Iceland 2016

Introduction:

Aim of this post:

• Provide tips and a general overview of a solo trip to Iceland with ideas I would have liked before visiting the country
• I will explain day by day which places I visited, how I liked them, how to reach them and so on giving tips and personnal comments

Initial tips:

• Rent a car. Tours are crazily expensive and most attractions are very easy to reach by car. Furthermore you gain flexibility as the country has limitless sightseeing spots
• No need for a 4x4 (unless you really want to go to the Highlands deep inside, where you need to drive through "F" roads, where only 4x4 are allowed to drive)
• Maximum speed in roads is 90km/h, so driving can be tiring but fines are apparently very high so take care!
• No need for tours (unless you have something in mind in particular, such as diving in Silfra, seeing whales in Akureyri, or walking into the glaciars in Skaftafell)
• I do not recommed visiting the Blue Lagoon (I did and I wasted 40€). Instead the country has plenty of lovely hot pots, many of which are even free. You can find them in this web http://hotpoticeland.com/
• The country is incredibly expensive. You can find several webs about how to travel around Iceland on a budget. I will detail a few recommendations, but there are many more depending on how far you want to go "saving"
• During the summer it is highly advisable to book hotels in advance. I was lucky to visit in October when it is not that crowded, but during high season prices are even crazier
• If you do not want to spend much, I met a few people who slept in the car some days instead of hotel/hostel. I did it once and also used couchsurfing two days, so you might want to explore alternatives
• Some supermarkets offer decent deals, such as "Bonus". I filled my car with food and did not spend much in restaurants
• You can pay almost absolutely everything with card 99℅
• There is free wi-fi is numerous spots around the country so no need for paid internet
• I recommend downloading the map of Iceland in google maps, which works for 30 days offline for GPS car directions since the moment you download it. It was very helpful (rented cars normally include GPS anyway)
• When to visit? No clear answer... summer offers more day light, even almost 24h some days, and better weather; however in winter you have the chance to see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) and beautiful snowed spots, but only a few hours with day light. I am glad I visited in October: break of dawn at 8am and sunset at around 6pm, chances to see aurora borealis, not high season thus prices were not that high, and driving was safe 
• For the aurora borealis "chasers", there is a very nice web which gives you probability of seeing them depending on your location and time http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/. Basically, select the night time on the day you want, where the map is white means no clouds to "hide" them, and you can see the estimated probability to see them. I will explain my experience in Akureiry
• How many days to visit? I would recommend a minimum of 4-5 days to see quite a few places, but if you have the chance, around 10 days would be nicer
• Clothes: no matter the season, take with you warm clothes (specially in winter obviously) and swimming costume for the hot pots
• Tap water or even water from waterfalls is great, no need to buy water at all

Places visited:

• 10th: Reykjavik,Blue lagoon
• 11th: Glymur,Hraunfossar, Grabrok
• 12th: Eldborg crater, Gerduber cliffs, Olkelda mineral spring, Ytri tunga beach, Arnarstapi & Gatklettur, Holaholar crater,Skardsvik beach, Kirkjufell, Stykkisholmur
• 13th: Hvitserkur, Akureiry 
• 14th: Godafoss, Hverjfall, Krafla, Dettifoss & Selfoss
• 15th: Hoffell hot pot, Jokulsarlon, Diamond beach
• 16th: Skaftafell (Svartifoss, Kristinartindar), Vik
• 17th: Dyrholaey & Black sand beach, Skogafoss, Seljavallalaug hot pot, Seljalandsfoss, Gullfoss, Strokkur Geysir
• 18th: Bruarfoss, Thingvellir National Park, Reykjavik

Trip in detail:

Arrival in Reykjavik:

• I arrived 10th of October 2016 at 11am in the morning and I had booked a car for the whole journey (http://www.faircar.is/) for around €280 including insurance
• I went directly to Reykjavik (45 minutes driving), the capital, where two thirds of the population live out of less than 350,000 inhabitants, just on time for a free walking tour of the city
• It is the only "guided" activity I did in the whole trip, you give a tip you want at the end of the 2 hours tour and I highly recommend it at the beginning of your journey becuase it gives you some overview of the country and good tips
• Apart from that, Reykjavik is basically the only city in Iceland with nightlife, mainly in weekends
• Here you can see how Reykjavik looks like and a few famous spots:

Blue lagoon:

• I consider visiting the Blue lagoon, 40 minutes south from Reykjavik and very near the international airport, the biggest mistake in my trip
• I had previously booked my ticket for the Blue lagoon that very day on the afternoon as it is compulsory to buy it at least one day before going
• The cheapest ticket is 40€ and only includes entrance to the lagoon and a silica mud mask while are in the lagoon 
  
• Why I regret visiting the Blue lagoon? After visiting Iceland I have realized it is a tourists trap with an outrageous price and there are so many alternatives across the country to enjoy natural hot pots, much more aligned with a local experience
• You can check them out in this web http://hotpoticeland.com/

Second day:

• Early morning I started going north, and first stop was Glymur, 1 hour away
• Places visited: Glymur,Hraunfossar, Grabrok
  

Glymur:

• Glymur, a waterfall of almost 200m, was one of the most impressive places I saw in this trip

• However, reaching the top part of the waterfall takes time and you need around 3 hours for the whole roundtrip trekking
• The walk is not clearly signaled all the time and I think this is one of the amazing things in Iceland: that freedom, wildness, etc. 
• You can park the car where google maps leads you after typing Glymur, and then you start walking straight till you see the river. Then, just walk towards the river, either by the left or right side
• I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOING TO GLYMUR

Hraunfossar:

• Next stop was Hraunfossar, another waterfall but much smaller, 1 hour far from Glymur
• You can park less than 5 minutes walking from the viewpoints
• It was a cute area but not that impressive compared to other amazing waterfalls you can see throughout Iceland
• I would not prioritize this place but rather only go if it is on your way
  
  
  
  

Grabrok:

• It is an area with a series of small vulcanos that you can visit till the top, parking at the base of the vulcano and walking 15 minutes through some stairs
• I spent the night in this area and visiting Grabrok vulcano was a pleasant surpirse that was not even in my initial plan
  
  
  
  
  

Third day:

• Next day was rainy, windy and very cold. I had booked a hostel in Stykkisholmur so I decided to travel around the Snaefellsnes peninsula
• Places visited: Eldborg crater, Gerduber cliffs, Olkelda mineral spring, Ytri tunga beach, Arnarstapi & Gatklettur, Holaholar crater,Skardsvik beach, Kirkjufell, Stykkisholmur
  

Eldborg crater:

• To visit Eldborg crater you need to park near Snorrastadir Farm Holidays, and very near you can see sign

• The trekking takes less than 1 hour each way and you follow a path to reach the crater

Gerduber cliffs:

• Continuing the journey you can visit Gerduber cliffs, some geometric basalt columns where you can simply park the car and walk around
• Nothing impressive here in my opinion (the picture does not help i know!)
  
  

Olkelda mineral spring: 

• Nearby there is a mineral spring with carbonated water which apparently is very healthy
• I really disliked the taste, similar to sparkling water, but it was curious to see  
  
  

Ytri tunga beach:

• Apparently you can see two kind of seals in this beach but the weather was quite bad and I did not see any

Arnarstapi & Gatklettur:

• There are several areas to park and different paths to follow next to the sea 
• This area is wild, you can feel the strenght of the sea water and it is quite nice to walk around

Holaholar crater:

• Continuing around the Snaefellsnes I went to Holaholar crater
• A few km before, you can visit Vatnshellir lava cave in a guided tour of 1 hour. I did not go but can be interesting
• In Holaholar you can literally park your car inside the crater

Skardsvik beach:

• A cute beach on the way

Kirkjufell:

• Views of a nice mountain on the way to Stykkisholmur
• There are many waterfalls on the way
  

Stykkisholmur:

• I spent the night in Stykkisholmur, a cute town with a relevant port in the area and a cute lighthouse
  

  

  
  

  

Fourth day:

• Next morning I drove around 5 hours to reach Akureiry, where a couchsurfer was hosting me that night and where a lovely surprise arose: the Northern Lights
• Places visited: Hvitserkur, Akureiry
  

Hvitserkur:

• It is a popular place in the north of the country: a rock formation in the sea, very close to the shore
• Not exactly on my way but close enough to divert for a bit
• There are many myths, tales or stories about this areas... elfs, vikings, love...

Akureiry:

• Fourth largest city in Iceland with only 18,000 inhabitants
• I did not see anything impressive in the town itself, but there were nice views to snowed mountains 
  

• I took this day very easy, having a look at sport facilities nearby and walking around

• That night I was hosted by a guy in couchsurfing (thanks Jonas) as well as a girl from the UK, and that very night we had one of the best experiences in the whole trip: we got to see the Northern Lights or aurora borealis 
• As I said in the introduction of this blog, in this web http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/ you can select the time of the day you want and check the estimated probability to see the Northern Lights. That day probability was high, 6 out of 9, so we drove a bit far from the city to avoid lights and around 10 pm we started seeing some
• Basically you need darkness, absence of clouds and moon if possible and a bit of luck
• There was full moon so the views were not that amazing as they could have been
• Important note: phone cameras do not capture decent aurora borealis pictures!
• Nevertheless, thanks to Jonas' camera we have these beautiful pictures as a great memory from this day:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Fifth day:

• Places visited: Godafoss, Hverjfall, Krafla, Dettifoss & Selfoss, Egilsstadir

Godafoss:

• Beautiful waterfall not to be missed
• You can park at any side of the waterfall and walk for a very short time 

Hverjfall:

• After driving through Myvatn lake you can find Hverjfall vulcano 
• You can park at the base and go till the top of the vulcano walking 15 minutes 
• Also, you can even walk  around the vulcano and have nice views of Myvatn lake
  
  
  
  

Krafla:

• Just diverting slightly to the north, there is a huge caldera with different peaks and craters, beautiful to see and walk around
• You can park nearby and there are many paths in the area

• On the way to Krafla I had a great surprise: an outdoor shower with hot water which I could not help but trying

Dettifoss & Selfoss:

• Again diverting a bit from the main road, around 20 minutes by car, you can visit Dettifoss & Selfoss waterfalls, which I strongly recommend
• You can access them through roads 862 or 864, being the views from the left or right side 
• Then, you can follow different paths on top of the waterfalls. In only 15 minutes you can have some nice views, but you can also trek around for hours and have a picnin nearby
• I took road 862 and here you are some photos:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Egilsstadir:

• Late afternoon I continued my trip towards Egilsstadir
• Hostels were indecently expensive in the villages around, over €50 for a mattress sharing a room with 8 people, so I decided to spend the night in the car and stop at different places on my way trying to see more Northern lights
• Also in the way, near a hostel, I saw a little hut where 5 Japanese guys were lighting a fire and I joined them: good memories
  

• I was delighted to know that they were also sleeping in the car several days. I met more people doing the same. Iceland is one of the most expensive places I have ever been to

Sixth day:

• Places visited: Hoffell hot pot, Jokulsarlon, Diamond beach
  

Hoffell hot pot:

• This hot pot has a few small pools with hot water and from some of them you have views to a glacier 
• Another delight of Iceland that I recommend, if nor this hot pot, any other (http://hotpoticeland.com/)
• It costs ISK500 (€4) that you should put in a box (nobody is there to check)

Jokulsarlon:

• A large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, one of the most beautiful places I visited
• There is a bridge crossing the lake and you can park at any side at just walk around   

Diamond beach:

• Next to Jokulsarlon, you can walk around Diamond beach
• Amazing views of a black beach with huge pieces of ice
• Highly recommended as well

•  That night I went back to the village of Höfn, where the hostel was much cheaper

Seventh day:

• This day I aimed at doing a  proper trekking in Skaftafell National Park
• Places visited: Skaftafell (Svartifoss, Kristinartindar), Vik
  
  

Skaftafell:

• This huge national park has several parking areas and offers plenty of trekking options
• Also you can go for a walk into the glaciers, but only in guided tours which as you can imagine have a high price (you can hire different tours directly in the parking area, or of course through different online agencies)
• My trekking took around 6-7 hours and I got to see several waterfalls such as Svartifoss, several glaciers and Kristinartindar, the peak exceeding 1,000 m high 
• There are easy trekkings of just 1-2 hours so no need to go that far if you do not fancy the idea

Vik:

• I spent the night in Vik, a cute little town
  

Eighth day:

• Places visited: Dyrholaey & Black sand beach, Skogafoss, Seljavallalaug hot pot, Seljalandsfoss, Gullfoss, Strokkur Geysir, Laugarvatn
  

Dyrholaey & Black sand beach:

• Next to Vik you can find Dyrholaey, a large black arch of lava standing in the sea

• In this area there are apparently up to 14 species of birds. I could not distinguish them but I could see plenty of them constantly flying around

Black sand beach:

• Besides, from Dyrholaey viewpoint you can see black sand beach

Skogafoss:

• Next stop was Skogafoss waterfall
• You can park next to it and there are some stairs to go to the top of the waterfall

Seljavallalaug hot pot:

• This hot pot in the middle of a valley was another great experience in Iceland 
• Reaching Seljavallalaug is a bit tricky: you need to take road 242 and continue by the ramification till the green circle you can see in the following photo where you can park
  
  

• Then you need to walk 10-15 minutes and you reach this beautiful natural swimming pool, strongly recommended
• There is a tip box if you want to give any help for its maintenance but entrance is free

Seljalandsfoss:

• Another nice waterfull on the way in road 1

• Next to it there is also Gljufrabui waterfall

 

Gullfoss:

• Next stop was Gullfoss waterfall, inside the known as Golden circle of Iceland, the most visited part in Iceland, probably due to its proximity to Reykjavik
• You can park nearby and find the waterfall in 10 minutes
• There are two stages on this waterfall and apparently the water goes down with a huge strenght

Strokkur Geysir:

• Last visit that day was the most famous geyser in Iceland
• The area has many geysers, being the most popular Strokkur, were water can go several metres up 

• That night I slept in a hostel in Laugarvatn, with views to the lake with the same name
  

Ninth day:

• I took last day very easy, with two short visits and visiting Reykjavik again
• Places visited: Bruarfoss, Thingvellir National Park, Reykjavik

Bruarfoss:

• One of the smallest but very nice and recommended waterfall in Iceland
• It is not very well signaled but you can type Bruarfoss in google maps, park as near as possible, and find your way by foot 10-15 minutes
• I did not park in a proper place and had to jump a little fence, but finding the waterfall is very easy
• Apart from the nice light blue colour, almost nobody comes here so is a special spot
• This bridge on the way might help

Thingvellir National Park:

• The park is huge so I am sure there are many spots to visit but honestly I did not see much here
• Anyway, inside the park, in Silfra, you can dive in the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Apparently the water is very clear and it is very well advertised as "diving between 2 continents". However, the price of €350 prevented me from doing this activity
• You need to park in some places in this Thingvellir National Park. I had a warning in my car and I am still praying not to receive a fine, so take care! 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

End of the trip:

• That day I went back to Reykjavik and another couchsurfer hosted me (thanks Manu)
• Early morning next day I went to the airport

Conclusion:

Places & experiences I recommend the most:

• Glymur waterfall
• Northern lights 
• Dettifoss waterfall
• Hot pots
• Jokulsarlon & diamond beach
• Gullfoss
• Strokkur Geyser
• Bruarfoss waterfall

 Last few comments: 

• Iceland has been one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited for its wildness, freedom and sightseeing
• However, it is at the same time the most expensive country I have seen, so you really need to take care unless you do not care at all
• The initial tips at the beginning of this blog might be helpful
• I hope you like this blog and it helps if you visit Iceland
• Critiques, comments and tips are welcomed