冰岛南部
Travel Guide

Between Reykjavík and the great Vatnajökull ice cap lies the single most concentrated run of natural wonders in Iceland. In one day's drive you pass waterfalls that plunge off the old sea cliffs, glaciers that spill almost to the road, and beaches of jet-black volcanic sand pounded by the North Atlantic.

This is Iceland's agricultural heartland too — the flat coastal plains of the Suðurland are dotted with horse farms and greenhouses heated by geothermal steam, backed by the brooding shapes of Hekla, Katla and Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano that grounded Europe's flights in 2010.

Because so much sits right on Route 1, the South Coast is the easiest region to explore independently. But distances deceive: the drive from Reykjavík to the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is nearly five hours one-way, so give it the two or three days it deserves rather than trying to swallow it in one.