eruptStrokkur geyser erupting
Between Strokkur’s ventings, we walked around to see more pools, including the beautiful blue of these deep pools. The color was hard to pick up in the low light, but it was gorgeous.
I can’t remember the name of this geyser, but its pool sure is pretty
Fewer than 5 minutes after Strokkur erupted for us, it erupted again, then again, as we walked around to other steaming pools. We headed back to it at about 10:00pm for one last wait before packing it in for the night under a still light sky. We only waited a few minutes this time.
Strokkur steamingStrokker just as it started to eruptFull eruption
A side benefit of our trip over to the geysers was the snow-capped mountain that was always in view beyond the steaming pools; we watched it turn pink in the late-night light. I also loved the lupine that covered the hillside up toward the slowly dropping sun.
Snow-capped mountain beyond the steaming geysersLupine
We headed home into an 11:15 sunset, and arrived home around midnight, 45 minutes after the sun dropped behind the horizon, but still bright enough to see just fine, as if the sun were just about to rise again. Which it did in a little over three hours.
After a full night of sleep behind curtains and blinds that leaked daylight all night long, we woke mostly refreshed on our second day in Iceland. We walked a half block for pastries, across the street for coffee, and avoided the car for the day. We opted to explore the city and harbor of Reykjavík on foot instead.
The Danmark tall ship is docked in Reykjavik, and sailors were up in the rigging when we walked by.
The DanmarkThe Danmark with sailors in the riggingBowsprit and Harpa concert hallThe Danmark tall shipSailors in the rigging
The sky and water shone blue under a bright summer sun, and I loved the colorful boats and buildings at the waterfront.
Restaurants and coffeeNear the Maritime MuseumDry docked for a new coat of paint
Most of the boats we saw are for fishing and whale watching. The boat in that final photo, the one we watched painters on scaffolding roll red paint on, has as much boat below the waterline as above. It’s massive and weird. We learned in the maritime museum that it’s a fishing boat with massive holds for the catch. The Arctic Ocean is just north of here, and given the wind we felt on our first day, I can’t imagine how wild and cold these seas must be. No thank you.
Of course we were hungry at this point, and after smelling fish & chips everywhere, we finally stopped in and got some. The fish (cod) was fluffy and flakey and delicious; the chips were only okay.
Fish & chips
After refueling, we walked to the Hafnarhus art museum which had multiple floors of works from the Icelandic artist Erró. The flow of art was mostly chronological and referenced a lot of history and politics and made statements that are still relevant today, as is the way with art. I pointed out unhelpfully to my son that this is a good example of where knowing a little history is useful; otherwise it’s hard to get some of the references, though you can still get the art.
Cube of Erró paintings at Hafnarhus art museum
Since we live in a small town, the kids were excited to browse in real shops. Our son found a watch store, Michelsen, where he bought himself a nice Swiss watch with gift money he received for graduation, and our daughter found an H&M where she bought clothes and jewelry that we’re hoping will fit in her luggage for the trip back to the US.
We ended the afternoon back at the church. I loved that our home base was near Hallgrímskirkja, not just because we got to see it in lots of different light, but because it made it super easy to find our way home: we just looked for the tallest structure in sight and walked toward it. Once we were there we knew the way back to the house.
Hallgrímskirkja Church
I didn’t get a great photo, but there was a little sod-roofed restaurant on our way home from the church, and it delighted me every time I saw it, which was every day.
Sod-roofed restaurant – ROKHallgrímskirkjaLandmarks to home base
We landed at 6:30am Iceland time, which was 2:30am our time. None of us slept much on the flight, nor had we eaten, and we had 10 hours to kill before we could check in at our Airbnb. So of course, the first thing we did after we picked up our 4-wheel drive rental and mobile hotspot, and drove through the lunar landscape between the airport and Reykjavik, was to find pastries.
I chose our first Airbnb due to its proximity to a bakery, Brauð & Co, so after we located the house and a local Icelander helped us figure out how to pay for parking, we walked half a block to a place where we saw a line out the door. We got in it after seeing these beauties in the window. The raspberry and vanilla croissants were a family favorite, and we bought some every morning in Reykjavík.
Vinarbraud slicedVinarbraud wholeRaspberry and vanilla croissants
We ate the pastries while we explored the area around the house, which was only about a block and a half from the iconic Hallgrímskirkja church in downtown Reykjavík.
Hallgrímskirkja church and pipe organ
After our pastries, we realized we hadn’t had a real meal in about 12 hours. After we saw the church and oohed and ahhed, we wanted coffee and to feel less homeless. We found another street to explore and we searched for a place for a proper breakfast. Most restaurants and shops we passed were closed. It was maybe only 8am, and time was meaningless to us. It could have been 2pm and we wouldn’t have known the difference, especially since the sun had already been up for nearly five hours by 8am.
When we saw a line out the door of another place, we got in it. We lucked into finding Sandholt, another bakery, but that also had tables, coffee, and meals beyond pastries. We spent a good hour there, savoring real food (our daughter said hers was the best omelette she’d ever had), coffee to wake us up, and the cozy morning atmosphere of sunlight pouring through the windows and happy people clinking cutlery and chatting over coffee.
Sated and caffeinated, we walked our extra food back to the car, then went the opposite direction from the church and down to the waterfront, which was only about 3 blocks away from the house.
Walk down to the waterfrontWaterfront near our AirbnbSun Voyager sculpture
We walked along the water and up through town to see what we could see, and to see if the Icelandic Phallocological Museum is what its name sounds like it is (it is).
We ended up in a little park with tulips and then had no brain power, creativity, or energy left to continue to explore on foot, but still had five hours and no place to go to rest. Plus we were getting drowsy from our big breakfast. So despite not really wanting to strap into transportation seats again after our overnight flight, we got in the car anyway and drove to Þingvellir, about an hour outside of Reykjavík, and where the Mid-Atlantic rift bisects Iceland. At Þingvellir, the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet and are visible in two walls of rock that separate by about 2.5 cm per year as the plates move apart. My photos aren’t great; the light was bright and I didn’t have the mental capacity to do much more than snapshots, so mostly these are just for memories’ sake. The park was also crowded. This would be a great place to go early in the morning or late at night when fewer people are there and the light is softer.
Þingvellir trench between two continentsÖxará RiverÖxarárfossÖxará RiverSnow-capped mountainI love these stone wallsÞingvellir and ÖxarárfossView from Þingvellir
We piled back into the car about 2pm, hoping that our Airbnb host would message us and say we could check in early. We heard from them just as we pulled into a parking spot on the street at 3pm: “The cleaners are done and the house is ready, you can check in now :).”
Home sweet home for three days
Our son fell asleep almost instantly; he slept for 8 hours, then woke in the middle of the night for 4, then slept again for another 8. I went to the market and bought some basics, my husband made pasta, and then our daughter was out too. He and I walked up the street to Snaps Bistro for fancy gin & tonics, and we managed to make it until 10pm, when it was still bright out and the sun was still an hour from setting, before we finally succumbed to sleep.
Butterfly Mind 