I sometimes join guided tours in Iceland to show you what they are like, and recently joined a tour to Eyjafjallajökull & South Coast by Activity Iceland.
A month earlier, I had joined the same company on a guided tour of the Silver Circle and fell in love with their super jeep, and I wanted to ride in it again!
This jeep is a huge, modified Ford 350 EXXL Excursion, extra long, with 46-inch tires.
Top photo: driving in a super jeep on a black sand beach
The super jeep of Activity Iceland
Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, and Dennis Quaid have all been driven around in this super jeep while they were filming in Iceland.
You don't go unnoticed when travelling in such a vehicle, and wherever we went, people were taking photos of the super jeep!
It is a luxurious jeep, with heated seats, Wifi, and an iPad on which we watched clips from YouTube.
One of my favourite trips in my country is visiting the waterfalls in the south; 2 of the best-known are Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls. And both these waterfalls and more were included in this tour.
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
I was picked up at 9 am at the Hilton Hotel as usual, and after two technical stops (WC breaks) , we visited the beautiful waterfall Seljalandsfoss.
Seljalandsfoss is one of the best-known waterfalls in Iceland, 60 meters high, and it is possible to walk behind it! Bring a raincoat as you will be drenched, but it is so rewarding.
In the wintertime, Seljalandsfoss is all lit up, but the path behind it is closed when it gets too slippery.
After walking behind the waterfall, we carried on our journey towards Eyjafjallajökull glacier. We were actually driving by it, but we wanted to see a glacial tongue of Eyjafjallajökull, called Gígjökull.
Totally soaked after walking behind Seljalandsfoss
Remember Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which erupted in 2010 and spewed so much ash in the air that air traffic was affected and more than 140,000 flights were cancelled - along with some 10 million travellers, who were stranded in airports around the world because of this big ash cloud?!
Eyjafjallajökull glacier
Eyjafjallajökull glacier
Eyjafjallajökull is a volcano covered by a glacier. The name of the glacier means Island Mountain Glacier, which is maybe easier for foreigners to pronounce than the tricky Icelandic name Eyjafjallajökull. We Icelanders had such a laugh back in 2010 listening to the news reporters trying to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull with such hysterically funny results ;)
There is a famous film called The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, starring Ben Stiller, who was driven around in this very super jeep during the making of this film in Iceland. In the movie, which is filmed entirely in Iceland, apart from the New York scenes, Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty, tries to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull with the same difficulties as the news reporters had - and any foreigner trying to pronounce it for that matter :)
Gísli, the driver-guide, showed us some footage he found on YouTube. It was of news reporters and other foreigners trying to pronounce the complicated name of this volcano - it is hilarious :) If you watch this footage, you will also learn how to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull, so it is worth watching before you visit Iceland.
A big jeep is needed for crossing the glacial rivers
We drove in the direction of Þórsmörk and crossed several rivers, both glacial and fresh water, on our way to Gígjökull glacier, which is one of the glacial tongues of Eyjafjallajökull.
The volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull was very close to Gígjökull. It was a breeze crossing these rivers in such a big jeep with such huge tires.
Obviously, a big jeep is needed to cross these rivers, so never try to cross them in a 2WD.
It had been beautifully sunny, but as we reached Gígjökull, it started raining heavily, as you can see in my photo below. It wasn't easy taking pictures in this heavy rain, and I got soaking wet, as did Gísli, the driver-guide, when he was taking my photos!
Gígjökull glacier in heavy rain
This is Iceland for you, the weather changes constantly, and I never know how to dress when travelling in Iceland. Usually, I bring a whole wardrobe with me, which, of course, is difficult if you are a guest visiting my country. So wear layers, that is the safest bet.
Water that flows from Gígjökull runs into the Markarfljót river, and before the 2010 eruption, a glacial lagoon lay in front of the glacier. The sheer force of the eruption triggered a massive glacial outburst flood, with 2,700 cubic metres per second of water discharged from the volcano at its peak.
It tore down the wall of the lagoon and filled it with discharge, leaving the landscape very different from what it was before the eruption
Gígjökull glacier
I visited Gígjökull glacial tongue in 2013 and 2014, and it is incredible how much the glacier has receded in just 2-3 years. You can see the difference in the photo below in just 3 years.
I walked up to it during my 2013 visit to have a look at the ice cave. I didn't enter it, of course, as that is way too dangerous in the summertime, but the glacier was much bigger and thicker, as it were, 3 years ago.
This is a very rugged area. Being there is just out of this world, and one feels very small against such extreme forces of nature, thinking about what actually happened here during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
And even if it is so rugged, just a short distance further, you will find a totally different landscape when you enter the beautiful oasis of Þórsmörk.
Gígjökull glacier
On this trip, though, we didn't go any further; we turned back because Eyjafjallajökull was what we wanted to see. I have joined another tour, which took me to Gígjökul and Þórsmörk.
In that travel blog, you can see what Gígjökull looked like in 2018:
A wonderful Tour to Þórsmörk Valley in South Iceland with Midgard Adventure
On our way back, we visited Gljúfrabúi waterfall, which is one of the most mystical waterfalls I have visited in Iceland, as it is partially hidden behind a large rock.
Gljúfrabúi waterfall
Inside the gorge by Gljúfrabúi waterfall
Gljúfrabúi is located next to Seljalandsfoss. The driver used this stop to inflate the tires again, but he had deflated them a bit for a more comfortable drive on the gravel road and the rivers. The name of the waterfall, Gljúfrabúi, means Dweller of the Gorge.
Gljúfrabúi is 40 meters high, and in front of it, a big rock almost covers it. It is best to wear Wellington boots and, if needed, a raincoat when visiting this waterfall.
Gljúfrabúi waterfall
You can either wade through the gorge or climb up the rock and have a look at the waterfall from above. That path has been closed now. In the wintertime, the stones get quite slippery, so be careful.
Skógafoss waterfall
Skógafoss waterfall
The next waterfall we visited was Skógafoss, which is 30 kilometres away from Seljalandsfoss, just off Ring Road 1.
It is mighty and ever so beautiful, and it was my most favourite waterfall when I was little, and still is.
Skógafoss is 60 metres high and 25 meters wide, and you can walk right up to it. That will leave you drenched from the drizzle, though. Protect your camera here!
Skógafoss waterfall and the troll
There are staircases leading up the hill, from where you can see Skógafoss from above. These 500 + steps leave me totally breathless, so I rarely visit Skógafoss from above anymore.
You can take a break midway up, though, and visit the troll in my photo above. Be careful here, though, it is a long way down!
The path to the troll has now been closed.
Skógafoss waterfall
A legend connected to Skógafoss. It tells us about the first Viking settler at Skógar, who hid a chest with gold coins in a cave behind the waterfall.
I have written a more detailed travel blog about Skógafoss in which you can find the legend and see a photo of the chest ring.
Our group on the Eyjafjallajökull and South Coast tour
After visiting Skógafoss waterfall, we drove down to the black sandy lava beach and drove fast on this huge super jeep right by the waves of the sea under the beat of Mambo number 5!
It was so much fun driving on this black sandy lava beach, which reaches as far as you can see.
Off-road driving is illegal in Iceland, which is why we drove right by the sea, where the tire tracks will be washed away. Don't attempt this without guidance, though!
We stepped out of the jeep for a photoshoot and to enjoy the sea. We spotted some big black seals, which had come to check us out :) They are very inquisitive and tend to come close to the shore.
The black lava sand beaches in Iceland
In the photo below, you will see me with the driver-guide, Gísli, who had just cut off his awesome Viking beard, which he had worn on the last tour I had joined with Activity Iceland.
Gísli cut his beard off after Iceland lost against France in the EM - and thus looked more his age, 24. I am the small person looking like a hunchback hobbit beside him ;)
With Gísli on the black beach
We made one more stop on our way back to Reykjavík, after an enjoyable and eventful day, at Þorvaldseyri farm, which got hit hard in the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption.
The eruption took place right above this big farm - they even talk about having a volcano in their backyard!
They got hit so hard that the farmers there, Páll Eggertsson and Ólafur Eggert Pálsson, a father and son and their families, decided they couldn't live there anymore, primarily because there was a small baby on the farm, and decided to move.
Þorvaldseyri farm and a dark cloud
It was on the news, and the nation was sad to see these hardworking farmers leave their farm. The same family has been running this farm for 110 years now, or since 1906.
Then, to everyone's surprise, the crop grew at double speed due to the ash, so when the eruption stopped, there was a whole lot of crop.
The farmers returned - and then there was a flood which almost ruined everything. But the farmers stood firm, and now their farmland is blossoming.
Þorvaldseyri farm
Þorvaldseyri farm is a big farm by Icelandic standards. The crop at Þorvaldseyri is wheat, barley, and rapeseed oil. And they produce meat and milk.
In the photo above, you can see what Þorvaldseyri looked like during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption and on the July day when we stopped by the farm.
There was this dark, rainy cloud above the farm, so it looked eerie. It was the same cloud that poured rain on us on the other side of Eyjafjallajökull by the Gígjökull glacial tongue.
Watching stand-up comedy on the way back to Reykjavík
By now, a long, fun day had come to an end, and everybody was tired. There was still a 2-hour drive to Reykjavík, and we got to watch a stand-up comedy show on the iPad in the super jeep.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour and cannot wait for another guided tour on this super jeep - have a lovely time :)
