Martin & Tina
•
12. 10. 2023
Iceland is one of the few places in the world where you can walk on a black beach or black sand. As you can guess, black sand is found in Iceland thanks to the many volcanoes that produce, among other things, volcanic dust and ash, which is then transformed into sand.
When you say “black sand beach” in connection with Iceland, the most famous one – Reynisfjara– probably automatically comes to mind. It is one of the most beautiful but also one of the most dangerous beaches in Iceland, but it is far from the only beach where you will find this type of sand.
Reynisjara
Reynisfjara beach is one of the most famous and photographed places in Iceland – a combination of black sand and beautiful cliffs. It is located in the south of the island, near the village of Vík í Mýrdal. The beach is famous for its black sand, which is made up of volcanic ash and other volcanic rocks. The beach is also known for its basalt cliffs that rise above the sea. These cliffs are called Reynisdrangar and are home to a variety of birds, including seagulls and sea eagles.
Reynisfjara is not only beautiful, but unfortunately also a very dangerous place, especially for “inexperienced” tourists. It has happened several times that sneaker waves (which can be translated as creeping waves), which appear insidiously fast and unexpectedly, dragged tourists who had their backs to the ocean and were not paying attention to this danger into the water.
But Reynisfjara is far from the only black beach in Iceland, there is another black beach nearby, basically on the border of the town of Vík, which offers similarly beautiful views and the absolute minimum of people, which unfortunately cannot be said about this more famous beach.
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And why is Reynisfjara so dangerous? There is a certain type of waves, called sneaker waves, which means creeping waves. And you can see that they are really sneaky and at first glance very inconspicuous, for example in the video below, where one of these waves swept away several inattentive tourists. This is despite the fact that there are several warnings right at the entrance to the beach, including a traffic light with an illustration of where it is advisable to go at any given time. But you know, people are unteachable.
Not far from this well-known beach, for example, there is an equally beautiful, but significantly less exposed black beach on the border of the town of Vík. Compared to Reynisfjara, it won’t feel like Wenceslas Square. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of black beaches in Iceland, so don’t try to visit only the most famous one, but ideally find one that is not so crowded.
Vík black sand beach
The black sand beach in Vík is a less touristy version of Reynisfjara beach. We stopped here on our way from Vík and can definitely recommend it. Reynisfjara beach can get pretty crowded, but we were always alone here. Leave the car right by the beach, a few steps and you’re there.
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Another such beach, which is not so easy to get to, is the beach under the Dyrholaey cliff, which stretches south and north from this beautiful viewpoint not only of the ocean but also inland.
Dyrholaey
The road to Dyrhólaey is pretty steep, so take it slow. This place is famous for its dramatic cliffs, black sand beaches and the iconic rock arch that juts out into the ocean. It’s easily accessible, and you can park your car in the parking lot almost right next to the lighthouse. It’s up to you how far you choose to walk, the views are amazing. There is quite a bit of wind in the area, be prepared for that. From late April to August you can see puffins here in the morning or evening, during the day they are usually by the sea catching food. It is a small seabird with a typical brightly coloured bill.
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Last but not least, Diamond Beach, which you will find more to the north, but still on the eastern side of Iceland, is one of the many black beaches. However, this beach is more famous for the icy crags that wash ashore and resemble sparkling diamonds. However, this is simply another demonstration that there is more than one black beach in Iceland.
Diamond beach
Diamond beach is a black sandy beach on the south coast of Iceland, near the glacial lake Jökulsárlón. The beach is famous for the ice floes that wash ashore and resemble sparkling diamonds. The ice floes come from the nearby Breiðamerkurjökull glacier and are carried out to sea by the glacial lake Jökulsárlón. The best time to visit Diamand beach is during the winter months, when the ice floes are larger and more numerous.
We visited Diamond beach in September and April, and we were luckier in September because there were huge ice floes on the beach. In April there were only tiny ice floes on the shore, sometimes the beach can be completely empty.
You can either leave your car in the car park at Diamond beach or in the main car park at Lake Jökulsárlón, as the two are practically in the same place.
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More in our itineraries for Iceland
Iceland is a magical destination, and not just when it comes to beaches. In a previous article, we put together 5 waterfalls that you shouldn’t miss on your trip to Iceland. If you want to learn more about trips to Iceland, check one of our itineraries, like the one for South Iceland, the best of Ring Road or even Winter expedition with Northern Lights.
Discover the beauty of South Iceland
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