our wandering world

Honestly Iceland was never on the top of my list and it was a country that I wasn’t familiar with. If road trips and incredible scenery are your thing, Iceland is the place to go!

Over 5 nights/6 days we covered over 1000+kms. Although this seems quite alot! There was so much to see along the way.

DAY 1: Flew into Reykjavik late afternoon, settled into our airbnb and prepared for our road trip ahead!

DAY 2:  On our first morning we drove from Reykjavik towards our airbnb in Flúðir just outside of Skalholt via the Golden Circle which all up takes around 3-4 hours to explore. Within the ‘Golden Circle’ we visited:

• Kerid Crater (which was completely frozen over! Not a view to add to your visit if in Winter!)

• Geysir Geothermal Area: Where the famous blowhole Strokkur is located that erupts every 10 minutes. There is car parking space nearby with an easy walk.

• Gullfoss waterfall (As big as Niagara Falls!!) Now this was incredible and definitely a highlight.
• Secret Lagoon Fluiro £20. Which is an equally amazing alternative to the famous Blue Lagoon minus the bright blue water. At one end of the secret lagoon is where the natural hot springs escapes but is blocked off by rocks so that only a small amount filters through to keep the lagoon itself warm. It is warned to not try any random ‘hot springs’ you may stumble upon as they can be really dangerous.

• Our first night we stayed on a farmstay through Airbnb in Flúðir. The cows mooing was a nice touch to the snow covered fields and mountain views! Late that night we enjoyed a hot tub under the stars, surrounded by fresh snow with a hot baileys and milk in hand – Magical like a movie scene.

DAY 2: We left Flúðir/Skalholt and made our way to a small village called Vik. (160km, 2hr 20min)

• Our first stop was Skógafoss waterfall. Stunning. There’s a walk way up to the top but the true view is from down the bottom.

• Continuing enroute to Vik is the parking area for Sólheimasandur beach where the famous Plane Wreck is located approximately 45 minute walk from. Unfortunately the weather for us was not kind with horizontal rain that it would have been a very depressing 8km round trip (although I was looking forward to standing on the same steps as Justin Bieber as he filmed recently a music video here :D).

• Right before you reach Vik is a turn off for Reynisdrangar beach also known as Black Beach which was incredibly cold as well as incredibly breathtaking. Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall  which is surrounded by a black sand beach that in 1991 was listed as one of the ten most stunning beaches (non-tropical) in the world!

DAY 3:  drive to Hofn (272km, 3hr 30min)

• Svartifoss waterfall is near Skaftafell but we didn’t have time to visit.

• Skaftafell glacier walk 10.00am 3 hour tour. Now this by far was the highlight. Strapping on crampons and walking up a blue glacier is something special.

• Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon &  (Diamond beach) . We were lucky enough to spot some huge leopard seals (all I can think of is the grumpy ones from Happy Feet).

The scenery enroute to Hofn was like we had driven to another planet. From snow fields to green moss to flat black dirt.

DAY 4: drive back to Reykjavik (458km, 5hr 44min)

We planned on stopping past the Plane wreck for a second attempt but unfortunately the weather let us down again. Did we see anything on the way back?

• We were lucky enough to see a streak of the Northern Lights, we headed out around 9.30pm as I read that between 9.00pm-1.00am are when the most lights have been documented. And we parked near a lake west of Reykjavik where it was completely dark. The green shone for only a minute or 2. Always keep an eye on the Aurora forecast.

https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/

DAY 5: Final day in Iceland spent exploring the magical Reykjavik.

You do need to book in advance, we booked the 9.00am session to beat the crowds that start to arrive mid morning so it was pleasant to have most of the lagoon to ourselves for the first half hour or so.

As expensive as everyone said it was I personally thought it wasnt. Included in the £75; Silica face mask, drink from the swim up bar and towel hire.

On our last afternoon in Iceland we explored the stunning city centre along with the cathedral and Icelandic style buildings. We happened to come across the Kolaportið Flea Market with all local handmade products and trinkets.

Mandy Arab take away/restaurant on our last night in Reykjavik, about £10 each for meal and my god brought back Egypt memories.

DAY 6: Returned the car early at the airport rental office and flew back to London early Sunday morning.

Tips for a budget/affordable trip:

• There was a group of 5 so splitting accomodation (Airbnb’s), car hire and petrol was very affordable.
• Return flights £130 from London.
• Overall buying groceries to cook dinners like pasta or wraps was very affordable.
• Fruit and nuts for snacks. Coffee sachets and keep Cup for on the go.
• Always allow an extra half hour to an hour to allow for slow driving in bad weather especially in winter. Also double check upon car hire that the tyres have been prepared for winter.

Overall tip travelling in Winter: Wear waterproof clothing, even if you look like your on a ski trip stuck in the 80s! Trust me the weather is bipolar and unpredictable the last thing you want is to be wet and cold while jumping in and out of your car to view all that stunning Iceland has to offer!