Day 2: Rain, Glaciers, and Lava Fields

It rained while we were sleeping last night, and was really bad this morning. We are grateful our campervan is warm and cosy. Plus, very overcast. So, our plans for going to the islands on the south via a ferry boat had to be scrapped. Instead, we decided to drive along the highway and stop at all the pretty sights until we made it into the big national park and Skaftafell. Along the way on day 2 in Iceland we saw rain, glaciers and lava fields.

The Route

We used the main highway, The Ring Road, to Skaftafell and travelled just under 200 kilometers, with lots of stops along the way! You have to stop because of the variety of gorgeous natural landmarks, like glaciers and lava fields, on route.

Views from the Campervan in Iceland

I can’t praise enough the stunning views in Iceland. So much of this country is untamed nature at its most beautiful. We saw so much varied landscapes and beautiful nature on the 173 kilometer drive!

You’ll see from the photos, in this one day in Iceland we saw so much, from a gorgeous glacier, beautiful black sand beach, lava fields and, of course, waterfalls.

reynisfjara CAve

We stopped at a black sand beach with a cave. You have to be careful of the tides when you visit so you don’t get stuck in the cave. We were close but got out in time.

lava fields

Lava fields are the result of volcanic eruptions. You can drive right up to them, as there are several in Iceland. This one, Eldhraun, went off in the 1700s and is huge!

glaciers

Along with the rain, we saw glaciers, which are also vast and very impressive. Iceland is home to 269 named glaciers, an impressive amount for such a small country. While we barely scratched the surface of glacial exploration, there’s a lot to know about visiting Iceland’s top glaciers and the different activities available for the intrepid traveller.

campsite

We made it to Skaftafell around 5pm and hiked up to the top of the waterfall, got soaked by the rain, and came back to our dry and warm camper van with views of the waterfall.  We felt very lucky and well prepared as there were lots of campers in tents in this wet field.

It was a long day driving and stopping for rain, glaciers and lava fields. We really love what we see so far of Iceland. Iceland is beautiful, as you can see. Goals for tomorrow: Melinda – hot springs; Brian – hot lava!