Six Days in Iceland,
The Land of Fire and Ice
In July, one of my college besties and I were itching for an adventure when we realized that we both had some vacation time and money in savings. In four weeks, we booked our tickets, planned our trip, and set off for an unforgettable adventure. Many have asked for details, so here we go. Enjoy!
Planning the Trip
1. We created a Google Doc on Drive where we brainstormed, shared ideas from friends, saved confirmation numbers, kept a record of spending, and mapped out the week. This was incredibly efficient (especially since we had such little time to plan!), and it became our itinerary while we were there, too.
2. We found the most affordable flights through Google Flights. It was a somewhat random Delta/KLM combination, flying from DC to Minneapolis to Reykjavik. I have a couple of friends that recently found cheap flights through WOW Air. Scott's Cheap Flights recently shared a deal, too. Also check Kayak, and if you're planning in advance, set up an alert.
3. We booked hotels through Booking.com. Easy, cheapest, reliable. Never had any issues.
4. Knowing that I would be taking thousands of photos, we set up a Shared iCloud Photo Album while we were waiting to board our flight in DC. We diligently updated it every day when we had time in the car. Note that you can't save videos from shared iPhone albums; when I inquired about why, Apple did not have an explanation. Learn more about how I take photos on my iPhone here.
5. I wish I had the foresight to get a credit card that does not have international exchange rate fees. I've heard the best reviews about the CapitalOne Venture card and the Chase Sapphire card. Related: Do you have tips for using credit card points to travel? I'd love to hear them!
Getting around Iceland
We road tripped our way through Iceland and rented our car from Cars Iceland. Definitely get the extra insurance to protect against sand/gravel/ash. We also rented a wifi box from them. The backseat of the car became a closet for our layers and hiking boots and a pantry for our snacks. Gas is expensive, but our car was super fuel efficient. We had free breakfast at each hotel, and after stocking up on groceries at a grocery story in Reykjavik, we snacked our way through most days and then went out for dinner. Food is expensive in Iceland so this made it doable!
Day 1: Reykjavik
We dropped our bags off at the hotel, Reykjavik Lights Hotel, and hit the ground running. First stop: a hotdog at the famous Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur. The line reminded me of Magnolia Bakery in NYC... but for hot dogs! Lots of fun exploring and walking around. Pretty old houses and buildings, lots of street art. The Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran church is beautiful. We paid to see the capital from the tower, and the views didn't disappoint. Stopped for an afternoon coffee at Babalú and had a hilarious experience trying to get cash out of an ATM. We bought some cute souvenirs to bring back to family and friends! Save your receipts for anything over 6,000ISK to get tax credits back; more on that here. We grabbed dinner at the Messinn downtown--lobster soup, salad, and champagne!--my favorite dinner spot of the entire trip. Then it was off to the Blue Lagoon, a man-made geothermal spa. The Blue Lagoon gets a lot of hype, and it was cool, but it was definitely the most touristy and crowded thing we did. It is enjoyable for sure, but FYI it's not as luxurious and spa-like as social media makes it out to be.
Day 2: The Golden Circle
Free breakfast at the hotel, then off to fuel up at the grocery store and gas station. Had a hilarious encounter getting gas until a kind Icelandic man saved the day. We took our time exploring and enjoying the Golden Circle since they days are so long at this time of year. Our first stop was Þingvellir, a national park. Beautiful rivers, summer home of a former prime minister of Iceland, church, and cemetery with famous poets. It was a nice 45-minute hike and then we were back in our car and on Highway 2 for the geysir. Stopped for lunch at the lodge cafe at the geysir (pizza & a Goss beer!). Our next stop was the Gulfoss waterfall. Double rainbows! Lastly, we explored the Kerid crater lake. The sky on our drive was incredible and changed every 30 seconds, at multiple points so beautiful that we stopped the car in the middle the road to take photos while blasting TLC and BSB. We arrived late to the River Hotel, an angler's lodge, and enjoyed a dinner of true champions: wine, bar mix, and Doritos. This was my favorite hotel of the trip. We made ourselves at home and kept it weird.
Day 3: Westmannaeyjar Islands
We took an early ferry from Landeyjahöfn to the islands. Upon our arrival, we dropped our stuff off at the Hotel Islands. Our first was to the Saeheimar aquarium to meet Toti, a famous rescue puffin. Upon our arrival, we learned that you can no longer hold him, but we talked our way into having him sit on our shoulders. Had I known this, I would have skipped it and saved $12. We then hiked the Eldfell volcano. Breathtaking 360* views on top! Brought our car's cifi box and managed to FaceTime a friend back home before my phone died -- technology can be so cool sometimes. We accidentally made our own trail on the way back down. Then it was time for the Ribsafari boat tour. Amazing! Sea caves, puffins, crazy rocks, a downpour and sunshine. We danced our way through the boat tour and had a blast. Our guide was from Iceland but went to school in NC and called us "Chapel Hill." Low key night as the town felt a bit like a ghost town. Book ferry tickets early--had it not been sold out, we could have just done a day trip and taken the last ferry back.
Day 4: To Vik
We took the ferry back to the mainland and meandered our way east with no hurry. Seljalandfoss waterfall. Lots of wild horses, farms, sheep, open skies. Next up was the Reynisfjara black sand beach and dyrhólaey (peninsula). Incredible views. Sea cliffs had basalt columns. We made sure to time our arrival with low tide so that we could go inside the sea caves. We then explored the Skogavoss waterfall. Crazy mist and another double rainbow. Stayed at the lovely Farmhouse lodge outside of Vik - looks are deceiving! We enjoyed a yummy pizza dinner (are you sensing a theme yet?) at Sudar Vik.
Day 5: Vatnajökull Glacier
As we left Vik, we stopped for gas and made a visit to the Icewear/Vik Wool store. Great Icelandic stuff! We then drove east for a couple of hours to catch our last adventure of the trip -- snowmobiling at Europe's largest glacier with the Glacier Jeeps Company! The drive continued to have amazing views. We met our driver at the junction and then went on a 30-minute drive to the top of the mountain to access the glacier. You can drive on this junction, but I wouldn't advise it--we needed the huge SUV and someone who know how to drive the gravel road to get there. As we drove up the mountain, we learned that the glacier has receded 5km since 1940!!! Global warming is real, y'all. The company provides big, puffy waterproof suits, gloves, and helmet, but I'd still recommend wearing two layers of pants and bringing ski goggles. The glacier was HUGE and unlike anything I've ever seen, and snowmobiling Europe's glacier was such an amazing adventure. 45mph on a glacier that went as far as the eye could see! Our guides stopped us a couple of times for beautiful sights. Our second stop was 1120m high. This was by far our most expensive activity and worth every penny. Would do it again in a heart beat.
Day 6: Drive Back to the Airport
We had a five-hour drive from the eastern part of the island back to the airport on the western coast. We took advantage of the long days and drove through the night, stopping at a couple of spots along the way we may have missed along the way. We also kept our eyes peeled for the Northern Lights & sadly weren't able to see them on this trip. Guess we'll have to go back!
What to Pack
-Lots of layers! Two vests (including a puffy one), a fleece jacket
-North Face outer shell jacket -- that thing has been everywhere with me. I've had it since high school!
-I wore this scarf every day (& passed it off to a friend who left for Iceland two days after me!)
-Multiple hats (& I bought an Icelandic hat as my souvenir!)
-Yoga pants
-Long shirts and tank tops
-Long socks
-Hiking boots, sneakers, flip flops
-Bathing suit if you're going to the Blue Lagoon
-Eye mask
-Day pack (which also goes with me everywhere I go!)
-Water bottle
-Charging station
Below is a map of our travels for the week.
