Home»Iceland»Day 6: Other south coast sites

Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon is on some lists of “hidden gems,” but we didn’t find it to be all that hidden anymore. In fact, there was a tour bus in the parking lot, and the impact of tourism has restricted sightseeing at the canyon to a well-defined path and recently constructed viewing platforms. Fences prevent people from going out to the very edges (as was previously possible based on paths in the grass) or into the base of the canyon itself. Nevertheless, it is still a very pretty canyon with a large waterfall – and it is particularly scenic in the sunlight, as we had on this morning. We also walked the 2.5 miles each way to the remains of the Navy plane at Sólheimasandur beach. We also checked out some of the coastal vantage points at Dyrhólaey, including the “arch” and other rock formations. We detoured to the the Hjörleifshöfði Promontory, where there is a nice cave out at the beach. And our final stops were at the two waterfalls right in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Systrafoss and Stjornarfoss.