BEST FOR… Drama, caves, trolls
WHY GO? It’s worth risking their wrath, though, to crunch along the pitch-pebbled shore, watching guillemots and fulmars wheel among the basalt columns, and to see waves crash against the offshore rocks – allegedly trolls creeping inland.
WHAT TO DO: This isn’t hidden – the Vik end of the beach, home to the best caves, is tourbus-tastic. But hit the south coast a little further west and you (or, better, your guide) can 4WD onto a seemingly endless expanse of empty ebony sand.
WHILE YOU’RE THERE: Take an ice-hike on Solheimajokull glacier. Walk behind the water at Seljalandsfoss.
GET THERE: Reynisfjara is 190km from Reykjavik. A daily bus connects Reykjavik and Vik.
