Iceland is mesmerizing, for the eye and for the mind. I will let the photos do most of the talking and just add some captions as we go through the days.

Things we did (2 months) before the trip: planned the whole route according to all the sites we wanted to see, made accommodation reservations (all through booking.com) and rented a car. Our main navigating tools were paper maps and GPS navigation.

Note: you can’t get lost if you stick to the main roads. The GPS mostly comes in handy in towns to reach a specific address or landmark. The latter though, are mostly very well marked.

There are no entrance fees for the natural landmarks, at least the ones we have seen. But everything, from accommodation to food and drinks is very expensive.

Water

Never buy bottled water because tap water is as good as it can get. It smells and tastes amazing. It comes directly from the streams and is not chlorinated. Before going on a trip, just fill your water bottles with tap water instead of buying new bottles and thus polluting needlessly (and you save a lot of money).

Note: warm tap water is not drinkable. There’s usually a note right beside the sinks explaining why. Since cold water originates from the springs, warm water is natural thermal water which always contains naturally present sulfur molecules, which you can smell. So when you need cold water for drinking, let the water run through the faucet for a while in order not get any sulfur molecules into your fresh drink.

Money

Don’t exchange to local currency, there is absolutely no need. Everything can be paid via debit or credit card. If you ever encounter an exception or situation where someone would require physical money, just go to the nearest atm where you also get the best exchange rates and no extra charge.

If on a budget, shop for food in Bonus store (yellow logo with pink pig), you can find them in almost every town all across the island.

Weather

Windy. No matter what place and time of the year.

Unpredictable. It can be sunny one minute and raining or snowing in the next. Whether it be summer or winter.

Tips:

• be well prepared for the elements, specially wind;
• pack:
  • a good quality, warm, wind protective jacket
  • hats, scarves and gloves
  • rain coat
  • warm thermal undergarments
  • enough extra batteries and memory space as you will be taken aback by the landscape and views J
• do go for a drink in a bar to feel the vibe of the town you’re visiting. If nothing else, you can tell your friends, how you paid over 50 € for one round of drinks. 😀
• stay strict on road regulations and make sure you are well acquainted with them. Crossing the rules can get you in serious trouble, as Iceland’s nature is harsh.

Day 1: arrival

Keflavik –> Reykjavik

Arrived in the afternoon, took the rented car at the airport and left for the first apartment. Rested for the rest of the evening and planned our next day. Some went out for beers and reportedly had fun.

Day 2: the south and the central part

Reykjavik–>Vik–>Þingvellir–>Reykjavik

Amazing landscape, breathtaking waterfalls, the black beach, basalt columns, ocean waves, sun, rain.

Day 3: west

Reykjavik–>Barnafoss–>Borgarnes

Day 4: west

Borgarnes–>around Snæfellsjökull–>Rif–>Borgarnes

From sunny to rainy and snowy weather. We made some short stops, saw harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), a lot of waterfalls, birds and horses.

Day 5: north

Borgarnes–>Akureyri–>Husavik

Cold, misty weather all the way. Botanical garden in Akureyri. Saw (and heard) some birds.

Day 6: north

Husavik–>Myvatn

Here I would like to expose the Foss hotel we stayed at. Apart from it being more clean and comfortable than all the other apartments/rooms we took in also wasn’t any more expensive than any of the other accommodations.

Myvatn in definitely a must-see. Geology enthusiast’s dream!

 

Day 7: back to the capital

Myvatn–>Reykjavik

Long drive. Left in the morning, arrived to Reykjavik in the afternoon. Returned the rented car and did some tourist sightseeing around town.

Day 8: Reykjavik

Discovering interesting places of the town. I recommend Durum bistro for food, we went there for brunch, not bad and not extremely expensive. In the afternoon we went for some beers and Flóki whisky. Expensive, but also delicious.

Day 9:

Reykjavik–>Keflavik

We left early in the morning and took a shuttle bus to the airport. Our flight was early, so we didn’t really see much of Iceland this day. Except for rain in Reykjavik which hadn’t happen in all the earlier days we were there.

What I found the most mesmerizing are the geological and biological features: the Geysir, the tectonic break in Þingvellir national park, basalt columns, landscape overall, puffins, craters and pseudo craters, the number of bird species, glaciers…

Is 9 days enough to see everything listed above? Definitely, we could have left a day sooner as our trip was planned so optimally thanks to my mom’s partner who is an excellent travel planner.

What I missed not seeing/doing/going to:

• glacier tour(s)
• volcano tour(s)
• whale watching
• Westfjords
• natural pool(s)

Until next time!

If you’re interested in seing more, come see more short videos from Iceland on my Youtube channel, here are a few: