Iceland - Day One
Pick up the car from Keflavik airport - Rutshellir Caves - Skogafoss and Kvunerfoss - Check in to Black Beach Suites - Drive to Black Sand Beach
PICK UP THE CAR
Click here to read our post on renting/driving a car in Iceland.
We rented through BlueCar Iceland, a local company and they were great! We also got lucky and were upgraded to a larger, hybrid hatchback which was awesome. If you have the ability to upgrade or to get a hybrid, it's really worth it to avoid the pump!
RUTSHELLIR CAVES
Rutshellir Caves (View the map location here) - Though we were in Iceland for 7 days, we didn't see a ton of Viking-themed tourist attractions or history. Granted, we didn't look that hard, but I think in our heads there would be viking ships, viking museums, viking flags, and viking reenactments everywhere. In hindsight, that's total nonsense. But what we did find are tons of these little houses built into the sides of mountains. Rutshellir Caves was the first one we encountered on our drive from Keflavik to Vik and it was worth the stop. It is said to be the largest, man-made cave in all of Iceland and while I can neither confirm nor deny it's old enough to even house vikings, it certainly housed some very, very, very, very, very old Icelandic people of some kind and that's pretty cool.
So what's the lesson here - the little road-side stops in Iceland, and probably any driving tour in any country, are worth it. There's almost always a parking lot (there was a small gravel lot here), they make for quick stops, and they're always a lot of fun. At Rutshellir, you can walk IN to the cave, which is massive. BONUS: We visited Iceland at the end of May which means one thing: LAMBS! They were everywhere, so cute, and all over the fields at Rutshellir. It was a fun little stop and we recommend it!
Parking and restrooms: There is a small gravel lot for parking, but no restrooms
Time spent: 15-30 min is plenty
SKOGAFOSS WATERFALL
Skogafoss is on every blog, every Instagram post, every anything because its quintessential Iceland and of course, it’s worth the stop. It will always be crowded, but there’s plenty to take in. There is a steep and very precarious stairwell that takes you to the top of the waterfall, also worth a visit if you’ve got the fitness for it. I do not recommend the climb for those with mobility or health issues. The most important part of visiting Skogafoss is to make sure you visit Kvernufoss waterfall right next door.
If I were to go back to Skogafoss, and during the spring, I’d go at later hours when there’s fewer tourists but still great light.
Parking and Restrooms: Both are available. You’re supposed to pay for restrooms somewhere, but it’s a free for all. There was also a restaurant on site. Parking was crowded but easily achievable.
Time spent: We were taking a ton of photos and walked to the top and spent about an 1hr.
KVERNUFOSS WATERFALL
Kvernufoss ended up being one of our favorite stops of the whole trip - I'm not sure how I missed it in my research, but if it wasn't for our awesome AirBnb host, we wouldn't have visited. He messaged us on check in day and said it was a must see, he was right!
Parking and restrooms: I don't believe there were restrooms, but parking was ample and easy in the gravel lot.
Time spent: We spent about 45min walking to the falls, taking pictures, and walking back to the car
When visiting Skogafoss, you'll follow signs and take a left turn in to a parking lot. Instead of turning left, keep going straight and look for a parking lot and buildings on the right (watch out for sheep!) - that's the lot for Kvernufoss. You'll see a blue sign next to a well kept path - that's the walking trail to the waterfall. It's a very easy, quick walk, maybe 5-7 minutes.
We didn't bring our cameras with us because wanted to really enjoy the surroundings. So all the photos you see below are from our phones. But this was the first opportunity (in our lives) that we'd been able to walk BEHIND a waterfall - it was incredible. Of course Seljalandsfoss is the other well known waterfall in Iceland you can walk behind, but Kvernufoss was quiet, peaceful, and felt much more intimate, like you really got to experience the waterfall. We absolutely loved it.
You will get fairly wet walking up to and hind the falls. We had waterproof shoes but....that was it. Not a total catastrophe, it's not like you're getting dumped on, but a waterproof jacket would have gone a long way.
End of the day - this is an absolute must experience when visiting Iceland and an incredibly easy one to achieve since you'll very likely be at Skogafoss anyways. Definitely stop by!
STAYING IN VIK
Check in to hotel Black Sand Suites - Extremely nice rooms but you'll need book ahead of time, and be sure you don't accidentally book their hostel which is on the same property. They also have smaller rooms but if you can swing it, the suites are beautiful with great views and lots of room to spread out. We could have easily stayed there multiple nights if not for all of our driving. The food at the hotel is only ok - mostly re-heated bar food like mozzarella sticks and pizza, but it's serviceable.
Brewery in Vik, SMIÐJAN BRUGGHÚS - We would have loved to have visited this brewery, but they were closed for a staff retreat. A local Icelander recommended them and they distribute all over the south, so even if closed you can find their beer in a lot of places. Cute place though!
Skool Beans - This little coffee shop IN a school bus was an absolute JOY to visit. The owner and employees are quite possibly the happiest people I've ever encountered in my life. While juggling coffee orders, the owner went fishing for knock-knock or "dad" jokes from everyone on the bus and several people happily obliged! The jokes were absolutely terrible and we loved every minute of it. Be sure to keep an eye out for Jeffrey, the resident cat. I'll be honest, I'm not sure he ACTUALLY exists. But he sure does make a great marketing ploy, because I couldn't walk out without buying a mug with his name sake. The coffee is great, the people are wonderful, we had a blast. Pop in to Skool Beans on your way out of Vik and enjoy the ride.
BLACK SAND BEACH (REYNISFJARA)
The extremely famous Black Sand Beach of Iceland - technically, it seems like almost all of the beaches are black sand because of all of the volcanic activity in the country, but because of the basalt rock formations and caves, this has become a popular stop. And it was VERY popular - tourists were crawling all over the rocks, to the point where I didn't really both photographing it. This is another stop that would be beautiful at 11:30pm at night or later - when the light is beautiful and no one is around.
Parking and restrooms: Parking was easy, a gravel lot. It was busy but there are still plenty of spots. There's also a restaurant on the beach but it has average reviews, so we didn't stop in. I don't believe there were public restrooms.
Time spent: About 45 min
Make sure you go to the correct Black Sand Beach - Google has two for some reason. You want the one labeled "Reynisfjara" - the other beach, "Black Sand Beach Vik" is also a black sand beach, but not the one you're likely thinking of.
Look for puffins! We visited at the end of May, so if you're in Iceland in the late spring or summer, look for puffins out in the water, flying to and from the cliffs, or nesting. This was where we saw them for the first time - but bring binoculars! They don't get very close to people here.
