You'll have to excuse my photos here as they do not do this incredible beach justice. It was super cold and raining when we arrived and my camera lens kept fogging up, so I snapped what I could and called it a day.
I have never been to a black sand beach before, but when I heard there was one in Iceland, I wasn't leaving without seeing it in person. Reynisfjara was once ranked in the top 10 most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world, and once we arrived, despite the rain and cold, I could see why.
The black volcanic sands and pebbles give an overall moody vibe to the beach. The cliffs, sea stacks, caves and basalt columns add a bit of mystery and a lot of personality to the atmosphere as well.
We didn't venture too far down the beach, but we did hang out in the Hálsanefshellir sea cave for a bit and watched the waves roll across the Atlantic.
Reynisfjara is certainly not ideal for sunbathing and is actually quite a dangerous beach if one isn't careful. It is known for its deadly sneaker-waves, so one must always be on alert so they don't get caught up in the powerful waves and washed out to sea. Many have been rescued and three have drowned in the last 10 years.
Since Reynisfjara is located in the rainiest part of Iceland, the sand never truly dries out to its natural gray color, and that's why it always looks pitch black.
I learned from Louise's blog, Standing Into Danger, that Reynisfjara has been featured in several movies and television series, such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars. The incredible scenery is otherworldly, so I can see why it has made its way into such popular productions.
Reynisfjara is located on the southern tip of Iceland near the small fishing village of Vik. If you have travel plans for Iceland, don't drive by this little gem without stopping. You'll be glad you did!
Have you ever seen a black sand beach in person?
The fogging up factor actually gives the photoshoot a very nice eerie vibe. If I lived on an Atlantic coast I'd walk such places even during fog and rain, I imagine it cures lungs after two minutes. I'd buy the fanciest rubber boots of course, first.
ReplyDeleteOf course, one would definitely need fancy rubber boots for such walks!
DeleteIt looks like a place out of a fairytale! I'm so jealous! My husband and I wanted to go to Iceland on our honeymoon, but then the whole moving-to-the-other-side-of-the-world thing happened, and we didn't get to go unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteAh, but you did get to move to the other side of the world, which is an incredible adventure in itself ♥
DeleteThat looks amazing. I wouldn't have thought that the dark color was due to it being wet. I wanted to visit the black sand beach on Maui when we were there in 2016 but it was really out of the way and we didn't have time.
ReplyDeleteI would love to get to Maui some day. Anywhere in Hawaii is a dream of mine!
DeleteI have not, I forgot they existed.
ReplyDeleteI'm so dang sheltered, I didn't realize they existed at all until a few years ago.
DeleteThe black sand is so very cool. I've never seen that. Looks magical.
ReplyDeleteIt really did feel like a magical place!
Deleteyes, incredible sceneries....
ReplyDeleteI never see "black sand," I wish....
# Thank you for sharing story and views
That place is stunning!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
DeleteI need to visit.
ReplyDeleteI hope you do some day!
DeleteHow very interesting! The pictures do make it appear like the perfect setting for a Stephen King novel... but that's probably because the weather wasn't all that great. How many times did you have to reference the name of the beach to spell that correctly? I can't even begin to try and pronounce it. lol
ReplyDeleteGirl, you don't even know how hard it was to pronounce any of the places or streets in Iceland. It all sounded like a bunch of gibberish to me lol.
DeleteHow interesting and absolutely stunning photos! It certainly is very different than anything I've seen.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I think your photos look wonderful! I want to visit there so bad! I just wish it wasn't so expensive. I love the almost double pictures you captured. I've never seen black sand.
ReplyDeleteNot even going to begin to pretend that I can pronounce that. The setting does look familiar to Game of Thrones. But a moody beach that can kill you? One giant litterbox I think I'll just look at from your shots lol
ReplyDeleteIt does have an other-wordly vibe that is awesome. Your hand holding the sand really illustrates how dark it is, this is pretty cool. I've never seen a black sand beach in person.
ReplyDelete