Iceland Road Trip

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For Christmas 2015, my brother surprised me with a trip to Iceland. Yes, I have the most incredible & thoughtful brother in the world. So, the next few months consisted of endless planning and an impatient countdown; but, in September 2016, we were finally boarding our plane and off on our brother/sister adventure.

Iceland is a 'must see' if you are the outdoorsy exploring type - or if you love photography. Regardless, I'd recommend Iceland to anyone. Not only is it beautiful, but the people of Iceland were so kind & welcoming... plus, they have zero big game predators which means you can camp & hike in peace without the fear of a bear or cougar lunging at you. The only downfall of Iceland is that it is really expensive - and I mean INSANELY expensive. We made our trip as budget conscious as possible, but one evening we decided to splurge and eat at a restaurant. Tyler had a simple steak dinner with a beer & I had reindeer (sorry Santa), potatoes, and water. Our bill was almost $200 Canadian for those two meals. So, even if you are aiming to keep your trip budget friendly like us, be prepared to spend some $.

I spent months reviewing travel blogs, pinning sights on Pinterest, reading Iceland travel books - in attempts to build a road trip itinerary that most suited our interests and this is what I came up with. We decided to rent a vehicle & camp at locations across the country while taking in as many sights & free activities as possible.

Day 1: We had the intention of visiting the Blue Lagoon & doing a hike on our first day in Reykjavik; but, we were both so exhausted from the time change & the flight, that we opted for a lazy day to help prepare us for the long days ahead.

So, instead we picked up our rental car from SADcars (https://sadcars.com/). In my opinion, having access to your own vehicle is essential to seeing all that Iceland has to offer. SADcars was the most budget friendly rental service I could find. They rent out older & well used vehicles; but, they do the job & that is all that matters.

Afterwards, we went & unloaded our suitcases at our Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/6798782,

Hotels in Iceland are ridiculously expensive, so I would definitely opt for Airbnb. The room we selected was budget friendly, extremely clean, and comfortable. I was very impressed!

Later, in attempts to prevent us from falling asleep and messing with our sleep cycle, we decided to explore some stores & coffee shops. Then opted for an early bed time.

Day 2: In the morning, we stopped at Iceland Camping Equipment Rental (https://www.iceland-camping-equipment.com/) to pick up our camping gear for the week. We brought our own tent (very very small tent), plates/forks, to go mugs, & pillows from home but chose to rent the following:

down filled sleeping bag (they have a lighter & a heavier option - opt for the heavier because it gets very cold at night), gas stove, cooler, cooking set for 2, and a wifi hotspot so we could access our GPS on our phone. If you run out of propane or forgot to rent something, the majority of the campgrounds we stayed at had areas for campers to leave excess goods that they no longer needed - half full propane bottles & instant coffee were the two items that you could almost always count on coming across.

Next, we found a grocery store to load up on food & snacks for the week to come. Considering we were trying to keep our trip as inexpensive as possible, we opted for a lot of soups & pasta for dinner and sandwiches for lunch. We bought instant coffee, hot chocolate powder, and jugs of water.

Finally, we were ready to head off on our adventure. Up first, the Golden Circle. If you only have a few days to spare in Iceland, the Golden Circle is the way to go. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip and the total drive time is approximately 3 hours from Reykjavik and between the different sights:

• Strokkur Geyser: This was such a cool stop. I was trying to get an up close GoPro video & the Geyser erupted bigger than it had the entire time, which resulted in me getting drenched. Absolutely drenched; but, so worth it!

• Gullfoss Falls

• Kerid Crater Lake

That evening we stayed at Gesthus Selfoss (https://www.gesthus.is/) which was approximately $15.00/person/night.

Day 3: We had a lot of stops to make today, so we were up early to try & beat the crowd. Honestly, unless you go to one of the sights at 5 am, you're not going to beat the crowd. All the major sights were so crowded; but, it didn't take away from the beauty - just make sure you are respectful to the environment.

First stop, Seljandsfoss. We spent quite a bit of time here because it is so picturesque. You can walk behind the waterfall, which makes for a cool experience. If you follow the path a ways down from Seljandsfoss, you can follow a rock bed into a 'cave' where you can stand right below a different smaller waterfall.

Next, we visited Skogafoss. This waterfall is huge. There is a stairwell that you can take up to the top of the waterfall, then you can walk along the river.

After, we headed to the 'abandoned plane'. The weather sucked today and the 4km trek was on a path with zero coverage, which meant we were literally pelted with rain. I was wearing a bright blue rain poncho (fashionista!) and it was filling up with so much air from the wind, I probably could have lifted off the ground. Okay, I might be exaggerating but the wind was pretty crazy. Regardless of the weather, you have to check this sight out.

I used the directions on this website to help guide us & we made it, so they must be accurate: https://expertvagabond.com/airplane-crash-wreckage-iceland/

Next, we were off to Reynisfjara. Reynisfjara was one of my favorite stops. The combination of the black sand & the rock formations were so unique. You can walk along the beach a bit further as long as you are careful with the tide.

That night we stayed in Vik at the local campground: http://www.vikcamping.is/vik-camping.html. I think Vik was approximately $17.00/person/night. I could not wait to get camp set up & have a hot shower because due to the rain & the spray from the water falls & ocean, we were soaking wet by the end of the day. Almost all of the campgrounds we stayed at had a common/cook house and a bathroom/shower house which we definitely appreciated as it gave us an opportunity to escape from the rain & cold for a few hours each night.

Day 4: Day 4 was full of so many incredible & unique sights & experiences. First, we stopped at Jokulsarlon. Then we had the opportunity to go kayaking on a glacial lake through icebergs with Ice Guide: http://www.iceguide.is/tours/glacier-kayak-adventure/. I highly recommend giving this a try. Afterwards, we made a stop at Hofn.

We drove a lot today, almost 6.5 hours. Prior to our trip, we decided that halfway through the trip, we would stay at an AirBnb to give us an opportunity to do laundry, dry off, and sleep on a real bed. On Day 4, we stayed at: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/100935. Marcela was an incredible host. Due to the long drive, we didn't end up arriving until quite late. As soon as we arrived, she offered to do all our laundry for us which was such a blessing because a) we probably stunk & b) it had rained so much, that our clothes never really got the opportunity to fully dry. In the morning, Marcela had prepared coffee & tea and a fresh breakfast for us. We had the opportunity to sit with her and learn about the Icelandic culture, history, and lifestyle.

Day 5: Today we began our trek towards northern Iceland. First, we stopped at Dettifoss. Then stopped at Krafla where you can see earth fissures and craters. Heads up, this place STINKS. Don’t get me wrong, it was really cool, but it stunk.

Next we headed towards Myvatn where we stopped at Hverfjell to hike the huge volcanic crater. I vaguely remember telling my brother to go on without me on this hike because it was exhausting...but the hike was definitely worth the view.

After, we headed to the Myvatn nature baths to relax. I absolutely loved the nature baths except they had that same smell as Krafla, which I have learned does not sit well with me. Secondly, I’m born & raised Canadian which means, for the most part, woman in women’s change room are usually very private about the changing process and change in closed change rooms... well, not at this change room. Everyone was full on naked which I was not expecting, it made me so nervous that I ended up putting my bathing suit top on upside down in attempts to rush the changing process. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with an open change room, we have all bodies, I was just not expecting it. Too funny!

We decided to head into Akureyri for the evening where we stayed at the Hamrar campground: http://www.visitakureyri.is/en/accommodation/camping/camping-site-hamrar.

Once we set up camp, we headed into town to go for out for our very expensive dinner and explore some shops.

Day 6: Today we were headed to Holmavik to see the Musuem of Sorcery and Withcraft. I was really excited about this musuem because in my mind, I was on my way to Hogwarts. The museum was not Hogwarts. I still enjoyed it as it was based on the history of sorcery and witchcraft in the Icelandic culture. My brother, on the other hand, found the musuem very eerie and creepy. Unless you are really into history, you could probably skip this stop for the amount of driving it takes to get there.

Next up, we were headed to the Latrabjarg bird cliffs to see puffins. I was SOOO excited to see puffins. I think the thought of seeing puffins was what drew me to Iceland in the first place.

The road to Latrabjarg was honestly terrifying. After a long scary drive, we finally arrived at the cliffs and... not one damn puffin. We looked everywhere. No puffins.

That night we stayed at a campground in Reykhólar. The campground was oceanfront, so we had beautiful views. However, the campground did not have a cook/common house, so we had an early night which was needed after a long day of driving and puffin searching.

Day 7/8/9: On day 7 we decided to head into Reykjavík early as we didn’t get much of an opportunity to explore Reykjavík when we first arrived.

For the first two nights we camped at: http://lavahostel.is/camping/. The evening of day 9, we returned to our Airbnb that we stayed at on our first evening.

Throughout day 7, 8, & 9 we had the opportunity to take in a few different sights & activities in the Reykjavík area:

• Mount Esja Trail: this hike was probably my favourite thing we did in Iceland. The views of Reykjavik were incredible. As I was huffing and puffing up the trail, a local came running up behind us... yes, literally running... and informed us that his daily exercise is to run up the trail and back down again. You are incredible Icelandic Man.

• Blue Lagoon: we obviously took a trip to the Blue Lagoon. It was beautiful, as expected. Definitely worth the trip. The Blue Lagoon offers a spa as well, which would be a neat experience. They also have drinks and other beverages available while you are in the Lagoon.

• Kringlan Mall

Aside from that, we explored the city, did our laundry, searched for some souvenirs, and returned our camping gear.

Day 10: Homeward bound. (Also, the airport has a Victoria Secret if you need an excuse to spend leftover Icelandic money).

Overall, Iceland was beautiful and was such an incredible experience. I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to experience this trip with my brother by my side, as not a lot of siblings will have that opportunity. If I were ever to return to Iceland, I think I would spend my time focusing on Southern Iceland and would take more time at and between each stop. We found that there wasn't as much to see or do in Northern Iceland unless you were booking tours or excursions.

If you're planning a trip to Iceland, feel free to send me any questions!