South Coast and Glacier Hike

 At 8 am your guide will pick you up from your chosen bus stop or hotel. On the way to your first destination, you will pass by some beautiful mountains and a highly geothermal area.  After leaving the Capital Region, you will make your way to the first stop of the tour – the mighty Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

 Seljalandsfoss waterfall is a powerful waterfall in the South of Iceland, with a dramatic 60-meter drop. This beautiful waterfall is one of the best-known and frequently visited places not only because it’s so close to Reykjavik, but also because of its unique structure – as the cliffs behind the waterfall have a wide cavern, allowing everyone to fully encircle the waterfall from behind.

In the same area, you can find 2 more stunning waterfalls, only a few hundred meters away. 

• Gljúfrafoss is a beautiful 40-meter waterfall hiding in a narrow secret canyon, just a few minutes away from Seljalandsfoss. The waterfall was placed on the map just a few years ago after tourists started sharing photos of this majestical hidden beauty. Until then, the locals kept the waterfall for themselves.
• On the way to Gljúfrafoss, you will see another glamorous waterfall, which proudly shows its beauty in a stunning area, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and extremely fresh air.

Make sure to bring rainwear, as you have a high chance of getting wet from the drizzle.

Skógafoss Waterfall

Your next stop will be the majestic waterfall Skógafoss –  30 minutes away from Seljalandsfoss. 

Skógafoss – which means  “forest waterfall’ in Icelandic’, is one of Iceland’s largest and most beautiful waterfalls, with another dramatic 60-meter drop (197 feet), and one of the few waterfalls that can be viewed from the top.

Skógafoss is frequently referred to as a “unique waterfall” because the waterfall comes directly from two glaciers nearby – Eyjafjallajökull & Mýrdalsjökull. Eventually, all this water ends in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The most special thing about this waterfall is the fact that you can climb to the top of the mountain from where the waterfall is coming down. On the side of the mountain, you will be greeted with 500 stairs, which will let you easily reach the top. From there, you will be able to see how the waterfall forms, and will be greeted with a beautiful walking path into a magical canyon along the Skógá river on the top of the mountain.

The land near the waterfall is very flat, allowing everyone to easily get close to this beauty. The stairs are a bit more challenging.

After all the mystical waterfalls, you will go for some lunch.

Glacier Hike on Sólheimajökull Glacier

After lunch, we will continue driving East for the most exciting activity of the day – a Glacier Hike on one of the last remaining glaciers in the world. We will explore Sólheimajökull – a mesmerizing, long, and wide outlet of the Mýrdalsjökul glacier, which is the 4th largest glacier in Iceland.

We will first arrive at the Sóleimajökull Glacier parking lot, where you will be greeted by your professional glacier guide. Your guide will hand you all the necessary equipment: such as crampons, harnesses, ice axes, and more. For the hike, we recommend wearing layers of clothing and a waterproof shell, rather than wearing bulky clothes.
Immediately after that, you will start your hike toward one of the most beautiful glaciers in Iceland. 

Be ready to be welcomed by gigantic crevasses, which are constantly detaching themselves from the glacier; therefore seeing large pieces of ice falling into the lagoon is not an uncommon occurrence. On most days, you will be able to see huge icebergs floating in the lagoon, a few hundred meters away from the glacier.

Your adventure will be pretty easy, however, it is important to be in good shape. The hike will include some higher elevations at the beginning of the tour. After reaching the top of the glacier, your hike will remain relatively easy.

Be ready for a spectacular experience with this rare natural phenomenon. 

Reynisfjara, the Black Sand Beach

After an unforgettable hike on the glacier, you will make one more stop at the famous Reynisfjara – also known as the Black Sand Beach.

Black sand beaches form after numerous volcanic eruptions in the area, slowly eroding the lava over millions of years.

At this breathtaking place, you will also be welcomed by massive basalt columns. Basalt columns have a special shape because of the way the lava cools. It is very rare to find such long & solid basalt columns anywhere else in the world.

The photogenic Dýrhólaey cliffs are also very well seen in this area.

The south is also a paradise for bird lovers, like puffins, razorbills, and dozens of other species nest on top of these cliffs in the summertime.

It is important to know that this itinerary might slightly change due to weather or the availability of your glacier guide. You will be given a full itinerary in the morning, once everyone gets on the minibus in Reykjavik. 

If the weather is good and everyone is on schedule it is very likely that you will make a few other stops on the way, however, it cannot always be guaranteed. 

 We wish you a beautiful journey, filled with tons of unforgettable memories!

Included

• English speaking guide
• Certified glacier guide
• Small group
• Wi-Fi and Icelandic music on board
• Glacier equipment: helmet, harness, crampons, and ice axe

What to bring

We offer pick-up only from Reykjavik city greater area from designated locations found on a drop-down menu at the time of booking.

We ask all our customers to send their pick up location at least 24 hours prior to the departure of their tour. We cannot be responsible if you do not provide your pick up location or miss the departure of your tour.

Pick up starts at the scheduled departure time of your voucher and can take up to 30 minutes. We ask our passenger to be ready at their listed location so they can be easily found.

• All-day tours can be cancelled up to 24 hours from the departure time with the full price refunded by sending an email to info@icelandfamilytrips.is  All cancellations requested less than 24 hours from the departure time are non-refundable.
• In the case of cancellation of the tour by the operator because of extreme weather, road conditions, or other factors, we will assist you with rebooking to another date or booking other activities when possible or provide a full refund.
• The 24 hour policy “applies to extras as well (rental Hiking Boots, Waterproof Jacket & Waterproof Pants).