Iceland with Arctic Adventures Sept 24-Oct 4 2022
For more than two years, I have been anticipating this trip to Iceland. My inital flights were booked January of 2020 for September 2020. Obviously I was unable to go as Covid-19 was running rampent around the globe and countries were closing boarders. Flash forward to September 2022, I finally made it!
I knew even two years ago that I was planning on booking a tour with an Icelandic company; Arctic Adventures. I was also looking into GAdventures (whom I have travelled with before to Costa Rica and really loved) and Intrepid. When comparing tour length and what was included, it appeared Arctic Adventures was untouchable (during my own research). For my ten day Iceland adventure my first day was Reykjavik solo, the eight day Arctic Adventure Ultimate Iceland Highlight Hitter, and lastly another booked day tour with Arctic Adventures Into the Blue.
Day 1 (Sept 24)
After so much waiting I still had some last minute stressors. The day I was to fly out of Halifax we had hurricane Fiona making her way towards us. I could not believe it. I know September is hurricane season, but after waiting two years I could not believe my trip was about to be foiled by nature! But alas, I made it out by the skin of my teeth. Flights leaving a few hours later were cancelled!
Stress of not getting out of Halifax over, I made it to Reykjavik at 0820. From there I Made it through customs with no issues and took the Flybus to Reykjavik (I had booked transfers to and from the airport before I left). The bus took me to the BSI bus terminal where people were divided based on ticket colour that was given out when boarding the bus based on where the final drop off location was. Mine was pink going to the Hallgrimskirkja church. I arrived by approximately 1000. It was still too early to check in to my hotel but I was able to store my luggage there for the day. The Hotel Leifur Erikson is the one right across from the church and only took a minute or two to walk from the bus stop. Something I found amusing on the bus and later in all the buildings, is that no one was wearing masks. I had thought Iceland may still be a little strict with Covid precautions, but alas no. No one seemed to care anymore.
First place I visited was the church right across from me: Hallgrimskirkja. I took some photos of the Leif Erikson statue in front of the church, the same namesake of a trail found back in Nova Scotia believe it or not. My mom and I had visited in the summer and there was even a photo of the statue in Iceland at the trail head. Really amazing to see the statue in real life! I then went inside the church. While I do not particularly care about churches I do always find the architecture for many of them stunning, and this one did not dissapoint. While the outside is the main feature point, with its jagged edges leading to a point, giving it a mountain or space ship vibe, the inside was also spectacular. It is hard to describe but I did manage to take a photo of the ceiling, it reminded me a little of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I debated going to the top of the church, but the weather was cloudy and I thought perhaps I would get the chance to go up after my tour. This unfortunetly did not happen. Something to ensure I do if I ever make it back!
Next I walked the famous rainbow road and browsed some of the shops along the way. I made note of potential souvenirs for home. I then headed towards the water to find another famous landmark: the Sun Voyager. The beautiful sculpture of a ship is much larger in person than it appears in photos. Its height much taller than I am.
Continuing my walk along the waterfront I went to see the stunning architecture of the Harpa Concert Hall. Just a month or two earlier than I arrived, I discovered they had The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with a live symphony. I was saddend to have missed it by a couple months. It would have been an incredible experience! I saw The Two Towers with a live symohony in Ottawa and absolutely loved it! Oh well, I still got to enjoy the beauty of the glass building, inspired by the uneven columns of basalt in Iceland.
From the windows of Harpa I spotted my next destination, a viking hill called: þúfa. I had found it during my research of places to visit in Reykjavik and thought it looked like a neat location. Before reaching it however I walked along a boardwalk area that reminded me of Halifax. To be honest Reykjavik in general reminded me of Halifax. Small city, harbour fronts, small shops, salt air, what more could you ask for. Some shops even looked to be in storage containers. I could see Nova Scotia having something like that. Close to the boardwalk area, I located an old looking ship that was on land. There were steps leading down to it to get a closer look. I thought it was really cool, but I never see anyone post photos of it online.
At þúfa I had not realized you could walk to the top. The narrow path went around the hill a few times before reaching the top of the hill. I was the only one around so it made for a peaceful view of the city.
It was now nearing 1500, meaning I could soon check into my hotel. I began making my way back towards Hallgrimskirkja. The good thing about staying next to this iconic church is that it is the biggest building in the city and therefore I could always easily find my way back. It was like a beacon showing me where my hotel is! I browsed a few more souvenir shops and book stores, and bought a hotdog from the famous stand: Baejarins where Bill Clinton has once eaten at. Refuled once again, I got myself checked in at the Hotel Leifur Erikson. My room was in the building acoss the street from the main one. It was a small room but fine for just myself. I also got to try Icelands tap water for the first time. The rumors are indeed correct. Iceland tap water is exceptional. Though yes, a bit smelly if using hot water.
On my shop adventures I came across "Game of Thrones" mugs that were supposedly the same company that supplied them for the show. It was very tempting to want to buy one and one for my dad. Perhaps if I had not done carry on only. Before turning in to the hotel I bought myself a cinnamon bun from a place google reviews seemed to rave about called Brauð & Co. They did not look super appetizing, but did taste quite good.
Day 2 (Sept 25)
I set my alarm super early because I was paranoid about missing my pickup for the start of the tour. My pickup spot was only a few minutes from the hotel but I still had to ensure I was there at least 30 minutes early. After a quick bite for breakfast and a few morning photos of the church I waited for my adventure to begin. I was picked up around 0820 and we then procedded to pick up a few more passengers before embarking on our adventure together with Arctic Adventures. There were I believe 15 of us, from a variety of backrounds; Canadian, American, Malaysian, Austrailian, and Italian.
(Good bye Leif Erikson!)
Before getting out of the city, an interesting thing I noted, is that Reykjavik has a lot of roundabouts. Nothing super special about them, it is just that Nova Scotia has been creating so many of them the last few years it was interesting to see another country with them.
So, despite missing the hurricane back home, it seems the high winds had followed me to Iceland (though it is not unusual for Iceland to be windy). The winds were close to 60kph. Our guide told us some of our plans had to be changed. We no longer would make it to our hotel meaning that the next day we would miss out on the black sand beach of Vik; Reynisfjara. Many of us (who knew what we were seeing on this trip) were dismayed by this. This was a site I was quite excited to see. Our guide did mention it could have been worse as the group ahead of us was stuck at the hotel we could not get to, and would be unable to do anything today! The company had advised we only make one stop but our guide thankfully felt confident in his driving to ensure we got to see more. I tried to stay positive, when going to Iceland you should expect crappy weather and changes of plans!
On a more positive note, our first stop of the day was to the national park: Thringvillir, where some parts of Game of Thrones was filmed. Our guide informed us that the glacier water feeding the rivers in the park was as clear and clean as it was because it takes between 30-90 years to go from the glacier, then under lava fields where it spends all those years being purified before it breaks the air forming the rivers. Later during my adventures I had the oppourtunity to drink some of this purified glacier water while snorkeling between tectonic plates!
The park itself was incredible. There was a light drizzle and a lot of wind, but that did not take away from the sights. The rock formations were so alien in their design. It felt like I was on another planet (the first of many, many times feeling this way). And with mountains just casually seen in the distance, just a perfect start to the day. The cherry on top was a rainbow seen in the distance.
(No Arya and the Hound )
We were soon on the road again. If photos are any indication, Iceland does not have a lot of trees. Our guide explained that native Icelandic trees are only about 2-3 meters. Anything taller than that is not Icelandic and most likely was imported from Alaska (one of the only locations with trees that could survive the harsh climate of Icelandic winters).
Before long we arrived at the origin of the word "geyser". The English word "geyser" came from "geysir", which is a geyser that no longer erupts. Though fortunetly within a hundred meters or so is Strokkur, which does indeed still erupt. Though Icelanders do not call all geysers, "geyser", as it is the name of a specific one. I guess geysers were "kleenexified". There is only one brand "kleenex" but even if it is a no-name brand tissue most still call it a kleenex. That is essentially what has happened to the word "geyser". The English took the name of one of the first documented and decided to call all of them that.
Watching Skrokkur erupt was incredible to view. I knew I would never be able to time in right for a photo, so I tried to get a slow mo video of it... which I also found great difficulty in timing. We were informed to make note of when the middle begins to dip up and down, but sometimes it seemed to do that so early. Other times I was prepared but then it was a really skimpy eruption that only went about 1-2 meters. I did get to witness first hand at least two very amazing and super tall eruptions. It is just so incredible that something like this just naturally occurs in real life. It just seems so fake. This random section of geothermally heated water just continually erupts every 8-15 minutes all day and all night long.
After passing Lil-geysir, we went to the restuarant across from the park for a quick bite to eat before continuing on. I just kept it simple with some fries and a cookie.
Next stop was the first waterfall of many to come. Gullfoss or the "golden waterfall" was a grand intro to Icelandic waterfalls. From top of the path we were welcomed with a stunning rainbow shimmering across the falls. I truly felt like I had left Earth and entered Middle Earth. We were told by our guide that the government has been trying to create a dam at these falls to use for power but a woman had fought to stop that from happening. She threatened to throw herself into the falls. There is a monument dedicated to her at the falls. Lucky she did that or this beautiful location would have been tarnished by human machinery. I was able to walk down a path that led closer to the falls. It was incredble. To the right it lead toward a canyon with the river flowing down and to the left was the powerful strength of the waterfall. I also quickly learned that taking photos by a waterfall as grand as the ones in Iceland would become an ongoing challenge. The mist continuously blurred my lens. I had to try to wipe the water off and snap a quick photo.
Another short drive away we came upon a location with two waterfalls. One of which I did not realize we were going to see on this tour but was overjoyed we would see. This is the waterfall: Gljufrafoss. This waterfall is hidden within a cave that has requires traversing a stream of water to get to. Without waterproof footwear, feet would most definitely get soaked. I put my Vessi's to the test with this waterfall, and to my delight my feet stayed dry while walking across the rocky stream (though on the way out of the cave some person decided not to let me out first despite being only a few feet from the start, which made my lose my footing and step back into an area of deeper water where it went over the back of my heel. I think even wearing my hiking boots my foot would have gotten wet in this scenerio). This waterfall is one of my favourites of the trip. The eeriness of being in a dark cave with water coming down from above where the light is shining in creates such a cool scene. Just to note, without a raincoat, you will get soaked in this cave!
A few minute walk to the right of this hidden waterfall is the one most people stop at: Seljalandsfoss. Another spectacular waterfall. This one greated us with a double rainbow which was quite the sight to behold. The unique feature of this one, is that we were able to walk behind it as it spouted out like a faucet. It was a very windy day so at times the water was blown more to one side.
For the last stop of the day we visited one more waterfall. Just giving you a heads up, Iceland has a lot of waterfalls. Not that it should be a surprise as they are kind of one of the main attractions in the country. So... in case you do not realize this, expect to see lots of waterfalls in Iceland (just thought it was important to note as some of my fellow travelers seemed surprised at the number of waterfalls we ended up seeing on this tour). Rest assured no two waterfalls are the same. All of the ones today and over the rest of the trip were all remarkably unique and miraculous to behold in person. The final waterfall of the day: Skogafoss, did not disappoint. I managed to get fairly close to witness the power of the falls up close. If I had more time I would have liked to have seen the falls from above, but alas, another item to add to the must-do list if I ever return.
Now, we made for the hotel. Along the way back we passed an island in the distance that appeared a bit mountainous. Our guide informed us that was where the whale from "Free Willy" was originally from. After the movie came out and since the theme was literally about freeing whales from captivity, many people protested and wanted the whale returned to its home in Iceland. And the whale was in fact returned and eventually was able to reclimitize itself to the Icelandic waters.
Another thing I noticed on the drive, is that there are sheep everywhere. Literally everywhere. They are like mountain goats. The sheep can be seen up the mountains in the most incredible spots that make you question how they even managed to get there.
Our hotel ended up being in the town Hella, at a hotel called: Hotel Hella. A short distance away myself and few of the other solo female travelers went to a restaurant up the street to get to know our fellow travelers. I had some pizza and a coke.
To finish the night off I managed to see a weak aurora! Beforehand I noticed on a tourist site that the app "Hello Aurora" was highly recommended. And it did prove most effective. The forecast was confusing so an app that had other app users posting when and where they saw an aurora was quite useful. I noted around 2300 there were lights being seen in my area, and I did in fact see them very faintly from my hotel window. The were not strong enough to warrant my leaving the building, but still really amazing to see my first night of the tour.
Day 3 (Sept 26)
My third day in Iceland began with a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, and a roll before a quick departure by 0830. Today we were supposed to go to the famous black sand beach in Vik, but because of the change in plans from wind, and the fact we had to be at our glacier hike by 1100, this meant no time to stop.
Along our drive we drove past a huge volcano near Vik that is overdue for an eruption (Katla I believe). Our guide said that Iceland has been trying to warn other world governments of the potential harm this could cause. One of the past recent eruptions caused ash in the sky that halted flights from Europe. This volcano is much larger and they fear its ash could span the globe causing issues globally.
We drove through a more flat area of Iceland that had been formed from previous volcanic eruptions. The outside looked a bit hazy at times. We were told that from the high winds yesterday ash had been blown up into the air causing this hazy appearance. It was an eerie sight. Flat black land for miles and a yellowish haze in the air. Felt like we were on Mars.
Soon after we stopped at this neat bathroom that had a roof you could walk up, to have a view of the flat black sand land we had been driving by for that last 30 minutes or so.
So, as it turned out, the group that got stuck ahead of us, needed to do their glacier hike first, so ours was pushed back to 1300. We had already passed the black sand beach, so we were taken to a canyon instead: Fjadrarglijufur. It may have not been the black sand beach we wanted, but it was still breathtaking to see. There was a path that went a fair ways along the canyon with many different lookoff points. The blue water with the green overlaying the canyon was a pretty sight. I am glad we had the oppourtunity to stop at this little surprise.
After a quick stop for snacks in Kirkjubaejarklaustur it was finally time for our glacier hike. This glacier is the biggest in Europe (since Greenland is technically North America). Unfortunately from global warming it shrinks every year. We were told that the portion we would later be hiking would likely be melted in the next few years. At the base camp we got our gear on; harness (in case one fell into a cavern), helmet, ice pick, and grabbed our crampons to put on at the glacier. We then went on a bus that would drive us 15 minutes to a location where we would then hike to the glacier from. The hike itself was about 30 minutes. The views around us just from there were quite spectacular. Large mountains encompassing us and a stream coming from the glacier.
We followed the instructions to get our crampons in place and our glacier hike begun. We were told to follow our guide exactly, as they would take us on a safe path and going off path could find you in a large hole and of requiring that harness we put on. The glacier itself was surprisngly not as cold as I expected. I had dressed with a sweater and down jacket, and that was probably overdoing it. The views from higher up on the glacier were amazing. The hiking itself was quite fun. We had to stomp at times, especially when going back down to ensure we had a good grip on the ice with the crampons. I tried to be as close to the guide as I could as there were some in the group that did not follow the leader very well and I had no intentions of falling in a hole. In the distance we could hear what sounded like a thunderclap at times. The guide said this was from parts of the glacier callapsing. It would have been so cool to see some of it callapse, but hearing it was still really neat.
With the sun going down I feared we might miss the diamond beach, but we made it, and it turned out to be a stunning time to visit. The sun setting on diamond beach/ glacier lagoon was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. Up on the small hill overlooking the lagoon, there was so much wind! I felt like I could lean back and not fall. I do not know why but I could not help but laugh. Why are high winds so fun? Closer to the water I got to see the small chunks of "diamond" like glacier ice that is the reason for the name diamond beach. From the lagoon I walked under the bridge to the beach where there were ever larger chunks of ice. And I finally got to see a black sand beach! I stayed there until the sun was nearly all the way down. Despite being from a province surrounded by ocean, I still can not help but be amazed by the ocean. The salt air smell, the sounds of waves against the shore... it never gets old. Throw in black sand and large chunks of glacier, and it is no surprise I could stand there mesmorized. I think it was at this moment too, that I decided to not only worry about taking the best photos I could, but to also just be in the moment and take in my surroundings as they were in the present. That moment, just taking in the ocean and not worrying about snapping photos was just so calming and hypnotic. I decided to continue that trend from here on out.
After the exhilarating day, we drove back to our hotel: Smyrlabjorg. When speaking of the plans the next day, a few of the fellow travelers appeared dismayed that we were to do a three hour hike (though the online itinerary does mention it, which I linked earlier). Our guide said that he knew of some other things we could do instead. So other than do one thing, we could do a few differnt things instead and decide in the morning, though if even one person wanted to do the hike, as it was on the itinerary that is what we would do. Myself and a friend enjoyed hiking but decided to think it over, despite the annoyance of having to change plans that were clearly written to see ahead of time.
Day three ended in the most spectacular fashion. No sooner was my app dinging like crazy for the northern lights and I had begun to get dressed, then I heard someone running down the hall yelling "the northern lights!" I rushed outside and met up with a couple of my new friends. We sat and tried our hands at taking photos of this marvelous sight. The lights themselves we awe-inspiring. I do not even know how to describe the feeling. Seeing the obscure green light dance along the sky, flickering in various shades of green was simply sublime. And being out there with new friends enjoying this amazing phenomenon would be one of the highlights of the trip.
Day 4 (Sept 27)
Day four had a bit of a later start: 0900. Not too many early birds on the tour. We made a quick stop in Hofn, visited the wool store, supermarket for snacks, and went to a lookoff for some nice views of the town and ocean. The village itself is known for fishing lobster.
After leaving the town of Hofn we drove through a mountain tunnel which was pretty cool. It was quite long, but little did I know there would be even longer mountain tunnels to come.
We made a stop at a lookoff place that had a nice view of some smaller mountains and could see the glacier in the distance. Crazy to think we had been looking at the same glacier for days. Goes to show how large the glacier truly is. There was a hill a friend and I wanted to go up for a better view but we were told there would be mountains to climb for us later on. We had decided to be kind to our fellow travellers who are not as adventurous, and decided to trust our guides judgement and go with his plans rather than the originally planned 5k hike.
Which brings us to the next stop which had a smaller waterfall for those who did not want to hike. I can not remember the name of this waterfall or location. In this area we were surrounded by mountains on either side. The mountains had a lot of loose rocks so initally I had not realized this is where the hike would be. Our guide turned to myself and my other hiking companion and told us "there is a mountain for you guys to climb". He advised us a place to climb but we were a bit hesitant. In no way shape or form, did there appear to be a trail of any sort and the location looked to be all loose rock that we just pictured ourselves falling down. While puzzled we noticed two sheep up the mountain a little ways further to the right of the "recommended" spot. They were up in a more grassy area that we felt confident we could walk up unscathed. We were not able to get super close as the sheep kept walking away from us. It was still cute to see them on a mountain slope. At this point we had walked a little ways up the mountain and noted that the grass continued up the mountain. We saw a clear path of grass that we decided to embark on. It ended up just being the two of us. At points we almost had to go up on hands and knees, and we eventually reached a place with a steep rock face. We stopped to take some photos and marvelled a the stunning view of mountains surrounding us and ocean. We could have potentially went higher up but the safety of the grass was running low and we had no itentions of falling down the side of a mountain with so much more Iceland to see, so we continued to enjoy the view from the height we reached. It was neat to think we now had some unique photos of Iceland becasue how many people climb this mountain with no trail. So perhaps skipping the other hike was worth it after all (So I guess, "thanks" to my non hiking friends). Going down is always a trickier buisness. We went down mostly leaning back and sliding down in a almost crab walk sort of fashion. We asked our guide what the name of this mountain was and if people actually climbed it. He did not know the name (maybe because it is not a real trail, haha) and said that he has climbed it before in the original spot he recommended. He said the loose rock made it more fun.
Our next stop led us to some sea cliffs. Again, in a area of completely new terrain. It almost looked like we were in a desert, besides the fact an entire ocean was to our right. The smaller hills were dusty looking in colours of beige and browns. We were also quite high up looking over the cliffs to the sea down below but it does not show well in a photo.
We then stopped at a black sand beach that had some large waves and large black rocks lying about. There was one spot that looked quite rocky and probably could have walked to, but it reminded me of the famous "black rocks" of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. It is warned that if you do on the "black rocks" (which is really just wet stone) you will most likely get swept into the ocean by a rogue wave and meet a terrible demise. Though that literally happens at the black sand beach we missed back in Vik. Many tourists have met terrible fates by venturing too close to the seas and getting swept away. So yeah, I did not go near the black/ wet rocks at this beach either!
Now it was time for a late lunch in Dubravik. I had a chicken burger which was actually really good. The town itself was really cute and reminded me of small fishing villages in Nova Scotia or Newfoundland. A short ways away we drove through the village and came to a dock area that had a bunch of egg monuments of native species of birds in Iceland. The names were all in Icelandic so I could not say what the birds were. The monuments were quite large though, nearly one meter in length. Heading back to the car we noticed a seal poking its head out in the water. It was so cute to see it floating around. My gopro can not zoom in well so I was unable to snap a good photo. I will have to start bringing my digital camera with good zoom on trips from now on.
We stopped at another waterfall, though this was technically my first of the day as I elected to do the fun mountain climb than visit the first waterfall. There were a lot of sheep around here too. Though like I said earlier, sheep and horses are everywhere in Iceland! They are all owned by farmers, but they have tags on so they know who they belong too.
From here we ventured a bit off the ring road and boy was it worth it. It felt like we were driving through a mountain pass. Cliffs to one side leading into valleys below, and mountains in all other directions. The road was winding one and went up and down and was reminicent of the cabot trail back home. This portion of the drive was probably my favourite of the trip. Again, it felt like another planet (how many planets have I ventured to so far on this trip). Nearing the end of this road the mountains began to have snowy tops and had small groups of trees near the bottom dressed in beautiful autumn colours. This portion of the drive felt like we were driving through a road in Skyrim. I looked at a mountain leading to snowy peaks and thought, that looked like the type of mountain I could take my Skyrim horse and climb it. It especially felt fantasy like with the clouds covering portions of the peaks at times. Iceland in general, if it does not look like another planet, than it looks like I am in some sort of fantasy world. At times there were small groups of trees with golden leaves, and I so bad wished we could have gotten close or stopped by one of these groups of golden trees, as it reminded me so much of Lothlorien (from Middle Earth).
Now driving ever closer to our next hotel we could see Hengifoss from the road in the distance. The waterfall we were supposed to hike to. I suppose looking back, we did manage to do a lot in place of the one hike. It looked really cool though with the brown and red straiations in the rock around the waterfall. It was only five kilometers. I joked that we should have stopped and just let some of us run to the falls. I probably could have made it there and back running in less than an hour.
20 minutes past and we were at the hotel: the Wilderness Center in Obyggdasetur Islands. The place we stayed was metal on the outside and did not look like much, but was quite cozy on the inside. My bed was under a slanted roof and looked like Harry Potter's bed under the stairs. The location was also stunning. The lodge was in the middle of a valley with mountains of green on either side with a stream running along, and of course sheep everywhere!
For supper, we came together to the house at the center, and the owners made us a home cooked meal of lamb, potatotes, vegtables, gravy, bread, and so much more. We sat around a dinning room table shoulder to shoulder to fit us all in and passed the dishes around to share in the food. It felt like a early thanksgiving dinner. In the end I suppose it almost replaced Thanksgiving for me, as I missed out on my own at home beacuse I ended up with covid on this trip. Surprising myself, I did enjoy the lamb quite a bit. I am a very picky eater so this ended up being my most adventurous meal. This ended up being a very enjoyable night, sharing a cozy meal with new friends.
Day 5 (Sept 28)
Today we departed at 0920. After sacrificing a hike for the benefit of others, I just wished the favour could have been retuned and we could have at least left on time for once.
We drove past a huge lake that is fabled to have Icelands very own "Loch Ness Monster". Our guide told us that supposedly no one uses the lake because of this. One year a man wanted to prove the lake was safe and planned to take a snowmobile across the water. He misjudged how much gas it required to go across water and did not fill the tank enough and only made it part of the way. He survived but to this day there is a snowmobile at the bottom of the lake.
And then we were driving into the highlands. We would not see any towns for a while, as the elevation was too high. The landscape began to get more barren with little to no trees or shrubbery. I even began to see snow intermittently along the ground. Large dark gray hills with snow covered covered tops were seen in the distance amongst open landscapes. Clouds also covered the top of the hills at times. Again, very Skyrim esque.
Our first stop of the day was not a typical one. On the first day of the tour we were met with strong winds, and while we had changed some of our plans, our day was not impeded overly much. On the other side of the island where we were now however, did have more dire consequences to tourists. The parking lot we stopped at had four-five rental cars completely totaled from the high winds, from rock and ice hitting the windshields. Our guide seemed quite excited to see these cars and take photos. Not something he typically sees on these tours. On the inside, we could see food that had been left behind from the owners. The real unfortunate part is that insurance does not cover "natural" damage, so whoever rented these vehicles would be liable to pay. Our driver said he had been sent photos a day before and there had been many other cars compared to the few we saw.
Leaving the rental car disasters we made our way to Dettifoss. This is one of my favourites of the waterfalls (though they are all spectacular). Dettifoss is just so large and has so much water flowing through it, I just put my gopro away and just stared in awe of the power of this waterfall. Nature is truly amazing.
Before leaving a few of us used the washrooms available at the falls despite our guide advising against it as they were "not that nice". Though for outhouses, I have to say, they were 100x better than some gas station bathrooms back in North America. So even "not nice" Iceland bathrooms are still better than North America.
Then, we got to finally have some relaxation time in the Myvatn baths. This is one of the reasons I decided against going to the blue lagoon. I knew I was going to this one and that it was less busy, and in my opinion a bit more authentic. It was very nice. The water was so warm and the views around us were quite nice as well. The water was a milky turqoiuse blue that looked so beautiful. Locals actually went to this one, while not many go to the blue lagoon.
After about an hour and a half we moved on to the Dimmuborgir lava field. This was yet another location that looked otherworldly. The formation of the lava rocks just appeared so random and rigid, and every formation was wholely unique. There was even a spot with a little set up as "Grilla's Cave" were the character from Icelandic Christmas would take the naughty children to eat. Our guide had told us earlier that she placed "naughty" children in a bag so large and dark that the children in the bag could not even see or hear each other. Just a nice cozy Icelandic Christmas story.
Back on the road our guide said that there was a nice place to take photos, and he was right. With the sun getting close to setting, the view over the lake was quite exquisite. We were almost going to visit another location from Game of Thrones but we ran out of time (looks like leaving earlier would have paid off). Though it was fine, it was not originally on the interary anyways. Still wish we could have seen it.
Skipping on the Game of Thrones location allowed us to expereince Godafoss during sunset. Another stunning waterfall. This one reminded a bit of Niagra Falls with its half circle shape. There was a way to get a view from the bottom as well which was neat. A lot of photographers had their tripods set up taking photos.
Now we made our way to Akureyri or the capital in the North. After a quick drive around to show us some restaurants, we got dropped off. From there we split up a bit as different groups wanted different things to eat. Myself and my two new friends walked around trying to decide on where we wanted to eat. We ended up deciding on pizza as you can never go wrong with pizza. I had a meat lovers which lead to more lamb. We probably could have split a pizza as they were quite large. We ended up with a whole pizza worth of leftovers (we ended up giving it to some of our fellow travelers so it all worked out). After eating we still found ourselves with some time before our supposed meet up time. We walked around the town again, taking some photos. We found a little park with a large slide. I tried to go down it, but the slide did not seem to slide well. Still fun though.
We stayed at a hotel I beleive was called Hotel:Lamp? We could see the lights of Akureyri in the distance which was pretty but kind of hindered our chances of seeing the northern lights again. According to the app they were supposed to be out. We did see a very faint green glow but it was barley noticiable. I still count it as my third northern lights though! Then off to sleep to rest up for an early departure for whale watching!
Day 6 (sept 29)
Today everyone was on time, early in fact. We had to be on the bus by 0800 to make it on time for the whale watching and were told if you were not on time you would be left behind. So... people could be on time for early departures. One out of six, great score guys. Maybe the threat of being left behind should have been utilized more.
At Dalvik we got ourselves into a giant red snowsuit type thing to keep us warm on the boat. I also wore a long shirt underneath, along with a flannel sweater, down jacket, and flannel pants. I know from boat rides back home that if it is cold on land, it will be three times colder out on the water. My layering proved effective as I was quite warm except for my fingers. I think waterproof fleece gloves may have been useful.
We were on the water for a while, but it proved to be worth it as we saw some humpback whales! I am so glad we saw them. Nothing worse than going whale watching and not seeing any whales. To end a successful ride we had hot chocolate and a cinnamon type biscuit.
Out of our giant jumpsuits, we were on the road again towards the town of Siglufjordur. To get there we had to drive through a very long one laned tunnel. At times we had to move out of the way for cars coming the other way. I guess, the cars coming toward us get really annoyed if cars going in our direction did not move out of the way in time. Would be a bit intimidating to drive this tunnel as a tourist. Not too long out of the tunnel we drove through a short valley before going through yet another tunnel, before finally arrving at Siglufjordur. Up in the hills there were some interesting metal looking contraptions on the sides of the hills. They were designed to help alleviate damage from avalanches (every town seems to have some natural disaster that can kill you). The town itself was quite nice. Reminded be of a little fishing village back home with the colourful buildings and the boats along the water. We ate there at a buffet before continuing for the day.
We must have been in a very mountainous area, as we were required to drive though another tunnel leaving the town. We drove along some beautiful sea cliffs, spotted a lot of sheep amongst the hills on the opposite side and the fall colours were beautiful as well with the shrubs along the side.
A quick snack break and then onward again. Our scenery left the sea cliffs and entered into landscapes of grassy mountains, with farm houses at the bases.
It started rainning soon after before we made our last stop at a warerfall/canyon. This one was neat looking and had various view points to admire it. We did not stay too long as the weather was not great.
The rain started to come down harder as we made it to Hotel: Bifrost. Such a cool name as it is straight from Norse mythology. The rooms here were the nicest so far. Huge rooms with little kitchenettes. I believe they were university dorms, and the bathroom was also enormous. It was a concrete gray and the shower was a walk in one and seemed larger than typical bathtub would have been. Really enjoyed this place.
We met downstairs to enjoy our last night/supper together. My tour would continue but for others, the six day tour was almost over. We all talked a little bit, and I got to know some of my fellow travelers a bit more before turning in for the night.
Day 7 (Sept 30)
After a quick breakfast and saying goodbye to a few travellers who would return to Reykjavik earlier, we were on our way. Another fun fact, the ones leaving were trying to tip our guide (as he was fantastic) but in Iceland you do not tip. He said he would feel offended to take it. Also said that if you came across a buisness with a tip jar, it was most likely not owned by Icelanders.
The first stop of the day took us to the volcanic crater: Grabrok. The steps gave us a full view of the entire crater. We climbed steps up to the base of it and from there walked the trail around the circumference. From higher up the views of other samller craters in the distance were spectacular. I snagged a few volcanic rocks to take as souvenirs for myself and my younger cousin. I know have volcanic rock from Iceland and Costa Rica.
Next we visited a geothermal hot spring; Deildartunguhver. This place was otherworldly. The giant red geothermic rock was surrounded by fence to ensure visitors did not get too close to the 100 degree water. The water was bubbling and had so much steam coming up from it. It was so amazing to see and feel the warmth of this natural phenomenon.
A day in Iceland would not be complete without waterfalls, and these next two proved to be just as unique and sublime as any other seen thus far. Barnafoss looked like it cascaded it areas and looked really neat in between the canyon like rock formations of black lava rock. Hraunfossar just a short walk away is one of my favourites. Above the falls, the autumn foliage made for a truly awe inspiring image. I felt like I was looking into Rivendell from Middle Earth.
We then stopped at Reykholt to take a look at an old viking bath and underground storage type area. I really liked the underground type structure as it reminded me of a hobbit hole. We were told that the vikings would sometimes plan battles while bathing in similar type baths. It was circular and made of stone in the ground. There was a little "forest" nearby that my friend and I walked through a bit. You would have to have extreme talent to get lost in an Icelandic "forest".
Before arrving to Borganes we stopped on the side of the road to try to see some Icelandic horses. At first I thought they were too far away as they must have been at least 30 meters from the road, but they surprised me and proved to be quite friendly and walked right up to us! They were so cute and we each took turns getting out Icelandic horse selfies. I loved seeing them up close. So fluffy!
Lunch was bittersweet, as at this point we would soon have to split into the ones only doing six days and those who had paid for seven or eight day tours. Grillhusid was a pub like restaurant that we stopped at in Borganes. I really enjoyed it there. The chicken pasta was really good. My new friends and I tried to take our time to soak up the last few moments together on this amazing trip. Though, before dropping us off at the hotel in Borganes our guide gave the four of us staying a little tour of the town. Then at Hotel Borganes we said our final goodbyes.
We now had an afternoon and evening to ourselves with no set plan. Myself and another Canadian traveler decied to walk up to the town pool for a swim. The neat thing in Iceland is that outdoor pools are open year round, even in the winter. Luckily this was not winter so the outside temperature was not freezing but was still a little chilly after taking a dip. We swam a little in the indoor pool, went down one of the outdoor slides, spent some time in the hottubs, and the steam bath. They had three different hot tubs with differnt temperatures. The hottest one I can not remember how hot it was, but it felt nearly scalding.
Later on we met up with the other two left over in our group and went out for supper together at Eglendensvik. I had the spagetti and it was almost more of an alfredo/ other white sauce rather than tomato based. I was a bit surprised when I got the plate but was pleased that it was quite delicious. The sunset was also quite nice from just outside the restaurant as it was right by the water. Later that night we had hopes the northern lights may appear again over the water, but unfortunately they hid again that night.
Day 8 (Oct 1)
Today we would be picked up at 0930 and be met with travelers coming from Reykjavik. It was weird being with a different group and missing our guide. You almost become a little family on tours like this. As there was no food included on this tour, we stopped at a store in Borganes for some snacks before starting our day trip to the Snaefellsnes Penisula. We ended up being super lucky weather wise again as the pennisula ended up being fairly nice and the main island rainy. I guess it is usually the other way around.
First stop was a waterfall called: Selvellafoss. This one was really nice and a lot easier for tourists to miss as you could not see the falls from the road. Just a short walk down a hill and I could see the beautful waterfall surrounded by lush looking moss. Myself and a friend from our orignal group ventured closer to the falls as this was another one you could almost walk behind.
The next little bit of the drive was through a lavafield of black rocks with bright green moss overgown on it. I so bad wished we could have stopped for a photo. The black rock in contrast with bright green spongy looking moss looked so surreal!
Then we arrvied at Kirkjufell, probably the most famous landmark in this part of Iceland. They filmed a few scenes of Game of Thrones with this mountain, only with snow on it. Though I learned that they actaully filmed in the warmer months when the mountain was not snow covered and CGI'd the snow in later. The famous "arrowhead" mountain was cool to see in person and it was neat to see it a different angles and how you could only see the iconic shot from certain views.
We then moved on to the black sand beach: Djupalonssandur. Though this beach was more small black rocks compared to the finer sand from Diamond Beach. This location was actually really neat. There were rocky canyon like paths leading to the beach itself that were fun to walk through. All around in the distance the beach was also surrounded by the light green moss and lava fields. On the beach itself, there were scattered orange tinged rusty parts of an old English vessel that had crashed along the shores many years ago. This just added yet another spectacular additon to the sights. On the way back to the bus we were graced with a full arc rainbow. Perfect way to depart.
Next stop, the Arnarstapi sea cliffs. This park like area had so much to explore. There were trails that looked to go on for a good long while. With the time constraint I did not get to explore as much as I would have liked. What I did explore was really amazing. Some of cliffs looked like they had some basalt colunns. Neat to see some, as we missed out seeing them up close in Vik.
We then stopped at Icelands famous black church: Budir before heading to Ytri Tunga to try our luck at seeing seals. We were in luck and saw at least five or six. They were quite far away and my gopro is not made for zoom so I did not get any good photos. Regardless it was so fun to see the seals lounging on the rocks and swimming around with each other. We did also see some sheep (because they are literally everywhere). So cute to see them roaming around the seaweed.
That made for the last stop of the day. We managed to fit so much into this one day. It was like a mini version of the six day tour the four of us from the initial group had just embarked on. We all had different hotels in Reykjavik, but were somewhat close. We decided to meet up later on at a food court type area for a last supper. So once again we had to make more final goodbyes as we split once again. One of the other travelers had picked the same eight day tour as I did, but my last day got switched to snowmobiling while she remained with the highlands superjeep. I had been so excited for the highlands but decided I would make the best of a new experience tomorrow.
And thus, I was on my own again for the first time in seven days. Tonight I stayed at 22 Hill Hotel, and rested up for my first hand at riding a snowmobile.
Day 9 (Oct 2)
After a quick breakfast I was picked up a 0930 and was on my way to snowmobile on my glacier: Langjokull. About an hour or so into the drive we stopped to change from van to super jeep, as the road to the glacier was rougher terrain. By 1150 we had arrived at the base camp and got our gear. I was decked out in a bright orange jumpsuit, gloves, ski mask, helmet, and goggles. Another little drive and we were on the glacier.
After a quick "how-to" we were on our way. The first little bit was more icy and path like, but eventually we came upon a more snowy part of the glacier that was more open. The sights around were truly incredible and I often felt like I was on Hoth (Star Wars). Though I found it difficult at times to enjoy the sights unless we were stopped. This was my first time driving anything remotely like a snowmobile and we were going quite fast (for me anyways). I was so focused on not falling over I could not look around much. It was also sprinkling a little and quite chilly. The handles were supposed to be heated but my fingers felt like ice. We stopped at one point to look at a rainbow across the icy field. So that was a nice way to end the adventure.
So, all in all, the sights were amazing, and I get to say I snowmobiled on a glacier, but in comparision to my other Iceland adventures, this is proably one of my least favourites. I feel like my mind was going back in forth between: "this is amazing" and "this sucks I want to be on my own two feet again and not feel like an ice cube".
It was also a bit sad that I went from having my day eight as a relaxing ride through the highlands that I could enjoy hands free, to being placed on a tour where I myself had to drive a machine on a giant piece of ice. Oh well, it certainly made for quite the memory!
Now back in Reykjavik, I checked back into the Leif Erikson hotel that I stayed at my first night. I had orignally planned to stay at the galaxy pod hostel, but they sent me a email a few months out that they would be closed for refurbishment. I had this hostel picked out from 2020 so I was a bit saddened, but I liked how central Leif Erikson was, so not too bad a scenario. My room this time was really cute with the slanted roof and skylight.
The rest of my day I strolled the streets exploring shome shops again, and the went to Saeta Husid for ice cream. I highly reccomend. It was really good and the shop was really cute with the lounge seats and pastel coloured decor. This was my first time having rolled ice cream, and I liked that I could choose my own flavour and toppings.
Then back to the hotel to rest for my final full day in Iceland.
Day 10 (Oct 3)
Today was one of the activities I was most excited for: snorkelling between tectonic plates. According to trip advisor it is one of the top activities in the world. As my time was not until 1200, I had time to get some breakfast and do some last minute souvenir shopping.
Firstly, I went to the Laundromat Cafe for pancakes and hot chocolate. Both of which were really good. I really liked the design of this cafe, from the books along the center counter, the posters, and maps around the walls. They also had some Obama posters up, so I knew I was in good company.
Since I could not find an Icelandic edition of the Hobbit (I was not really expecting to find one), I ended up buying an English edition (but I will know that it was bought in Iceland!) I also got myself a book on Icelandic folktales and a figure of the Christmas Yule Cat for my parents to have has festive decor. They also had the other yule lads but I thought the creepy cat was cuter.
Then at 1200 I was on my way to Thingvellir to go snorkeling. The process was quite extensive to prepare. As this is Iceland, and the water is from glaciers, it would be very cold. I had to get into a dry suit. I wore my thin thermals underneath and then put on a thermal jumpsuit that they provided before they helped me into the drysuit overtop. They put ties over the arms to try and prevent any leakage. I got my ski mask looking thing on but obviously fit for water. And lastly the three fingered gloves.
We then hobbled our way down the path to where we would embark on our snorkel. Very hard to move with all the gear on. Our guide took a few photos of the group and taught us how to turn face up in the water and how to get our feet pointing down, as moving in water with the buoyant dry suits would be tricky. The experience itself is like nothing I have ever done before. Luckily not as cold as I expected either. I expected to be cold the whole time. Above everthing looked gray, brown and some greens, but under the water was otherworldy. Dark blues, to sea greens, to robin egg blue, it was absolutely beautiful. The water was so clear you could see the other snorklers as if they were above water. I read beforehand sometimes it feels like you are flying. My gopro didn't turn on (sometimes I have to take the battery out and put it back in which is difficult when in the water with three fingered gloves). The guide was awesome and was able to get it fixed for me. Gopros are what they use to take photos of us so they know their way around a gopro thankfully. Though even if I could not get my gopro to turn on, nothing would have taken away from the etheral expereince of floating through tectonic plates. The great thing about snorkeling in glacier water compared to down south in the sea, is that when water gets in your snorkel, you can actually drink it! So I kept myself well hydrated with glacier water. Which honestly is probably the cleanest, freshest water I have ever had. Direct from a glacier, you can't get more pure than that! Near the end I did start to feel cold in my hands and my face. It was getting harder to keep the mouthpiece in of my snorkel as my lips were getting numb from the cold, but my body was at a comfortable temperature!
Back in Reykjavik I treated myself to some fish & chips (one of my favourite meals) from Reykavik Chips. I was not sure how I would like them as they use cod, and I usually prefer haddock. But they were quite enjoyable. I then headed back to my hotel room to rest fro the night. I found myself feeling a bit under the weather. And thus ended my last day in Iceland.
The next day was just me leaving early by Flybus to return to the airport. This trip has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Iceland easily takes the number one spot in favourite countries I have visited. After having so much hype for this trip back in 2020, then reigniting the excitement when I rebooked in 2022, I was a bit nervous I had set my hopes too high. Deep down I wanted to believe that a place that looks so magical in photos could never let me down, and was overjoyed when Iceland exceeded all expectations. What a truly magical place. From the mountains and volcanoes, to the canyons and glaciers, to the sheep and horses, there is not a thing I did not enjoy on this trip (even if the snowmobiling was a little miserable at times). I also arrived expecting crappy weather everyday but was blown away by my luck. Nearly every day had perfect weather!
The only country I can foresee even coming close to knocking Iceland out of my number one spot is perhaps New Zealand; the number one country I want to visit. While Iceland is enchanting and reminded of Middle Earth at times, New Zealand literally is Middle Earth! Only time will tell, I need to get to New Zealand first!
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