I woke up after getting some nice indoors sleep in a real bed (a bunk bed, but still!). I decided to just buy the breakfast at Kex and enjoy sitting in their lounge area, repacking my backpack and getting rid of food wrappers I’d packed out while looking over my itinerary. I ate lots of bread, cheese, meats, and oatmeal and filled my coffee mug.

I still had a trek, though through the city sidewalks of Reykjavik, to get to my rental car company. It took a bit longer than the 30 minutes I expected, but my pack felt light (it was a bit lighter without all the food, but I think it was more the easy terrain). It was a bright sunny day already, and I enjoyed seeing a bit more of Reykjavik. I looked in one window and saw instruments hanging from strings.

I got to Blue Car Rental and the staff were very nice. They went over basics about driving in Iceland (there’s no shoulder, watch out for sheep) and made some jokes. Then I got my little Toyota Aygo car. Even smaller than my Honda Fit, but definitely suitable for one person driving the Ring Road.

There was a Kronan grocery store across the street. I headed there, put down the back seats, and laid my tent out to dry. Then I probably spent way too long in the grocery store (and definitely bought a bit too much for one person for a few days). I really enjoy shopping in grocery stores in other countries and often end up doing it when staying with friends or staying in places with some form of kitchen (like Paris AirBnB…the best).  There was a great bread section, lots of skyr choices, and my favorite milk graphic ever :

 

I got a later start then I planned around 10:30 am. I had agonized over my itinerary, deciding which regions and destinations to cover in the only 4 days I had after the trek (I used this site among other resources!). I had an itinerary packed with destinations, but also liked the flexibility of driving alone and getting to prioritize certain sights over others, if necessary. At this point, I was excited and wanted to see as much as possible.

I filled my passenger seat with snacks, turned on Taylor Swift’s new album, and hit the road. My first stop, Kerid Crater, was an hour away. The crater has really beautiful colors (I didn’t realize that blog I linked above the water was frozen! It looks very different).

 

I walked down to the water and then around the crater. All of these sights certainly still had some walking/hiking.

 

I ate lunch in the car (this bread with pizza topping. lots of bread in Iceland). Then my next sight was Urridafoss, a waterfall about 30 minutes away. It was a good stop to break up my trip to Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that would be another 40 minutes away from Urridafoss.

I turned off onto a road that looked like I was going to a form. There were a few signs and only a couple of vans around, but I didn’t see people. I got out for a quick view. A sign said this is actually Iceland’s “most voluminous” waterfall. It was nice to be the only person at an Iceland site.

 

Next on my list was Seljalandsfoss. I considered skipping it since I’d seen it from the bus from Thorsmork, but then I read that you could walk behind it, and that there was a really cool hidden waterfall nearby that was well worth it.

I’m glad I went for several reasons, as you’ll see. First, I got out of the car and was waiting for the bathroom at the busy parking lot. Then I hear, “Megan?” I saw a guy I had met and talked to a lot at Landmannalaugar, Dave. He had been tent camping there (his tent had survived the windy conditions) and was solo, and had banded together with other solo travelers to tackle the entire trail I had done in 2 days and the additional add-on to Skogafoss in one day. It’s an impressive feat. They had offered me to hike with them, but they quickly passed me on the trail (they must have had quite a pace). His bus was stopping at Seljalandsfoss on the way to Reykjavik. It was great to see him again before he had to catch his bus. It took me out of my element doing my own thing as a solo traveler and was nice to see a familiar face.

The waterfall was beautiful. I wore my rain gear to avoid getting wet from the waterfall. Walking behind it was pretty awesome.

 

 

Then, I followed the signs to Gljúfrabúi, the secret waterfall. I see people going in and out of kind of a cavern? You have to walk through a river, but there are rocks to step on and a rock wall to hold. I waited for some people to leave and headed in. I had my waterproof boots so I wasn’t too worried about getting wet. 

It was just awesome inside. The light coming in from the top of the dark cavern made it very dramatic. As a solo traveler you have to buck up and ask people to take photos for you, so I asked a guy to take this photo:

I exited the cavern. Me and the guy who took the photo started talking. It turns out Nick was traveling solo in a camper van around the entire Ring Road. We had a really similar itinerary, since everyone pretty much sees the same sights on Ring Road. I had Skogafoss next on my list, as did he, so I said I’d see him later.

I grabbed coffee at Seljalandsfoss before I left (it had a nice little concession area). I didn’t realize that finding coffee on the drive would become so important, but it definitely did my whole trip. Driving is tiring and you can fall into kind of a trance. Stopping frequently and coffee helped.

Skogafoss was about 20 minutes away. The Fimmvörðuháls trail between Thorsmork and Skogafoss is a 15 mile trail that can be added to the Laugavegar Trail that I did, or done in 1-2 days on its own. I considered doing it, but it sounded even more difficult in bad weather and definitely challenging for those who fear heights. However, everyone I met who did it said it was absolutely stunning.

 

The stairs up the side of the waterfall did not even bother me at this point. I was so grateful not to have my pack. On the stairway I saw a couple with packs that I’d met at the end of Laugavegar when I’d gone to the hut and was trying to figure out where to go.

 

As you can see the weather was amazing. I talked to a few trekkers about the trail they had just done, congratulating them. I just kept thinking, none of these Skogafoss visitors understand what these backpackers just went through to get here!

I knew there was a hidden waterfall near here as well that I wanted to explore. So I drove to the little museum, which I would have liked to explore if I had more time. There is a little ladder you go up and down to get over a fence. There were a few others heading this way so I followed them, but it was much quieter than Skogafoss. The weather was beautiful as the late afternoon sun shone on the vibrant grass.

You take a beautiful walk to a hidden waterfall, Kvernufoss, which you can also go behind. It was a beautiful, peaceful area with birds and sheep.

 

And then I saw Nick again. We chatted for a bit and eventually had to get on our way – we both planned to make it to Reynisfjara, the black sand beach, and stay in Vik for the night.

It was a beautiful drive in the later afternoon sun moving toward sunset. I was stopped at view point over the beach called Dyrhólaey with a famous famous rock arch. I followed the other cars to the beautiful site. There was even a bathroom there, to my great relief. Probably one of the best views in the world for a bathroom:All of the viewpoints were gorgeous. Where you see the three rocks below is where Reynisfjara beach is that I would visit later.

 

Even the view looking back towards the glacier was amazing.

 

There were lots of people around but it still felt very peaceful with gorgeous lighting.

 

I thought my hostel reception might close at 8 and it was getting late, so I decided to head to my hostel in Vik to quickly check in and head to Reynisfjara at sunset. Vik is a cute, small, seaside town. My hostel was very charming with a cottage vibe. However, I asked where laundry was and there wasn’t any. This is the first hostel I can think of that hasn’t had laundry. I had somewhat been relying on it. Oh well.

I headed to the beach. It was remarkable but sunset had already moved from 9:30 to 8:30 just since I’d gotten to Iceland. It was absolutely beautiful out. And there was a warning sign for the “sneaker” waves so I avoided getting too close to the water:

 

This beach is famous for the Reynisdrangar, these unique basalt columns. Everyone has to get their requisite photo with them. I think I even saw someone in a wedding dress here? I ended up seeing several wedding photo shoots in some of the beautiful Icelandic sites. Well, here is me still in my rain gear with no makeup:

 

There were a ton of birds flying high above. I had heard of people seeing puffins a few days earlier at this very beach. It was really hard to tell but I could swear I saw some orange beaks above me.

I saw Nick again. It’s always nice meeting other solo travelers because you don’t have to explain why you or anyone would travel alone. You already have something in common. It’s kind of it’s own exclusive club. The sunset was gorgeous to watch from the beach, and it was nice to have someone to talk to.

 

Nick and I were heading to a lot of similar places the next day, but would continue on to the East. The furthest I planned to go was the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon before I’d have to turn back due to time. He had this camper van from a company that does crazy graffiti art on the side. His was a zombie Mickey Mouse (I’d end up looking for it when I stopped at sites the next day but never spotted it).

The sun was basically set by the time I left the beach. I headed back to my hostel, which had a nice kitchen. I lugged various things inside and made some quick pasta with tomato sauce and bread and butter. Most people in my dorm bed room seemed to be going to bed early, so I tried to be quiet as I got ready for bed. It had been a very long day. But it was a nice change of pace to drive and not have to lug my backpack, and I had packed in everything I’d wanted to see. Exhausted as ever I fell asleep easily.