Southern Iceland Pt. 2

We spent our last day in Iceland exploring the rest of its beautiful southern coast, ending at the famous Blue Lagoon. The second we looked outside, we were incredibly relieved to have explored most of the area yesterday; heavy rain and strong winds were hitting Vík hard. Since we weren’t exactly in a hurry to brave the inclement weather, David and I decided to have a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s dining room.

We first stopped by the Eyjafjallajökull Visitor Center. The name may sound familiar – it was the volcano that created an ash cloud so large that it halted all European air traffic in 2010. Inside was a gift shop and theater playing a short video of the devastating effects of the eruption, and how the area recovered. We learned that the visitor center was actually owned by a family whose farm was located near the base of the volcano and was impacted the most.

It was an unbelievable story. Several generations of hard work were put in to make their farm completely self-sufficient, all of which was destroyed in a matter of days by the eruption. The entire community came together and helped the affected farmers clean up and rebuild. It’s a little ridiculous that all I could remember during that time was the media joking about how to pronounce the name; meanwhile so many Icelandic families were in fear of losing their homes, crops and animals.

We passed through a few smaller towns before taking a short detour north to the Kerið Crater, known for its beautiful blue-green lake surrounded by red volcanic rock. It was located on private land, so we paid a small entrance fee to walk up the hill to the steep edge of the crater. It was over 550 feet wide with a trail along the rim. We didn’t hike it due to the rain, but there was a person directly across the way that gave us a sense of scale of just how large the crater was.

Our last stop along the Ring Road was the town of Hveragerði. The entire area sits on top of a highly active geothermal field, which provides heat for hundreds of greenhouses and restaurants. Many come to visit the valley outside of town that has a geothermal, swimmable river. Dave and I decided not to hike the nearly 2-mile trail due to the cold, rainy weather. We instead visited with some beautiful Icelandic horses grazing by the trailhead. Back in town we ate at a bakery that used geothermal steam to cook their baked goods, some of which takes around 13 hours to make!

We began our way around the Reykjanes Peninsula, stopping at the Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel. It would be pretty difficult to find if there wasn’t a sign directing you where to park. We pulled up to a hole in the ground, which was the entrance to the tunnel. It was such a surreal experience; we were underground, walking inside a massive tube created by an ancient lava flow. The walls, ceiling, even the ground we were walking on were nothing but black volcanic rock.

By mid-afternoon we arrived at the Northern Light Inn. David and I took full advantage of the free waffle bar, and warmed up in one of the cozy living rooms on the main floor. Our hotel room overlooked a black, rocky lava field and the glow of the Blue Lagoon in the distance.

We had reservations at the Blue Lagoon for 8pm. It was quite a process just to make it into the pool, but once we were in the warm, milky blue water it was well worth it. The lagoon was so large and expansive, and blended perfectly into the surrounding lava field. We slowly drifted around, and made sure to stop by the silica bar to pick up a couple facemasks. It was a great ending to such an incredible trip. Iceland beyond exceeded our expectations. It was such a wild adventure. Even after ten days, there is still so much we want to experience. Iceland, we will be back soon.