The sand can be not only yellow or almost white, but also completely black.
Reynisfjara Beach is formed by absolutely black volcanic sand - an unforgettable sight.
How black sand forms
This Icelandic beach owes its black color to the nearby volcanoes. In the course of a large number of eruptions, a huge amount of lava poured onto the surface. This lava formed the entire island of Iceland. For thousands of years, sea waves have destroyed coastal lava rocks. And over time, some of the stones crumbled to the state of sand. And since the lava was black, the sand turned out to be black.
The black sand beach is not unique to Iceland. Such beaches can be found on our planet where volcanoes and the sea are close enough. There is black sand, for example, in Kamchatka and the Philippine Islands.
Iceland has many black sand beaches, but Reynisfjara Beach is one of the most easily accessible. In addition, there are many other attractions nearby. And for this reason, the black beaches near the Vik village are the most famous.
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| Reynisfjara Black Beach, Iceland |
What else is there near Reynisfjara beach
Troll fingers
In addition to the beach itself, there are also bizarre rocks. They are located several tens of meters from the coast.
These black basalt rocks are called Reynisdrangar or Troll's Fingers. According to legend, trolls lived here, and once they tried to steal a ship with sheep on board. They wanted to pull him out of the sea to the shore, they almost succeeded, but then the sun rose. And, as you know, trolls in the sun immediately turn to stone. They all jumped into the ocean, but one of the trolls did not have time to hide from the sunlight. His hand turned to stone and remained to rise above the water.
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| Reynisfjara Black Beach |
Reinisdrangar basalt columns
Not far from the parking lot, right on the beach, there is another very interesting place - hexagonal basalt columns. They look like a stack of huge pencils stuck in the ground.
These columns can also be found in several places in Iceland, but here they are the most spectacular and easily accessible.
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| Reynisdrangar Columns, Iceland |
Columns were also formed due to volcanic activity - during the solidification of lava. Upon cooling, the volume of the lava decreases slightly and therefore a solid piece cracks into separate fragments, often they are hexagonal in shape.
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| Reynisdrangar Columns, Iceland |
Cape and cliffs of Dirholaei
A few kilometers from Reinisdrangar is Cape Dirholaei with huge stone arches and bizarre rocks. It offers stunning views of the black beaches that stretch from both sides. Also, a huge number of birds nest on the coastal rocks, including puffins.
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| Black Beach in Iceland |
How to get to black beaches
As already mentioned, Reynisfjara Beach is located near the village of Vik, on the southern coast of Iceland. The ring road passes right here, so it will be difficult to miss this place.
Distance from Reykjavik is approximately 180 kilometers southeast.
GPS coordinates of the black beach of Reynisfjara: 63.404271, -19.049165.