2 Day South Coast & Glacier Hike

Overview

During this unforgettable 2-day tour, we will take you to the hidden gems of the most visited place in Iceland –  the South Coast. Get ready to climb on one of Europe’s largest glaciers, catch a boat to gigantic icebergs, and explore  the most beautiful places in the South of Iceland. Along the shore, you’ll also get the chance to stop by some majestic waterfalls, the beautiful Black Sand Beach, and learn everything you need to know about Iceland.

Tour Description

On this tour, you’ll be taken to the famous South Coast. Along the shore, you’ll get to see the two waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and the famous Black Sand Beach. You’ll also go on a boat to explore the stunning Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón in Vatnajökull National Park, where you’ll also get the chance to climb on Europe’s largest glacier.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Our first stop will be the spectacular, and one of the most visited waterfalls in Iceland – Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. 

This beautiful waterfall has a mesmerising 60 meter drop, and an extremely unique feature –  it is one of the very few waterfalls in the world which you can view from behind! 

The waterfall has a cave-shaped cliff behind it, making it possible to walk behind the waterfall. The scene behind the falls and the trembling ground from the power of the falling water will leave you an unforgettable feeling.

This beautiful short hike behind the falls is easy, and guarantees to leave an unforgettable experience.

Make sure to bring a raincoat with you if you decide to go behind the waterfall, as the surrounding areas get wet from the force of the waterfall. The hiking path is also slippery.

A few hundred meters away from the waterfall, and you will be able to see another delightful waterfall.

Gljúfrabúi waterfall – just a few years ago nobody knew about the hidden waterfall, therefore it was only used by the locals. In the years to go, tourists have been slowly finding their way to it. This extremely cozy and absolutely stunning waterfall is quietly hiding behind huge rocks, with a narrow opening which lets you inside a small magical canyon surrounded by rocks inside the mountain.

This beautiful waterfall can be seen from distance.

Skógafoss Waterfall

30km to the east, and we will arrive at an extremely unique waterfall – Skógafoss – with an unbelievable width of 25 meters (82 feet) and more than 60(180 feet) meter high. 

This waterfall offers a unique opportunity to view the waterfall from above! 

Skógafoss is an incredibly picturesque sight: tucked in a little gorge, the river Skógá tumbles down a 60 meters cliff before continuing down the landscape towards the Atlantic Ocean. Alongside the gorge, you will find a staircase which will take you up the mountain (above the waterfall) for stunning views. From there, you will get the chance to see with your own eyes how some of Iceland’s most incredible waterfalls form.

Glacier Hike in Skaftafell

Start preparing for the most exciting activity of this 2-Day Tour – a Glacier Hike on the largest glacier in Europe.

To end the day in the most exciting way, we will take you to one of the rarest and special places in the world – the mighty glacier. We are one of the last generations who can set our feet onto a glacier. 

This area has been used as a filming location for many famous TV shows and films, such as Game of Thrones.

Upon arrival, we will meet a professional glacier guide, who will give us all the essential safety equipment (such as ice axes, crampons, harnesses, etc) and will take us on the glacier. After gearing up, we will start hiking on 2000-3000 year old ice. 

This Icelandic glacier hike experience is filled with a variety of ice-world natural phenomenons – an unforgettable experience in a vibrant, moving and living ice-world. We will find deep cracks called crevasses, astonishing moulins which look like tunnels under ice, and stunning icefalls which constantly break a hundred meters above us from the top of the glacier.

Be ready to get the feeling of how the world used to look like millions of years ago!

• Make sure you have proper clothing for this activity, and proper hiking shoes (information can be found at the bottom of this page). 
• Please note that if the weather forecast is unfavorable, or there are no available glacier guides, we might go on another equally-beautiful glacier – Sólheimajökull.

After the glacier hike, we will drive to our hotel, in the southeastern part of Iceland. Over there we will have some delicious dinner and spend the night in a nice surroundings.

Jökulsárlón: the Glacier Lagoon

We will start the morning with the most exciting activity of the day – a boat tour to enormous floating icebergs in the Glacier Lagoon – also known as Jökulsárlón.

Jökulsárlón has long been named as one of Iceland’s greatest wonders of nature, yet one of the most dramatic examples of side effects from global warming.

Since glaciers are constantly melting, huge chunks of ice detach from the mighty glaciers. Enormous icebergs melt into the 3-400 meter-deep glacier lagoon – formed naturally from melted glacial water – eventually reaching the North Atlantic Ocean.

To explore Iceland and the Arctic to the fullest,  we will take an unforgettable Boat Ride at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where we will go to explore the floating icebergs! 

Seals can sometimes be seen swimming in the lagoon during summer months, or relaxing on top of icebergs.

Diamond Beach

On the other side of the road, we will find a beautiful volcanic black sand beach, covered in large and shiny diamonds. The diamond-looking icebergs are the same gigantic icebergs from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, which had already already floated into the Atlantic Ocean. The waves throw back the icebergs from the ocean back to the shore by the tide and winds.

The icebergs –  which come in all shades of white and blue reside on a black sand beach, sparkling like diamonds in the daylights. This is how Diamond Beach got its name.

This breathtaking place is one of the most beloved places in Iceland, attracting both tourists and locals. There is no other place in the world where a scenery like this exists.

Reynisfjara: the Black Sand Beach

On the way back to the west, we will visit the Black Sand Beach of Reynisfjara where the Atlantic coastline frequently presents massive waves hitting the unique basalt pillars in the cliffs above the sand. 

The beautiful cliffs of Dýrhólaey can be seen in the distance. The surrounding area is also a paradise for bird lovers, as puffins, razorbills and dozens of other species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime.

Black sand beaches form due to previous volcanic eruptions. Lava continuously keeps eroding over millions of years, forming small black particles that make up the black sand beaches. The area near Reynisfjara is highly volcanic, with large volcanoes nearby – such as Katla, Hekla, and the famous Eyjafjallajökull – a volcano that caused chaos to air travel over Europe in 2010.

Back to Reykjavík

We will then start heading back to Reykjavik and are expected to arrive around 8pm, though this may be subject to change depending on weather and road conditions.