Black Sand Beach

South Coast

Iceland

September 12, 2015

Hello,

I visited Black Sand Beach twice.  Once with my tour group on a blustery, foggy, nasty day.  And once again on my own on a clear, sunny, albeit windy day.

And since it was a pleasant day I first stopped at the Dyrhólaey Peninsula.

The Iceland Guide describes Black Sand Beach:

The world-famous Reynisfjara shore, on Iceland's South Coast, is widely regarded as the most impressive black-and beach in Iceland.

To reach Reynisfjara you can either drive there yourself or join a tour.

Reynisfjara is a black pebble beach and features an unusual cliff of regular basalt columns resembling a rocky step pyramid, which is called Hálsanef. Out in the sea are the spectacularly shaped basalt sea stacks Reynisdrangar. The area has a rich birdlife, including puffins, fulmars and guillemots.

The waves at Reynisfjara are especially strong and unpredictable, and fatal accidents have occurred at this beach, so people are advised to take extra care when visiting the area.

According to folklore, two trolls attempted to drag a ship to land but were turned to stone as daylight broke, turning them into the Reynisdrangar stacks, clearly visible from the beach.