The first stop on my southern tour in Iceland was Skogafoss. It was needed break as we finally had daylight on the long bus ride. In all, the tour that took us to the village of Vik and back to Reykjavik lasted more than 10 hours — it didn’t involve a lot of hiking, but it was still an exhausting day.
The legend of Skogafoss is that Þrasi Þórólfsson, a viking settler, hid treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. Supposedly, the treasure is still there for anyone who really wants to brave the frigid and powerful waterfall. It certainly produces a chilly mist in the winter — and this wasn’t even close to the coldest day I experienced in Iceland (that would be the day at Gullfoss).
The walk along the riverbank is pleasant, and the scenery is beautiful even in winter. There’s even a stairway to the top of the falls, which is not an easy climb when it’s cold and you’re in a rush because the tour is leaving soon (only one other person on my tour made the journey). The view of Skogafoss from above isn’t great, but surrounding landscape is wonderful.
If I had a car to drive myself there, I would’ve hiked around the area (though that might be better in the summer months).
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