5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Vik (Vík í Mýrdal)

Vik

Vik is a great spot to start your journey in the wild and unusual Icelandic world. One of its parts is warning signs of possible eruptions of volcanoes and sandstorms in the Myrdalssandur wasteland such as the one standing at the exit of the village on the east side. Going further it’s even more interesting!

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Vik

Its name is indeed Vík í Mýrdal which means valley of swamp valleys. Vik is one of many Icelandic towns scattered in a narrow strip along the coast of the island. The city on its own is rather small and have only few hundreds of inhabitants. That however doesn’t make any change and that is the place you should definitely visit and stay a bit longer!

Here I’m going to give you 5 reasons why you should visit Vik (Vík í Mýrdal).

  1. Puffins, yes I mean it!

Who doesn’t love them? Everyone obviously. When you are in Iceland you need to see them, it’s a must. As I mentioned before, town of Vik is small and it’s rather a starting point for nearby attractions. There are plenty of great places around Vik. The first, most recognizable of them are high cliffs of several dozen meters. You can reach it by narrow, dirt road by few minutes’ walk. These steep rock walls are inhabited by puffins. These charming colorful beak birds that are one of the island’s business card! But do not worry if you can’t find any! Just move few kilometers west from here to Dyrholaey and you will be able to enjoy their company.

Vik

  1. Black Sand Beach

Please do not be sad if you were not able to catch any puffin. What will make your day is the black sand see which is another reason to visit Vik. If the weather is in favor, the cliffs offer magnificent views of the surrounding area and in particular this famous black beach. This part of the coast is built of crushed volcanic rock. It has been attracting photographers all over the world for many many years. The massive polygonal basalt columns seem to be supporting the cliffs. Vik lie at the foot of a large glacier which in turn covers its frozen cover of the Katla volcano. When the hot lava flowed into the icy ocean, the temperature difference made it crackle on billions of tiny bits, resulting in black sand.

  1. Katla

Oh yes, that is the one which paralyzed flights in 2010 indeed! The volcano lies under the Mýrdalsjökull glacier. Its dimensions are 10 x 14 km and since the first settlers, there’s been 17 eruptions noted. The last one had place in 1918.

  1. Mýrdalsjökull

It’s the fourth largest glacier in Iceland. In Icelandic its name means glacier marsh valley. In the south-eastern part of the glacier is an active Katla volcano. There is also a lake under the glacier with the river Jokulsa smelling of hydrogen sulfide. It is commonly called the smelly stream.

Vik

5 Reasons Why You Should Visit Vik (Vík í Mýrdal)

  1. Reynisdragar

Reynisdragar is one of the Vik marks. At the foot of the cliff of the sea, four huge, sharp-pointed rocks emerge. As legend goes, it is a troll who is drawn by three-masted ship that has been converted into stone by the rays of the rising sun. Please be careful as it might be a bit risky due to falling rocks and steep slopes. However, the views are breathtaking!

Those are just 5 reasons to visit Vik town but there are many places of interest in the area of Vik. This place and its natural beauty is spectacular.  This is a perfect place to visit for travelers who wish to enjoy the best of the country’s environment

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