“1. It’s not the lush whale population or the midnight sun. It’s that Iceland can trace their lineage to the first settlers.
2. It’s not Nordic lights, powerful glacier rivers or that 30% has university degree. It’s that half the population believes in elf.
3. It’s not natural hot spring, geysers or lava field. It’s that Icelanders fire up 600 tons of firework during the New Year.
4. It’s not lava fields, hot springs or the glaciers. It’s that 13000 km lead to uncharted wilderness.
5. It’s not Vatnajokul, the largest glacier in Europe or that Iceland uses 99% renewable energy. It’s that most popular restaurant is a hotdog stand.
6. It’s not picturesque landscape or thermal pools. It’s that the national dish is cured shark.
7. It’s not the Blue lagoon, hot springs, or the 130 volcanos. It’s that every year 10 rock bands set out to conquer the world.”
(I found this note on a commercial during my flight.)
1. Chill out in Reykjavik, visit museums and galleries, do people watching
2. Do the Golden Circle to see Pingvellir National Park (world’s oldest parliament and Iceland’s most important historical site), Geysir (geyser field) and Gullfoss (the golden waterfall)
3. Bathe in thermal pools and natural hot springs
4. Join a whale and bird watching tour
5. Hike to volcanoes, walk on green-moss-covered lava field
6. Hike to the Glacier
7. Ride among icebergs at Jokusarlon glacier lagoon and taste 1000-year-old ice
8. Whitewater rafting
9. Horse riding
10. Do a self-guided Jeep tour around the country
11. Drive through the rough interior of Iceland
12. Camp in different parts of Iceland
13. Eat seafood and other Icelandic food (lamb, skyr, rye bread, hot dogs, etc.)
14. Attend a Bjork’s concert
15. Place a rock on top of a rock pyramid and make a wish
16. Gain have a deeper understanding of the country by reading Nobel Prize winner Halldor Laxness’s Independent People, a novel about an Icelandic farmer; Jared Diamonds’ chapter about Iceland’s environmental problem in How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed; Roger Boyes’ Meltdown Iceland: Lessons on the World Financial Crisis from a Small Bankrupt.
Start in Reykjavik, drive through the interior to the north, continue to the east and head south before returning to Reykjavik.
Day 1
– Flight to Reykjavik.
– Have an easy day in the city, check out the city center and have a drink or dinner
– Camp in Laugardalur, Reykjavik
Day 2
– Golden Circle: Pingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall)
– Drive through the rugged interior terrain
– Bath in thermal spring in Hveravellir
– Camp in Hveravellir
Day 3
– Whitewater rafting at Varmahlid Canyon glacier river
– Camp by the sea at Reykir and bathe in thermal spring
Day 4
– Glaubaer turf-roofed buildings
– Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods)
– Cross the fjord along the coast to Akuyeri, the capital in the north. Lunch and shopping
– Whale watching in Husavik
– Camp in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park
Day 5
– Hike to Dettifoss, the most powerful waterfall in Europe, Jökulsá canyon river, volcano Krafla, and other active volcanic area
– Camp at Lake Mitvatn
Day 6
– Hike to the top of a hill
– Hike to the volcanos and walk around the crater
– Thermal bath at
– Helicopter ride over the volcanoes (optional). The airport is right on the camp site
– Camp at Lake Mitvatn
Day 7
– Crossing the barren mountains around Herðubrai.
– Kverkfjöll, Iceland’s largest geothermal area full of boiling mud.
– Ride to eastern Iceland (You might spot reindeer on the way.) Observe the change in climate and landscape
– Camp in Hofn
Day 8
– Roundabout Vatnajökull from the east
– Bus/boat ride among the icebergs in Jorkulsarlon glacier lagoon
– Lunch at Jorkusarlon
– Drive to Scaftafell national park
– Hike in Scaftafell to Svartifoss
– Camp in Vik by the arctic tern colonies
Day 9
– Puffin and arctic tern colony at coastal cliff Dyhorlaey
– Scogaross and Seljalandfoss waterfall
– Cross to the Rainbow Mountain
– Thermal bath in natural streams
– Camp at Landmannalaugar
Day 10
– Circular hike in the colorful mountain among boiling springs, hot rivers, lava
– Boil eggs and cook food in natural boiling water
– Camp at Landmannalaugar
Day 11
– Drive back to Reykjavik
– Shop for souvenirs and have seafood dinner in the city center.
– Go for a swim in the pool next to the camp site.
– Camp at Laugardalur, Reykjavik
View 10-day camping trip in Iceland in a larger map
Camping – is the best way to experience Iceland. Not only it is the cheapest, but it is also the most efficient way to explore the country’s vast wilderness. I camped in a different environment every day: the city Reykjavik, the open windy interior in Hveravellir, by the fjord at Keyflir, in the national park, by Lake Mitvatn, in the very remote, rugged terrain of Landmannalaugar. Having a car is more convenient, but I also saw solo travelers doing just fine taking buses.
Many camp sites have additional cabins with beds and linens or only sleeping bags (cheaper).
Hostels – As of 2011, there are 37 hostels in Iceland. www.hostel.is has all hostels in Iceland with up-to-date information.
Hotel – Staying in camps and hostels should work if you’re exploring natures and go to different places in Iceland. If plan to visit major cities, you might want to stay in a hotel. Also, alternating the hotel comfort and the rugged camping experience might be a great idea.
The tourists whom I met were either on bus tours or traveling in their 4×4 rental cars. Independent travelers can use Iceland’s public transportation buses traveling on the Ring Road, which circles the country. The buses are not frequent, depart only once a day at any point. At popular tourist attractions like the Golden Triangle (Pevinglir, Geysir, Guffoss), the buses stop from 45 minutes to one hour, enable you to see them in one day. In other remote destinations, you have to wait for buses arriving the next day.
Hitchhiking is probably going to be difficult here. A woman traveler and I tried to hitchhike on our first day in Reykjavik. We couldn’t get anyone to stop for us, even from male drivers. Usually, two females have the highest odd of getting picked.
I camped during my entire trip, eating with my fellow Czech campers and ended up eating supermarket sandwich, cereal, pasta, powder mash-potato and packaged Czech-style dinner. I was grateful that I had a full breakfast, hot tea every morning and warm dinner every day in addition to saving a lot of money eating out as Iceland is an expensive country to eat out.
Fortunately, I was able to sample various tidbits of Icelandic foods due to the resourcefulness of our tour guide. Once, he bought a small box of shark meat from the supermarket for everyone to have a bite. This was more than enough. Shark meat, Iceland’s national dish, has no taste and smell like ammonia; you need to wash down with strong alcohol. In other occasions, we fried cod bought from the supermarket. One day we visited a trout and salmon farm and sampled fresh smoked salmon before buying some home. Every breakfast we had Skyr, an Icelandic product, something between yogurt, cream cheese, and ice-cream. It looks like yogurt, but when you scoop it, it felt like cream-cheese, and when you eat it, it tastes like ice-cream. I ate three flavors Skyr: white, strawberry and honey. The best way to eat Skyr is to mix it with thin milk and add canned fruit for sweetness.
On the last day in Reykjavik, I escaped my group, skipped dinner, and had lobster soup, minke whale kebab at Seafood Baron, a small, lovely restaurant by the harbor, recommended by Frommer’s guide. The prices were affordable; you can’t find anywhere offering cheaper seafood menu than this restaurant. Their signature dish is lobster soup which has similar creamy, sweet and sour taste like the Thai Tom Kha. When I was there, except for one menu comprised of smoked whole-halibut, the rest were grilled sticks. Another alternative is the Fish & Chip, across the street. They offered a fish menu from 1100-1500 ISK.
The weather changes abruptly from one moment to the next, from one place to another. Bring clothes for three seasons: summer, winter, spring/autumn when traveling in the summer. Bring extra clothing if camping as the temperature drops to zero degrees at night. Pack a pair of clothes for the city (jean, khaki pants, t-shirt), warm hat, scarf, gloves; breathable t-shirt, waterproof sweaters, all-season hooded jacket, walking shoes or boots, bathing suit to take advantage of Iceland’s thermal pools, many of which are free.
(Seeing is believing. We dressed like this but were still cold. And this is only in June.)
I was lucky to have an experienced tour guide who told us about the weather condition and what to wear in advance. On my 2nd night, I couldn’t sleep because I was too cold. To be on the safe side, you should always have a t-shirt, a sweater, and a windproof jacket (three layers) plus a spare sweater for extreme cold regions, two layers of pants plus one extra. Take a headband and a warm hat that covers your ears, very useful in windy areas. Waterproof shoes are needed in all situations.
The interior and mountainous areas are the coldest. The warmest region is the east and southeast. At least that was how I experienced.
| Month | Low (C) | Avg. (C) | High (C) |
| Jan | -0.5 | 11.19 | 15.44 |
| Feb | 0.4 | 9.56 | 17.29 |
| Mar | 0.5 | 8.22 | 18.58 |
| Apr | 2.9 | 6.43 | 20.22 |
| May | 6.3 | 4.40 | 22.11 |
| Jun | 9.0 | 3.16 | 23.58 |
| Jul | 10.6 | 3.07 | 23.55 |
| Aug | 10.3 | 4.49 | 22.15 |
| Sep | 7.4 | 6.15 | 20.37 |
| Oct | 4.4 | 7.36 | 18.58 |
| Nov | 1.1 | 9.23 | 16.59 |
| Dec | -0.2 | 10.5 | 15.44 |
Icelandic Krona (ISK) the currency. However, Euro is accepted in most places such as supermarkets, restaurants, and shops. They take your euros and give you back Icelandic krona.Please keep in mind that due to the recent financial crisis, Icelandic Krona has lost its value and isn’t accepted outside Iceland. Use all the money or exchange back into euro or dollars before leaving the country.
Iceland is an expensive country. I heard and read that prices went down after the 2008 financial crisis, but it was not enough. I can’t imagine the price tags before Iceland went under. The exchange rate at the time of my trip: 1 € = 165 ISK
Accommodation
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Transportation
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Food
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Misc.
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I bought two guidebooks before the trip: Frommer and Globetrotters. I like Globetrotters because it has a lot of colored photos of Iceland, almost on every page. The limitation of the Lonely Planet is that it has only a few pages in the middle with representative pictures of the destinations, and you have to search for images online, doubling the effort. I bought Frommer’s guide, Kindle version, later on, as I thought it would have more detailed information about the country. Both guidebooks are more tourist-oriented listing only things to see, to do, where to eat, basic facts about the country which are probably enough for many people. I expected to read more on historical and current events to have an understanding of the people and the nation. In this aspect, the Lonely Planet and Rough Guide usually shine.
I ended up not using the guide books because I traveled with a travel agency, adventura.cz, which offered excellent program and a very experienced tour guide. Additionally, free mini guidebooks published by Icelandic tourism industry have useful information.
[slickr-flickr type=”galleria” tag=”iceland” caption=”on” description =”on”]
Reference
My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
