Stage 3: Seljalandfoss - Gljulfrafoss - Skógafoss - Solheimansadur - Vik - Dyrholaey - Reynisfjara

Paid parking at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. The ticket is valid for 24 hours. You have public restrooms as well as a couple of stores: a souvenir store and a food/drink stand.

At the side of the Ring Road (road that circles the entire country), this 60-meter waterfall is one of the most visited and photographed in the country. Seljalandsfoss has a cavity behind the torrent of water through which you can pass. The flow comes from the Seljalandsá river whose source is under the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. Precisely the volcano under the ice cap was the one that erupted in 2010 causing the collapse of air traffic throughout Europe.
Wear waterproof clothing because the spray from the waterfall is quite wet and rubber-soled shoes. The road is usually wet, muddy and slippery. If you plan to do the full semicircle, be warned that the last part is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.
Curiosity: Seljalandsfoss appears in the video clip of the song "I'll Show You" by Justin Bieber.

The hidden waterfall. Thanks to social media, more and more visitors to Seljalandsfoss are walking a few minutes north to enter the narrow passage that leads to this hidden gem.
The water flows from the inside like a small torrent, so the most normal thing is to get your feet wet if you do not wear good waterproof shoes. Sometimes you can enter passing from stone to stone without getting your feet wet. Of course, take a good rain poncho because there is a lot of water in suspension and you will get wet.

If you have not made the payment, remember to do it before leaving the parking lot. They usually have control systems and if your car is a rental car, you may be charged a fine for non-payment in the return.

For my taste, the most impressive waterfall of the three that you will see this day. The parking is very well located. To get to the base you only have to walk a few minutes.
It is one of the largest waterfalls in Iceland with its 25 meters wide and 60 meters high visible from Route 1 (Ring Road). If the day is sunny and warm - within what the summer weather offers in Iceland - beautiful rainbows usually form. Feel the wet breeze coming off the waterfall on your face as you get closer to the base.
Be sure to climb to the viewpoint at the top -there are just over 450 steps- to see Skógafoss and the Skógá river from another perspective as well as the beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings.

At this point you can park your car free of charge. Although Iceland is the safest country in the world, remember not to leave any valuables in sight. Prevention is better than cure. This parking is located 6 km east of Skógar and 27 km west of Vík.

This service gets you to the plane in less than 15 minutes. The shuttle operates every 30 minutes every day from 10:00 am until light conditions permit. Check the schedules and book your seat on the official website.
You can walk the 4 kilometers that separate this parking from the plane and another 4 kilometers back, but it will take you much longer and the scenery is nothing to write home about. In winter it is very convenient due to the few hours of daylight as well as the weather conditions.
Phone: +354 5879999

The Douglas DC-3 aircraft crashed into the black sands of Sólheimasandur in November 1973. All that surrounds it is an extensive plain of gravel and black sand originated by the wearing away action of ancient tongues of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. A lunar landscape, a fantastic desert, as if from another planet.
This plane belonged to the U.S. Navy and was flying over this area when it apparently ran out of fuel -it was later discovered that the pilot had selected the wrong tank- and had to make an emergency landing. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured, but the plane was not worth repairing.
You can spend half an hour in this place. For safety reasons, I recommend that you do not climb to the top of the plane. Remember that you need another 15 minutes to return by shuttle to the parking lot.

Their specialty, as you may have noticed, is soups. Affordable prices and they serve you a free pitcher of water. Their menu also includes paninis, salads and freshly baked desserts.
The owners of this restaurant, a large family, offer their customers what they have experienced in their own home: hot soups that they used to eat on cold and rainy days. I assure you one thing: you will not go hungry because you can repeat for free! and eat all the bread and butter you want.
Their star dish: the Sopa de Lava al rojo Vivo, a rich stew with beef, spicy, black beans, red wine, onions, tomatoes, bay leaves, red lentils? A feast for the taste buds! They serve you the soup inside a loaf of black bread -which acts as a bowl- accompanied by a bowl with Icelandic yogurt for you to drink if you are burning.
Other tasty soups: Broccoli Cheddar, Icelandic Lamb, Creamy Cod and Shrimp and a vegan option that varies depending on the day.
Hours. Every day from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. Official website Phone: +354778786611

Vík í Mýrdal is the southernmost town in mainland Iceland. This town is living proof of the very low population density of this country. Vík has only about 300 registered inhabitants.
The Lutheran church of Vík is the "cherry" of a hill with magnificent views of the sea, the black beach and the whole town. It is especially worth seeing its exterior facade and how . I would venture to say that it is one of the most beautiful urban views of Iceland.
It dates from 1873 and was the only structure that survived the 1918 flood that was caused by floodwaters caused by the eruption of the Katla volcano under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Even today, the locals practice drills to go to the church in case another eruption happens.

Very close to Vík, the Dyrhólaey cliffs viewpoint is one of the best places for bird watching, in particular the thousands of Atlantic puffins (Fratercula Arctica, known as the "clowns of the sea") that nest at this site between May and August.
Iceland has more than 8 million of them, which is more than half of the world's population of these wonderful birds. The panoramic view is breathtaking: endless black sand beach, roaring sea and a vertiginous slope. If you are lucky, one of them will land on one of the green grassy areas. They usually fly very fast and come and go in search of food from the less visible cliff walls.

This parking lot is literally two steps away from the beach and next to the Black Beach restaurant. Lock your car and hurry up, you will be amazed!

Although there are signs that warn you, it is worth reminding you that it is extremely dangerous to approach the shore of this beach. In recent years several people have drowned as a result of sneaky waves. Do not approach the shore and much less turn your back to the sea. If you have children, be very cautious and do not let them out of your sight.
Apart from this, Reynisfjara is one of the most beautiful black sand beaches in Iceland. The whole is original and unique: thundering waves of the Atlantic, a set of basaltic columns that remind me of the pipes of a church organ and a landscape that leaves you speechless. We are not the first to appreciate this place. In the early 90's, National Geographic included it in the top 10 non-tropical beaches you must visit in life.
Be prepared to share this space -especially the area of the basalt columns- with dozens of tourists.

This cave flanked by octagonal basalt pillars is another of the points that you should not miss in Reynisfjara. What is the origin of this name? It comes from the word Reynisdrangar, the name of this great mountain formed by three huge basalt flows whose base rests on this beach and which in Icelandic means "Three Trolls".
Legend has it that once upon a time three trolls tried to bring a boat to shore, but they took so long that the dawn caught them and they became the three pointed rocks that you see today above the cave of Hálsanefshellir.

The Fosshotel chain has 15 hotels in unique locations in Iceland. The "Foss" in Fosshotel means waterfall. This hotel has 99 rooms and is located in the vicinity of Skaftafell National Park, Fjaðrárgljúfur and Lakagígar Craters.
Surrounded by lava fields, from here you can see a spectacular view of Vatnajökull, the world's largest glacier outside the Arctic. Dinner and bedtime. Tomorrow ends this great adventure in southern Iceland that you will never forget.