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Back at the parking I warned some other hikers who were just starting the walk along the cliffs and then left, returned to the Ring road and headed south. About ten kilometres further south on the Ring Road the clouds causing dim and mostly grey light at Dyrholaey ended and for the first time I got an idea of how spectacular the landscape in this area really is.
The road now ran along the mostly vertical and often moss-covered precipices of the coastal mountains and waterfalls became a regular occurrence. One of the most popular waterfalls in Iceland is the Skogafoss. In retrospect I would count it just not making the top ten of Iceland´s most spectacular waterfalls but it is situated just aside of the ring Road and thus very easily accessible.
Tourist infrastructure is very much developed here, with a large parking, a campground, a café, some souvenir shops and a stair leading up the mountain flank to the upper part of the waterfall and the pulpit looming into the void in front of the waterfall. The surrounding landscape still is pristine but the area at the bottom of the waterfall was populated by a huge number of tourists. But despite the overcrowding, the waterfall still was a commanding natural wonder and when you condoned to get a little bit wet and advanced far enough to where the falling waters hit the river it was a fantastic experience. Huge amounts of waters were falling down in front of the vertical – and again moss covered – rock walls with a mighty thunder, throwing up thick mists which were blown into different directions inside the cavern and built the screen for numerous rainbows.
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