Skógafoss & Seljalandsfoss
Two great falls an easy drive apart — walk behind the spray at Seljalandsfoss and climb the stairs at Skógafoss.
The South Coast
Black sand, glaciers and roaring falls
Best time
June – September
Gentle pace
3–5 slow days
Ideal for
Photographers · Active families · Road trippers
Iceland’s south coast is the country’s greatest hits reel — waterfall after waterfall, a black-sand beach of basalt columns, a glacier lagoon of drifting icebergs, and the road to the coast kept company by volcanoes and ice caps. It is busy in summer, but the sights are big enough to share.
With children, pace yourselves: one major sight a morning, a long lunch, and an easy afternoon. Walk behind Seljalandsfoss, skim stones at the glacier lagoon, and let the long evenings stretch the day as far as they will go.
Worth lingering over
Reynisfjara black beach
Basalt columns and a roaring surf — beautiful but dangerous; keep children well back from the sneaker waves.
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon
Icebergs drift past to the sea, and seals play among them. The diamond beach of ice chunks is unforgettable.
Hidden gem
Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon
A short detour off the main road near Kirkjubæjarklaustur hides a two-kilometre canyon of sheer mossy green cliffs winding above a turquoise river — a miniature slot canyon that most south-coast traffic simply drives past. Walk the rim path to the waterfall at the head, and you will have one of Iceland’s most photogenic spots almost to yourself.