Iceland's Waterfalls: The South Coast's Most Spectacular Cascades

Iceland's south coast is the most accessible and most dramatic section of the Ring Road — a 200-kilometre stretch of highway between Reykjavik and the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon that passes through a landscape of waterfalls, black sand beaches, glaciers, and volcanic plains that changes constantly and rewards every stop.

Seljalandsfoss, 120 kilometres east of Reykjavik, is the most unusual waterfall in Iceland — a 60-metre cascade that falls from the edge of a former sea cliff, with a path that runs behind the curtain of water through a cave. The experience of standing behind the waterfall, looking out through the water at the Icelandic landscape, is one of the finest in the country. The path is slippery and the spray is heavy, but waterproof clothing makes it entirely manageable.

Skógafoss, 30 kilometres further east, is the most powerful waterfall on the south coast — a 60-metre cascade of 200 cubic metres per second that creates a permanent rainbow in the spray on sunny days. The climb to the top of the waterfall (500 steps) leads to a hiking trail that follows the Skóga River through a series of smaller waterfalls into the interior — one of the finest day hikes in Iceland.

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which erupted in 2010 and disrupted European air travel for six weeks, is visible from the south coast road — a glacier-capped summit that looks entirely benign from the highway. The Þórsmörk (Thorsmork) valley, accessible by 4WD or hiking from the south coast, is one of the finest landscapes in Iceland — a valley of birch forest and glacial rivers surrounded by three glaciers.

The black sand beach at Reynisfjara, near the village of Vík, is the most dramatic beach in Iceland — a beach of volcanic black sand flanked by basalt columns and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, with the Atlantic surf crashing onto the shore in waves that can reach several metres in height. The beach is genuinely dangerous — sneaker waves have killed visitors who stood too close to the water — and the warning signs must be taken seriously.

The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, at the eastern end of the south coast, is the most extraordinary natural feature in Iceland — a lake filled with icebergs calved from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, which flows from the Vatnajökull ice cap. The icebergs range in size from small chunks to house-sized blocks, and their colours — white, blue, and the occasional black stripe of volcanic ash — are extraordinary. The Diamond Beach, where the icebergs wash up on the black sand, is one of the most photographed landscapes in Iceland.

The best time to visit Iceland's south coast is from June to August, when the days are long (up to 24 hours of daylight in June) and the weather is most stable. The winter months offer the northern lights and the dramatic contrast of snow on the black sand beaches, but the roads can be icy and some attractions are inaccessible. The shoulder months of May and September offer a good compromise — reasonable weather, fewer tourists, and the possibility of both midnight sun and northern lights.