The South Coast of Iceland

Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss is one of the most famous waterfalls of Iceland. It is very picturesque and therefore its photo can be found in many books and calendars. It was a waypoint during the first leg of The Amazing Race 6.

Seljalandsfoss is situated in between Selfoss and Skógafoss at the road crossing of Route 1 (the Ring Road) with the track going into Þórsmörk.

This waterfall of the river Seljalandsá drops 60 metres (200 ft) over the cliffs of the former coastline. It is possible to go behind the waterfall.

Skogarfoss

Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. A local boy found the chest years later, but was only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again.

Dyrholaey

The small peninsula, or promontory, Dyrhólaey (120m) (formerly known as Cape Portland by English seamen) is located on the south coast of Iceland, not far from Vík í Mýrdal. It was formerly an island of volcanic origin, which is also known by the Icelandic word eyja meaning island.

The view from up there is interesting: To the north is to be seen the big glacier Mýrdalsjökull. To the east, the black lava columns of the Reynisdrangar come out of the sea, and to the west the whole coastline in the direction of Selfoss is visible – depending on weather conditions. In front of the peninsula, there is a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave the peninsula its name (meaning: the island with the hill door).

In the summertime, many puffins nest on the cliff faces of Dyrhólaey.

Vík í Mýrdal

The village of Vík (or Vík í Mýrdal in full) is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around 180 km (110 mi) by road SSE of Reykjavík. Despite its small size (about 300 inhabitants) it is the largest settlement for some 70 km (43 mi) around and is an important staging post, thus it is indicated on road signs from a long distance away. It is an important service center for the inhabitants and tourists around the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.