Iceland Day 4 On The Ring Road Hofn to Vik Part 1

 We're traveling the Ring Road around the country of Iceland and today is a biggie, hitting some of the major natural sites of Iceland. So let's get started on our drive from Hofn to Vik!

We stayed in a guesthouse in the town of Hofn and started our day with a quick stop at the grocery store there - I love visiting grocery stores in foreign countries (anyone else?) - and then were on our merry way to visit one of Iceland's most famous sites -

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

This is the money shot, the biggie, the piece de resistance. If you go to Iceland and travel outside of Reykjavik or the Golden Circle, this is a gotta do. Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is known for its floating iceburgs - with to die for colors - and dramatic views. These iceburgs have calved from a nearby glacier and are of varying shapes and sizes. If you're really lucky, you may spot a seal or two on them (we did not)

It's easily accessible from the Ring Road and there is parking available. You can just walk around and see the lagoon or you can sign up for a boat tour to see the iceburgs up close. It's open year round and each season has its advantages. When we were there it was crowded but not as crowded as I'd thought - or as crowded as it can probably get.

I'd highly recommend it! 

Diamond Beach

This beach is probably one of the most unique in the world. Glistening iceburgs wash ashore from the nearby Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon - they're so close you can walk between them - and the chunks of ice get polished by the sea to resemble diamonds. So no, it's not a beach with expensive diamonds. But it is quite the cool phenomenon. 

You could spend a lot of time here if you'd like. We didn't cross over the water to walk the whole beach but spent some time taking photos and enjoying the rare "diamonds" until we headed to the next stop on our adventurous day.

Vatnajokull Glacier

This may be one of the windiest spots I've ever been! Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest glacier in Europe, sits right off the Ring Road - you can see it from the road - so it's an easy stop. There is free parking and Frost Restaurant here if you fancy a stop for a meal. if you'd like to do a longer stop, you can go glacier hiking, ice caving or jeep riding on the glacier - all with a guide.

We parked and fought the wind to walk to the glacier viewpoint. It wasn't a scheduled stop - sometimes those are the best! - but we saw the signs and the glacier, so we made it a stop. It was quick - see: the above wind - but it was cool to see the largest glacier in Europe, even from a distance. (Hint: if you'd like to use their restrooms by the restaurant, like most restrooms in Europe, it will cost you so have some cash/coin available)

Fjadrargljufur Gorge Hike

This gorge is about a mile and a half long and possibly 2 million years old. It's considered an easy hike to the end of the gorge and the views are fantastic - especially the further you go along it. There is free parking, though it's not a huge lot, restrooms and sometimes a food truck is parked here. It's right off the Ring Road and very worth doing if you're in South Iceland. I loved it!

At the end of the day we checked into our hotel - which was actually a hostel - and we went into the popular city of Vik where we ate dinner and spent the night. I'll cover that in my next post otherwise this post could be verrrrrry long. Be sure to watch for that one coming up soon!

If you missed my other Ring Road posts you can catch up here: Iceland Day 1, Iceland Day 2 and Iceland Day 3

How about you? Have you been to Iceland?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!