Day 3: Fire, Ice, and Puffins

Date: July 14, 2025 | Location: South Coast Ring Road, Vík í Mýrdal & Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland

Some days you wake up knowing they're going to be special. Day 3 was one of those days - the kind that reminds you why you fell in love with travel photography in the first place.

Fueling Up for Adventure

We started by packing up from our first hotel and grabbing pastries at Brauð & Co. The Snúður (cinnamon rolls) were heaven in carbs - light, delicate, sweet, and spicy. They were everything you could ever want in a cinnamon roll, and so much more. We also picked up a loaf of their Einkorn bread for lunches on the road, ham and cheese twist breads, and baked breakfast sandwiches. It was a perfect bounty to set our day off on the right foot.

There's something special about starting a big adventure day with exceptional local food. It grounds you in the culture while giving you the energy for what's ahead.

The Ring Road Reveals Itself

Moving east away from the city, we began to get a true sense of our ring road journey. The buildings grew more sparse, the ruggedness of the land beginning to take dramatic shape around us. We saw our first natural volcanic thermal vents dotting the surrounding hills and cliffs, passed through towns of all sizes, and watched the coastline ebb and flow against the plains-like grass farmlands.

The sheep wander everywhere here, and they and the Icelandic miniature horses come in all sorts of wonderful colors and patterns. Every photographer knows that feeling when you're driving and constantly wanting to pull over for "just one more shot" - that was the entire morning.

Waterfalls: The First Taste of Iceland's Liquid Gold

Just past the town of Hvolsvöllur, we came to our first major waterfalls: Gljúfrabúi and Seljalandsfoss. These two gorgeous natural landmarks marked the first of what would be a day full of falling water. Each step along the path showed us new ways in which Iceland's reputation for magnificent waterfalls was actually an understatement.

The reality is that the abundance of water, lush moss, bright wildflowers, and rugged rocks is second to none. From this point forward, everywhere we looked we could spot yet another of these remarkable beauties cascading down cliff faces. It's like nature decided to show off.

Approaching the Ice Kingdom

As we grew closer to our expedition point, the excitement and anticipation of the glacial adventure grew exponentially. After about two and a half hours of traveling from Reykjavik, we reached Vík í Mýrdal. This little seaside village sits in the shadow of Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which looms over the coast of southern Iceland like a super moon rising from the horizon.

You feel as though you're in a twisting valley, with black sand beaches to your right and a kingdom of ice to your left. The scale is almost incomprehensible until you're standing there.

Inside a Volcanic Glacier

We checked in with our adventure guide, hopped on a massive, off-road-ready van with about 10 other visitors, and made our way toward the ice cave nestled inside Mýrdalsjökull. Thirty-five minutes of rugged, bumpy, black sand F-roads carved through a volcanic valley and between extraordinary peaks brought us to our destination.

If you've never experienced a volcanic glacier before, you should really add it to your bucket list. While much of Iceland is rugged pumice covered in pale to deep green moss, Mýrdalsjökull is like stepping onto a frozen alien planet, where shards of crystal are mixed between deep black onyx stones and sand.

At first, you think the mountain is made of black stone, but then you realize - the mountain is made of ice, simply intermixed and covered with ground-down volcanic pumice, carved into valleys and fissures by melting, frigid torrents of glacial waters.

The Ice Cave Experience

Crampons on, we made our way across this striking landscape, working through the ice and stone to our destination. Our guide shared the lore of the mountains and the realities of volcanic eruptions as they react to glacial ice. We learned how the ice is made - not simply by freezing, but by days, years, and centuries of snowmelt compacting under pressure into crystal clear ice marked only by air bubbles of atmosphere trapped in each layer.

Ice caves are formed by little cracks in the larger mass of ice, which, with time, wind, and glacial melt, form caves large enough to explore before they ultimately collapse. The entrance to our cave was roughly 15-20 feet tall and extended back about 50 feet into the glacier. With portable lighting inside to guide us, we could see back hundreds, if not thousands of years of history trapped in the bubbles of ice.

Photography in Extremes

Taking pictures in this environment was an adventure in shooting everything while avoiding the frigid glacial raindrops wanting to dot the glass of my lenses, all while avoiding slipping on the ice or into one of the ice rivers. Despite the challenges, I was able to capture some incredible photographs, marked by the drastic contrast of green, black, and white.

I'm pretty sure I fired off at least 500 shots in just two and a half hours. When you're in an environment this extraordinary, restraint isn't really an option.

Refueling at Smiðjan Brugghús

Finally, it was time to make our way back to Vík and continue with our day. But first, lunch at Smiðjan Brugghús - a local brewery and gastropub that served incredible lamb burgers and locally inspired craft brews. I definitely recommend stopping by this spot if you're ever in the area. There's something perfect about warming up with local food and beer after spending hours inside a glacier.

Puffin Paradise at Dyrhólaey

Continuing our adventure, we headed over to Dyrhólaey to see several historical landmarks, rugged coastline, black sand beaches, and - best of all - PUFFINS! It was a photographer's playground, capturing the nesting birds of all varieties, the crashing waves against pillars of stone, and fields of green with the glacier looming in the background.

It was a special experience to be so up close and personal with puffins in their nesting habitat. Getting to spend time with these iconic birds, photographing them, and enjoying their pace of life - it was a dream come true. The way they waddle around the cliff edges, seemingly unbothered by the dramatic drops below, perfectly embodies Iceland's relationship with its wild landscape.

Once again, Iceland, you continue to amaze in every way possible.

Another World at Hjörleifshöfði

From Dyrhólaey, we made our way to Hjörleifshöfði, also known as Viking Park, to wander along the endless black sands, explore the depths of Gígjagjá cave, and sit on the stones that rise above the sand like islands in a flat sea.

It was like walking around on another planet - black level sands as far as the eye could see, abruptly capped on one end by sudden cliffs jutting high above the "waters." It was a surreal experience to be in a place so majestic, and to be the only people for kilometers. It seems the secret to Iceland is to drive the F-roads out to hidden spaces and you'll find the solitude you're seeking.

The Perfect Campsite

By the time we started our drive to our cabin for the night, it was about 21:00 (and still light out, of course). We made the trek to our campsite cabin at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, reveling in the sea of moss-covered lava fields, glacial flows, and striking cliffs dotted with waterfalls.

Our cabin was at the most serene and picturesque campground you could imagine. At the base of a cliff and next to several waterfalls, in a field of lush grass with Icelandic children playing yard games with their families - this was the ideal space to wrap up Day 3.

Midnight Sun Photography

Though with the midnight sun, one always feels compelled to keep the adventure going. And so, we made one last trek out to a nearby waterfall - Foss á Síðu.

With our tripods in hand, my partner and I set out to capture the waterfall as any good photographer should - with long exposures and patience. We embraced the light rain and mist, capturing beautiful midnight sun-lit cliff faces and flora. There's something magical about photographing waterfalls at what should be bedtime, with golden light still streaming across the landscape.

Reflections on Fire and Ice

As I write this from our cozy cabin, listening to the distant sound of cascading water, I'm struck by how Day 3 perfectly encapsulated Iceland's nickname as the Land of Fire and Ice. From the volcanic glacier to the black sand beaches, from the ice caves to the thermal vents, every moment revealed another layer of this country's geological story.

The contrast between the frigid ice cave in the morning and the warm midnight sun photography session tonight feels like a metaphor for Iceland itself - a land of extremes that somehow creates perfect harmony.

Tomorrow brings more adventures in southeast Iceland as we make the long journey to Neskaupstadur, traveling by coastlines, more glacial highlands, eastern fjords, hiking to waterfalls, and traversing the lava fields.

Tomorrow: Into the Eastern Fjords and beyond. Follow along as this ring road adventure continues to unfold.

Equipment Used Today: Nikon Z7II with 24-70mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.8, and tripod for long exposures
Weather: Cool and misty, perfect for dramatic photography
Mood: Exhilarated and slightly overwhelmed by the variety of landscapes

What's been your most memorable encounter with wildlife while traveling? Share your puffin stories (or other animal encounters) in the comments below!