A Tour of South Iceland

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Before I share any photos of this magical journey, I want to say that this tour was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. I was in complete amazement of mother natures majestic beauty and if there is only one tour you can take in Iceland – this should be it.

This was my second trip to Iceland and my second time touring with BusTravel Iceland. The drivers and tour guides are not only friendly but extremely knowledgeable about the country and the sites you will visit. Every question I had was answered completely.

The main stops on this tour are:

  • Glacier Lagoon – Jökulsárlón
  • Seljalandsfoss waterfall
  • Skógafoss waterfall
  • Village of Vík

The first stop on the tour is Seljalandsfoss. This is one of the most recognizable waterfalls in Iceland during the summer months because you can walk behind it and its truly beautiful. The terrain in the winter is slippery and muddy so we were unable to walk behind it – but it was still a powerful and beautiful waterfall despite the freezing temperatures.

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Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

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Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

During the winter the sun does not rise until around 10:00am – but when she rises, shes a beauty. We stopped between the two waterfalls to see the sunrise and some homes along the road.

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Sunrise in Iceland

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Skógafoss waterfall. It is quite impressive if you stand at the base of it. There is a trail on the right side to walk up to the top to see if from another angle, but with the slippery conditions, we were advised not to.

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Skógafoss waterfall

The Village of Vík is the southern most city in Iceland, I would love to come back and do 4 days in South Iceland in the summer. We did not explore the city for long as it was just a photo opportunity and a bathroom/coffee stop. Notable photo opportunity is the basalt sea stacks that legend says two trolls tried to drag a 3 masted ship to shore and were unsuccessful.

Then when daylight came they became needles of rock.

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Basalt Sea Stacks

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Homes in Vík

The last and most impressive stop (in my opinion) is the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. They are located across the highway from one another, so when you are doing admiring one, you can walk across the street and explore the other.
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During this stop we were given one and half hours to explore, which was plenty of time – but I could have stayed here all day admiring this gorgeous landscape.
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Jökulsárlón is a glacial lake and came to be after the glacier started receding from the Atlantic Ocean. You will notice that it is melting and there are several large chunks of ice floating. While I was visiting I heard the ice crack twice and break off in big areas.
This is the moat amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. I can’t even put into words how beautiful it is and the pictures will never do it justice.

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Glacier Lagoon – South Iceland

Directly across the street is Iceland’s own Diamond Beach. Lush with black sand and ice on the shore – it looks like diamonds. The water was a bit intense due to the weather but it was amazing to explore.

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Iceland’s Diamond Beach

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Sun starting to set over Iceland’s Diamond Beach

This last stop on the tour was my favorite because I had heard so much about visiting the Glacier and the beach and it lived up to everything and more. This was a top travel moment for me and unforgettable.
On the way back the tour does stop for bathroom and food breaks. We stopped  for shopping and dinner and I caught the sun setting on the island.
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To our surprise, on our drive back the Northern Lights were out and we were lucky enough to stop and watch them in a few places. This was unexpected and a perfect ending to this day.

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Northern Lights

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Northern Lights

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Northern Lights

Additional Information:

  • The tour picks up at your hotel or closest hotel to your location in Reykjavik
  • The bus is very comfortable and has WiFi
  • Terrain is not flat in most places and during the winter can be icy
  • It was quite brisk outside and the winds made it a bit chilly – but it was worth it. Wear warm clothes in the winter and you will be fine
  • The Northern Lights are not part of the stop – we just happened to luck out
  • Book your tour early so you can guarantee a seat!

Disclaimer: I was hosted by BusTravel Iceland. As always, opinions are entirely my own. 

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23 Comments

  1. Evangelina07
    February 3, 2017 / 3:01 pm

    Oooh, lovely. I have been to Iceland as well and want to go back. The diamond beach looks stunning. You took some great pictures there. Thanks for sharing.

    • February 4, 2017 / 1:31 pm

      Thanks so much for reading. I already want to go back too <3

  2. Dariel Lim
    February 3, 2017 / 5:02 pm

    Amazing photos!! It was a bummer when our tour to the glacier lagoon and beach was cancelled because of bad weather… I had really wanted to see them but good on you, it must have been such a great experience!

    • February 4, 2017 / 1:32 pm

      Sorry to hear that. I hope you get to go back and see it – its truly amazing in person.

  3. February 4, 2017 / 10:43 am

    Wow I’m so glad that you shared this post because it looks like such an awesome tour! I love your photos too, especially the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach!

    • February 4, 2017 / 1:32 pm

      Thanks Katie – they are both incredible places, unlike anything I have ever seen

  4. February 4, 2017 / 12:41 pm

    Fabulous photos, the tour looks incredible. What time of year did you go? Still desperate to visit Iceland but can’t quite fit it in and not sure how long we need there.

    • February 4, 2017 / 1:29 pm

      Thanks so much. I was just there two weeks ago. On my first visit last year I did 2 nights and this time I did 6 nights. You will never have enough time in Iceland – just go and decide whats most important for you to see. You can always go back to see more.

      • February 5, 2017 / 8:54 am

        Sounds brilliant. What time of year do you think is the best to visit?

  5. February 4, 2017 / 1:56 pm

    These waterfalls… The ice blocs… Damn, a m a z i n g !!
    Iceland is on my last, definitely.

  6. February 4, 2017 / 2:18 pm

    Ohhh, this just looks amazing! I went to Iceland last year and wanted to do a South Iceland excursion, but as I was only there for three nights there wasn’t enough time. Next time it will be top of my list – the glacier lagoon and beach look incredible!

  7. lilbirdietravel
    February 4, 2017 / 9:22 pm

    absolutely gorgeous in Iceland! Stunning shots. I especially would love to see the diamomd beach and glaciers. The waterfall too!

  8. February 5, 2017 / 12:40 am

    Those photos of Diamond Beach are STUNNING! Iceland was on my bucket list before but wow! Just put it at the top of my list!

  9. February 7, 2017 / 8:08 am

    Lucky on seeing the Northern Lights! I’ve had friends who went but never got to see it!

  10. February 26, 2017 / 2:59 pm

    I’m pretty used to having to wear warm clothes here in Denmark, so that’ll come naturally, but I definitely should remember all the hills ?

  11. April 3, 2017 / 11:31 pm

    Stunning photos! I also went during Winter https://ellierochax.com It’s interesting to see what you captured using the tourbus; although we found hiring a car really useful we did think we could have watched more of the northern lights on a tour as the staff are experienced in seeing them, do you agree? x

  12. Everything Emilie
    April 23, 2017 / 9:02 am

    Great post! I went to Iceland last year which I’m now writing about on my blog, but we mainly stayed near Reykjavik, I definitely want to go back and discover the southern coast, it looks stunning. Also just wondering what camera settings you used for the Northern lights please? I managed to get some photos last year but want to improve!

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