Day 6: Selfoss to Kirkjubæjarklaustur
A day of waterfalls and black sandy beaches.
This morning’s drive took us South east through farmlands, with snowy mountains on our left and the sea on our right. There were herds of fluffy horses in the fields, the only form of livestock we have seen so far.
It was an overcast and rainy day but we were fortunate that at all our stops the rain stopped too.
The first waterfall we visited was the Seljandfoss. It was super impressive, plummeting 40m over a cliff face.it is a unique waterfall as it allows visitors to walk behind the falls. Unfortunately, due to the slippery and icy conditions this option was closed to us today. We were, however, still in awe of these majestic falls.
Further along our drive we stopped at the magnificent 60m free falling Skògafoss Waterfall in Skògar. Robs climbed up to the top of the falls to take pics of the water plummeting down. Gray and I were happy to snap the spectacle from below.
These were just two of the falls, amongst many that we saw cascading down the mountains today.
A definite highlight of our trip was a visit to Reynisfjara, the black beach. The black volcanic sands and unique rock formations give an overall moody atmosphere to the place, so unlike our sun soaked beaches in Africa, with all in bikinis and board shorts, here we were wrapped up to protect us from the elements. There were warnings to keep away from the dangerous sneaker waves.
From the shore there are also spectacular views of the Reyisdrangar and Dyrhòlaey sea stacks. These basalt columns are a sight to behold.
On the beach there is also a sea cave, with dark basalt columns that resemble a pyramid of organ pipes.
From the black beach we headed to Vík, Icelands most southerly village. Here we went the Icelandic Lava Show, again well worth seeing. We learnt all about the volcanic eruptions in Iceland and they made lava out of the basalt sand, resembling a real lava flow. The room heated up so much it was uncomfortable, we could just imagine the horror of being in a real volcanic eruption.
Vík is situated close to the active Katla volcano. Katla erupts on average very 50 years. It has not erupted violently for 105 years, so an eruption is likely imminent. In the last week there have been a number of earthquakes in the area. The lecturer gave us details of the evacuation procedures in case of an eruption. I would have loved to see an eruption while we are here. Gray and Robs not so much.
On the way out of town we stopped for afternoon coffee at the School Beans Cafe, in an old revamped school bus. It was supercool.
Tonight we stayed at the Magma Hotel. It was amazing, with awesome views overlooking a thawing lake.
Such a special day.
Pandas in Africa 