Iceland is not a country of striking contrasts, at least not during the summer when we visited it. The sky is not a vivid blue, the greens are not brilliant greens, the landscape is more monochrome in shades of greys and browns. The mountains are not very tall and the cliffs not too steep. But all that does not mean there is no beauty because there is plenty: the innumerous waterfalls are stunning, the glaciers (that cover 11% of the country) were visible for most of our travels, the otherworldly volcanic/lava landscapes always surreal, the bright red roofs of the farmhouses and charming smalls churches always begged for a picture to be taken, and finally sheep and horses everywhere for a final touch. The country did not have a wow effect right away but it became more and more captivating the more we saw of it. People are not necessarily very warm and engaging, but count on them being always polite and kind. I’m sure locals have mixed feelings about the huge increase in tourism just in the past couple of years.
My sister Gabi and I flew to Reykjavik nonstop from San Francisco on WOW Air, a budget Icelandic airline. I did not know much about it but since it offered the only nonstop flight and the price was right, we decided to give it a try. I can now say that I don’t recommend flying WOW Air for long-haul flights. Even though the flights were on time and quite smooth:
1. Their aircraft has the most uncomfortable hard seats ever; my butt was literally numb.
2. They charge for everything including water.
3. After a couple of hours in-flight the bathrooms had no hand soap.
4. We had an overnight flight but the lights are kept on the entire length of the flight.
5. You cannot support your body against the window to try and sleep a bit, since the wall of the plane is concave shaped so to make it impossible.
6. There is no entertainment of any sort so bring a book, an iPad with movies, etc
7. And they apparently are infamous for losing people’s luggage so we had only carry-ons, which you have to pay for as well.
Here is a detailed description of our trip.
Itinerary
Drive the Ring Road (HWY 1) starting in Keflavik, where the airport is based, in counter-clockwise direction for 11 days.
Day 1 - Hveragerdi
We arrived mid-afternoon and did not have energy or time to do much. We drove to Hveragerdi for the night. Our intention was to go to the Hveragerdi Hot Springs for a little hike and swim but that did not happen [The Hveragerdi hot spring river trail is one of the most visited hiking trails in Iceland. The trail leads from the town of Hveragerdi to a geothermal river where you can bathe in warm water while admiring the astonishing Icelandic landscape. The official trail starts approximately 4 kilometers northwest from the center of Hveragerdi. This trail is not technically demanding and the path is well marked]
STAY Skyr Guesthouse [small guesthouse with good breakfast. While most rooms have a shared bathroom, we had a very charming room with a private bathroom]
EAT Dinner at Tryggvaskali [in Selfoss, 7km from Skyr Guesthouse – really delicious meal at a charming old house. One of the best meals in Iceland]
Day 2 - Vik
We got up early and hit the road.
STOP 1 - Seljalandsfoss (foss means waterfall). Make sure to bring a poncho or rain jacket and some waterproof shoes, as you’ll want to climb the stairs that lead up and behind the waterfall and you’ll get fairly wet while doing so. But totally worth it! After you’ve seen the main fall walk down a path, along the campground, to the lesser-known Gljúfrabúi waterfall. You’ll have to scramble over rocks to get into the cave where the waterfall is located. You’ll be rewarded with an amazing, up-close view of this magical fall.
STOP 2 - Skógafoss, another stunning waterfall. Climb the stairs adjacent to the fall for a beautiful panoramic view. Make sure to hike a bit in the area beyond the main fall for really nice vistas and more smaller falls. If you get lucky you will see a rainbow at Skogafoss. Talk about magical!
STOP 3 – Dyrhólaey, a rocky black sand coast. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to spot puffins wandering among their nests on the windswept cliffs. Take the out & back hike along the coast to the lighthouse. It is worth the climb.
STOP 4 - Reynisdrangar/Reynisfjara, a black rock beach with immense basalt columns (a very interesting natural phenomenon).
STAY Icelandair Vik [chain hotel and nice enough anywhere you go in Iceland]
EAT Sudur Vik [good local spot with a pizza oven and a thai chef who does delicious homemade curries. Funny mix but it works]
Day 3 - Hofn
The drive from Vik to Hofn is spectacular.
STOP 1 - Fjadrárgljúfur canyon [clear paths take you along the edge of the canyon. That leads you to a waterfall – about 1 hour walk. If you’ve been to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon or Zion Canyon, this small canyon will not take your breath away, but it’s worth a stop]
STOP 2 – Skaftafell National Park [hike to Svartifoss, another beautiful waterfall; you can take a guided tour of the glacier with crampons, but good idea to book ahead of time. We did not do it since we have hiked on a glacier before, but would have done it if we had more time]
STOP 3 - Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon [pull off before you get to the bridge, hike a few minutes over what looks like a sand dune, and you’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous view of a crystal clear lagoon filled with enormous ice chunks. Then drive onto the bridge and stop to your right at the Diamond Beach, where the ice chunks float from the lagoon out to sea. It’s a surreal sight – huge ice cubes on the beach!
STAY Fosshotel Vatnajökull [a modern and comfortable hotel, located in a green meadow, looking out on the Vatnajökull glacier; Fosshotel is a chain you will find throughout the island]
EAT we just had dinner at the hotel and it was quite good
Day 4 - Silfurberg Farm & Guesthouse
The drive north through the fjords of the east coast is beautiful and there’s not much to do but enjoy the scenery and stop often for photos or simply to take in the beauty of this area. After driving up through a slightly terrifying mountain pass and down into the valley, you will see a small farm on the other side and that’s Silfurberg Farm & Guesthouse. Not another building will be seen in the vicinity. This charming family-run spot offers incredible home-cooked meals (one of the best we had in Iceland) in an old sheep barn converted into a living & dining area, and really beautifully designed rooms, perfect for a deep night’s sleep.
Day 5 - Husavik
Today we started driving inland, toward the weird region known as Myvatn.
STOP 1 - Seydisfjordur a small fishing village in an incredible setting. Make sure to see the Tvisongur sculpture nearby (it’s a short hike up a hill).
STOP 2 – Dettifoss considered the most powerfull waterfall in Europe.
STOP 3 - Asbyrgi Canyon for a hike. Not worth the detour we took, but if you’re in the area stop by.
STOP 4 - Húsavík is the final stop and a charming fishing town. It has daily whale and puffin watching tours on Skjalfandi Bay. We could have done a night tour to see the whales, but felt lazy after a long day.
STAY Fosshotel Husavik [well appointed and very good location walkable to the town centre and harbor area]
EAT Naustid [simple and cozy, famous for its fish soup which was quite good]
Day 6 - Hvammstangi
In the morning we headed to the Myvatn area filled with lava fields and crater lakes. Be warned, the area smells strongly of sulfur but you get used to it after a while.
STOP 1 - Viti crater, a massive hollow filled with a bright blue-green water. You can walk around the rim of the caldera. Takes about 30 mins.
STOP 2 - Leirhnjúkur Mountain, an easy trail leads from the parking area around the active area of Leirhnjúkur. Walk through hot spring area and steaming lava to craters formed in the Krafla fires.
STOP 3 – Hverfell, a volcanic crater accessible by a fairly steep trail with great views of the area from the top. You can walk around the rim of the caldera and all together should take about 1hr.
STOP 4 - Dimmuborgir several very easy hiking routes have been marked out in this area of lava formations. Did not find this area uber special so wish we had stopped at Lake Myvatn instead and wandered the many paths around its green banks.
Afterward, drive on toward Iceland’s second largest city, Akureyri.
On the way is STOP 5 - Godafoss, an easily accessible waterfall from the parking area. We had a late lunch in Akureyri at a spot called Bautinn, and it was ok. Another option is Bláa Kannan Café closeby and it looked more atmospheric and interesting.
Then we headed north toward the Vatnsnes area. It’s a beautiful drive, especially along the coast. Stop at Glaumbaer to see the grass-roofed houses. A bit of a tourist trap but still beautiful.
STAY Hotel Hvammstangi [nothing special, just a place to spend the night] - Hvammstangi is not a particularly beautiful town, but it was as far as we were willing to drive this day.
Day 7 - Hotel Budir
Drive to Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Western Iceland. Another beautiful drive. We found that the drives along the coasts were way prettier than inland, where the landscape is more monotonous and very brownish/grey.
STOP 1: Kirkjufellsfoss by this point, we were actually not as excited to see another waterfall. A terrible thing to say but true. And this one was nice but not worth the detour.
STOP 2: Hellnar, a small fishing village. Not much to the village itself but the coast is stunning and the hike through lava rocks to the nearby town called Arnarstapi is a must.
STAY Hotel Budir [It’s all about the location. Budir is a small country hotel set next to a wide sandy beach and a romantic church, and absolutely no other buildings for miles and miles. While we had a very small room and the smallest shower on the planet for about $400 – you could not wash your hair without hitting your elbow on the surrounding walls or getting stuck to the plastic shower curtain – we thought the setting made our stay at this hotel worth it]
EAT Hotel Budir’s restaurant [while frequently rated one of the best restaurants in the country, we had a good meal but were not overly impressed by it]
Day 8 - Reykjavik
We woke up early and did a wonderful hike from Hotel Budir to a crater nearby. It was our favorite hike. Not another hiker in sight, beautiful landscape and sublime silence.
These are stops we planned on, but did not follow through. We were tired of driving and just wanted to get to Reykjavik and ditch the car for a couple of days.
STOP 1: Eldborg Crater a perfectly symmetrical oblong crater about 200 metres long. It is easiest to approach Eldborg from Snorrastadir farm on its southern side, walking on a marked hiking path 2,5 km through the shrub-covered lava field. It is possible to walk all the way around the crater as well as to the top of the crater.
STOP 2: Hraunfossar another waterfall and the last one of this trip.
STAY Hlemmur Apartment [great 2-bedroom apartment I found in Booking.com. Good location in the centre of town, and the only downside is that the front bedroom facing the street was noisy]
EAT dinner at Grill Market [fantastic meal in a gorgeous restaurant. Definitely pricey, but worth the experience]
Days 9 & 10 - Reykjavik
Explore Reykjavik. The city is easily walkable.
SEE Harpa [the new opera building is worth walking around inside and out] Laugavegur Street [main street in the centre area with cafes, stores, bars, restaurants] The Museum of Photography [tiny, one room museum yet worth seeing depending on the current show] Grandi Harbour Area [the main hub of Reykjavík's fishing industry and now also where a lot of good restaurants are located. I heard it referred as the Fishpacking district, sharing a similar background in the food processing business as New York´s Meatpacking district, and that is a good analogy. We did not get to eat there, but apparently the incredible ice cream at Valdís is not to be missed] Tjörnin [Reykjavik's central lake. A stroll around it is a must offering great views of downtown. Also explore the surrounding neighborhood. I always like to wander around neighborhoods and see how locals live. The neighborhood adjacent to Laugavegur Street, opposite from the water and where a lot of embassies/consulates are located, was also a great area to wander around] Street Art [a great way to explore a new city is by jogging around, and that is what we did every morning. The day we jogged to and around Grandi Harbour, we got to see some great street murals. One of my favorites were from Guido Van Helten and they were based on photographs by Andres Kolbeinsson selected from the Reykjavik Museum of Photography. They represent scenes from the Jean-Paul Sartre play ‘No Exit’ performed in the city in 1961 in which the characters Estelle, Garcin and Inez are locked together in a room for eternity]
EAT Sanholt Bakery [great spot for breakfast] Braud & Co [amazing breads & sweets, but no sit-down room] Gló [good lunch spot with healthy food & dessert options] Fish & More [another good lunch spot with inexpensive and very simple, steamed fish of the day, rice + broccoli or a fish soup] Snaps Bistro [this is the place we had dinner at on our second night. While we were not that impressed by the food, it was a fun environment with lots of locals and it was great people watching]
Day 11 - Grindavik/Blue Lagoon
We decided to splurge a bit and spend our last day/night at the Silica Hotel adjacent to the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is the n.1 tourist attraction in Iceland, and as much as we wanted to experience this unique environment of geothermal pools, we also wanted to avoid the crowds and the Silica Hotel offers its own private lagoon. We were still able to walk to the Blue Lagoon which is 10 minutes away and check it out, but spent most of our time enjoying the peace and quiet at our hotel.
STAY Silica Hotel [beautifully designed hotel in a stunning landscape of lava flows]
