Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice

Background of our road trip in the Land of Fire and Ice

The land of fire and ice, ‘Iceland’… was actually on our bucket list of places that we wanted to visit closer to (or during) our retirement because while we get older, flights are becoming more and more difficult to stomach. We therefore wanted to tackle our ‘far away’ list first. However, further to Covid and the associated travel restrictions, Europe suddenly rose in our rankings and Iceland was absolutely at the top.

Due to the covid rules, we had to rescheduled our Iceland trip several times. So we could not believe our luck when the day had finally arrived that we were able to pack our bags and take the plane to this wonderful island. We still had to provide a negative covid test before boarding, so we crossed our fingers that we would not test positive… and we got lucky !

Each postponement of the trip resulted in additional time to review the itinerary and activities that we wanted to undertake. We kept adding new things to our schedule, so a holiday of 10 days finally resulted in a road trip of 3 weeks… and even 3 weeks were not sufficient to see everything so we had to make some bold decisions. We were going to circle the island counter clockwise at a slow pace. This would enable us, if the weather was very bad, to backtrack the day after and return to spots that we had missed. In other blogs and trip reports we had read that visiting the Golden Circle first, would be the best, otherwise it might not be so spectacular. We were happy to have taken on board that suggestion.

Discovery of the country, it’s fauna and food

The country was known for its incredible nature and its cooler climate. Those two things were definitely a blessing to me. The chance of a heat wave was not that high (or so I thought) ! Volcanic eruptions or earthquakes were statistically speaking more likely and rain and wind were 100% guaranteed. We could only hope that we would not be hindered too much in our discovery of the island as there were many outdoor activities on our agenda… 

Fauna

We would probably be too late to see the puffins (they usually leave around mid-August) but who knows, we might get lucky. Otherwise we would have to make do with the Icelandic horses, sheep, seals and whales… and that would certainly not be a punishment!

Activities

Our fitness levels should improve significantly during this trip as we had planned a lot of walks to get a closer look at all Icelandic natural wonders. Koen even planned to go snorkelling in the icy waters of the Silfra Gorge. I could only think that swimming in 3 degrees Celcius would be a bit too cold for me. However, after the swim you wouldn’t need any fillers for your lips… 😂

Food

We did not expect too much from the culinary side because fermented shark, boiled sheep’s head, sheep’s eyes and haggis of organ meat were not immediately our favourites 😂. However, we love all other fish, shellfish and lamb, so we probably would not starve. Apparently the Icelandic hot dog (from lamb) should not be missed, so a back-up plan was definitely in place.

We hoped that the number of tourists would still be below the pre-COVID level as it would then be much easier to avoid the crowds in the most popular places.

Unfortunately, we did not manage to immerse ourselves in the language. I really tried, but it was a challenge in itself trying to pronounce the names of some towns or waterfalls. 

Our Itinerary

We rented a car via Lotus Car Rental (they pick you up at the airport and then it is only a short drive to their office). We took the full insurance option and received free wifi (which was very handy even if our own mobile data plan could be used in Iceland).

Reykjavík and the Golden Circle

The first 2 nights we spent in Reykjavík in the Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel. It was just located outside the centre but close enough to discover the city without having to use the car. Here we also participated in a whale watching tour. 

Then we spent 2 nights in Hveragerði (Inni Boutique apartments) while discovering the Golden Circle attractions. It was also a good location for the Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River hike. 

The South of the Land of Fire and Ice

Next stop on our itinerary was Vík where we stayed 2 nights in the Black Beach Suites. On our way to Vík we visited many waterfalls (Urriðafoss, Ægissíðufoss, Seljalandsfoss, Gljufrabui, Skógafoss and Kvernufoss) and Reynisfjara Beach. The next days we also visited Vik i Myrdal Church, the Dyrhólaey Lighthouse, the Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck and the Sólheimajökull glacier.

Then we set course towards Höfn. On our way we visited Laufskálavarða and stopped for the green lava walk, Fjarðarárgljúfur Canyon, Foss a Sidu and Foss midway li la lo. Before the check-in at the Potato Storage we did the hike to Svartifoss. The day after, before reaching Höfn, where we stayed in the Milk Factory, we stopped at the Glacier Lagoons (Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón) and the Diamond Beach.

The East

Our next destination was Egilsstaðir where we stayed two nights in the Skarðás Country Cabins. Before arriving there we drove through the East fjords and stopped at Stokksnes Beach, the Red Chair, the Hvalnes Lighthouse, Djupivogur and the Eggs of Merry Bay, Thereafter we visited Heavier Mountain, Haífoss, the Gufu waterfall, Seydisfjordur (including Seyðisfjarðarkirkja), Vök Baths, Litlanesfoss, Hengifoss and the Stuðlagil Canyon.

The North of the Land of Fire and Ice

Next stop on our Itinerary was the Mývatn area where we had rented the Aska Modern Cabin for 2 nights. We reached it after a long drive passing the Arctic Henge, Ásbyrgi Canyon, Hafragilsfoss, Dettifoss and Selfoss. The second day in this part of the country we visited all attractions around Mývatn : Skútustadagrig pseudo craters, Höfði, Dimmuborgir, Krafla Crater, Leirhnjukur the Námaskarð hot springs and Hverir.

On our way to Akureyri, where we stayed 2 nights in the Hrimland Apartments, we did another whale watching tour in Húsavík. Then we stopped at Goðafoss before starting our discovery of Akureyri. The day after, we booked a RIB boat to see the whales a bit closer and we spent a relaxing day in town.

Before setting course towards the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, we did a stop-over in Laugarbakkí where we stayed in the hotel with the same name. We drove along the Tröllaskagi Peninsula with pitstops in Dalvik, Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður and took a break in the Glaumbær museum. We ended the day at Hvitserkur and Illugastadhir (seals).

The West, Snæfellsnes Peninsula

The last leg of our road trip was the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which was certainly a highlight ! We stayed 2 nights at the Eiðhús Apartments. Before arriving, we past by the Grábrók Volcano, the Hraunfossar  and Barnafossar waterfalls. After settling into the apartment we decided to drive up to Stykkishólmur and visited Selvallafoss on the way. The next days we discovered Ytri Tunga (seals), Bjarnarfoss, Búðakirkja, Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge, Arnarstapi, Hellnar Church, Lóndrangar, the remains of the Epine GY7 Fishing Trawler on Djúpalónssandur Beach, Kirkjufellsfoss and the Gerðuberg Cliffs.

The last days of our Iceland trip we stayed in Reykjavík (again in Eyja Guldsmeden Hotel) and Keflavík (Nupan Deluxe B&B). We did the Glymur Falls walk, Snorkeling at Silfra, a walk to the lava fields of Fagradalsfjall, and the Blue Lagoon.

All in all it was a fantastic road trip. Want to know more about the area’s we visited ? Continue reading here….

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