Photos from the day can be found here:
We started our day using the shared bathrooms downstairs with no problems and no waiting and we’re on to breakfast. A friendly ginger cat greeted us as we walked to breakfast and again as we took our suitcases to the car. We had a filling breakfast, left our key at reception and were on our way to see waterfalls and whatever today offers. In addition to the very complete written information that Nordic Visitor provided for us, they also encouraged us to download an app called Iceland road guide which we did. One of the features of the app was to show you interesting places that were near where you were on the map. As we left the guest house before getting to the main road, the app showed an interesting falls, and we decided to check it out.
Urridafoss falls was one of the highlights so far. More water flows over this waterfall than any other Icelandic waterfall. Since it is off the beaten path, at first it was only us and two fisherman. Another carload of people came, but the setting was peaceful and serene.
After Urridafoss falls we headed to Seljalandsfoss. This fall is one of Iceland‘s most visited waterfalls. It plummets 40 m (130 feet) over the cliff face. It is unique among waterfalls as the shape of the cliff allows visitors to walk behind a chute via a foot path at the base of the Falls. After slowly working our way through the parking lot as it was very crowded, we were directed to a parking space. Joyce wasn’t sure she wanted to walk behind the fall, but we both put on our rain pants, sturdy waterproof boots and waterproof rain jackets. The falls is really stunning as it falls over the cliff. Once we got to the decision point of whether or not we were going to walk behind the falls, Joyce decided that since she was here she needed to fully experience walking behind the falls. While she was a little nervous about the slippery rocks, Alan helped her over them and the boots provided good traction. Directly behind the fall was a flat area which was good for taking pictures and looking at the water cascading in front of you. On the other side as you walked out of behind the falls, there was a smaller part of the fall and you walked under that falling water to come out from behind the fall.
Continuing down the path there were at least three more falls that we could see. Joyce was a little tired, but Alan decided to head down the path to the next fall. After resting a while. Joyce decided to follow him, but when she got to the next falls, he wasn’t there. She knew he had just continued up the path which she wasn’t sure she wanted to do. This fall was much smaller. You couldn’t go behind the falls, but it started just as high up on the cliff. About a third of the way down, it kind of disappeared into the rocks and then you could see a small brook that wound its way down the mountain. At one point to the right of the fall, you could see kind of a mist that was blowing up into the air like a whale blow hole, but of course there were no whales. This was interesting and a couple of people stepped over the boundary that was supposed to keep us from going in there to check it out.
Alan soon came back and Joyce learned that he had walked all the way down to the fourth waterfall, Gljufrabui, which was the one called the “hidden waterfall”. It too is 40 m (130 feet) tall and it is hidden inside an enclosed canyon. Alan stood in line to get into the canyon to see the waterfall, but there was a pretty long line and so he decided not to wait. He took a great picture which shows the inside of the canyon and the waterfall which was good enough for us.
After taking off our outer rain gear and changing out of our heavy waterproof boots, we headed to our next stop, which is Skogafoss, further down the coast. As we drove the dramatic Eyjafjoll mountain range was on our left, some of it covered with a glacier. We came to the Eyjafjallajokul Cafe where we decided to get a snack/lunch. We split a smoked salmon bagel sandwich and a cinnamon roll topped with icing and blackberry jam. Both were delicious! When we left the cafe, we noticed a walkway along the road with what Alan’s mother called “hysterical monsters” (historical markers). These markers gave information about the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010. This was the first eruption in almost 200 years and there have been none recorded since. This volcano is perhaps best known internationally for its difficult to pronounce name and the disruption of European air travel the ash plume caused. The summit of the volcano is entirely covered with a glacial ice cap and can be seen from several kilometers away.
** pic of farm at base of Eyjafjallajokull. These markers had pictures and information about the eruption as it progressed. At the base of the mountain was a farm that continues to be there to this day. It was really interesting to look at the farm now and see the pictures of that farm as it was covered in ash and as the mountain was erupting in the background. Very sobering.
We continued on and soon reached Skogafoss, a jaw dropping 60 m (196 foot) waterfall. It is possible to walk right up where the spray touches your skin. There’s a wide river bed at the base of the falls, which had a small river running through it, but there was plenty of room to walk on the rocks in the river bed. There was also a stairway leading up to a viewpoint above the falls. This stairway was too much for Joyce to undertake but Alan decided he was going to do it. 476 steps later (yes he counted), he was at the top and very proud of himself. I’ll let him talk about the view from the top. Of course, then he had to walk down. This waterfall was magnificent and we were treated to another rainbow appearing at the base from the mist of the waterfall.
Next up, Reynisfjara black sand beach, without a doubt, the most famous beach in all of Iceland. What sets this beach apart from all the rest, are its black volcanic sands, smooth pebbles, the basalt columns forming the Gardar cliffs, and overall moody atmosphere. All the literature about this beach warns of rogue waves and very strong currents, urging people to stay away from the water’s edge. This beach was once again pretty crowded and many people were not heeding the warnings. Young children, with their parents, were right at the edge of the water, running back as the tide would come in. Several people were climbing on the columns of rock. Thankfully, we did not witness any rogue waves or people taken away by strong current. The beach had a strip of black sand that was obviously pretty dry as the water hadn’t been up that high, then a row of very smooth pebbles, medium to small size rocks, and then wet, black sand, which had a very interesting feel.
High above on the Gardar cliffs to the left of the beach, many seagulls and puffins could be seen nesting on the cliffs and flying back and forth. The puffin is a smaller bird than the gull and as they fly their wings move quicker, they don’t seem to glide like seagulls. It was a real treat to see them flying back and forth! As you can see, Alan got some great pictures!
After Reynisfjara, we headed for the Reykjanes peninsula. It was getting into the late afternoon and we still wanted to see the Seltun geothermal field as Joyce wanted to see bubbling mud and we both wanted to see the Reykjanes Lighthouse. The GPS in our car wasn’t being helpful with the locations we were inputting from the Travel Planner, so we looked at the map, found what was close on the map and input that. As we drove along we started to see lava fields covered with a whiteish, silvery moss and some other vegetation. We learned this moss is the first to grow on the lava, helping to break it down. We came to what looked like an abandoned barn with just the roof and a shell. There were several cars and the people appeared to be looking at horses. We decided to stop as well. There was a lake to the right and a slight hill up to where the horses were. We walked on some of the moss which was a little spongy.
We continued our drive along the coast toward the tip of the Reykjanes peninsula. We saw steam raising in the distance and with our GPS guiding us that direction we arrived at the stunning Seltun geothermal field where volcanic fumaroles, mud pots and hot springs have formed over millennia. The result of the geothermal activity is a landscape seemingly painted bright, yellow, red and green. This is the result of sulfur interacting with the other minerals in the soil. Joyce was happy the first thing she saw as we walked along the marked path was a large bubbling mud pot. The entire area was other worldly.
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We continued on toward the lighthouse. As we drove we passed lava fields that had distinctive differences. There wasn’t as much moss. Some of them looked like piles and piles of jagged black rocks, others you could see the way the lava had flowed, and then cooled, and then the crust that had been broken through and you could see some rocks emerging. We learned that this area had had several lava flows, some as recently as 2023 and 2024 with the most recent one being in 2025. We also learned that most of this lava didn’t come from explosive mountain eruptions, but fissure eruptions from the Sundhnuker crater chain. We drove through the town of Grindavik that sustained significant damage in the eruptions that concluded in August, 2025.
We finally spotted the Reykjanes Lighthouse (Reykjanesviti) up at the top of a small hill. This lighthouse serves as the landfall light for planes landing at Keflavik Airport. It is the oldest lighthouse in Iceland having been first built in 1878 though it was rebuilt, a few decades later after an earthquake destroyed the original structure. It was getting late and we were tired so we decided to take a few pictures of it from afar and head back to Reykjavík.
As Joyce reflected on the unique part of God’s created world we saw the last two days, two scriptures came to mind:
Romans 1:20 – For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Psalms 8:3-9 – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Back in Reykjavik, we searched for a place to park our rental car. We learned there was free street parking for 9 pm – 9 am. Since our rental car was due back at 8:30 am street parking seemed a good plan. When we didn’t find something close to the Hotel Fron, Alan let Joyce out with our two bigger suitcases, his camera and Joyce’s backpack. We were glad we had chosen to purchase new suitcases that are lightweight and easy to roll. Joyce got them the few feet to the hotel, checked in and to our room on the second floor. Joyce walked back to the lobby and Alan was coming down the street with the two smaller suitcases having found parking in an open garage like structure about 3 blocks away. We headed down the street and ordered another 4 cheese pizza, since we had really enjoyed the one we had a couple nights ago. Right next to the pizza place was a donuts and ice cream shop. Alan ordered the donuts/ice cream and Joyce waited for the pizza. The donut holes were made fresh, several placed on the bottom of the dish with ice cream on top, one scoop each of crème brûlée and strawberry. We took the pizza and ice cream back to the hotel and enjoyed our dinner.