I have no words to describe all the beauty of Iceland! The land of ice and fire, waterfalls and mountains, black sand beaches and thermal baths, green landscapes and purple fields, this, and much more to see!
Here I share our 3 days itinerary in Southern part of island. In order to explore all island, I believe you would need one week or more. Despite the population of Iceland is small, the territory is enormous!
Let the adventure begin! 😉
1st Day
We arrived in Keflavik Airport at 9 a.m., instantly picked up our vehicle and started to drive along South cost, heading in direction of Grindavik city and stopping by nice places.
1st stop – the Bridge between Europe and North America on Reykjanes Peninsula. It´s a small footbridge over a major fissure which provides clear evidence of the presence of a diverging plate margin. The bridge was built as a symbol for the connection between Europe and North America.
2nd stop – Reykjanes Lighthouse. The Reykjanes Lighthouse is Iceland’s oldest lighthouse. It was built during 1907 and 1908 instead of the old lighthouse that had been built in 1878 but was destroyed by an earthquake eight years later. At the time, it was the most advanced and expensive structure to be built in Iceland.
3rd stop – Gunnuhver hot springs. Just a few metres from Reykjanes Lighthouse lies an Iceland´s largest mud pool at Gunnuhver; it is 20 meters (65 ft) wide of violently boiling earth.
4th stop – Brimketill lava rock pool.
5th stopover – Grindavik, a family-oriented village, is one of the nation’s strongest fishing industry townships, and home to well-established processing plants and a large fleet of fishing ships.
6st stop – Strandakirkja in Selvogur near KrýsuvÃk is the richest church in Iceland. This humble wooden church stands alone next to the crashing waves of the south coast. Hidden forces of the unknown are said to inhabit this church, aiding success and good luck.
7th stop – Eyrarbakki village, is a friendly village that, in earlier times, used to be the largest commercial community and the main harbor on the South Coast of Iceland.
From here we headed to Uridafoss waterfalls, which is about 20 km of distance. Uridafoss is the most voluminous waterfall in the country.
After Urridafoss waterfalls we went to Selfoss city, where we have stayed at amazing hostel Selfoss Hostel, which was a great value for the quality!
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Next stop after check in in hostel in Selfoss – Gullfoss waterfalls, which is about 60 km away from Selfoss city.
Gullfoss is Iceland’s most famous waterfall, is one of the country’s must-see attractions. Found on the Golden Circle, it cascades with unbelievable, raw power!
On the way back we´ve stopped in Geysir. Making up just one of the attractions along the world-renowned Golden Circle sightseeing route, alongside Þingvellir National Park and the mighty Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir is most well-known for having lent its name to geysers all around the world.
Our last stop of the day, was Kerid crater. Meanwhile, the views while driving from Geysir to Kerid crater are just breathtaking!
Kerid is a striking volcanic crater lake on the Golden Circle route, filled with milky blue-green water amid stark black and deep red slopes.
Our first days adventures ends here in Kerid crater, but on the next day we´re ready for more! 😉
2nd Day in Iceland
On our way to Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
1st stop – Seljalandsfoss waterfall is a supremely graceful waterfall located in the South Coast of Iceland. This spectacular natural wonder drops around 60 meters into the otherwise tranquil pool below and a hidden path leads you behind the waterfall so you can view the fall from a complete 360° angle.
2nd stop – Skógafoss (Skogafoss waterfall) is one of the largest and most elegant waterfalls in Iceland, it has a width of 25 meters and the cascade drops 60 meters.
While driving to our next stop we were enjoying these amazing views!
3rd stop – Dyrholaey at Dyrhólaey Peninsula. It is a 120-metre promenade famed for its staggering views of Iceland’s South Coast, as well as its historic lighthouse and wealth of birdlife.
4th stop – Reynisfjara, is a world-famous black-sand beach found on the South Coast of Iceland, just beside the small fishing village of VÃk à Mýrdal.
5th stop – Vik. The peaceful seafront village of Vik in the fertile Myrdal Valley is set along a dramatic stretch of coastline.
After short stop in Vik village, it´s time to get back on the road, again, with beautiful views..
6st stop – Fjaðrárgljúfur, is a magnificent and massive canyon, about 100 meters deep and about two kilometres long. Is a must see in Iceland, for sure!!
On our way back to Selfoss, we stopped in Keldur.
Keldur is one of only very few preserved turf houses in South-Iceland.
This long and full of emotions day has to end but there is still one day ahead 😉
3rd Day in Iceland
1st stop – Pingvellir National Park. Located on the Golden Circle route, Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park is one of the most frequently visited attractions in Iceland. This area contains interesting landscapes and has an outstanding significance both historically and geologically.
Despite of being one of the most visited places in South Iceland, we didn´t find this place such an interesting, so we´ve decided to visit the Fontana geothermal baths and relax a little bit! 😉
The Day pass cost about 25 eur/person and you can stay all day there.
After relaxing experience we headed to our final destination – Reykjavik, but found another spot to stop by ! 😉
Laugarvatnshellir – the Cave of Laugarvatn is quite a remarkable cave, as two families lived in it in the last century―two children were even born in this cave. Laugarvatnshellir is one of the very few caves in Iceland in which people actually lived. It was normal for outlaws to live in caves, but not for the common Icelander.
On our way to Capital city of Iceland.
Final stop – Reykjavik. It is by far the largest municipality in Iceland and the capital city of the country.
It´s definitely not enough tree days to see all the beauty of this wonderland, but for those who has only a few days in Iceland, I believe this itinerary is a good option.
Have a nice trips! 🙂
For the video itinerary to Iceland, check out my post here:Â https://travelwithanny.com/iceland-3-days-itinerary/
Thank you for reading.
Yours sincerely,
Anny