Iceland review - 2015, Page 93

ICELAND REVIEW 91
“Oh my God!” exclaimed an elderly woman—a first-time visitor to
South Iceland—loud and clear while looking west at the endless black
beach from the top of promontory Dyrhólaey; the Icelandic mainland’s
southernmost point.
And I understood her perfectly. What a view! To the south, the At-
lantic Ocean as far as the eye could see, and to the northwest, the
sparkling white Eyjafjallajökull glacier-volcano. To the northeast was
Mýrdalsjökull, another glacier, under which volcano Katla hides, and to
the east, Reynisfjall mountain and Reynisfjara beach, one of Iceland’s
top destinations.
Driving from Reykjavík, it only takes 45 minutes to reach South Ice-
land; the gateways to the region being the fishing town Þorlákshöfn
and the flower-power town of Hveragerði.
South Iceland has everything, all of Iceland’s top tourist attractions,
including hot spring Geysir and waterfall Gullfoss. Hundreds of kilo-
meters of black volcanic beaches and the rarely-visited area of Laki in
the interior, where green moss covers the largest lava flow in Iceland’s
history, from an eruption 230 years ago.
Here you have the most famous volcano in Iceland, Hekla, and, as
mentioned earlier, the infamous Eyjafjallajökull, or E16 as it was called
for simplification. Sólheimajökull, an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull,
popular for glacial hiking and diverse tours, is visited by thousands of
people each year.
Two of the largest lakes in Iceland are in the region: Þingvallavatn
and Þórisvatn, as well as the country’s most beautiful lake, Langisjór,
which can be found in the southern highlands.
Landmannalaugar geothermal area is the colorful gateway to the
Icelandic highlands. From there, thousands walk the 50-km (30-mile)
Laugavegur trek, to the oasis of Þórsmörk.
South Iceland is also the bread basket of Iceland, with greenhous-
es, arable fields and sheep and cattle farms, as well as fruitful fishing
grounds off-shore, all the way from Hveragerði in the west to Höfn in
the east. In between the icebergs float in Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon in
the shadow of the mighty Vatnajökull glacier.
At Þingvellir National Park you can have yet another ‘OMG’ moment
as you walk through Almannagjá, the rift between two continents;
here the Eurasian and North American continental plates meet.
South Iceland awaits.
OMG
There’s a reason why South Iceland is among
the country’s most-visited regions.
BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.