I looked up photos of Iceland before and I thought it was unreal. I resolved to see it in person and once I did, I still cant believe it was real! The scenery was everything – the lava fields, majestic ice-capped mountains, glacier lagoons, lava tunnels, I can fangirl about Iceland all day!
One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Iceland was to see the Northern Lights. During my research, I was told the best time to see it is in October (it’s visible between September and April). In order to see the beautiful northern lights, first the sky must be clear and second, using this website, the aurora forecast (solar activity) needs to be greater than 1. The higher it is, the better the chance of seeing the lights. Obviously, you would better see if if there is less pollution and also when the night is darker (so maybe not during full moon).
I was hoping to see it but I was determined to enjoy my time in Iceland regardless. For this trip, my friend Jeannette decided to join me. We worked together to decide what’s our absolute ‘must-see’ and from there, she prepared a detailed itinerary.
First we booked our flights through WOW Air which is one of the budget airlines to go to Iceland and the rest of Europe. I live in Washington, DC. WOW Air flies from Baltimore Airport so for me, I had to take a short train to Baltimore first. Please be warned – it is a cheap flight for a reason – the legroom is small, there is no entertainment of food (so dont forget to bring some snacks with you at the plane!) and they REALLY measure the size of your carry-on luggage. If it doesn’t fit, they will definitely insist that you check it in. Fitting all my winter coats, warmers, scarves, etc. in my carry-on bag was a feat! I felt like Doraemon (lol only Anime fans would get that reference!).
There are several ways to get around Iceland. The most popular is of course renting your own car. We decided for us, that is the best choice. Be careful to read the fine print when you rent the car and make sure the miles are ‘unlimited’. There is a lot of driving around to go to the places mentioned in this post. There is a lot of gasoline stations so you dont need to worry about running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. As is ANYTHING in Iceland except the flights, gas is expensive. However, there is ONE Costco in Reykjavic so I suggest you fill up your tank there as often as you can!
On our first day, we simply explored the city. We went to Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland and took some photos of the street art in the city, and explored nearby restaurants and shops. It was interesting that one of Reykjavík’s neighborhood is named ‘Neigborhood of the Gods’ where the streets were named after the Gods of Norse mythology! There is an Odin street, Loki street (where Cafe Loki, a cafe with authentic Icelandic food), Freyja street and Thor of course!
The next day, we explored the Golden Circle. This includes the Thingvellir National Park. This park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the mid-atlantic ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the eurasian plate.
You can go to the park directly using a different route (from above the rift) but we followed the route from Oxararfoss (shown below).
We continued on to the Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers and the lively Strokkur which spouts water 30 metres (100 ft) into the air every few minutes. It was fun to see Strokkur shot up water up the air but after you see it, there’s nothing else to do around here.
After taking a quick lunch break, we started our drive to see the majestic Gulfoss waterfall. The water plummets down 32 meters in two stages into a rugged canyon with walls that reach up to 70 meters in height (thanks Wikipedia!). A lot of people consider this the most beautiful waterfalls in South Iceland. I don’t exactly agree. There’s a lot of areas you can view this waterfall. Because it’s so massive, you can decide not to go down near the falls and just take an aerial view from higher grounds. I went down because why not(?) and took this shot.
Our next stop was Bruarfoss waterfall. This Iceland waterfall derives its name from a natural stone arch over the river and is considered the bluest waterfall in Iceland. This was a rare gem and if you ask me how we found it, I cannot possibly explain (we were a bit lost too before we found it!) so I will link you to this blog which provides directions to this amazing falls!
We had time to go to another waterfall before the day ends so we headed to Faxi waterfall. This one isn’t as popular (or maybe because the weather was so gloomy that day) so there was a lot of good photo opportunities! Its a small waterfall compared to the rest we saw but definitely not less pretty.
Finally, the Kerio Crater. By the time we reached the crater, we were literally freezing. The temperature just went down and its getting darker so we rushed to get our photo and drove back! You can actually walk down to the crater but I think the view is better from the top.
If you walk as fast as we do, and dont linger much beyond enjoying a few minutes of photo opportunities, all these can be done in a day.
On our second full day, we drove from Reykjavic to the city of Vik. This was mostly to cover the places we want to visit and not worry about driving back to Reykjavic. In the morning, we went to Raufarhólshellir for a quick lava tunnel tour. Since we do not have a lot of time, we did the Standard lava tunnel tour which only explores the outer mouth of the tunnel. There is an extreme version of the tour and I would recommend that if you are a thrill seeker or if you have extra time in your hands.
Afterwards, we continued on to Seljalandsfoss waterfall. I liked that you can walk behind the falls and if you have wide-angle lens in your camera, you can definitely take a nicer photo of this magnificent falls from there. Be prepared to cover up – the splashes from the falls will definitely get you wet! Also obviously the walk way is slippery so be careful!
A few walks on the left of the Seljalandsfoss is this hidden gem… the Gljufrabui water falls. This is hidden between 2 rocks so from the outside, you will just see a glimpse but be adventurous enough (you are in Iceland!!) and walk between the rock walls and you’ll have this view. I call this my ‘moneyshot’ view!
Our next stop was the Skogafoss waterfall. By this time we were already too tired and in no mood to walk and explore it further so basically we took some photos from afar and drove off. Also, after Gljufrabui, I wasnt so impressed with this one. If you are a fan of powerful waterfalls, I am pretty sure you will like this one though! There is a walkway to the side of the falls if you want to see it in a different angle.
On our way to Vik, we stopped by the Sólheimasandur airplane wreckage. I will let you find out how to get there yourself (lol). Fair warning – no cars are allowed to drive to the beach now so you have to walk to get there. Like a really, really, long.. walk. But hey, we got this pic afterwards so its worth it!
We checked in at this great place that I got through Airbnb. At the time, I was hopeful that the Northern Lights will make an appearance because it would’ve been amazing to take that photo with this background!
Early the next morning, we headed to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. With its enormous basalt stacks, roaring Atlantic waves and stunning panoramas, Reynisfjara is widely considered to be the most beautiful example of Iceland’s black sand beaches. Tourist buses start arriving at 10am so I’m glad we got there earlier! It was so cold and I was underdressed but hey fashion over comfort!
We added this one stop in our itinerary and I’ve got to tell you, the views were so unreal, I had to do a double-take. It really made me gasp out loud. Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in South Iceland, with the Fjaðrá river flowing through it. .The canyon has steep walls and winding water and the most luscious green colors I have ever seen. You should definitely NOT miss this one.
On our way to Hofn, we stopped by Laufskálavarða which is a lava ridge, surrounded by stone cairns. All travellers crossing the desert of Mýrdalssandur for the first time were supposed to pile stones up to make a cairn, which would bring them good fortune on the journey. It’s a small area and with few parking available right beside the road so you cant miss it.
Afterwards we did a quick stop at Skaftafell National Park to see the Svartifoss waterfall. This was such a disappointment for me because it appears there is only one place available to hikers to view this falls. There is no access going down the base of the falls or above it..
Finally, we arrived at the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon where we did a quick tour to explore the lagoon on a boat. The Jökulsárlón lagoon is right next to Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier. Vatnajökull and its surrounding area is Iceland’s largest national park. During winter, there is a lot of activities available at the glacier including ice climbing!
The chunks of ice that fall into the lagoon slowly melt and drift out to sea, which is why the beach opposite the lagoon (split by a bridge) is called Diamond beach. The chunks of ice in the black sands of the beach literally look like glittering diamonds when hit by light. We arrived right on time for sunset so I was able to take the photo below.
We checked in at Hofn and this was when it got more exciting! We looked at the solar forecast and it appears the Northern Lights might appear around 11pm. We saw some faint lights around 9-10pm so we went out and started taking photos. Its not as clear as I hoped it would be but for someone seeing this for the first time, it was still breathtaking.
The next day we only planned to drive from Hofn back to Reykjavic for our Blue Lagoon appointment. However, because we didn’t get good pictures on some of the locations we visited because the weather was funky (it literally changes from sunny to rainy in minutes and therefore the abundance of rainbows), we decided to stop by these locations to get better ones! 🙂
Finally, we arrived at the famed Blue Lagoon. In my opinion, it is very commercialized and frankly, overrated. When we went, the lagoon was overflowing with tourists! There were lines and lines everywhere and it took a while to find a good picture where there’s not a bunch of people in the background! We stayed for an hour or so after we finished our drinks and our face masks (free with the package we selected) and hopped off the lagoon so I can get some business calls done (I KNOW).
The next day was a very relaxing day for us around Reykjavic as we prepare for our flight back to the United States. Jeannette made this trip so fun for me and there is a lot of memories I associate from this trip – there was the singing in the car (and me getting the lyrics messed up), reminiscing about our shared audit work past, updates on our common friends and just all around having a great time! I do not mind traveling solo and I definitely enjoy it but with the right company, touring around a new country can be more fun!
I will be posting my travel guides related to this trip separately (damn, this is such a long post!). Until next time!!
The Travelling Accountant 