Where in the world is Kat Kong?: South Coast, Golden Circle, Silfra snorkel

Trip Index

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With a late return from last night's failed Northern Lights search, Kaleb and I didn't get much sleep before today's departure on EastWest's South Coast Sagas tour. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant helped perk us up. The place was busier at 7:00am than yesterday at 9:30am.

EastWest's mini-bus arrived at Bus Stop #3 as scheduled. There was a crowd standing at the stop for other tours. To eliminate confusion, most vehicles displayed company logos and the driver or guide would call out names.

A few people were on the bus already. After one last pick-up in a suburban neighborhood, we were on our way to Seljalandsfoss waterfall, an hour and a half drive from Reykjavik. During the journey, our driver (also guide) explained Icelandic culture and other facts and figures. It was interesting to learn about Icelandic last names; they aren't passed down from father to children as in other cultures. Instead, they consist of the [father's or mother's first name] + ["son" or "daughter (dóttir)"]. A family with two parents, a daughter and son could have four different last names. Examples can be found in Wikipedia.

Reaching Seljalandsfoss, we walked a trail that went around and behind the waterfall. It was quite misty, making the path a bit muddy and soaked those who did not have protective gear.

15-second clip of Seljalandsfoss waterfall and its next door neighbor Gljufrabui: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Kaleb (in beige pants) looks so small

trail on the other side

12-second video of back side of Seljalandsfoss: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Next, we drove to a scenic viewpoint of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted back in April 2010, grounding trans-atlantic flights for days. It was hard to pronounce: "AY-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kuul", or as our guide suggested, just say "E15", and people will know what you mean.

There was much cloud cover so we could not see the ice cap.

covered in clouds

photo taken during 2010 eruption

Then we went to Skógarfoss waterfall. There was so much spray that we could not approach too close without getting soaked.

nice campsite

A short drive from the waterfall, Sólheimajökull glacier can be viewed in the distance. We would be hiking here later in the day.

Then we made our way to the town of Vik on the South Coast. The coastline looked very mysterious.

We stopped for lunch at Ice Cave Bistro. It was cafeteria-style. The food was pretty good.

fish and chips

leg of lamb

It was walking distance from there to the black sand beach at Reynisfjara. The grains were coarse. The basalt rock formations were interesting to see up close.

360 spherical picture of Reynisfjara black sand beach, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Reynisfjara black sand beach, South Coast of Iceland - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Afterwards, we drove to Sólheimajökull, and hiked as close as we could to the glacier. The trail used to go right to it, but due to rising temperatures, the glacier had retreated.

Last on the tour, we were treated to tea, coffee and homemade cake at Holt Farmhouse, where we met Valborg Olafs. She did a Q & A about farm life and her experience during the E15 eruption. Valborg, who was a contestant on The Voice Iceland, surprised us with two songs sung with acoustic guitar. Her voice rang with emotion. I felt uncomfortable taking photos and videos in a stranger's home (others had and she did not object), so I am attaching a YouTube video of her auditioning on the Voice (song lasts until 1:45):

Icelandic horses on the farm

Kaleb and I had a great time on the South Coast Sagas tour with EastWest and highly recommend their services. The home visit made this tour stand apart from the others.

After we got dropped off in Reykjavik, we stopped by Icelandic Street Food again and got the seafood soup and the fisherman's favorite to-go for dinner. The fisherman's favorite was a mashed mixture of fish and potatoes. Social hour this evening was a bust as the small bites were gone quickly and no one came by to take our drink order.

The next day, we had a very early start for our tour to the Golden Circle and Silfra with Troll Expeditions. The idea of snorkeling in 39 degrees F water sounds crazy, but I couldn't resist the crystal blue water and the chance to swim in the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. There were also diving opportunities available...maybe next time.

A van picked us up at Bus Stop #3. There were only five of us in the group, which provided excellent comaraderie. With so few people, we had the flexibility to make unplanned sightseeing stops during the tour.

Since the morning was clear with few clouds and little wind, our driver/guide decided we would snorkel Silfra first (located in Thingvellir National Park), then continue the Golden Circle to Geysir geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall. Troll Expeditions (along with other companies) had vehicles waiting in a nearby parking lot filled with dry suits and snorkeling equipment. Members of the staff were there to fit us and help put everything on. The hood, neck and wrist seals fit pretty tight to keep water out. Restroom facilities should be used before you are locked into your suit for the next hour. No, you cannot pee in a dry suit! I recommend having thin thermals as a base layer under the suit.

It was COLD but so much fun! The exposed parts of the face and lips bore the most shock when entering the water, like a dull tingle, but after a few minutes, the skin became numb and no longer felt uncomfortable. In the end, you get a temporary lip plumping effect. The rest of the body stayed somewhat warm in the dry suit. Even though the pull-over gloves got expectedly soaked, the moisture acted as an insulator.

walking to the Silfra platform

4 girls and 1 boy

The water was crystal clear. Our guide recommended we drink some to taste how clean it was, as Silfra was fed by meltwater from Langjökull, Iceland's second largest glacier.

No fish was seen, just plants, but snorkeling through the rift was a surreal experience, especially the cathedral portion where the open expanse was so clear and blue. I suggest taking your time through Silfra Hall and Cathedral, as the final part in Silfra Lagoon was not very interesting. Go last if you are in a larger group so you aren't rushed. We had a lot of fun posing for pictures (included for free); it was convenient not to have to bring our underwater camera.

start of Silfra cathedral

one hand on North America, other on Eurasia

not much to see in the shallow lagoon

duck lips

After changing out of our dry suits and enjoying hot chocolate and cookies, we hopped back in the van and headed to our next destination, the Geysir geothermal area. Along the way, we stopped at a thermal river which had random boiling spots. I would think twice before wading into water that bubbled.

boiling spots in river

people have used boiling pools to cook food

10-second video of boiling water seeping up from the ground: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

At Geysir, we had time for lunch and view the...you guessed it...geyser!

fish and chips

Afterwards, we made a stop to see Icelandic horses up close. Due to their short stature, they look like ponies, but they are registered as horses...call it a pony in Iceland at your own risk! They loved snacking on the "horse candy" that you could purchase at a stand nearby. This was one time that having cash/coins would have been nice.

15-second clip petting an Icelandic horse: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Next on the agenda was Gullfoss waterfall. It was an easy hike to get there from the parking lot.

We stopped for ice cream at Efstidalur Farm, made right on site...so good!

We returned to Thingvellir National Park to have a proper view of the area. If you didn't go snorkeling at Silfra, you could still get a picture of yourself "straddling the rift" between the tectonic plates.

On the way back to Reykjavik, our guide invited the five of us to join him for a free comedy show that night at the Secret Cellar, close by our hotel. Before meeting everyone there at 8pm, Kaleb and I attended social hour for a quick bite and drinks.

sushi at social hour

The stand-up comedy show was presented in English. Most of the performers were entertaining and the drinks reasonably priced. Our tab, including some brews and shots for the table, came out to only $32 USD.

I was glad our hotel was nearby as I was so tired after the long day...not a spring chicken anymore!

Tomorrow, for our last full day in Iceland, we head to the West Coast...stay tuned!

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