Things to see: Reynisfjara shore

The world-famous Reynisfjara shore, near the village Vik in Myrdalur on Iceland's South Coast, is widely regarded as the most impressive black-sand beach in Iceland. It has been nominated as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.

Reynisfjara is a black pebble beach and features an amazing cliff of regular basalt columns resembling a rocky step pyramid, which is called Gardar. Out in the sea are the spectacularly shaped basalt sea stacks: Reynisdrangar.

The waves at Reynisfjara can be ferocious and have proven to be lethal in the past. The waves can sweep in at a moments notice and their force is especially strong, so people are advised to take extra care when visiting the area.

This suggestive beach swept by such fierce waves and covered in black sand has fed numerous myths around it; according to folklore, two trolls attempted to drag a ship to land but were turned to stone as daylight broke, turning them into the Reynisdrangar stacks, clearly visible from the beach.

Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by the two trolls, frozen at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara.

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