After exploring the capital city of Reykjavik (and surrounding Golden Circle & Blue Lagoon) for a few days, we started our Iceland South Coast road trip adventure. Iceland is a gorgeous country and one of the best ways to see it is by driving yourself around the Ring Road (Route 1). In total, we spent 2 days driving as far as the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon before spending 1 day turning around and heading back to Reykjavik for our flight home. If we had more time, we could have kept driving around the Ring Road and explored more of Iceland. This guide will give you stops and a sample itinerary for exploring the Iceland South Coast.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my business.
Iceland South Coast Road Trip Stops
The scenery in the Iceland South Coast is stunning. Be sure to take your time on this road trip, stop for pictures, and keep an eye out for any potential detours that strike your fancy. To help guide your route, be sure to stop at the places described here. Weather in Iceland can be unpredictable. This itinerary has you turn around at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and drive back to Reykjavik meaning you will pass each stop twice. If the weather is poor, you could return to that stop on your drive back to give yourself a better chance of clear views.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
About 1 hour and 45 minutes from Reykjavik, our first stop was Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can actually walk behind this waterfall, but be sure to bring a raincoat because you will get wet.
Skógafoss waterfall
Our next stop about 30 minutes down the road was the very impressive Skógafoss waterfall. This waterfall is easily seen from the road. There is a staircase along the side of the waterfall that you can climb for great views. On a sunny day, you can see rainbows in the falls.
Solheimasandur Plane Crash Site
A popular site just a short 10 minute drive from Skógafoss waterfall is the Solheimasandur Plane Crash Site. Here you can hike to the crash site of a United States Navy DC plane that ran out of fuel. Fortunately, everyone survived the crash onto a black sand beach. If you want to see the crash for yourself, you will need to do some hiking. It takes about an hour each way (2 hour round trip) and the site is not observable from the road. There is no signage to guide you, but past Skógafoss waterfall you will see a parking lot on the side of the road. Park here and get ready to walk! Alternatively, there is a shuttle service at certain times of the year that you can pre-book.
Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach
Approximately 20 minutes further down the road you will come to Reynisfjara black sand beach. This beach makes for a beautiful stop where you can see basalt rock columns in the cliffside and striking black rock pillars emerging from the ocean in the distance. Additionally, you can see the Dyrhólaey rock arch in the distance that serves as a puffin nesting site in May and June.
Vik
Just 15 minutes drive from the black sand beach, Vik is the largest town you will stop in during this road trip. I recommend staying here overnight and getting a meal.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
The first stop on the second day of your Iceland South Coast road trip is the Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, about a 50 minute drive from Vik. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the viewpoint. This stop has been made popular in recent years due to its appearance in Justin Bieber “I’ll show you” music video.
Skaftafell Nature Reserve
Another hour of driving will bring you to Skaftafell Nature Reserve. This area is part of Vatnajökull National Park and is a great spot for hiking. An approximately 1.5 hour hike (1 mile each way) will bring you to Svartifoss, a basalt column waterfall. You can also book a guided glacier hike in this area.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Also located within Vatnajökull National Park is the impressive Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. This area is an approximately 45 minutes drive from Skaftafell and is easily accessible from the parking lot. You can book a boat tour in the summer to cruise through the lagoon.
Diamond Beach
Beside the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is Diamond Beach. Here, you can see chunks of glacier ice that have washed up onto the black sand beach looking just like diamonds.
Where to stay during your Iceland South Coast Road Trip
I recommend staying 2 nights in Iceland South Coast. There are fewer options once you get outside of Reykjavik so I recommend booking your accommodations as far in advance as you can. Your first night should be in Vik. There are a few options in the area and we chose Hotel Kria. We ate dinner here and had a great meal. Behind the hotel, we walked to Skool Beans micro roaster for our morning coffee. This cute little shop is in a school bus so you can’t miss it.
I recommend your second hotel be closer to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. There aren’t as many options in this area so we chose the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon. Again, we ended up eating dinner at this hotel and it was great.
Driving Back to Reykjavik
Returning to Reykjavik from the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon area takes about 5 hours. If you missed any stops along the road trip due to bad weather, you can see them on your return journey. Once in Reykjavik, we ate dinner and stayed at the Courtyard Reykjavik Keflavik Airport since we had an early flight the next morning. If you have more time, you can continue to drive further along the Ring Road and explore more of Iceland.