Private Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon Tour from Reykjavík | South Coast & Diamond Beach

Seljalandsfoss drops 60 metres from what was once the edge of the coastline, before sea levels fell after the last ice age. The Seljalandsá river is fed by meltwater from Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that erupted in 2010 and grounded flights across Europe. It is one of the few waterfalls in Iceland with a path behind the falling water, so expect to get wet and bring a waterproof jacket.

Skógafoss falls in one broad curtain about 60 metres high and 25 metres wide, right beside the village of Skógar. On sunny days the spray usually throws a rainbow, sometimes a double one, across the pool at its base. A staircase of 527 steps leads to a viewpoint at the top, where you can see the river before it drops.

A short stop near the folk museum at Skógar, time permitting. A cluster of turf houses and an open-air museum on traditional Icelandic life stand beside the village, which sits below Skógafoss. The museum charges its own entry fee.

Reynisfjara is a black sand beach with the sea stacks of Reynisdrangar rising out of the water offshore. At the western end, a cliff of hexagonal basalt columns, stacked like organ pipes, stands beside the cave Hálsanefshellir. It is also one of the most dangerous beaches in Iceland, because of sudden, powerful waves that run far up the sand. Keep well back from the water and follow the warning signs.

Jökulsárlón is a lagoon filled with icebergs that calve from Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, and drift slowly out towards the sea. It formed in the 1930s as the glacier retreated, and has grown from about 8 km² in the 1970s to roughly 25 km² today. At over 280 metres deep it is the deepest lake in Iceland. It is free to view from the shore.

Diamond Beach is a black sand beach directly opposite Jökulsárlón. Chunks of ice break off Breiðamerkurjökull, drift across the lagoon and out to sea under the Ring Road bridge, and the current pushes many of them back onto the sand, where they melt slowly and catch the light like scattered diamonds. It is a short walk under the bridge from the lagoon, and entry is free.