6 Days to get active in Iceland!

Just get off the couch and explore this Majestic Volcanic Region

Let’s face it- Iceland is HOT right now. It seems everyone has Reykjavik on their bucket list. And for good reason! Iceland is really like no other place that I have ever visited. The topography is fascinating, as the country is essentially a giant volcanic rock partially covered in glacial ice. The climate is formidable as well, with cool summers (averaging between 50-59 degrees Fahrenheit) and “mild” winters (rarely dropping below 5 degrees fahrenheit.) Additionally, daylight during December and January is less than 5 hours/day. Its like Alaska on steroids! So plan ahead! We went in September- and while the weather was cool, it was mild enough to get out and experience the great outdoors!

Getting there: There is no train system in Iceland, so you have 3 options once at the airport:

-rent a car

-take the shuttle about 10 kronor

-take a cab 25,000 kronor

TIP: Do NOT take a cab! It is jaw droopingly expensive! A 45 minute ride from the airport to Rejkavik was approximately $150!!!!

We opted to rent a car for part of the trip. This is a crucial part of your trip planning. Make sure you have an idea of what you want to see and how you will get to the location. If you are doing all group tours, you obviously do not need a car. Each tour operator works with city shuttles to transport tourists to and from the operator office or destination. However, if you are going to see some of the sights on your own while driving, then of course you need a car. Plan ahead! Reykjavik is essentially an oasis in the southern part of the island. There are only small towns throughout the country that may provide accommodations. So, we used Reykjavik as our home base as we drove from place top place on our own for the first couple of days. Then, we returned the rental car, and went on organized tours for the back end of the trip.

Another TIP: Food in Iceland is EXPENSIVE. I am not kidding. It was a shock. But if you think about it, it is an island- so everything needs to be imported there. Since Iceland is a giant Volcano, essentially, the land is not arid enough to grown vegetables. Fast food restaurants are hard to come by here- almost nonexistent. We ate burgers and sandwiches from gas stations along the way. They were pretty good! No joke! Admittedly, we had Subway in Reykjavik TWICE because of the high cost of restaurants. We decided to splurge one night in the city- and ate a pub, called The English Pub, for a bargain price of $40 for a cheeseburger with fries (which we split) and $12 Viking Beer- (the equivalent to a Miller Lite in the States!) This was a deal compared to the $50 chicken sandwich I really wanted to order….so you can’t say I didn’t warn you!

Where to stay: We opted to make Reykjavik our home base. So we drove to a few excursions and then went on group tours after we returned our car. This allowed us to make it easy and stay in the city the entire trip. But, you might opt for an AirBnB in the south, too. If you stay in Reykjavik, here are a few random thoughts:

Laugavegur is the main street where are the shops and cafes are located. It ends at the City Centre. Along the way you will run into a few gems that I mention here:

A cool outdoor outfitter that you will find on here is called 66 degrees North- if you want unique, local, high quality gear from Iceland make sure to stop in. Warning- its not cheap!

Reykjavik Roasters was a great breakfast spot for a quick bite! Besides great coffee and fabulous food, they also support local artists by sponsoring artist exhibitions at each location to help establish rising talent. How cool is that?

Cafe Babalu is a fun, funky coffee shop with quirky decor and fabulous desserts! Try the carrot cake! Yeah, I know. They are known for the cheesecake. But the Carrotcake…yum… It doesn’t disappoint.

Day 1: Pick up your rental car at the airport and head straight to the Blue Lagoon. It is just a 15 minute drive from Keflavik Airport, so why not stop by this world famous attraction? Plus, it is right on the way to Reykjavik! The Blue Lagoon is arguably one of Icelands top attractions. It doesn’t hurt that Conde Nest Magazine named it as one of the Top 10 Spa’s in the world, too! The sparkling blue water of this man-made hot spring is filled with minerals. The “pool” sits at 102 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

TIP: Go there at night in hopes of catching the Northern Lights! (Look up what time the sun sets and book a slot that will give you 2 hours in the lagoon to wait for the lights to become visible.)

TIP #2: Make a reservation for the hot spring MONTHS in advance. It is THAT popular- which may or may not be appealing, depending on your mood for tourists! If you are feeling fancy, you can stay on site at the Silica Hotel or Retreat Hotel. They are both pretty luxurious!

Day 2: Here we go! We hopped in the car and drove South to Reynisfjara to check out the Black Sand Beach and Puffins. While on Ring Rd. Hwy. 1 we made a pit stop at Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. It was about 90 minutes from Reykjavik. The coolest part about this waterfall is that you can totally encircle it- walking around all sides via a rocky pathway. Be prepared to get wet! The mist makes it super wet and slippery so be careful!

Our next stop along the way was Skogafoss Waterfall, right off of Ring Road about another 30 minutes drive. The waterfall is 197 ft. tall-so completely visible from the road. Once parked, find the long wooden staircase (370 steps!) that you ascend to the top for some cool Insta shots.

Be sure to take in the incredible views of the south island coast as you watch the river flow out into the ocean. At the top, there is a “secret hike”- called “the hike along the falls” - and the start of Fimmvorduhas Pass that starts above the waterfall. Follow the Skoga River for a great hike- as long 15 miles upriver! A natural turnaround spot is a footbridge 3 hours in. Enjoy!

After hiking at Skogafoss, we headed further down Hwy 1 to the Black Beach, Reynisfjara. Just follow the signs to Vik or set your GPS appropriately, and you will get there easily. As you drive, keep your eyes open for “houses” built inside the rock. Apparently now they are used for storage.

You will also notice mini horses along the road- they are everywhere! They are known as an Icelandic Horse- and there are about 80,000 of them on the island- compared to a human population of 317,000! Be warned: they may bite or kick you if you stop to pet them!

Reynisfjara is world famous for the enormous basalt stacks sitting on a black beach on the Atlantic. It is widely considered one of Icelands most beautiful beaches. The beach is crazy cool in that it is made of Lava! Whaaaat? No, silly, its not scalding the bottom of your feet or anything. But it is not a fine sand….its a bit rocky and pebbly. This ain’t no Florida white sand beach, that I can tell you! The enormous basalt columns, called Gardar, are the backdrop to the beach. There is also a huge cave there too- so go explore! Just be sure it is LOW TIDE when you go into the cave. A seemingly calm ocean could wash you out to sea. Be wary!

There are also tall rock formations that rise out of the sea- called Reynisdrangar Sea Stacks. Pretty cool, eh?

Tip: Parking here is FREE!

TIP #2: If you get cold- there is a cafe there to grab hot chocolate! So dress appropriately! We were there in early September and still had to wear coats and boots on the beach! Ugh! The weather is so unpredictable!
Day 3: Now, I will admit- I am not a fan of crowds. Which is why my Pepper and I often venture off the beaten path for our shits and giggles. But, The Golden Circle tour is really a Must-Do for anyone visiting Iceland. If nothing else- use this tour as an efficient way to see some of the coolest natural sites in Iceland! You can easily drive to each of destinations on the tour- or you can hop on a bus with 100 of your closest friends and let someone else figure out the route! Since I am a bit of a thrill-seeker, we added on the Langjokull Snowcap Snowmobile experience to enjoy, as well!) Details about it are below!

First stop- Thingvellir National Park.. For all of you Game of Thrones fans out there- Iceland is known as the Land Beyond the Wall. The pass to Eyrie is here at Thingvellir, as you walk through all of the incredible rock formations.

Next stop is at a geothermal area called The Great Geysir. Walk around and look for Stroker, the most active geyser in Iceland.

Woohoo! Snow mobiling here we come! Hop in a ridiculously large 4 X4 and head over to the Langjokull Glacier for an hour of spending around the Icelandic interior. It was so fun!

On the way back to Reykjavik we stopped at the Gullfoss (Golden) Waterfall, on the Hvita River. Here you can walk right up to the waterfall and watch the water plummet 32meters down into a rugged canyon. Look for the misty rainbow on a sunny day! Its really pretty amazing. And powerful. And right in front of you!

Day 4: My Pepper and I try to hike wherever we travel to, and Iceland was no different! This time, we booked a glacial hike and ice climb on the Solheimajokull Glacier, an outlet of the expansive Myrdalsjokull Glacier on the southern coast of Iceland. The tour guide fits you for all the necessary equipment (crampons, helmet, ax and other safety equipment) so you just bring a little energy and a sense of adventure!  So, for about 3 hours you hike on the ice. Upon initially walking on the glacier, it is covered in ash and soot. Don’t be alarmed! The glacier becomes icy with a beautiful, blue-hued frost. And hikers get “scary” carrying around that crazy ice ax!

Along the way the guide will search for a cool, safe crevasse to climb. Welcome to the Winter Wonderland! This was our first time ice climbing- and it was a blast, a total thrill to climb an ice wall! Sounds strange, right? Maybe it is the thrill of trying something new, something you did not think you could achieve, or something that you did not think you would even like. Just get off the couch and give it a go! Its crazy, but what if you actually ENJOY it?! Ok- enough of my preaching…

Day 5: This was the coolest day of the whole trip! Check out Inside the Volcano Tour for one of the most unique experiences you will ever have! First, the tour operator will drive to the volcanic site. It is here that you get the unique experience of heading out onto the volcanic, rocky terrain covered in moss as you hike about 45 minutes to the volcano. Once arriving at “Base Camp”, the tour operator fits you with equipment (helmet, harness, etc. so you can safely do the descent.)

The dormant Prihnukagigur Volcano is a natural phenomenon that has been inactive for almost 4000 years. So some ingenious Icelandic folks decided to construct an open elevator system (like the contraption that window washers use) to descend 700 ft. to the base of the magma chamber. It takes about 6 minutes to sink into the mouth of the volcano- which is large enough to hold the Statue of Liberty! Once inside, you will marvel at the beautiful colorations of the volcanic wall.

Fun Fact: Kaleo made a music video at the base of the volcano to the song “Way Down We Go”. Check it out here!