Iceland's Black Sand Beach: Reynisfjara and the Basalt Columns
Reynisfjara's black sand, hexagonal basalt columns, and crashing Atlantic waves create a landscape of such stark, alien beauty that it feels less like a beach and more like the beginning of the world.
Reynisfjara, on Iceland's south coast near the village of Vík, is one of the most dramatic beaches in the world — a stretch of jet-black sand formed from volcanic basalt, flanked by towering columns of hexagonal rock and pounded by the waves of the North Atlantic. The beach faces south into the open ocean, and the waves that arrive here have travelled unimpeded from Antarctica — they are powerful, unpredictable, and have claimed the lives of visitors who underestimated them. Warning signs at the beach urge visitors to stay well back from the water's edge, and the advice should be taken seriously.
The basalt columns of Reynisfjara — known as Reynisdrangar — are the result of volcanic lava cooling slowly and evenly, causing it to contract and crack into the characteristic hexagonal shapes that are found wherever basalt cools under the right conditions. The columns at Reynisfjara rise up to 66 metres from the beach and are stacked in formations that look almost architectural — like the pipes of a vast organ, or the walls of a cathedral built by a civilisation that never existed. The same geological process created the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland and the columns of Fingal's Cave in Scotland.
The sea stacks of Reynisdrangar — three basalt pillars rising from the sea just offshore — are, according to Icelandic legend, the petrified remains of trolls who were caught by the sunrise while trying to drag a ship ashore. The stacks are home to large colonies of seabirds, including puffins, which nest in burrows in the cliff tops above the beach from May to August. The puffins of Iceland — the country has the world's largest puffin population, with around eight million birds — are one of the most charming wildlife encounters the island offers, and Reynisfjara is one of the best places to see them.
The village of Vík, a few kilometres east of Reynisfjara, is the southernmost village in Iceland and sits beneath the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which covers the Katla volcano — one of the most powerful volcanoes in Iceland and one that is considered overdue for a major eruption. The church on the hill above the village is said to be the only building that would survive a Katla eruption, and the villagers have evacuation plans in place for when the volcano eventually wakes. The black sand beach at Vík, facing the Reynisdrangar stacks, is another excellent viewpoint for the sea stacks and the surrounding landscape.
The Ring Road — Route 1 — runs along Iceland's south coast past Reynisfjara and connects it to the other major attractions of the region: the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, the Eyjafjallajökull glacier (whose 2010 eruption disrupted European air travel for weeks), and the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, where icebergs calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier float in a lagoon before drifting out to sea. The Diamond Beach, at the outlet of the lagoon, is strewn with ice blocks that have washed ashore and glitter on the black sand like enormous jewels.
Iceland's south coast is one of the most accessible parts of the country for visitors based in Reykjavík — the capital is two hours west of Reynisfjara by car, and the entire south coast can be explored on a two-day road trip. The Golden Circle, a 300-kilometre loop from Reykjavík that takes in the Þingvellir National Park (where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are visibly pulling apart), the Geysir geothermal area, and the Gullfoss waterfall, is the most popular day trip from the capital and can be combined with a south coast drive for a comprehensive introduction to Iceland's geological wonders.
Iceland can be visited at any time of year, and each season offers a different experience. The summer months from June to August offer the midnight sun — 24 hours of daylight around the solstice — and the best conditions for hiking and outdoor activities. The winter months from November to February offer the best chance of seeing the northern lights, and the snow-covered landscape has a stark beauty that is quite different from the green and brown of summer. The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn offer a balance of reasonable weather, fewer crowds, and the possibility of both midnight sun and northern lights depending on the timing.
