This is the third and final part of our coverage of our tour of the south coast of Iceland in December 2018 and you can find the first two parts here: Reykjavík to Skógafoss and Vík and Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.
Getting back on the bus after our visit to Reynisfjara our guide told us that we’d all been very punctual and because traffic had been light when we were getting out of Reykjavík thanks to this being a Sunday we were running ahead of schedule. We knew that we would have to take a slight detour on the way to what should have been the last destination in order to pick up the tour group we’d dropped off earlier in the day for their glacier walk but we were now informed that since we’d have additional time there would be a chance for those of us who wanted it to get off the bus at the glacier and get a little closer to it. We were, of course, extremely happy to hear this. I mean, who doesn’t like glaciers?
Sólheimajökull Glacier
It was late afternoon as we pulled into the car park at Sólheimajökull where there were around a couple of dozen other vehicles and some buildings where those who would have been taking hikes on the glacier could get refreshments, drop off bags, and get changed into decent walking boots, etc. Our guide pointed us to a path heading northwards and informed us that if we followed it then we’d get to see the glacier and the river run-off from it, and that we’d be able to follow the path for about 15-20 minutes but that we shouldn’t go beyond where signs indicated guides were required. With only around 40 minutes before we’d need to be back on the bus we knew we’d have just enough time to get as far as it was possible to go, grab some photos, then make our way back so as soon as the bus doors opened we were off and making for the path immediately. Behind us the sun was barely above the horizon and was producing a gorgeous sunset over the Icelandic landscape but we were on a mission to hit the glacier so mostly ignored it.
The path we took was a reasonably easy one to follow. After an initial rise it mostly levelled off and although it twisted a little as it followed the edge of the valley into which the glacial melt was flowing it wasn’t a difficult route. The only problem was that this was December and the temperature was below zero and there were areas where rainfall had puddled along the path so they’d naturally turned to ice. We had to be careful getting past some of these icy patches especially where the path was quite narrow but I’m pleased to say we didn’t have any slips or falls heading to Sólheimajökull or back and we didn’t see anyone else struggle either.
The landscape of Iceland is deceptive. With such wide open spaces and huge natural wonders you can easily lose sense of scale. As we got nearer to the glacier its river run-off became more filled with large chunks of glacial ice. You knew they were large but it was only when you saw people at the ground level rather than on the path providing some context as to sizes that things become clearer as to just how massive everything was.
Sólheimajökull is a subsidiary glacier off Mýrdalsjökull which we’d seen from Vík during our visit there earlier in the day, lying to the east of Eyjafjallajökull which we’d stopped at to take photos even earlier in the day. This was definitely a tour for people who like to look at glacial ice caps. Sólheimajökull is one of the most popular glaciers to visit in Iceland on account of its relative ease of access although thanks to the climate emergency it is retreating at quite a rate so if it’s somewhere that appeals to you to visit or walk on then sooner rather than later would be the best advice here.
We’d seen glaciers before during our travels. The first time we’d seen one had been during our cruise to the Norwegian fjords in 2013 and our visit to the Kjenndal Glacier. In 2016 we’d then cruised the Chilean fjords and seen the Amalia Glacier. Sólheimajökull, to date, marks the closest we’ve been to a glacier and was probably the most impressive to see in real life. I don’t know whether that was because you could get that sense of scale sometimes when you spotted people walking on it in guided groups or whether it was because it was a surprise visit that just changed our appreciation of it in some way. I do know that we liked it a lot but locations in Iceland tend to have that effect, we find.
If you look on Sólheimajökull Glacier on the right of this picture below you can see a line of hikers walking across the ice to give you a feel for the size and majesty of the structure.
We got as far as we were allowed without guides on the path to the glacier. A rope across the path and signs marked this point and it was here that people not just from our tour bus but also from other groups or who had driven there themselves gathered to take some shots of the spectacle from as close as it was permitted.
You know it’s a good thing when the locals are still fascinated by what’s around them and what they probably visit on many occasions. We were acutely aware of how long it had taken us to walk to this point along the path but spotted that our tour guide had also made the walk along to see the glacier and take some photos too so we knew that as long as she was around we couldn’t possibly miss getting the bus back. As soon as she looked like she was about to head off we did the same. Our walk back took us almost directly south which meant that as we rounded curves in the path we were treated to the long, winter sunset of this region of the world.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
A fairly short bus ride once everyone was back on board then took us to the second waterfall of our south coast tour of Iceland and also the final stop for the day: Seljalandsfoss.
With a drop of around 60 metres Seljalandsfoss is about as high as Skógafoss that we’d seen earlier but considerably narrower. While it may not have had the impressive power of the other waterfall Seljalandsfoss does boast a walkway behind its fall allowing visitors to step behind the cascade coming off the top of the natural wonder. However, again, this was December and the temperatures were well below zero even at the warmest part of the day, let alone the early evening when we’d arrived, and the spray that was whipped and knocked about by the wind had frozen over the walkway to a quite obviously dangerous level. Nobody from our group was stupid enough to risk either falling or the danger of hypothermia that resided that close to the torrent’s edge and we satisfied ourselves with some more distant views of the waterfall in the rapidly fading light and increasingly freezing conditions.
There were other, smaller waterfalls along the escarpment and with more time and light there were probably some stunning views around the landscape but the sun had pretty much set completely by this time and we were more than satisfied with only a short time at Seljalandsfoss before reboarding our bus and heading back to Reykjavík.
South Iceland Tour Conclusion
Our bus ride back to Reykjavík was completed without any stops and was notable only in that for a sustained period the sky to the north had a long, green band of the aurora borealis across it. There was nowhere for the bus to stop and let us out to take photos at the time but it was clearly visible from inside, a nice end to the day, and marked the third separate occasion we’d seen the northern lights across two visits to Iceland.
Iceland is a country of contrasts. It’s both barren and it’s beautiful. At times you feel small and at others you feel like a giant. Even the prices of things in Iceland are wild with items like food and drink feeling sometimes criminally expensive yet a tour like this one, lasting 10 hours, working out at just 8 euros per person per hour; as people who like to take organised excursions when we travel that is extremely good value and we can highly recommend the service from Gray Line both on the day and ahead of the tour through emailed information.
This south coast of Iceland tour was excellent. If you’re visiting Iceland and its capital for the first time then we’d probably recommend the Golden Circle tour (even though it might feel like the too touristy thing to do) as there’s a bigger mix of things to see but if you’re in the region a second time then you won’t be disappointed at all with exploring the southern coast.