South Coast: three waterfalls, a black beach, and dinner in Vík

Reykjavík, Hvolsvöllur, Skógar, Vík í Mýrdal

1. 7:15 am1

   Out of Reykjavík on Route 1 before the coachesReykjavík

   128 km, about 80 minutes with no stops. The whole day turns on this: day-tour coaches leave Reykjavík at 08:00–09:00 and reach Seljalandsfoss at 10:00, so a 07:15 departure buys you an hour of empty waterfall. Fill the tank in Selfoss — it is the last cheap fuel before Vík. Cost here is the day's fuel for a small 2WD; no F-roads are involved, so you do not need the 4x4.

2. 8:45 am2

   Seljalandsfoss, then squeeze into GljúfrabúiHvolsvöllur

   Parking is 1000 ISK at the machine — the falls are free, the tarmac is not. You walk behind Seljalandsfoss on a wet, slick path: full rain shell, hood up, and a dry bag or the phone gets soaked, not damp. Then walk 5 minutes north to Gljúfrabúi, which almost nobody does: wade the stream into the canyon in waterproof boots and the waterfall is inside a chamber of rock. In deep winter the path behind Seljalandsfoss is roped off for ice.

   43 min by train or taxi · 43 km
3. 10:05 am3

   Skógafoss and the 527 stepsSkógar

   60 m of water hitting a flat plain, so you can walk right to the base — and get drenched by the spray on a windy day. Climb the staircase on the right for the top view, then keep going 10 minutes along the Fimmvörðuháls trail: the river above the falls has a string of smaller cascades and the crowd stops at the platform. Parking 1000 ISK, same system as Seljalandsfoss.

   9 min walk · 700 m
4. 11:30 am4

   Kvernufoss, the one the buses skipSkógar

   Park free at Skógasafn (the turf-house museum), walk 15 minutes up the gorge behind it. Same trick as Seljalandsfoss — you can get behind the curtain — with a tenth of the people. Skip it if the wind is above 15 m/s; the gorge funnels it.

5. 12:45 pm5

   Lunch at the Black Beach RestaurantVík í Mýrdal

   The concrete bunker at the Reynisfjara car park, and better than it looks: lamb soup with bread refills, big windows onto the beach. Eat first and look at the sea while you do — you get a free ten-minute read on how the surf is behaving before you walk down.

6. 1:50 pm6

   Reynisfjara: basalt columns, and stay off the water lineVík í Mýrdal

   Parking 1000 ISK. Read the traffic-light danger sign in the car park before you step onto the sand — this beach kills people every few years. Sneaker waves run 30 m further up than the previous twenty waves did, the shelf is steep, and the undertow is unsurvivable. Stay well back from the wet sand, never turn your back on the sea, and do not go into Hálsanefshellir cave when the light is amber or red. Puffins nest on the Reynisfjall cliffs above from mid-May to early August.

7. 3:40 pm7

   Dyrhólaey arch and the lighthouse roadVík í Mýrdal

   A hold, not a plan, for two reasons. The upper road to the lighthouse (Road 218 to the high plateau) closes entirely for puffin nesting, typically 1 May to around 24 June, and it also closes on short notice in high wind — it is a steep gravel switchback. Check the gate before you commit the 20-minute detour. When it is open, the arch view back over Reynisfjara is the best on this coast.

8. 5:15 pm8

   Dinner at Suður-VíkVík í Mýrdal

   The old house on the hill above the village. Arctic char, lamb, and a decent vegetarian plate; walk-ins are fine before 18:00 and a wait after that in July. Vík is the last real dinner for 70 km east, so if you are pushing on to Kirkjubæjarklaustur tonight, eat here and not on hope.