Black Sand Beach, Iceland

The fantastic black sand and pebble beach near the town of Vik I Myrdal, the southernmost settlement in Iceland. This sand originated from the basalt lava that covers much of the area. Because black sand isn’t routinely replenished like most beach sand when storms and tides wash the sand away, black sand beaches tend not to endure very long. The geology of Iceland is comparatively young -- it owes its existence to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that splits the island in half. Volcanoes along the ridge, such as Katla, erupt with some regularity continuing to add surface area and mass to the “land of ice and fire” and to augment the black sand beaches.

The black sand and pebble beach near the town of Vik i Myrdal, the southernmost settlement in Iceland.

Along the south coast of Iceland, with only about 300 residents, Vik I Myrdal still holds the title to be the biggest village in the southernmost part of Iceland. Just about 180 km away from Reykjavik. Tourists who go on a day tour usually make Vik their last stop-over before they head back to the city. A fair warning to all tourists is that walking for the next 70 km will not take you anywhere but close to endless shores. Hvolsvollur is about 80 km going north from Vik so the only service center you can most likely find is the ones in Vik. [First Image credit alessio -]

Image credit Jules

Reynishverfi and since it is famous because of its black sand and basalt sea stack, tour guides are more willing to take you 10 km just before you hit Vik proper. That is where the black beach with 68m high boulders can be found. Reynisdragar on the western side of the 340m high Reynisfjall. Vik proper is located on its eastern side. The American journal of Islands Magazine counted the black sand beach of Vik in 1991, Iceland as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches on Earth.