Things to do in Iceland, Vik

Iceland

I was in Iceland on New Year's Eve in 2018, I did 10 days of volunteering work camp where I discover my passion for photography. Iceland is the perfect place to get in love with it because everything is already set to be photographed, amazing nature and unforgettable landscapes, you have just to take pictures. Here are the best places to visit on the south coast of Iceland, like Vik and Skogafoss. 

Vik and the South Coast of Iceland

The third, and last excursion that we did during that 10 days was on the southern part of the island, this part is easy to access also in winter, and for this, it is a very popular destination for tourists. South has a diverse and spectacular natural environment like waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beach, towering mountains and cliffs that made this excursion really beautiful despite the bad weather we found that day. 

Sólheimajökull

The best perspective

The first stop of our excursion was to visit a glacier, Sólheimajökull it is one of the most easily accessible glaciers to reach from Reykjavik, where we were based.

As you can see from the picture it was a typical winter day, not like the one we found on the previous excursion, really foggy and so the pictures I took are not good as they could be.

Anyway, here the glacier is visible and the others from the excursion are trying to get the best picture possible.

Proportions

Sólheimajökull is an outlet glacier of the mighty icecap of Mýrdalsjökull. It is about eight kilometres long and two kilometres wide, but due to the way it descends from Mýrdalsjökull, there is not a clear distinction between the two glaciers.

I like this picture because it can give an idea of the dimension of the glacier and also because it reminds me that less than a month after I took this picture I was photographing a desert.

Reflections

Sadly, like all the glaciers in Iceland, Sólheimajökull is shrinking rapidly. The glacier lagoon you can see in the picture reveals how quickly it is receding: around 50 meters every year. Probably this change is already an irreversible consequence of climate change.

Talking about the picture itself, I think that in this case, the fog gives something to the picture, together with the iceberg's colours and the reflection. 

Blue

The beautiful part of this glacier is the presence of crevasses that snake across the surface, spectacular ridges and formations, and vivid colouration that goes from white to electric blue and black. It is possible to find ice caves and is also possible to take a glacier hike, of course only guided hikes. 

Despite the colouration I just mention, I gave this picture the title Blue because it is the one that impressed me more. 

Dyrhólaey lighthouse

Through the fog

Dyrhólaey is a small promontory (120 m), and it is famous for its amazing view of the south coast.

The view is also staggering in winter and with the fog, I think that in this picture with this black sand, the fog gives something more, like in the one with the glacier, a mystic atmosphere that I like.

The Cliff

The second thing Dyrhólaey is famous for is the lighthouse, which was established in 1910, but the present one was built in 1927.

Dyrhólaey translation can be Door Hill Island, its cliffs have volcanic origins, and it is also known by the Icelandic word eyja, which means island.

The arch

The main direct reference to the name of this place and the most instantly recognisable attraction is the massive rock arch: the result of centuries of erosion. This natural feature is so large and dramatic that one daredevil pilot flew through it in 1993, and boats can easily cruise through its opening.

It was not easy to take this picture because for safety reasons is not possible to go near the cliff, and I didn't want to break the law.

Puffins?

This place has an abundance of birdlife, as the picture shows up, the most common is the Eider Ducks, and, of course, I don't know which type of birds are the ones in the picture.

If you come here between May and September you can meet the Atlantic Puffin, which is the most iconic Icelandic animal, they come to these cliffs to lay eggs.

Where no one has been before

As I said for the arch picture, it was not possible to go close to the cliff; probably now the title makes more sense. Here my friend decided to break the rule in the way to get beautiful pictures.

I have other pictures of her that are more clear about this violation, but I decided on this one because it has a beautiful composition and for me, it represents a person walking against her destiny if you don't know the context. 

Reynisfjara beach

Black sand beach

It is without a doubt the most famous beach in all of Iceland, so as you can see a tourist place, quite easy to reach from Reykjavik.

From the picture you can see on the left the Hálsanefshellir sea cave and the Gardar cliff, which is composed of dark basalt columns that some resemble a pyramid or organ pipes; this pattern is recognisable in the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavik. 

The power

One of the potential dangers mentioned, when you arrive at this beach, is the rolling waves that could be particularly violent. Of course, these are winter waves, and nobody will swim in these conditions. A funny story behind this picture is that the girl in the picture reaching the place was complaining I wasn't taking pictures of her, then I took this one that I'm particularly proud of, also because the beach was crowded and had a clean shot like this was difficult.

 

Reynisdrangar

After the black sand, this place is iconic for the basalt sea stacks, Reynisdrangar. The legend says that they originated when two trolls dragged a ship to land unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they become needles of rock.

Honestly, I wasn't able to decide which one of these two pictures was used for this post, so I put both. The upper one is beautiful because of the waves, the atmosphere and the red jacket of the person. The one below has the same story about my friend and I discover it recently before I didn't consider it an interesting picture: I like the footprints, the sea and her posture. 

On the left are clearly visible the basalt columns in the cliff.

Portrait

In this case, I decided to put a portrait instead of a significant picture of the place just because I think it is a good picture and I like it, and also in the way to do something different, I like changes. She doesn't like this portrait, maybe because she is not handling the camera in the right way; I like it because she is focusing on her camera and behind her, there is a strong, powerful ocean in winter.

The powerful ocean that is clearly visible below the picture, it is also one thing that I will never forget about this trip to Iceland, the first time I was on a shore in winter.

 

Skogafoss

No pain No gain

The next stop was at a waterfall, but the first two pictures are about the staircase that you have to do to go to the top of it and see the river Skógá that makes the waterfall.

The Skogafoss is the biggest waterfall in Iceland, with a width of 25 meters and a drop of 60 meters. Due to the amount of spray the waterfall produce, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days, and as you can see it wasn't.

I like these two pictures in a row because is possible to have a different perspective of the same thing, like in real life two sides of the same coin.

Vikings

The legend says that the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buries a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall; locals found the chest years later but were only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared. The ring has allegedly been given to the local church and now is at the Skógar Museum. Skogafoss is a famous set for movies, TV shows and TV series like Vikings, Game of Thrones, Thor: The dark world, and The secret life of Walter Mitty.

Sometimes, look behind you

The river below Skogafoss holds a large char and salmon population and is thus a favourite spot for fishermen in the summer. Walking up the cliff I decided to have a break and take a look behind me and see the panorama, and where the river is going. I like the "s" the river does, but also I like that the picture itself is like an open window to the valley. 

Photo point

On the top of the staircase, there is an observational platform above the cascade, a perfect photo point, and for me a perfect source for pictures. Skogafoss is located near the Skógar village (25 inhabitants),  located south of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier; yes the volcano that erupted in 2010 and caused enormous disruption to air travel across Europe.

About the picture, I think there is a contrast between nature (the mountain with the fog) and the human presence (the group of people): for me, they are not fitting each other like the lady probably is taking a selfie while she has an amazing view in front of her.

Skógá

The girl dressed in black was part of my group of volunteers, and I saw the picture she took from that point, she is a good photographer. I like my photo because I think it is balanced between the river, the waterfall and my friend. It's like they are in front of each other face-to-face.

The Skógá River springs from 60 meters at the top of an eroded cliff and going through the route where my friend is, you can walk for around 8 km and see a lot of waterfalls (around 25) some of them 30 m high.

Seljalandfoss

Gljufrabui

The waterfall is 40 meters tall and it is hidden behind the cliff, because of this it is overlooked by most of the travellers, and I am one of these, maybe because I was tired after this long excursion or maybe because it was raining and getting dark.

Anyway, if you walk a few meters through the narrow valley that you can see in the picture, a small space opens up and you will have above the open sky and around you the waterfall, I suggest you google it and see some pictures, I missed something really beautiful.

In between

Between Gljufrabui and Seljalandfoss there is less than a kilometre, where you basically walk beside the cliff and on your right, you can see what there is in the picture.

The weather condition was getting worse, rainy and dark was coming so pictures are affected by this, but I liked this creek and the idea that you can follow it with your eyes to the horizon.

Seljalandfoss

This is one of the most famous and photographed waterfalls in Iceland, so for sure, you can find better pictures than these. It is 60 meters tall and, as Gljufrabui, it is fed by the Eyjafjallajökull glacier.

The particularity of this waterfall is that it falls from a concave cliff that allows visitors to fully encircle the cascade.

I arrived too late to take a significant picture, it was dark and with my equipment it was hard, I hope that these two pictures are enough to understand the magnitude of this waterfall.