Several people have asked me for recommendations on things to do and see in Iceland. I've answered them each in turn, but I thought I might as well write down a comprehensive post and link to it. Well, here we are, 7500 words after that thought.
If you’re
reading this because you’re actually planning to travel to Iceland, all I can say is: lucky you!
The
easiest way to move around in Iceland is
definitely by car. Public transport exists, but it's expensive and very
infrequent outside of the capital area. Public transport in the capital area is
actually quite good, with buses going almost anywhere and the price being 350kr
(about 2.5US$, as of June ‘15) and there's a 90-minute transfer. All info
on buses, local and intercity, can be found here: http://www.straeto.is/english/plan-your-journey/schedules-and-maps. Make sure you’re checking the appropriate schedule, as
there’s a lot of variation between summer and winter.
If you
are planning to rent a car, keep in mind that rental prices in Iceland are higher
than anywhere else I’ve seen. In high season, because there are so many
tourists (and the number is growing every year), the amount of rental cars isn’t
keeping up and prices soar. Some people told me that they were paying 100EU a
day for a small compact car. I’ve heard of a couple of cheaper options, like
Sadcars and Cheapjeeps, and there's probably more. But if you’re gonna be
traveling in Iceland in high season, mostly mid-June to mid-August, it’s probably
a good idea to research and reserve in advance. Another good option is to try
and find travel partners. After all, everything divided by 4 or 5 will be quite
a bit cheaper. Many people use two Couchsurfing groups to find people to share
trips, rentals, a beer in Reykjavik, or whatever:
You
should consider renting a camper van – there are some smaller and cheaper ones
that are not bad at all, and while rental expenses will be higher, you will not
have to worry about accommodation. Another dilemma is whether to rent a 4X4 or
not. There are many places where it will come in very handy, especially if
you’re planning to go on mountain roads. In fact, rental agencies strictly
prohibit driving on mountain roads (the ones marked with an F before the
number) unless it’s a 4X4. And even if they allowed it, you probably don’t want
to get stuck in the middle of the Icelandic highlands. But obviously 4X4s are more
expensive. Most people who want a cheaper 4X4 option rent the small Suzuki
jeeps – I would say the most common jeeps on the roads in Iceland are Suzukis.
Hitchhiking
works pretty well, especially in high tourist season (June-August or so), and
especially on the ring road and other main roads. Once you get onto unpaved
roads you’re in for an adventure, and trying to hitch on mountain roads should
only be done by the very patient, with good equipment and enough supplies to be
able to weather a storm and eat and stay hydrated for a couple of days if
you’re not picked up. Do your homework, do research, and don’t put yourself in physical
danger for no reason. Having information in advance is a also good way to avoid frustration,
boredom and failure. Having said that, I have done it, so it must be possible.
Check out http://hitchwiki.org/en/Iceland for some good info.
As for
places to stay, since there are so few big towns in Iceland (1000 residents is
big by Icelandic standards), outside of Reykjavik and Akureyri options will
often be pretty limited. A lot of the hotels, guest farms and hostels are quite
nice, but also pretty expensive. It’s common for the same room to have
different accommodation options: sleeping bag accommodation (meaning no sheets,
blankets or covers on the bed), getting the sheets and covers but making the
bed yourself, and having a pre-made bed. If you’re traveling in high season a
lot of beds get booked months in advance. In short, my recommendation is to
have a tent ready just in case. And if you must have a bed, make your plans in
advance. Outside of mid-June to mid-August there shouldn’t be much problem,
though, and a lot of places lower their prices as well.
My
personal preference for sleeping arrangements would be camping. There are
campgrounds literally everywhere, both in towns and outside of them, and they will
very rarely run out of room. Many farms have them, some towns have free ones,
and if you really can’t find any then you can always wild camp. If you’re
within a fenced off area or there’s a house nearby it’s always better to ask
for permission. And of course don’t forget to get good warm sleeping gear. Campground
usually charge around 7-10EU, and it’s pretty common for them to charge extra for
wifi, hot showers and charging your camera or phone. In some campsites they'll have a kitchen with a gas stove for your use, but sometimes it's only for people staying in cabins and sometimes there is none. I would suggest bringing a small gas stove and a small pot to cook for yourself, you can save lots of money that way. At the very least, a container of some sort to store pre-cooked food can come in very handy.
If you
want to travel on a low budget in Iceland, your best bets would be hitchhiking,
wild-camping and buying food only in supermarkets (Bonus, the one with the pink
pig on yellow logo, is considered the cheapest). Doing that, I traveled for
less than 10EU a day for about 10 days. Another option is trying to find one of
the many farms and hostels on Workaway and HelpX. That way you’ll have
accommodation and food covered. Of course that means you'll have less time to travel around
and sightsee, but you can make up for it by staying longer in the country.
Weather
Expect
the unexpected. Weather in Iceland is fickle and often treacherous. And, let’s
face, it’s generally cold. Surprising, I know. Any month of the year
temperatures can (and will) get in the low teens or lower, strong biting winds
are common, and a day without any rain feels almost like a miracle. The good
news: a day without any sun is also quite unlikely. And you know what sun and
rain together create – rainbows! Tons of them, in angles you didn’t think were
possible, full ones, pot-of-gold ones, double ones, and more. I’ve had days
where I saw 8 different rainbows in a matter of 5-6 hours.
Always
remember the popular saying “if you don’t like the weather in Iceland, wait
five minutes”. Be prepared; always have rain gear and warm clothes ready, even
if it’s clear, sunny and a scorching-hot 20 degrees out there (all degrees
anywhere in my writings are always Celsius. I refuse to acknowledge the folly
that is Fahrenheit). Not much need for sunscreen, though.
Sometimes
the weather can get scary and dangerous, too. Ice and snow storms, really
strong winds, and blinding fog are not uncommon, and roads get icy and slippery
in a hurry. Make sure to check these websites and
keep yourself updated:
http://www.safetravel.is/ (general safety)
http://www.vegagerdin.is/english (road conditions - especially relevant in winter)
http://en.vedur.is/ (info about weather, floods, gas pollution from volcanic
eruptions and other hazards, and aurora forecasts).
Northern
Lights
A lot
of people go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. And for good reason! If
that’s your plan, avoid frustration by researching a bit first. First things
first: it has to be dark and at least part of the sky has to be clear to see
them, which rules out most of the high season as an option. The earliest there
is enough darkness to see the aurora is mid-August, and September is a much
better bet. The latest is probably around end of April. From my experience the
closer you are to midnight the better, but if they’re strong enough you’ll see
them as soon as it’s dark. Once I even saw them just after the sun had set and
twilight had barely started! And of course the longer you’re in the country,
the better chances you’ll have. Can’t really do much about it, it’s a natural
phenomenon, a matter of random chance and luck and statistics. I spent a month
and a half in Iceland in 2014, all of September and half of October, and saw
the Northern Lights well about 10 times.
You can
improve your chances by getting as far away from big light sources as possible.
That’s very easy in Iceland! If, for example, you wanna get out of the main
urban area of Reykjavik to be somewhere where it's darker, you can do that with
city buses. Probably your best bet would be number 27, that goes out of Mosfellsbær, the northernmost suburb of
Reykjavik. In any case, in my opinion you should definitely not bother with
Northern Lights tours – from what I’ve heard, they basically just drive you
somewhere where there's less light and hope for the best, and charge you a lot
for it. There will always be an easier and cheaper way to do it by yourself.
Culture
Icelandic
culture is fascinating and often surprising. Obviously I can’t presume to write
an overview of a country’s culture, but I will say that I never ceased to be
surprised by how you can find museums, art galleries or residences and festival
and cultural events in the smallest places imaginable. Icelanders are said to
be the most well-read people in the world, Icelandic music and cinema is
popular way beyond what would be expected from the size of the population, and
sometimes it seemed to me like every young Icelander is in a band (or three). Also,
the history about the settlement, the Viking way of life and mythology, the
forced Christianization, the ancient parliament, combined with the very
secluded and isolated way of life in harsh conditions, create fertile ground for
informational exploring. There are so many museums and visitor centers with
great information all over, you just have to reach out, be curious and spend some
time on it. One of the Icelandic sagas could make for an interesting - if
laborious – read while traveling in the country, or a book by Halldor Laxness,
the nobel literature laureate.
If you’re
in Iceland on the first weekend of August there’s a long weekend named “Merchant’s
Weekend” with lots of events, including, among other things, a big music festival
on the Westman Islands that’s supposed to be really good. If you’re there in September,
try and join a réttir, or sheep round-up. In many places in Iceland the sheep
are left to graze by themselves out in the highlands for the summer months, and
live with no human intervention for months. In September, they’re gathered up
by the farmers, and big réttir-s can include thousands, maybe tens of thousands
of sheep flowing down one valley. I can recommend the one at Fljótstunga, which
is the one I experienced, but they happen all over the country.
Places
Finally,
let's talk about places to go to. There are so many it’s hard to know where to start.
I’ll break this up into a few different trip options. And one of the great
things about Iceland is that you can just drive around without knowing
anything, and just go by road signs that mark places of interest. It’s a square
with four circles in its angles, what I like to call the Icelandic Flower. You
never know what you’re gonna get, a crater or a waterfall or a rock with a
story. It’s a nice, fun and flexible way to travel, especially if you like the
unexpected.
Now, it
might seem that I just made a list of all the places I visited in 4 months in
Iceland, but it’s actually not even half of it! Of course there are many more
places and sights anywhere you go, and you can't really go wrong anywhere in Iceland – I’m
tempted to call it inherently beautiful. These are just some suggestions from
the places I visited and impressed me the most. Any name or activity that I
wrote about here can be googled to find more info, or feel free to ask me in
the comments and I can expand on it.
I didn’t
write much about Reykjavik, Akureyri, or other towns. I feel this post is long
enough already…
The
Ring Road (At least one week)
One of
the first things you’ll hear about when planning a trip to Iceland is the Ring
Road. It’s route number 1, the main highway of the country, and mostly follows
the coast around the central highlands and a large part of the island, going
through or close to a lot of the main natural sights. Driving the whole ring
road from Reykjavik to Reykjavik is about 1300KM, so I would suggest having at
least a week to complete it. I’ve met people that did it in four days, and
heard of people that drove through the whole thing in 48 hours, but I would not
recommend that at all. There’s so much to see! Why hurry through it instead of
experiencing it and giving the places the time they deserve?
People
often discuss the clockwise or anti-clockwise dilemma. I don’t think it matters
too much, but it seems to me like there are more detour options outside of the
ring road on the western side, only a few hours from Reykjavik. So my personal
preference would be to do it anti-clockwise, to allow for more flexibility with
time. That way you’ll be in a better position to know if you can manage one or
more of the detours I mention below.
Some of
my favorite spots on the road:
- Hveragerði : This small town is full of thermal activity. The main
park of the town is actually a hot spring area, there’s a golf course where you
play golf surrounded by geothermal vapor, and a couple of kilometers north of
town there’s the hot river. True to its name, it’s a river that has several hot
springs flowing right into it. Right where you can leave your car there’s the
Hot River café, and just as you begin the hike there’s a small hot stream and a
tiny hot waterfall next to the main, cold stream. After this, you need to hike
for about an hour to get to the next hot water area. When you get there you’ll
know it, and then it’s just a matter of finding a good spot where the balance
of hot and cold water give you the uncommon feeling of hot flow. You can also
do a longer hike in the area between Hveragerði and Thingvallavatn Lake.
Other options in town include an art gallery, an earthquake museum, and buying Hverabrauð (hot spring bread), which is baked underground in thermally
active areas.
- Seljavallalaug:
There are many hot pools in Iceland, but not many of them can boast of having the
kind of natural setting that Seljavallalaug has. Located in the lower folds of
Eyjafjallajökull volcano (yeah, the famously unpronounceable one that wreaked
havoc on air travel for a few weeks in 2010), the pool is sheltered in a small
valley, and surrounded on 270 degrees by green-black hills, with small streams
flowing down on all sides. It’s a great place to spend a couple of hours, and
an even better place to wild camp. The pool itself is made from cement and
fairly big, the water is hotter the closer you get to the source and there’s
the still usable ruin of old abandoned changing rooms. To get there, turn off
the ring road onto road 242, continue straight to the end of the road, park the
car and walk to the right. There might be a sign pointing towards the pool, but
if there isn’t, just following the trail to the right, towards the small
valley, should do the trick.
- If
you’re not going to walk the Laugavegur, one option for a long day-hike or an
easy 2-day hike is Fimmvörðuháls. You can
begin in Skogar, climbing the staircase to the right side of impressive
Skogafoss, and walk up and up and up for a few hours, seeing more waterfalls in
one day than some people see in their lifetime. The 40+ waterfalls are created
by “steps” in the volcanic layers of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, coupled with
the glacial river that is formed by the melting of the glacier that tops it.
When you reach the highest elevation, you will have views of two glaciers: the
one on Eyjafjallajökull and the neighboring Myrdalsjökull, which covers the
Katla volcano. You will then walk for an
hour or so in the lava field created by the 2010 eruption, and will have the
option to stay in one of two mountain huts: the first one is Baldvinsskali hut,
it’s free and well equipped but probably illegal to sleep in without
persmission (it didn’t stop me, but ymmv); the second one if the official and paid
one, called Fimmvörðuskali. From there it’s a fairly easy and extremely beautiful
walk down to the valley and small (yet big by Icelandic standards) forest of Þórsmörk.
There you can also stay overnight in several huts or campground options, or
take a bus back to the ring road – there should be an option going back to
Skogar, and if not, it’s a short hitch there from Hvolsvöllur, where the bus to
Reykjavik would join the road.
- The
famous black sand and rock beaches in Vik, and the little less famous but maybe
more beautiful one in nearby Dyrhólaey,
are impressive, with a stark, jagged and dark beauty. In Dyrhólaey you
can go down to the beach or up for views from atop the cliffs, and feel the
sheer power of the waves as they carve their way through a natural rock arch.
Vik is more similar to a “classic” beach, but in negative, with basalt columns
and views of a circle of rock formations called Reynisdrangar. Don’t
swim in either beach! The water is freezing cold and the currents are worse
than treacherous.
- Núpsstaður: This is an abandoned farm, with traditional turf-houses,
a small chapel and a very scenic location, complete with its own waterfall and
basalt spires towering over it. It’s a bit confusing, because there was a NO
ENTRY sign, yet it was marked as an attraction and had explanation signs within
it. You can make your own mind about whether to go in or not – it’s about
150-200m in from the road, so you wouldn’t see much if you don’t walk in.
- Skaftafell
National Park: It’s a great spot to camp, right next to a glacier tongue that
comes out of the biggest glacier in Iceland (and third biggest in the world),
Vatnajökull. It’s also a great place to hike, with many trails with different
lengths and difficulties. An easy and short hike will take you to Svartifoss, which isn’t big but makes up for its size with the basalt columns that frame
it. You should at least do that short hike, but I would highly recommend taking
a full day and hiking further, to Kristinartindar. I have hiked a lot in my
life, and consider this most satisfying one-day hike I’ve ever done. The views
that you get to in less than 3-4 hours are well, well worth it – you hike up on
an elevated area between two glacial valleys, the east one filled with a
glacier tongue and the west one with a glacial river. And when you get to the
top, you will have a breathtaking panoramic view. It is a bit of a hard climb,
though, especially the last few hundred meters. Nothing technical, but the path
is steep, with loose pebbles and not much on either side of you. It’s not easy,
but you will not be disappointed.
- Jökulsárlón: It’s one of the most famous spots in Iceland, and for good reason. It’s a
small glacial lake with many icebergs breaking off from the glacier tongue and
floating out to see. You can take a boat tour to see seals and to get close to
the edge of the tongue, stand on the bridge and see the icebergs breaking,
rolling and crossing below you, head to the coastline and see the icebergs off
on their sea-voyage, or just sit there for a couple of hours and take it all
in. The variety of colors and hues of blue and white, the different shapes the
icebergs take, their slow and calm flow followed by a tumultuous fight to get
under the bridge – it’s well worth a couple of hours, and arriving early for
sunrise or staying for sunset would not be a bad idea.
- Here
I must admit a hole in my knowledge, since I didn’t pass through the eastern
part of the ring road, and missed Höfn and the Eastfjords. It’s
the least visited part of the ring road, and many travelers drive through it
quickly and don’t visit any of the fjords and towns (there’s basically a town
for every fjord). You would probably do well to choose at least one of them,
but I can’t say much more about it.
- The
Jökulsá á Fjöllum canyon, Ásbyrgi and
Detifoss: A little north of the ring road, roads 864 and 862 follow the canyon
of the second largest river in Iceland. It’s a glacial river flowing out of
Vatnajökull. Within the canyon there are at least three lookout points from
which you can see large waterfalls- the largest one being the 44m high Detifoss, the most powerful
waterfall in Europe. If you can, I would suggest visiting the lookouts on both
sides – the eastern one is more impressive, you feel the sheer power of the
falls and can get as close as you feel is safe and even touch the waterfall’s
water; the western side has a better, more complete view, and is more beautiful
in my opinion; why not get the best of both? At the northern end of the canyon,
where the two roads meet paved road 85, you’ll find Ásbyrgi, the horseshoe-shaped valley said to have been made by
Odin’s horse - it’s a good place for a
half-day hike around and a has really nice campground. On 862, the western road
following the canyon, there’s also Hljodaklettar, the echoing rocks,
also and area full of strange formations and well worth a few hours of
exploring. 862 and 864 are both at least partly unpaved, but passable with any
car. Another option you can consider is doing a 2-day hike following most of
the canyon from Ásbyrgi to Detifoss,
camping overnight in Hljodaklettar and returning from Detifoss with the bus back to Ásbyrgi. Check availability and be mindful that
the bus only runs in high season.
- Lake
Myvatn: The whole area around this lake is a veritable Geologist’s paradise.
You can spend anything from half a day to 3-4 days just exploring the myriad
Geologic phenomena all around the lake. You could probably do the whole thing
walking, since distances are so small between the locations. Among the thing
you will find just next to the lake or in the nearby area (no more than 5-10KM
away): Hverir, a hot-spring, fumaroles and steam vent area that I consider the
most beautiful one that’s easily accessible (the most beautiful one would have
to go to Kerlingarfjöll); Hverfjall, a huge volcanic
crater that you can climb and then walk the circumference of; Dimmuborgir, the
place where Satan fell when he was expelled from heaven, with lots of strange
and interesting volcanic formations; the pseudo-craters, a series of small
craters on the lakeshore that were created by big steam explosions under a lava
flow; Grjótagjá, an elongated crack in
the ground that has created a kind of elevated tunnel you can go into, with
thermal water that is just a bit too hot to feel comfortable in – but give it a
try, how often do you get the chance at underground hot-pool immersion? (note:
when we were there, locals cautioned us that there have been slabs of rock that
have collapsed in the near past. Try to get recent info and decide whether to
go in accordingly); and the Krafla area, which has had a recent (1986…)
eruption, with a lava field where you can still see steaming and
hot-to-the-touch rock, the Viti crater-lake, and a geothermal power plant with
an interesting and free visitor and information center (there’s free coffee,
too!); and more.
- Akureyri,
the second biggest city in Iceland at ~17 thousand residents. It sits on a
fjord, is very pretty and picturesque, and its Salvation Army store is probably
your best bet to find an Icelandic sweater for cheap – I bought 5 for about
50EU. Since the new ones usually go for 100EU each, I consider that a very good
deal.
- Vatnsnes:
A smallish peninsula that you can drive around in 3-4 hours. It’s considered
one of the best places to see seals, and there’s even a seal museum at
Hvammstangi. You can also visit Borgarvirki, a volcanic plug that past
Icelanders turned into a fort, and Hvitserkur, an arched rock formation a few
dozen meters off shore, that if you’re lucky will be surrounded by birds and
swimming seals.
- Glymur:
It’s a bit of a detour off of the ring road, but I really recommend spending
the time and fuel for it. It’s the highest waterfall in Iceland, but that
distinction is not the only reason why. The hike up to where you can see the
waterfall is a great hike, a bit challenging, and the view of the narrow canyon
in which the waterfall hides is worth much more than the hour and a half of
walking to get to it. After a river crossing on a steel cable and a fairly
steep climb to the far side of the canyon, you will have the option to continue
further and further up, getting closer to the waterfall. You will need a
minimum of 2.5 hours for the hike, just to get to the first lookout and back to
the parking lot. The more time (and willingness…) you have, the higher and
closer you can get. Glymur on road 47, at the end of Hvalfjörður, a pretty
fjord in its own right, and one that is very close to Reykjavik, so this can
also easily be done as a day-trip from the city.
Long
detours off the ring road
The Golden Circle
Probably the most popular
trip that people take in Iceland, more so than the Ring Road because you can do
it in one day. Honestly, there is so much info about it that I will not even
bother. I will just say that if you take a tour, I would recommend one of those
that continues onwards past Gulfoss and gets to the glacier lagoon at
Hvitárvatn, for a boat tour and glacier walking. If you find one that also goes
to Kerlingarfjöll, even better – it’s
an amazing place. (more info below, under the highlands).
The highlands
Look at a map of
Iceland in Google Maps. See that huge area in the middle where there are no
yellow roads? Those are the highlands. Welcome! They’re a bit more challenging
to get to, but I would say you should definitely see at least a bit of the
highlands on a trip to Iceland. Going without a tour or a 4X4 car will be a
problem almost everywhere on the highlands, but there are some options. First
of all, in high season there are buses through the two most famous mountain
roads: from Reykjavik to Akureyri via Kjölur (F35) and from Reykjavik to Myvatn via
Sprengisandur (F26). There’s another bus that goes to Landmannalaugar from
Reykjavik. And the road to Landmannalaugar, while not exactly comfortable for a
2X4, is passable, and is probably the most hitchable mountain road- just make
sure you go on road 32 and not 26, even though on the map 26 might look better.
On Kjölur,
you can visit the glacial lagoon at Hvitárvatn, with an option for a boat tour
that will take you to the end of the glacier tongue, and possibly glacier trekking;
Kerlingarfjöll, a small mountain
range in which you will find the most beautiful hot spring area in Iceland, as
far as I’m concerned, and in which – if the weather, mostly the fog, permit you
– you can do a 3-day hike around the mountains; and Hveravellir, another
beautiful hot spring area. You can do an easy 2-3 day trek from Hvitárvatn to
Hveravellir as well.
Landmannalaugar is arguably the most scenic campsite in
Iceland, surrounded by colorful rhyolite hills. My first reaction when I
arrived, just around sunset and with perfect light, was that I had stepped into
a painting. The campsite is “equipped” with a natural hot pool that is nothing
short of perfect – two streams go into it, a cold and a hot one, so you can
just choose whatever temperature you want and wade around until you find it. It
is also the most natural looking of the natural hot pools I’ve seen – I couldn’t
find anywhere where it looks like there had been human intervention in the pool’s
creation.
There are many hiking routes around, for any length and
challenge level you could ask for, but by far the most famous is the
Laugavegur. This trek from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk is the most popular
in Iceland, and for good reason.
The scenery changes at least once a day, and sometimes twice. You go through
rhyolite hills speckled with snow and grass, an obsidian field with black
mirror-like rocks shining all around you, hot spring areas in various colors,
some of them with water in a pale, pale blue shade that was hard to believe
existed, green cone-shaped hills rising from a plain that looked like something
out of a fantasy story, cold deserts of black, red and brown rock and sand, a glacial
canyon, and more. There are views of several glaciers on the way, most notably Myrdalsjökull and Eyjafjallajökull.
The trail is pretty straight forward
and very well traveled. You’re certain to be accompanied by many other hikers,
but it doesn’t feel crowded. Keep in mind that Icelanders are tough people, so
if a river can be waded, they don’t build a bridge over it – so you will have
to wade through at least two freezing rivers, maybe more. It’s supposed to be
a 3-4 day trek, but I walked it in 2.5 without exerting myself too much, and
then continued onwards to Skogar through the Fimmvörðuháls pass, which took me another
24 hours.
One small sidetrack
that I really really recommend is climbing up to Reykjafjöll, near Hrafntinnusker hut – it’s the second tallest peak in the area,
is not too challenging of a climb and shouldn’t take more than an hour up and
down, and gives you a truly breathtaking panoramic view all the way from the
rhyolite hills of Landmannalaugar to the two large glaciers in the south.
Snæfellsnes
peninsula (at least 2 days)
It's a beautiful
peninsula north of Reykjavik that is said to be a microcosm of Iceland. You can
find a big variety of landscapes there, and many different phenomena. You can
drive around it in a day, but I would suggest giving it at least 2, preferably
3 days. To get to it, take road 54 off of the ring road just north of
Borgarnes. You can follow road 54 to where it loops and turns back east, but
taking the unpaved 574 all around the volcano will be much more satisfying.
Among other things in the peninsula, you’ll find:
- The massive basalt columns at Gerðuberg, which will look all
the more impressive if you climb up from the road and stand right below one.
- The crater at Eldberg, which is considered one of the most
beautiful and well-preserved craters in the country. To get to it you’ll need
to hike about an hour each direction.
- The natural mineral water spring at Olkelda farm- you can
drink the water and fill up bottles, but be sure to leave some kronas in the
trust box.
- The whole rocky and cliff-y coast on the south-western
corner of the peninsula is great for hiking, especially the hike from
Arnarstapi to Hellnar, which is a fairly easy one-hour walk with great views of
crazy rock cliffs, arches and pillars.
- The black and red sand and rock beaches at Djúpalónssandur
& Dritvik. Besides the stark and desolate
beauty of these beaches, you will also find the remains of a boat that sunk and
washed ashore here, and some very heavy lifting stones that were used to test
sailors’ strength in the past.
- The very narrow canyon, basically just a crack in the
mountain, at Rauðfeldsgjá. When I was there in late September
there were a lot of injured and dead birds in there, which might be a seasonal
thing when the young birds learn to fly. It wasn’t the most pleasant sight, but
if they weren’t there you can probably just keep climbing up boulders and tiny
waterfalls further and further into the crack. Better bring watershoes or sandals,
or just walk in barefoot, because your feet will get wet.
- The volcano Snæfellsjökull with the
glacier on top of it. It might be the most perfectly shaped volcano in Iceland.
Plus it was used as the entrance down towards the core in Jules Verne’s A
Journey to the Center of the Earth.
- Kirkjufell mountain, an isolated and extremely photogenic
mountain in a small peninsula just off the northern coast. If you’re a good
hiker you can climb up to the top, but beware of strong winds.
- Berserkjahraun, a rugged but colorful
lava field, full of weirdly shaped rocks.
- The town of Stykkishólmur, a nice town with a beautiful
harbour on a fjord with many small islands. You can take a boat trip where
you’ll see puffins and other birds and various islands with distorted basalt
columns growing every which way, and you’ll eat the freshest oysters possible.
There’s also a small but really good museum about volcanism, founded by one of
the most famous Geologists in Iceland, and has rocks from his private
collection and, strangely enough, an Andy Warhol painting (amongst others).
Roads
50 and 518 inland into West Iceland (at least a full day)
Here
I must confess I’m biased, because this is the area where I spent most of my
time in the four months I spent in Iceland. I worked as a tour guide in Fljótstunga
Traveler’s Farm (http://www.fljotstunga.is/), an amazing place because of its surroundings, the lava field
and the caves, its extreme quiet and isolation, and most of all its lovely
owners. I highly recommend going there, even though it is a ~70KM detour off
the ring road. At Fljótstunga there are
cabins you can stay at, and you can do several short day hikes to a lovely waterfall
called Dalfoss, up through mossy hills to the Swan Lakes, around on the lava field
to the Glacial river Hvitá, and more. But the biggest attraction here is Viðgelmir, the largest lava cave in Iceland and the
place that I had the pleasure of considering my workplace for a couple of
months each in 2013 and 2014. I love that cave, I think it’s fascinating and
beautiful and surprising and challenging and you can always find something new
in it. You might not get all of that from the tour, but I think it’s a very
powerful place. And huge – it’s more than 1.5km long.
Other
things in the area include Husafell, one of the most popular campgrounds in
Iceland, with its amazing views of Langjökull, the second biggest glacier in
Iceland, and Eiríksjökull, the highest table mountain in Iceland. In the
campground there are hot pools, and the “studio” of Pall Gudmundsson, who makes
sculptures and musical instruments from natural rock and has played with Sigur
Rós. From Husafell you can head up Langjökull on road 550 and then 551. On the
glacier there’s dog sledding and snow mobile tours, and you can take an 8X8 bus
all the way to the top of the glacier. Unless you have a 4X4 and good offroad
driving skills, don’t pass the turnoff to F551 – the road beyond it, Kaldidalur,
is considered one of the most challenging mountain roads in Iceland. If you
have a 4X4 and said driving skills, you should probably go for it – it’s also
considered one of the most beautiful.
A
bit west of Husafell you’ll find Hraunfossar, a very wide waterfall in which
the water comes out from the middle of a wall of basalt that marks the edge of
the lava field. There are a lot of waterfalls in Iceland, so it’s hard to be
original, but these ones are quite unique. One of my favorite spots is when you
head a bit further upriver from the falls, cross the bridge, and follow a small
footpath down to the river’s edge. There’s a spot where the walls surrounding
the river are very narrow, and the water goes crazy for a few dozen meters. You
can get very close to the water (carefully!), see a place where it’s flowing
through a ring of rock, and just sit there and feel and hear the immense power
of it all. It’s a great spot for turbulent meditation, or just plain old awe
from nature’s strength.
Before
you reach Fljótstunga or Husafell, you
will cross Reykholt, a tiny town of some importance in Icelandic history.
That’s because it was where Snorri Sturluson lived, an important Icelandic
historian and poet. You will also pass Deildartunguhver, which at about 180L of
boiling water per second is the most productive thermal spring in Europe and
one of the most productive in the world.
You
can visit all of these places in a day or two – stay at Fljótstunga if you can, the cabins are great, and the
campground is one of the cheapest in the country.
The
Westfjords (at the very least 3 days)
When
you look at the Icelandic map, the Westfjords are that highly distorted and
multi-fingered palm that juts out of the island on its north-western corner. It
is one of the most isolated and least densely populated areas in a country that
in many ways is defined by its isolation and non-density. It’s the oldest part
of the island, geologically speaking, and relatively inactive volcanically,
which makes for different landscapes. There are few bridges cutting across the
various fjords, and a lot of the roads are unpaved, so driving around is quite slow
and can get problematic. And some areas can be foggy as hell, and you might
spend days inside a cloud.
But it’s one of the most beautiful areas in the
country, has the largest amount of natural hot pools that you can immerse
yourself in and camp next to, there are a lot of quirky museums (sea monster
museum, nonsense museum, etc.) in the middle of nowhere, and spectacular views
even relative to the “average” spectacular Icelandic landscape. And it’s the
best area to see arctic foxes, your only choice in Iceland if you want to see
wild land animals. I wouldn’t recommend venturing into the Westfjords if you
don’t have at least 3 days for it, and probably 5 would be better. I spent 5.5
days driving around the area and felt that it was just barely enough. And keep
in mind that fog can be an issue both for your enjoyment and for driving
safety. Having said all that, I’ll mention some great spots in the area:
Hornstrandir:
Speaking of isolation, Hornstrandir is the tip of the biggest and most isolated
peninsula in the Westfjords. You could say it’s the end of the road, but
there’s no road leading there. You can only get there by ferry from Ísafjörður,
in high season only. And then you’ll have to walk. It’s supposed to be an
amazing place for some days of hiking, but you need to be self-sufficient and
able to survive a few days by yourself, knowing that there’s almost absolutely
nothing where services are concerned. This is one of the two places that are on
the top of my list whenever it is I go back to Iceland.
The
abandoned herring factory at Djúpavík: On the unpaved 643 road, this tiny village at the tip of
a fjord is worth a couple of hours. A rusted ship skeleton and the very large
and round cement fish tanks is most of what is left of the factory. The place
is quite eerie and I’m a fan of abandoned buildings. I recommend crawling into
the empty fish tanks and enjoying the extreme echo inside. Bonus points if you
sing!
Sorcery
and black magic museums: The Westfjords are considered the center of Icelandic
folk beliefs, black magic and sorcery. There are two museums you can visit to
learn about it. One is in Hólmavík, costs about ~1000kr and has information about the
displays and the history; the other is a small turf house, called the
Sorcerer’s Cottage, and is in a farm where they have a hotel, campground and an
old turf hot pool – entrance to the cottage is free, and displays are
interesting, but don’t expect anything large or much written info.
Drangajökull: A glacier,
relatively small by Icelandic standard, but it doesn’t matter much because
you’re probably not planning to walk across it. It’s located at the end of a mini-fjord
that is filled by a glacial lagoon, and it’s about a 1.5 hour hike from road
635 to where you can touch the ice itself. The hike will take you through the
narrowing U-shaped valley created by the glacier, next to the meltwater river
and surrounded by streams flowing down from all sides. It’s a bit of a
challenging hike, and you might need to wade in water up to your knees.
Dynjandi
waterfall: This is a stepped waterfall, with a comfortable path to walk up
between the different steps and as close as you want to the main fall.
Látrabjarg: Literally the end of the end, this is the
westernmost point in the Westfjords (and in all of Europe). And it ends with a
bang – huge basalt cliffs, up to 400m high. You can walk on the edge, get close
and peer down into the rocks and sea hundreds of meters below you. Be careful
though! Don’t approach the edge standing up, strong gusts of wind might give
you a little push, and you don’t need much more than that to take the long way
down. There are lots of puffins here, in season, and the sight of the unending
ocean coupled with the sheer rock walls is inspiring in a “how small am I?” kind
of way. It’s far, maybe the farthest you can go, but hey, you already made it
this far, so why not?
There’s a ferry that goes from Stykkishólmur on Snæfellsnes peninsula to Flókalundur in the Westfjords.
You can take a car on it, and you would pass through the many islands of Breiðafjörður,
including a stop on the inhabited Flatey.
Reykjanes peninsula (at least a full day)
This is the peninsula south of Reykjavik, where the airport
is located. You can probably drive around the peninsula in one day, so it can
work well as a day-trip from Reykjavik. You can find some impressive geothermal
areas there, like Krýsuvik and
Gunnuhver; a geothermal power plant that has tours at Reykjanesvirkjun;
some cool lighthouses in the southwest and northwest corners; impressive cliffs
with lots of birds around in Krýsuvikurbjarg and Hafnaberg; lovely lake
Kleifarvatn and some small lakes with pretty colored water next to it; and of
course the Blue Lagoon, which is super popular and touristy, and actually quite
nice, but too expensive in my opinion: about 35EU for a spa and hot pool in an
interesting setting.
Short,
3-5 day trip
If you
only have 3-5 days in Iceland, my recommendation would be to not try and go too
far. There’s plenty to see and do close to Reykjavik. Some combination of a
trip on the ring road until Jökulsárlón on the southeast corner and back, the
golden circle, Reykjanes and Snæfellsnes is probably your best bet, depending on how
much time you have. If I only had 2-3 days, I would personally choose driving
to the southeast and back – you get varied sceneries, a nice long drive, lots
of options on where to stop and hike some short hikes, and you get to have your
breath taken away by the amazing Jökulsárlón.
No comments:
Post a Comment