Belonging to the many attractions of Iceland’s South Coast is Reynisfjara, a black pebble beach that rests by the coastal village Vík í Mýrdal. Readily available from the ring road, the beach draws flocks of visitors daily, who come to admire everything from the North Atlantic puffins that nest on the cliffs of Mt. Reynisfjall, to the dramatic sea stacks Reynisdrangar that rest just offshore.
The beach frequently makes headlines in the news, not because of its beauty but because of its imminent dangers so often ignored by travellers. When walking the beach, one might think the ocean to be far away, but sneak waves can suddenly come rushing in and pull you out to sea. When visiting, take the warning signs seriously and never turn your back to the sea.
With that said, this wonder is one of the most visited sights in the country for a reason. The basalt columns Garðar provide for stunning pillars of elemental rock formations, and the iconic Reynisdrangar rock formation carries with it a legend of trolls dragging a three-masted ship to shore before the sunlight turned them into eerie stone structures for all eternity.
