After two days in Iceland we were finally ready to set off on the ring road. Thanks to jet lag we were once again hitting the road very early. This was fortunate, because we had a lot of stops planned for the day.
Route
- Urriðafoss
- Keldur Turf House
- Seljalandsfoss
- Gljúfrabúi
- Skógafoss
- Sólheimajökull
- Reynisfjara Beach
- Vik
Urriðafoss
Our first stop, not including another bakery, was the waterfall Urriðafoss which is about an hour from Reykjavik along the ring road. This waterfall doesn’t draw the large crowds of some of the other waterfalls along this route. Instead there were local fishermen walking out among the rocks casting their lines into the rapids. Access to Urriðafoss from route 1 is easy. It is under a mile away along a small dirt road, which makes it a great place to take a short break after an hour of driving.
Keldur Turf Houses
After Urriðafoss we left the ring road and drove parallel on the smaller route 264 to Keldur. The settlement at Keldur is 1000 years old and contains what is believed to be the oldest standing structure in Iceland. Several ancient turf houses are lined up here alongside a 150 year old church. When we arrived it was too early in the morning to catch the tours inside the hall. Fortunately we were able to walk around the grounds and peek inside some of the houses. The surrounding area was beautiful, peaceful and green. A slight breeze was blowing and the sheep from the nearby farms were wandering around the hills bleating. Meanwhile, off in the distance, the Hekla stratovolcano looms on the horizon.
Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi
After another half hour of driving we arrived at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi. The two waterfalls at this location were the highlights of the day. Seljalandsfoss has a trail leading you all the way around behind the waterfall and out the other side. From there you get an amazing perspective of the surrounding area, and also you get wet! You are soaked by the spray of a river sourced from a glacial snowmelt and blown around by the cold summer breezes of Iceland while tumbling down a 200 foot drop a few feet in front of your face. By the time we finished the trail around behind the waterfall we were soaked, cold, laughing and exhilarated all at the same time.
After emerging from behind Seljalandsfoss we turned down the trail toward Gljúfrabúi, hoping the sun would dry us off a bit. We had no idea that Gljúfrabúi would make us even more wet than Seljalandsfoss.
Gljúfrabúi was like nothing I’ve seen before. From the outside you see a small crack in a cliff wall with a river running beneath. Around the crack a small group was gathering, a tiny fraction of the crowd around Seljalandsfoss, likely debating whether or or not it is worth risking a fall into the river to see this waterfall up close. The answer is a resounding yes, because from inside the canyon the water rushes out of the sun. The sound of the rushing water echoes all around you drowning out all other noises while the cold spray bounces off the rocky walls colliding with you from all sides. It is an overwhelming experience.
Skógafoss
About 30 minutes drive east from Seljalandsfoss is another beautiful waterfall, Skógafoss. Similar to Seljalandsfoss, this waterfall also makes a 200 foot drop. However, the volume of Skógafoss is much more substantial. A set of stairs to the right of the waterfall takes you up to the top where you can see the Skóga river winding its way down to the sea.
The trail at the top of Skógafoss is called Fimmvörðuháls trail and I have read that there are around twenty-five more waterfalls somewhere along that trail to discover, if you have a spare 14 hours to spend. We decided to save that for another trip.
Sólheimajökull
Around 4 more miles down route 1 there is a road on the left that leads up to the glacier Sólheimajökull. The ground in front of the glacier is dirt and ash from lava which covers the glacier making a dramatic contract of black and white. From the base there was a trail carved out by the local tour groups leading all the way up to the top. We explored this trail for a while, taking in the views from various spots on the glacier, and turned around when we determined we would need crampons to proceed further up.
Reynisfjara Beach and Reynisdrangar
Our last stop for the day was Reynisfjara, a long black sand beach with unique rock formations all around. To the east volcanic rocks stick straight up out of the ocean, the basalt columns of Reynisdrangar form a natural stair on the cliffs nearby, close to Reynisdrangar is Hálsanefshellir cave, which creates the opposite effect with basalt columns lining the ceiling and far off to the east you can see the arch Dyrhólaey.
Vik
Finally, after another long, busy day we arrived in Vik and settled in with a delicious meal of arctic char and lamb soup.
The Video
The video of the full days drive is just over 3 hours long. It begins with early morning light Reykjavik traffic and includes me getting lost once trying to find a bakery. There was light rain in the morning which cleared up quickly leaving clear skies for the remainder of the day.
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