A Nordic Escapade - Reykjavik to Vik, Iceland - Day 3 - 12 May 2025

As is usual for me, I made an early start to the day after breakfast. The accommodation in Reykjavik was just right for a budget traveler like me. The location of the accommodation was indeed super. I was also able to locate street parking close to be the 101 Guesthouse Hotel, where I had lodged for two nights. The sky was overcast and there wasn't even a hint of blue anywhere to be seen. Instead, the gloomy grey sky got even gloomier with occasional light downpours. With the sun totally absent, it became colder too. I feared the worst and expected the day to be a near total washout. I had about 225 km to go for the day and the detailed itinerary promised to be fun. As I was leaving Reykjavik city, the morning rush to the city center had begun; a new working week had truly started.

The first stop for the day was at the Lava Center, about 95 km from the capital city. The main attractions in the Lava Centre consisted of a 15-minute film and an interactive learning session on volcanoes. I did not think that they would have any more information than what was available online, and that too for free. The Lava Center charges an entrance fee of 5200 ISK.

I skipped the film and the interactive session and chose instead to gather interesting information from the displays in the common area near the reception. What fascinated me was the real time display of earthquakes that have happened in Iceland over the past 48 hours. When I visited Blue Lagoon the previous day, I had found it strange that most houses looked unoccupied. In the Lava Centre I found the answer. In late April 2025, the authorities evacuated the town fearing that the earthquake parameters had breached normal levels in the area. Most residents are yet to return to their house post that event, as a matter of abundant precaution.

The Seljalandsfoss waterfall is about 25 km from the Lava Centre in the direction of Vik. The waterfall drops 60 m and is part of the Seljalands River that has its origin in the volcano glacier Eyjafjallajökull. The feature of this waterfall is that adventurous visitors can walk behind the falls into a small cave. Thanks to the gusting winds, I, and all the other visitors, took a thorough drenching from the sprays. The icy cold waters of the waterfall and the dancing winds drove me to seek refuge back in the car. Just as with many other attractions in Iceland, the parking fee doubles up as the entrance fee, too.

After experiencing the waterfall spray in Seljalandsfoss waterfall and shaking off as much it as possible I drove the 30 km to the Skogafoss waterfall leisurely. This waterfall has been the backdrop for many films and TV shows. Of particular interest to Indians is that the waterfall featured in the song Gheruva in DDLJ, along with the plane crash site at Solheimasandur.

One can climb the 557 steep steps to view the platform of the waterfall where the river Skoga falls over the rocky tabletop. Beyond that is a fairly strenuous 25 plus km trek to the glacier from where the river originates. The climb to the waterfall platform itself had made my legs limb and the trek was farthest from my mind. I got back to the parking lot, taking my sweet time descending the steps.

As I was driving to Vik from the Skogafoss waterfall, I spied a massive glacier and decided to explore if I could get closer to it to at least admire it from a distance. After a four km detour from the main road, I reached the parking lot for the Glacier visit. A visit to the Glacier would have consumed at least 4 hours, and I did not have that much time to enjoy that beauty. Besides, my physical condition also would not have withstood such an assault. Therefore, I drove back to the main road and set course for Reynisfjara.

In the vicinity of Vik, I had booked accommodation in The Barn via booking.com. In general, I had found the accommodation in Vik quite pricey. Therefore, I booked a dormitory bed for about 60 Euros for a night in The Barn. When I reached the accommodation, I was told that the dorm bed would be available only after 3 pm. The receptionist suggested options to kill the time. When I got back from a visit to the Dyrholaey lighthouse I found that the accommodation was superbly maintained. All their rooms and dormitory beds were taken for the night. I was told that, for them, the busy season started from end of March. The Barn has a fairly large kitchen with plenty of storage, utensils, crockery and cutlery. I used it to cook myself some lunch and dinner.

Dyrholaey Lighthouse was established in 1910. The lighthouse consists of a square concrete tower, painted white with a red trim. The lighthouse keepers' quarters are on the left and right sides of the tower. A red metal lantern house is placed on top of the tower.

The site (except the tower) is open to visitors who reach there in large numbers to experience the lighthouse, the Dyrholaey promontory and lookout for puffins. The puffins are seen in large numbers on the cliffs between April and September. I didn't get a close up look of the puffins but spotted large colonies along the cliffs. It was so windy at the time of my visit that I found couples holding on to each other firmly so as not to lose their footing. Besides, the cold cut into the skin and visitors wore clothes from head to toe in multiple layers.

The Reynisfjara Beach is a popular black sand beach quite near the accommodation in The Barn. It is part of the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark. The black sand found on the beach is typically found near a volcano and the sand consists of tiny fragments of basalt. I had to summon all my discipline and inner strength to resist the temptation of picking up the flat grey stones from the beach.

The Halsanefshellir Cave with its basalt columns is located at the eastern end of the beach, and to its west is the Dyrholaey promontory I had been a while before. The basalt columns near Yerevan, Armenia, called the Symphony of Stones, though similar, was much more impressive and more numerous.

The Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks are also located here and stand under the Reynisfjall Mountain at the end of the dramatic black sand beach. They are towering, spiky basalt sea stacks jutting out from the ocean 66 meters into the air. It took me some time to leisurely walk around and admire the sights that stretched in front of me, to my right and left and even behind me.

Vik is the southernmost village in Iceland. The village serves as the primary setting of Netflix's Icelandic original series Katla, which follows a group of the inhabitants of the village as they struggle in the aftermath of the volcano's first eruption since 1918. The village of Vík lies directly south of the Myrdalsjokull glacier, which itself is on top of the Katla volcano. The fearful fact is that Katla has not erupted since 1918. It is said that an eruption of Katla could melt enough ice to trigger an enormous flash flood, potentially large enough to obliterate the entire town.

The highest point in Vik is where the church is situated. It is believed that only the church will survive the aftermath of such a calamity as mentioned above. The residents also live in perpetual uncertainty and the knowledge that they will get only a maximum of 15 minutes to evacuate to the safe confines of the church in case of an eruption of the Katla volcano. The town has 1,400 hotel rooms for scientists and tourists, who are also briefed about Katla's dangers.

I took in the magnificent views of the village from its vantage point, the church. Vinbudin is the popular specialist store that sells liquor in Iceland. Of course, I made a visit to the store that set me back by a little over $20. Sipping a can of premix vodka and ginger I strolled the black sand beach of Vik. I walked round the commercial part of the village where also peace and quiet reigned.

By the time I got back to the accommodation at 6.15 pm, many customers were checking in and the large parking lots were full. Indeed, The Barn was already seeing a surge of visitors despite it being just the break of the summer season.