Highlights: 
South Iceland is the most popular part of the country amongst travellers and contains some of Iceland’s most beautiful natural attractions.
Amongst these are the sites of the world famous Golden Circle, and the features of the South Coast, such as the beautiful Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.
The south of Iceland can be roughly split into two areas, the lowlands in the west, and the east.
The South Icelandic lowlands
The South Icelandic lowlands stretch nearly 100 kilometres (over sixty miles) from Hellisheiði in the west to Eyjafjallajökull in the east. This region is flat and fertile farming land, and home to many Icelandic horses and sheep.
The whole area is geologically very young, formed during the last Ice Age by the lava flows from numerous volcanoes in the area. The lowlands are surrounded by volcanically active mountains, notably the aforementioned Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla.
The most notable features of the South Icelandic lowlands are the three on the Golden Circle, the country’s most popular sightseeing route.
These consist of the Geysir Geothermal Area, where geysers erupt and hot springs bubble, Gullfoss, a powerful two-stepped waterfall, and Þingvellir National Park, an oasis of forests and lava located between the tectonic plates.
The fissures and lava landscapes of this latter feature reveal the extent to which earthquakes and eruptions have shaped the region. The area is still very active; take, for example, the 1975 eruption in the Westman Islands that nearly destroyed the town and formed a new island.
It should be noted that Þingvellir is not just a site of natural, geological wonder. It was also the original site of the parliament Icelanders formed in 930 AD. This was a convenient place, considering the fertile lands of south Iceland meant that many settlers populated it.
Unlike most early Icelandic settlements, few of the communities formed in the south were based off fishing. The only town with a significant harbour in the south is Þorlákshöfn, where the ferry to the Westman Islands leaves.
Other towns in the lowlands are Selfoss, Hveragerði, Hella and Hvolsvöllur, all conveniently located by the Ring Road.
In terms of culture in the lowlands, it was once home to the ancient bishop seat of Skálholt. Also, Iceland's most famous saga, Njal's Saga, takes place in the region.
For sports, horse riding is popular, as is fishing for salmon and trout, hiking, snorkelling, sightseeing and river rafting.
Eastern South Iceland.
The areas south and east of Mýrdalsjökull, the glacier that covers the volcano Katla, are considered the eastern part of south Iceland. Glaciers, volcanoes and the Highlands dominate the view.
This landscape has also been shaped by volcanic eruptions, although these were much more recent, and thus the area looks dramatically different. Vast expanses of black sand stretch from the Highlands to the sea, part of several glacial outwash plains that flood during a volcanic eruption.
Some agriculture is found here, with farms nestled in the mountains, but because of the glacial floods, they are few and far between.
A few large glacial rivers flow through this area, creating incredible features such as Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss. These are hardly the only sites in this part of the south worth seeing, however.
Sólheimajokull is a beautiful outlet glacier, a tongue of the greater Mýrdalsjökull, that you can hike on so long as you are with a guide. Skógar has a very interesting museum that discusses national traditions during Iceland’s development. One of Iceland’s most famous hiking routes, Fímmvörðuháls, cuts through the area.
Southwest of the village of Vík is one of Iceland’s most spectacular beaches, Reynisfjara. Near the promontory of Dýrholaey, and boasting incredible views of the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, it is a marvellous stretch of black sand.
Even further east is the Skaftafell preservation area, an area so beautiful it was once a national park in its own right. Today it is part of the greater Vatnajökull National Park, which covers parts of the south, east, north and much of the Highlands.
Just a little further from here is the incredible, world famous Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, a deep lake that fills with icebergs. At the adjacent Diamond Beach, they wash upon the shore.
Almost everywhere where there is old lava by the Icelandic shores, there are also spectacular waves, particularly in the southwest parts of the country.
In the northwest, north and east, high seacliffs (up to 500 meters high) can widely be found, popular nesting places for seabirds, that gather there around april.
Among the sea cliffs in Iceland most known for birdlife are Latrabjarg in the Westfjords, Drangey and Grimsey in the north, and the Westman Islands, Krysuvikurberg (see Krysuvik) and Eldey to the south and southwest.
Seals and whales can be seen widely in the sea around Iceland, mainly in fjords and bays. Whalewatching and sea angling are popular.
Þórlakshöfn is the main town of the Öfus district in South Iceland, located on the South Shore. It has a population of about 1,400 people and is a main port for South Iceland. It is important as a connecting point with the Westman Islands.
Þórlakshöfn Harbour
Þórlakshöfn has an excellent natural harbour; it is, in fact, the only fishing town on the South Coast that can be said to have a natural harbour, and the only one to accommodate modern ships and ferries, excluding villages on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
There is a newly constructed harbour called Landeyjarhöfn further along the south shore, opposite the Westman Islands, but that harbour is still in an experimental stage and its future use is unclear.
A ferry goes from the town to the Westman Islands. In 1973, the whole population of Heimaey, the only one of the islands that's habited, evacuated to Þórlakshöfn following the eruption of Eldfell in the island.
Many of the evacuees settled in Þórlakshöfn afterwards, while others returned to the island.
There are rich fishing grounds off the Þórlakshöfn shore and fishing is an important part of the town's economy.
Nature at Þórlakshöfn
As is common with Icelandic shores, a number of seabirds may be found in the area around Þórlakshöfn, such as arctic terns, skuas, and blackbacks. To find puffins, one should either head to the Westman Islands or the Dyrhólaey cliffs.
The coast around Þórlakshöfn, and indeed the whole of the South Shore of Iceland, has incredibly impressive breaker waves, and may reach as high as 25 metres (82 feet). Other ideal places to watch the breakers include Stokkseyri and Eyrarbakki.
The town is one of the few settlements that visitors will pass as they head towards the natural sites of the South Coast of Iceland. This is one of the country’s most popular sightseeing routes, along with the Golden Circle, boasting waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes, beaches and cultural attractions.
The South Coast of Iceland is the country's most visited sightseeing route, along with the Golden Circle.
This incredible shoreline stretches from the greater Reykjavík area in the west to the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in the east and is lined with countless natural wonders such as cascading waterfalls, volcanoes, black sand beaches and glaciers.
Geography, Nature & Wildlife
The South Coast is the most easily accessible part of the country’s southern region, found along the Route 1 highway (the Ring Road), which encircles Iceland. The area consists of a diverse lowland that transitions between, marshlands, bays, cultivated pastures, estuaries and black sand deserts.
Underneath the soil rests a vast lava field, known as Þjórsárhraun. Its edges reach several hundred metres offshore where the ocean waves crash upon them, thereby protecting the lowland from the invasion of the sea. This results in the South Coast being unusually lacking in the deep fjords that so distinctly characterise the rest of Iceland's shoreline.
The region boasts vibrant bird life during all seasons. Freshwater birds nest in the marshlands and around the estuaries, while seabirds flock around the cliffs of Reynisdrangar and Dyrhólaey, including the North Atlantic puffin between May and August. Some species stay throughout the harsh Icelandic winter, including the northern diver, the loom and various species of gulls and ducks.
Seals are often found along the shore, particularly around the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. As with everywhere in Iceland, you should always keep an eye out to sea, as whales and dolphins reside all along its coastline.
Highlights of the South Coast
The South Coast offers an unprecedented array of natural wonders that draw thousands of visitors each day.
When driving the route from Reykjavík city, the first major features are the two great waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, which sit beneath the notorious subglacial volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. On clear days from these beautiful cascades, the Westman Islands can be seen across the ocean.
A little further down the route is the glacier Mýrdalsjökull, which covers one of Iceland’s most explosive volcanoes, Katla. Many glacier hikes are taken here upon the outlet of Sólheimajökull.
The aforementioned Dyrhólaey cliffs are next, home to many seabirds. Even if you come outside of puffin season, they are well worth a visit; jutting out to sea is an enormous rock arch of the same name, which you can marvel at from many angles.
Adjacent to the village of Vík is the famous black-sand beach, Reynisfjara, home to the rock pillars of Reynisdrangar, said to be two trolls frozen by the light of the sun. Though beautiful, this area is gaining notoriety for its dangerous sneaker waves, so visitors should be sure to stay well away from the edge of the water, even on a calm, still day.
There are no landmasses between Reynisfjara beach and the continent of Antarctica, so you can imagine how the waves can build momentum.
After passing through Vík, you will cross the glacial sand plain of Skeiðarársandur, before entering Vatnajökull National Park, home to the largest ice cap in Europe, Vatnajökull itself, dozens of glacial outlets and the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon.
While almost all of these sites can be seen from Route 1, they make up a fraction of what the South Coast has to offer. The vast sand plains of Sólheimasandur are home to a crashed DC-3 Plane Wreck, and within the Vatnajökull National Park is the dramatic Skaftafell Nature Reserve.
Less than a kilometre from Seljalandsfoss is the hidden gem of Gljúfrabúi waterfall, and short distances from Jökulsárlón you will find the Diamond Beach, where icebergs wash on the black-sand shore, and another glacier lagoon, Fjallsárlón.
