The Majesty of Iceland
Iceland is an amazing country filled with dramatic landscapes. It's well-known for its hot springs, volcanoes, geysers, lava fields, and glaciers.
Will, his wife, and a group of friends explored Iceland last year and had great things to say about it.
Q. Tell us about the overall trip itinerary.
Day 1
We jumped in our rental van for a 6-hour drive from Keflavík airport to our hotel in Hof. Our first stop was Vík and the black sand Reynisfjara Beach!
Day 2
Skaftafell National Park then Svartifoss waterfall. Next were two famous lagoons, Fjallsárlón and Jökulsárlón. Day 2 ended in the town of Höfn where we had Reindeer Burger.
Day 3
We traveled down the South Coast to Reykjavik. We stopped at Fjaðrárgljúfur aka Feather Canyon which became famous by Justin Bieber's music video "I'll Show You" then went to Skógafoss waterfall and Seljalandsfoss waterfall.
Day 4
Reykjavik. Local restaurants, shops, cafes, and the iconic church Hallgrímskirkja.
Day 5
Golden Circle. We started at Thingvellir National Park, grabbed lunch at a local Farm & Table, explored Bruarfoss (a gorgeous blue waterfall off the beaten path), saw Geysir, and enjoyed the views of Gulfoss, Iceland's most famous waterfall. We then night capped at the Blue Lagoon.
Day 6
Westman Islands, the site of a historic volcanic eruption. It's also a great place to see puffins and Beluga whales! We ended the night with the best view of the Northern Lights that we had during the whole trip.
Day 7
Downtown Reykjavik picking up souvenirs.
Q. What were the dates of your trip? How was the weather when you were there?
A. October 21 - October 27, 2019. The weather was incredibly windy. One day in particular, there was a warning issued to not travel unless necessary. Overall, the weather wasn't bad and it wasn't THAT cold. The key is dressing appropriately.
Q. What was your favorite part about the trip?
A. The night we spent meeting Höfn locals and enjoying the local swimming pools. It was freezing outside but so enjoyable in the outdoor pool and hot tub. It was cool to chat with the Icelanders and hear more about their country from their perspective.
Another was at Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall you can walk behind. On this particular day the waterfall was closed and completely frozen, but we went anyway. The pathway usually takes about 5 minutes to get through, but it took us over an hour since it was frozen.
Q. Any advice for someone wanting to visit Iceland?
A. Come prepared regardless of the season. Bring waterproof outer layers and thermal inner layers. Go in October for the Northern Lights as you'll have plenty of daytime and no snow.
Also, rent a car. Driving is easy and you can see parts of the country you would not normally see on tours.
Q. Is there anything you’d do differently if you went back to Iceland? Or if you did go back, what are 1 or 2 additional things you might like to do?
A. There is nothing I would have done differently on our trip. I would love to go back and rent a camper van and see the northern part of the country, Westfjords, Mývatn, and the Ice Caves.
Visiting Iceland is an amazing experience. Whether you want to fly to Iceland or cruise there, let us know and we'll get started crafting a custom vacation for you.
