The South Coast tour has become our flagship tour and is by far our most popular experience! Here you are treated to some of the most beautiful places in the southern part of Iceland. The South is home to most of our volcanoes and glaciers, which dominate the landscape and result in a lot of the rivers and waterfalls forming.
This tour has it all: waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, the famous black sand beach, a characteristic fishing village and in the summertime we even see puffins!
On this tour, we stop at two waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, and then we walk towards the amazing glacier Sólheimajökull. We also go to the wonderful Reynisfjara, the black sand beach home of the puffins and the fishing village of Vík, where we will have a spectacular view of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. We also take a look at the amazing Eyjafjallajökull something – the volcanic glacier that erupted in 2010 and put the world's flights on hold.
As mentioned, we are not screwing around with this tour. In 2019, it was chosen as the #5 Day Trip in the world by the TripAdvisor Traveller's Choice awards. We received the 2022 Experience Awards from TripAdvisor, again recognizing the South Coast as one of the best experiences in world tourism. In 2024, it received the Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award - a stamp of approval based on 12 months of customer reviews.
Your Day Tours South Coast tour also got a Viator Experience Award in 2024, 2023 and 2022. Viator ranks the world's top experiences, so winning it for two consequent years is sufficient proof that we keep the bar high.
As always, there is free WiFi on board the buses. We'll give you an Icelandic chocolaty treat and listen to some Icelandic music.
The tour starts in Reykjavík, where we will pick you up at your hotel, guesthouse or at one of the bus stops downtown (See a list of bus stops in Reykjavik). The pick-up is always between 8:00 and 8:30, but you have to be ready at 8 o'clock. When the pick-up is done we head out of town and the guide introduces him/herself.
The first stop of the day is at a gas station in a town called Hvolsvöllur, it's about 1 hour and 20 minutes from Reykjavík. Here we can go and grab a coffee, breakfast, candy, use the restrooms or simply stand up and stretch our legs. We usually stop here for 15 minutes.
The second stop of the day is one of the most photogenic and visited waterfalls in Iceland, Skógafoss. The waterfall is extremely beautiful, both in summer and winter. If we are lucky enough and the sun is shining, we will see surprising rainbows.
The drop of the water is about 60 meters (200 ft) high and 25 meters (82 ft) wide. There are a few ways to admire the waterfall, either from the steps on the right side of the waterfall where you have a beautiful view from above, or right in front of it where you can feel all its power.
We usually stop at Skógafoss for 40-50 minutes. The parking lot is just 1 minute's walk from the waterfall. There are restrooms for visitors.
Reynisfjara is a unique place, as simple as that. It is the most famous black sand beach on the island and one of the most well-known in the world. The landscape is dramatic, with glaciers and volcanoes all around. A few years ago Reynisfjara was chosen on the Top 10 list of non-tropical beaches to visit in the whole world.
Nature is beautiful at the black sand beach and the basaltic columns by the beach are one of a kind. The three cliffs called Reynisdrangar rise up in the ocean with the island Dyrahólaey not far away, making for one of the most stunning panoramas in our country.
Quite a few Hollywood movies were shot here, such as Noah, Star Trek and of course Game of Thrones.
It is really important when you visit the beach to be careful since the waves can be unpredictable and powerful. Your guide will tell you what to keep in mind when visiting the beach.
We also stop for lunch here, there is a small cozy restaurant where you can buy lunch. This stop is about 60-70 minutes.
Vík is a small fishing village on the other side of the mountain where Reynisfjara is. After lunch, we go to the church in the town for a photo stop. The view is spectacular and gives you a real feeling of how the Icelandic fishermen lived back in the day.
This stop is about 10-15 minutes.
We do have many glaciers in Iceland, especially on the south coast of the island. The one we stop at is called Sólheimajökull and is located between two of our most famous volcanoes, Eyjafjallajökull and Katla. The glacier is part of a bigger one called Mýrdalsjökull and is fairly accessible.
The glacier is probably one of the most well-known in Iceland, especially among scientists, since unfortunately, the glacier is melting rapidly due to climate change. We will tell you everything you need to know about the glacier and the area.
It is about 15 minutes walk from the parking lot to the glacier. This stop is about 50-60 minutes.
NOTE: There is no hiking on the glacier included in the tour, only sightseeing!
The last stop of the day is the waterfall Seljalandsfoss, which is one of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland. The reason for it is that in the summertime you can walk behind it and, if you are in the mood for it take amazing selfies there.
Seljalandsfoss is about 60 meters (200 ft) high and you can get really close to it. The water from the river is super fresh and good to drink!
There is a coffee shop here and restrooms as well, which are recommended to use before the drive back to Reykjavík.
- 1 day notice: 100% charge
Your South Coast tour is approx. 10 hours, so we will be back in Reykjavík between 18:00 and 18:30.
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