[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 15 June 2014]

 

22 January 2014, Wednesday

It’s Foss Day today, as we continue our pursuit of waterfalls in South Iceland. By the way, “foss” is the Icelandic word for “waterfall”. We have already seen Gulfoss yesterday, and today, we’ll be chasing two more. The first stop for the day is Seljalandsfoss, located about 47km away from our guesthouse at Hestheimar, Hella.

Not long after we set off from Hestheimar, we came across a herd of horses in the field, and we just had to stop our car to take photos with them. “Handsome” is the only word I can think of to describe these horses, with their perfectly coiffed manes and fur. I think horses are some of the most elegant creatures in the animal kingdom, and these Icelandic horses seem to be in a different class of their own.

After the brief distraction, we continued our journey on the Ring Road, which is Iceland’s main highway. The scenery along the way was superb as usual. It’s true that everywhere you turn is a postcard image, because of the unspoiled beauty of nature. You can drive for miles without encountering another vehicle or even seeing another human. You practically have the Ring Road entirely to yourself. It’s a desolate landscape but an immensely beautiful one.

The drive from Hella to Seljalandsfoss took about 40 minutes and we arrived at 11:10am. The best thing about Iceland is that all the attractions are free. There are no entry fees and no ugly barricades or barriers fencing the area, so everything feels very raw and untouched, a very refreshing change from other countries. And it helps that there are not many tourists in winter, so you don’t have to jostle for space or camera angles with others, and can take your time to frame your shots. The only downside is the limited daylight in winter, which is typically from 10am to 4pm.

Seljalandsfoss is 60m tall and the water volume is not great like the other waterfalls. Its unique characteristic is the natural pathway where you can walk behind the cascade of water. I’ve seen many stunning pictures of Seljalandsfoss on the Internet, capturing the sunrise/sunset in the background, set against the falling water, blue sky and green grass. However, on this winter day, there is no such backdrop but Seljalandsfoss remains equally beautiful to me. It is my favourite foss in Iceland.

I have a thing for waterfalls, because it is always a mystery to me how there can be so much water for it to keep going 24/7, for millions of years. It’s like a tap that doesn’t stop flowing. Each waterfall has its own characteristics and no two waterfalls are exactly the same. Maybe one reason why I love waterfalls is because we do not have any natural ones in Singapore.

Walking the path behind the sheet of falling water was one of my favourite moments of the trip. However, be prepared to get drenched because when the wind blows, there is no escaping and you’ll be covered in fine mist in no time. If the weather wasn’t so cold, I would have loved to take a dip in the pool. Not sure if that is allowed though.

We spent about 45 minutes at Seljalandsfoss before moving on to the next foss – Skógafoss. Skógafoss is located about 29km away from Seljalandsfoss and the drive took about 30 minutes. It is easily accessible from the Ring Road.

Skógafoss is about the same height as Seljalandsfoss but its water volume is much higher and more powerful, forming a rectangular sheet of falling water. You can practically walk up to the base pool. After taking in the sights from the ground level, we hiked up the flight of stairs to the top of the cliff, where there is a viewing platform and you can see the drop. From there, you have a panoramic view of the lands beyond. It’s well worth the hike up.

After all the foss-chasing and hikes, we were starving. Food options are pretty limited in Iceland so we decided our best bet was to have lunch at the restaurant beside Skógafoss, because you never know when you’ll come across another eatery. As expected, there were no other customers, but luckily, there was a chef in the house. Fish & chips (1,700kr) it is!

The last stop for the day is Dyrhólaey, located about 28km from Skógafoss and a 35-min drive away. Dyrhólaey is a 120m tall promontory, or small peninsular, located near the major town of Vík. The name Dyrhólaey means “door hole”, and it is named after the massive arch on the headland that was formed due to years of erosion.

We initially got a little lost and couldn’t locate Dyrhólaey. SY, our driver for the day, ended up turning into a small road that led to a dead end. SY consulted the GPS but it showed that we were already at Dyrhólaey. We didn’t know what to expect at Dyrhólaey so we didn’t know whether we were actually already there or not. Just as we were about to give up, we spotted a small road that led up a hill, and we decided to take it.

When we reached the top of the hill at 3pm, we still weren’t sure where we were. We got out off the car and finally spotted a signboard that told us that we were indeed at Dyrhólaey. Even then, we were like, “This is it?” Nevertheless, we followed the path and continued to walk towards the direction of the sea.

We first saw a coastline with black sand that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a marvellous sight. As we walked, we then spotted a white building perched upon the cliff, with the setting sun as a backdrop. It turned out to be a beautiful snapshot.

I continued walking and walking, and finally, the giant arch came into sight. I didn’t even know there was a giant arch, so it was a great surprise to see it. So this is Dyrhólaey! I quickly beckoned the others to come over and see it.

We continued walking to the other side of the cliff and we saw more of the black sand coast. The cliff was at a 90-degree angle and it was exhilarating to stand at the edge and face the open sea. It was a magical feeling, and something you can never get in Singapore. As we recapped our thoughts at the end of the trip later, IJ said that his favourite experience in Iceland was at Dyrhólaey.

The sun was setting quickly and the sky was turning dark when we left Dyrhólaey at 4:10pm. We then drove to the coastal town of Vík to look for our accommodation, Vík Youth Hostel, located 19km away.

Vík Youth Hostel
Address: Suõurvíkurvegar 5, Vík, Iceland
Tel: +354 487 1106
Website: http://www.hostel.is/Hostels/Vik/
Rate: About S$63 per person per night, including breakfast

Vík Youth Hostel is under the Hostelling International (HI) network so HI members get a discount. It is a very cosy hostel and it looks tiny from the outside but it is actually quite spacious inside. Needless to say, it is very clean and well furnished.

After dropping our luggage, we headed out to get some dinner. Vík has only 300 inhabitants but it is the largest settlement for some 70km around. There are not many restaurants in Vík so we patronised the only one that was open – Halldorskaffi. I ordered a hamburger set for 1,490kr and a glass of Víking beer. By the way, it’s Víking Beer, not Viking Beer. Cool name!

That night, we whiled the time away playing cards. YS and I introduced the game Bridge to SY and IJ, who had never played it before. It’s been years since I played bridge – the last time I played it actively was during JC days – so it was nice to get reacquainted with the game.

We also tried to spot the aurora but the forecast proved to be accurate and there was no chance of it appearing that night. That didn’t stop us from being hopeful, as I glanced out of the window every now and then, and I even braved the cold and stepped outside to try my luck. However, the aurora remained as elusive as ever. Guess, we’ll have to try again the next day. For now, it’s goodnight and sweet dreams in Vík.