On the third day of our roadtrip we continued east on the Ring Road through the South Coast. The entire area we covered on this day belongs to Katla UNESCO Global Geopark, until we reached the area of Vatnajökull National Park.
Katla Geopark’s name refers to one of Iceland’s most infamous volcanoes, Katla, hidden under Iceland’s 4th largest glacier, Mýrdalsjökull. The volcano Katla is a part of a 110 km long volcanic system, covering Eldgjá and reaching almost all the way to Vatnajökull glacier. Katla has erupted 20 times since the settlement of Iceland. The Katla eruptions usually cause enormous floods due to the melting of the glacier. The landscape in Katla Geopark has been immensely influenced by the volcanic activity in the area. It’s characterised by central volcanoes, eruption craters and fissures, lava fields, hyaloclastite ridges, tuff mountains and outwash plains formed by glacier floods.
Skógar Museum
We were out really late the day before, so we decided to sleep in a little and just start the day at the opening time of Skógar Museum at 10 am. Our plan was to have brunch in the Museum café, but unfortunately it was closed, due to the pandemic. The Museum was open though, so we spent a while getting an insight into life in Iceland back in the day.
Skógar Museum is one of the oldest heritage museums in Iceland, opened to the public in 1949. Its collection now consists of more than 18.000 objects, as well as entire buildings, including a school building, a church, and turf houses.
The Museum was founded on the initiative of Þórður Tómasson. Þórður was the curator of the museum until his retirement in 2013 at the age of 92. Visiting the museum when I was younger, I used to love listening to Þórður at Skógar Museum play the organ and sing, and share his wisdom about Icelandic history and culture.
Sólheimajökull Glacier
After Skógar Museum we were really hungry. Luckily restaurant at Hótel Skógafoss was open and we could have a nice lunch there before driving to Sólheimajökull.
Sólheimajökull is a 14 km long outlet glacier, advancing from Mýrdalsjökull glacier. It’s one of Iceland’s most accessible glacier, which makes it very popular for guided glacier walks. There was a small group of Icelanders going on glacier walk when we got there. I generally find glaciers quite scary, but I really enjoy the experience of listening to the sounds of the glaciers.
Like all the Icelandic glaciers, Sólheimajökull has been deeply affected by global warming. Rising temperatures are causing the ice to melt extremely fast. When I think back to my visits of Sólheimajökull through the years, I can very visibly see the change happening. Scientists predict that Sólheimajökull could completely disappear within decades.
Dyrhólaey Nature Reserve
Dyrhólaey Nature Reserve is the protected area around and including Dyrhólaey promontory. The area is protected both because of its natural and cultural features. Dyrhólaey promontory was formed in an underwater eruption about 80.000 years ago and used to be an island. The birdlife of Dyrhólaey is very diverse. Even though we didn’t see any puffins there this time, it can be a great place to spot this adorable bird.
There has been a lighthouse in Dyrhólaey since 1910. A lighthouse keeper, who was also a sheep farmer, took care of the lighthouse for a few decades. But now, the lighthouse is unmanned. The view from Dyrhólaey is incredible in all directions, whether it is towards the glaciers, over the black sand coastline or over the ocean and the iconic large arch of volcanic rock with a hole in it.
Loftsalahellir Cave
Located within Dyrhólaey Natural Reserve, Loftsalahellir is a large and rather unusual cave in a tuff rock on the southwest side of Geitfjall Mountain. One of the things that makes this cave unusual, is that it actually has two floors. The cave was used as an assembly site for the farmers in Mýrdalur until 1901. During that period the cave was closed off with a wall, although no remains of that wall can be seen today. There is a really nice view over Dyrhólaós Estruary from the cave.
Reynisfjara (Black Sand Beach)
We made a short stop at Reynisfjara (aka Black Sand Beach). When I was a kid, I was always amazed by white sand beaches, because they are so rare in Iceland. Almost every single beach in Iceland is a black sand beach, and for me they were just normal. So when the black sand beach Reynisfjara started getting famous, I didn’t really understand why, although I do agree that it’s a nice beach. But it also always makes me feel uneasy, because of how dangerous it is. It always shocks me to see tourists chasing the waves by the ocean, despite the many danger signs on the beach. Sadly many lives have been lost there due to careless behaviour.
Interesting rock formations, Reynisdrangar, are situated in the ocean by Reynisfjara, and can also be seen from Víkurfjara, the beach by Vík í Mýrdal. According to folklore, these rocks used to be trolls who tried to pull ships from the ocean to the shore. The trolls stayed out too long, and when the sun came out, they turned into stone.
Hjörleifshöfði
Hjörleifshöfði is a 221 meter high tuff cliff on the southwest side of the outwash plains Mýrdalssandur. It’s believed to have been formed at the end of the last Ice Age in an eruption under the Ice Age glacier. Probably an island in the sea in the past, Hjörleifshöfði was already landlocked by the settlement of Iceland.
Hjörleifshöfði is named after Hjörleifur Hróðmarsson, stepbrother of Ingólfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland. The brothers sailed to Iceland on two ships and parted ways. Ingólfur spent the winter at Ingólfshöfði and Hjörleifur at Hjörleifshöfði. Hjörleifur was killed by his slaves shortly after arriving in Iceland. On top of Hjörleifshöfði is a mound where he is believed to be buried.
We didn’t climb the cliff, but we drove around to it’s south side to visit Gýgagjá cave, recently also known as The Yoda Cave. Gýgagjá is a distinctive 20-30 meter high palagonite cave with a huge opening, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Yoda (hence the nickname of the cave).
Þykkvabæjarklaustur
On our way to Þykkvabæjarklaustur we made a short stop Álftaver Pseudocraters. It was a very short stop, because we got attached by an extremely aggressive arctic tern. Álftaver are fertile wetlands and home to numerous swans, where pseudocraters formed during the 934 – 940 Eldgjá eruption, when lava flowed over the wetlands.
Þykkvabæjarklaustur Monastery was an Augustinian Monastery founded in 1168. Þorlákur Þórhallsson, the monastery’s first abbot, was believed to have miraculous healing powers. In 1984, Pope John Paul II declared him the patron saint of Iceland. The monastery was an important centre of culture and medicine, and a large farm, whose ruins can be seen north of the current church, provided the inhabitants with supplies. The Danish monarchy confiscated the monarchy’s estates after the Reformation (1550) and unfortunately nearly all of the monastery’s documents were lost.
The present church at Þykkvabæjarklaustur was built from driftwood in 1864. This was common practice in Iceland, due to the lack of forests. Its altar is believed to be sacred, as it has been in the same spot since the introduction of Christianity. A völva’s burial mound is close to the church. Völvas were fortune tellers were also often skilled in magic. Their burial mounds usually have some magical properties, and it is said that those who disturb them will bring misfortune upon themselves and their loved ones. So it’s best to be careful.
Laufskálavarða
Laufskálavarða is a lava ridge surrounded by small stone cairns. It’s named after the large farm Laufskálar, which is believe to have been in this area during the settlement age. Laufskálar was destroyed in 894 during the first recorded eruption of the volcano Katla. In the olden days, people traveling across Mýrdalssandur would build a small cairn there in order to have good luck on their journey. This is not necessary now-a-days, and it’s encouraged not to add more cairns in this area, or any other place in Iceland for that matter. Back in the day, cairns were essential to Icelanders in order to navigate, and those cairns are now an important part of our history.
At Laufskálavarða it was already getting a bit late and we realised we might not make it to our accommodation at Hali Country Hotel on time. So we called them to let them know where we were and what our travel plans were. They were very friendly and told us they’d just leave the key for us in a certain place, and we could arrive whenever it suited us. They also asked when we’d like breakfast the next morning, since we were the only guests in the hotel, it could just be whenever we wanted.
Eldhraun Lava
At 800 km2, the Eldhraun Lava Field is the second largest lava field in Iceland (the largest being The Þjórsá Lava Field). However, The Eldhraun Lava is a quite young lava field, formed in the Laki eruption of 1783 (Skaftáreldar in Icelandic). Laki is part of the Grímsvötn volcanic system, the most active volcanic system in Iceland.
The Laki Lava Flow destroyed 20 farms in the area. No one died directly from the eruption, but in the months following, Icelanders endured the greatest hardships since the Settlement, due to toxic clouds of ash poisoning both vegetation and animals. As a result, people were starving and there was a great depopulation in Iceland. This period is called Móðuharðindin (“The Mist Hardships”). Its poisonous cloud of ash didn’t only affect Iceland, but also the entire world.
The Eldhraun Lava is a smooth type of lava and is now covered in thick moss, making it stunningly beautiful. The moss is a peculiar plant, because it has no roots. Because of this, moss is very easily damaged and once it’s damaged, it’s a permanent damage. Therefore, it’s very important to stay on the marked trails and not step on the moss. This goes for moss everywhere in Iceland.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Fjaðrárgljúfur is a 100 meters deep and about 2 km long canyon, which became extremely popular a few years ago. It’s bedrock is mostly palagonite from the Ice Age, believed to be about 2 million years old. The canyon itself is believed to have formed at the end of the Ice Age, around 9.000 years ago. The river Fjaðrá flows through the canyon. In the past few years, the immense amount of tourists visiting Fjaðrárgljúfur had very bad impact on its fragile nature. It’s therefore very important to stick to the trails, respect the rules and stay within ropes and fences, something that actually applies everywhere in Iceland.
Kirkjugólf
Kirkjugólf (“Church Floor”) at Kirkjubæjarklaustur looks like a man-made floor, but the truth is there has never been a church there and the “floor” is completely naturally formed. The 80 square meter area of hexagonal “tiles” was formed when basalt stone columns were slowly eroded during the time the area was covered in sea. So it is in fact the top of these vertical basalt columns. Kirkjugólf is a protected natural monument.
The village Kirkjubæjarklaustur (usually referred to by locals as Klaustur) has a long and interesting history. Papar (Irish hermits) are believed to have lived there before the Norse settlement of Iceland. After Christianity was introduced to Iceland, the place was named Kirkjubær and heathens were unwelcome there. The story goes that when a pagan named Hildir Eysteinsson set foot on the land of Kirkjubær, he fell down dead. Close to Kirkjugólf is a grave mound called Hildishaugur (“Hildir’s Grave Mound”), where Hildir is said to be buried.
Dverghamrar
Dverghamrar (“Dwarf Cliffs”) are unique basalt columns. They were formed by the contraction and cooling of lava at the end of the Ice Age. The mountains behind the basalt columns, Síðufjöll, used to be an old sea cliff and Dverghamrar have been shaped by both glaciers and the ocean. Dverghamrar are a protected natural monument, due to its special geological formation, the columnar jointed lava and the irregular columnade. Since the settlement of Iceland, people have believed Dverghamrar are the home of elves or dwarfs (hence the name). Close to Dverghamrar you can see the beautiful waterfall Foss á Síðu.
Fjallsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Fjallsárlón is a glacier lagoon carved out by crawling glacier Fjallsjökull, outlet glacier of Vatnajökull glacier. It has grown a lot in the past two decades, due to the glacier retreating most rapidly. Even thought it’s already pretty famous, it’s still a bit less visited than neighbouring Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Last time I was at Fjallsárlón, a few years ago, there wasn’t any infrastructure there. Now boat tours are offered there, a visitor centre with a bistro has been built, as well as a huge parking lot and very nice paths. We got there pretty late, and as usual on this trip, we were the only people there. When we arrived at Jökulsárlón, we were also the only people there.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, the deepest lake in Iceland, lies at the foot of Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, part of Vatnajökull glacier. The river, Jökulsá, which flows from the glacier lagoon into the Atlantic Ocean, used seriously hinder travel through the area, until it was bridged in 1967. Jökulsárlón is, and has for a long time, been a very popular tourist destination, and it’s possible to go on boat trip on the lagoon. At both glacier lagoons, watching the ice bergs and listening to the sounds of the glacier is a magical experience.
It was close to midnight when we reached our accommodation at Hali Country Hotel. The key was exactly where the hostess had told us on the phone earlier. We had a very cozy room with a beautiful view of Vatnajökull glacier. It was very strange to be the only guests in the hotel, but then again, these are strange times.
