Iceland - The land of waterfalls

Everywhere I looked in 2017 all I’d see were holidays to Iceland...in all the travel emails I get, online reviews, blogs and friends and family who had been booking up trips there it definitely seemed to be the place to go that year, I even bumped into one of my old work colleagues while we were there!! I can only assume the tourist board were ploughing loads of money into marketing it directly as well as through tour operators and it certainly seems to be working. I did something I never do and booked really far in advance, well 4 months before which is fairly unheard of for me! I also booked a ‘package’ another thing I never do with the flights, hotel, transfers, Northern Lights Excursion, Hop on Hop Off Bus ticket and entrance to the Aurora Centre all included. Had I read a bit more about Iceland in advance before booking it I would have done it totally differently but it was too late by then, so we just went with it and decided to treat it as a taster as we would probably want to return to take on the Ring Road at some point. We were travelling late November so we knew it would be chilly, we went prepared with layers and waterproofs. In all honesty it wasn’t much colder than it is at home but nothing could have prepared us for the wind we experienced there, I was almost blown over more than once and it was that wind chill that was what made it feel so much colder than it probably was. Day 1 From the UK the flight is just under 3 hours, we flew with Iceland Air and were pleasantly surprised. The seat pitch was slightly bigger than you normally get in economy and with my husband over 6ft this is always a bonus. The seats were comfy and each person gets their own touch screen tablet to watch movies on which was brilliant. My only qualm was that we purchased two Icelandic beers on the flight which should have been £7, they went through on my credit card at £8.50...ouch!! We landed and made our way through the airport, by the time we reached baggage our bags were already going around! We had pre booked a transfer from the airport with Fly Bus so we headed to the desk where we were given tickets and sent outside to the buses in the pouring rain and howling wind, we felt like we had done a big circle and landed back in the UK! The bus was really easy and dropped us off right outside our hotel. We were staying in Fosshotel Reykjavik, which is apparently Iceland’s largest hotel! This is a first for us as we normally stay in small, low key places but it was great and it included a buffet breakfast which saved us a small fortune! We had only booked the most basic of rooms and were given one which over looked the waterfront which was brilliant. Although, as it was dark most of the time we were in the room, we didn’t really get to appreciate the view. I must say it was one of the comfiest beds I have slept on! The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the main tourist / shopping area so it’s not far at all. We didn’t change up any money before we arrived, instead choosing to just draw it out of an ATM which turned out even with the ATM fee to be a much better rate than we would have got at home. We knew things were expensive here but honestly, nothing could have prepared us for just how expensive, it really was quite a shock. We decided on Italian for dinner it was yummy but with a Spaghetti Bolognese setting us back 2,900ISK (£20.70) we knew it was going to be an expensive trip! What I can say though is that across the board food portions everywhere we ate seemed to be fairly substantial and the food was good. I would definitely suggest checking out the TripAdvisor reviews before going somewhere as this really helped us understand the cost and food portions which was important to us on this trip when you have to be a bit savvy. Day 2 - Reykjavik With the sun not rising here until 10.25am we were waking in the dark, which is hard. We made the most of the buffet breakfast, they had everything here. Today we were planning on using our Hop on Hop Off bus tickets which is something we have done in a number of other countries and although it is shamelessly touristic, we always find it useful to get to grips with a city’s layout and the audio tour is normally quite informative. We layered up and headed out into the wind, the bus stops are surprising hard to locate when you don’t have a map of the route but we eventually managed to find one by Hofdi House just as the sun was starting to rise. Sadly it rained very heavily for most of the rest of the day which put us off walking around too much but I have to say that 1 day to explore the city was enough for me, the highlights of Iceland for me, without question, lie away from the city. Something I do really like about Iceland is the fact that lots of the things you go there to see are free, which really helps with the fact that everything else is so expensive. We hopped off at Perlan, a geothermal-water tank with a mirrored dome roof, there isn’t a great deal to see there but there is a pretty impressive 360-degree viewing deck that goes around the top which we braved the relentless wind and rain to enjoy, on a clear day I can imagine the view is quite spectacular. We visited Aurora Reykjavik, the Northern Lights Centre, as we had entrance included in our trip (normal tickets 1,600ISK aprox £11.40) it explained the science behind the lights with lots of interactive displays and videos. There was a lovely relaxing room showing some great footage of the lights, almost meditative to watch with some lovely relaxing music playing, then at the end there is a little chill out area with tables and chairs and cushion corners where you can relax and enjoy a free tea or coffee which was a lovely touch.

Keep an eye out for all the funky street art in Reykjavik We walked along the very windy seafront, today like every other day in Iceland I had chosen to wear two coats and believe me was I pleased I was! We checked out the huge fishing boats as we walked to the next bus stop. Next stop Hallgrimskirkja Church, I had seen so many pictures of this before we came and I think this is one occasion where the pictures actually make it look better than it is in real life, maybe because it was raining, grey, windy and there were building works going on (which seems to be the case a lot of the time whenever I go anywhere, there always seems to be building works going on!) maybe that all together meant I couldn’t enjoy the outside as much as normal, it is grand yes and pretty cool architecture but the inside is quite dull in all honesty, we checked out the famous 5,275 pipe organ and had a quick look around. After more wandering of the wet streets we were starving hungry and gave in to two Panini’s at 1,250ISK (£8.92 each) which were warm and tasty and just what we needed.

Make sure you check out the stunning coast in Reykjavik, this was just over the road from the Harpa Concert Hall We are picking up our hire car tomorrow so we went to the Bonus Supermarket on Laugavegur Street (we found Bonus to be the cheapest supermarket and there are a few branches around) we stocked up on bread rolls, cheese and snacks so we could make sandwiches on the go to try and save some money. Back at the hotel we found out that our Northern Lights tour had been cancelled due to the weather, which wasn’t a huge surprise so we relaxed in the bar with a ‘Happy Hour’ drink. We went on Trip Advisor to investigate restaurant options for dinner, we read a review which mentioned their hotel had given them a voucher book which had lots of money off vouchers for restaurants, on the way out we asked at reception and turns out they do exist, all you had to do is ask! We saved 20% on dinner that night and 30% the next night, which was a huge bonus so I would definitely recommend checking with your hotel reception too.

Day 3 - Golden Circle We got our first and last taxi of the trip to the car hire place, five minutes away from our hotel which came to 2,100ISK (£15). You can read more about who we hired our car with and recommendations here. We declined the GPS on offer as we would be guiding ourselves using the maps.me app on my phone, this is without a doubt one of the best tools for travelling and we have come to rely on it since an Italian traveller told us about it in Cambodia a couple of years ago when he came across us lost in the middle of nowhere on a moped. It’s all offline and works with GPS, I had already pin pointed all the places we wanted to go so it was easy peasy to navigate our way around. We jumped in our Hyundai i20 and we were ready to go. Today we would be exploring the Golden Circle along with what appeared to be busloads of tourists also doing this infamous route.

One of the long empty roads, always stunning scenery wherever you look The first thing that hit me as we travelled out of the city was the landscape, I was just in awe, it was incredible, from mountains to lava fields, rivers and steaming hill sides it was just incredible and I knew that our few days here would not be enough and that I will be wanting to return to see even more of it. Also there are very few trees in Iceland so the landscape is all very open, oddly it also means you don’t see anything moving outside so when you stop and open your door it can be quite a shock as to how windy it is as there is nothing outside to gauge it. This is worth remembering as we saw a few people lose control of their car doors which can end up being a costly mistake. Our first stop was the Thingvellir National Park, when we arrived it was heaving, even the over flow car park was full and while we knew there was a lot to see there we decided to skip it and try and beat the traffic by getting to the next place. We had to be conscious as well that with sunrise at 10.24am and sun set at around 3.45pm the window for daylight to see things was quite small and we wanted to make the most of it. So we carried on, there is just so much to see on the way and waterfalls are everywhere, it’s just beautiful. Next stop, the Geysers... free to get in and free to park with a good sized visitor centre and the first toilets in a while. The queue for toilets was huge and a top tip for ladies would be make sure you carry some extra tissues or loo roll with you as most of the toilets we used while driving did not have any...Head across the road and it is incredible, literally like you've just stepped into Middle Earth or something!

What I felt landing on another planet might look like... There was a bit of a whiff of sulphur in the air but it wasn’t too bad, probably because there was such a strong wind blowing. You can see all the smaller Geysers steaming and bubbling and it’s obvious where the famous Strokkur geyser is that shoots an impressive display in the air every 5-10 minutes as the crowds are huddled around. We didn’t have to wait long, 2 minutes later off it went and we were pretty lucky as it did a second one about 10 seconds later, I didn’t see it do this again so I think that might be quite rare. We stayed for just one more and by then my fingers were so frozen I could hardly move them. We had noticed a ‘secret’ car park around the back which overlooked the Strokkur geyser so we moved the car there and had lunch while we watched multiple eruptions go off, it was brilliant. You can’t beat a Swiss Army Knife when travelling, the amount of DIY sandwiches we have made with our's is incredible, it’s been so useful everywhere we go, we’ve carved our own pineapples, rescued a bat that was trapped, fixed broken showers the list is endless!

Strokkur Geysir Lunch done we carried on, next stop Gullfoss. A pretty impressive waterfall, again free to visit which was nice, we parked up and my husband being a huge Land Rover fan, he is constantly in awe of the massive trucks over here so we did a lap of the car park admiring those before heading over to the waterfall. You walk over to the waterfall and walk down to the bottom where you can see the falls then head up to the top where you get a different perspective. It was such a big waterfall and again the wind chill made it feel so cold and we were conscious that the sun sets early we knew we couldn’t hang around too long.

The imposing Gullfoss Waterfall We headed South and I took us a bit of a rural way where hubby got to inadvertently practice driving on a bit of icy road...he loved it! We drove down towards the Kerid Crater which is 400ISK entry (£2.85) and made it just before the sun went down, it’s a really cool volcanic crater lake where apparently Bjork did a concert a few years ago on a floating stage while everyone watched around the top. I loved the colours here, there’s lots of red and black rock, I’ve seen pictures of the crater where the lake is a lot more turquoise than it was when we saw it, so it’s either camera trickery or it changes colour when the sun shines on it...

The impressive Kerid Crater We drove back to Reykjavik through Selfoss to see what was there, I can confirm there is nothing worth going there for that we saw. Further up the road on the way back to Reykjavik there is a small town about 10 minutes or so from Selfoss called Hveragerdi this is where they had the cheapest petrol we found anywhere on this route, cheaper by about 10ISK per litre, it’s right on the main road roundabout so you can’t miss it. There was also a bakery and a Bonus Supermarket attached, there is also a random exhibit on the volcanic eruption and earthquake that happened here a few years before. It was a long drive back to Reykjavik, the Northern Lights forecast for tonight was looking good, we went to confirm details and turns out we hadn’t been booked on!! After much tooing and frowing and every company being fully booked we decided to drive ourselves...we never normally do tours anyway! The hotel tour guy recommended driving to Gardur right down by the airport...miles away, but we knew from the Aurora forecast that the skies were looking pretty clear around there! He was very sure on this and we didn’t have much time to investigate ourselves so we went with it. I can now recommend not going to Gardur to try to look for the Lights unless you know exactly where you are supposed to go, there is so much light pollution from the airport and a lighthouse, there was no chance of spotting them especially as we had literally no idea where was good to go. We watched the skies full of hope until 12.30am and knew we had to give up.

Day 4 - Vik Today’s final destination would be Vik on the South East Coast about 187 km from Reykjavik, so there was a lot of driving and sightseeing to squeeze into those 5 hours of daylight. At this time of year the sun doesn’t seem to properly rise here, on a clearish day it tends to look like sunset all the time which is really quite beautiful. First stop was Urridafoss, a waterfall not really featured anywhere in the tourist guides etc but it turned out to be one of my favourites as there was hardly anyone else there, no buses, no hoards with selfie sticks just us and one other couple and it was brilliant! It was however, quite possibly the coldest place yet thanks to a serious wind chill and the car showing air temperature already at -2oc but it was worth it, if you have time I would definitely recommend swinging by.

Urridafoss Waterfall It was a bit of a drive to the next stop which was Gljufrafoss, this was a really high, beautiful waterfall. We ventured right next to the falls but where all the spray from the falls hits the path there was loads of black ice so everyone walks around like Bambi. There are two other little waterfalls next to Gljufrafoss which are worth walking along to, make sure you check out the horizon too as the view of the mountains from here was quite stunning especially as we had that low winter sun turning them a lovely shade of orange. We treated ourselves to a hot chocolate from the little food van here for 450ISK (£3.50 each) pulled the car around the corner to the car park overlooking the waterfall and had lunch with a view, number 2! I cannot emphasise enough just how stunning the scenery here all along the roads is, just as you pull out from these falls check out the left hand side as there is an even more impressive falls just there too!

Gljufrafoss Waterfall We swung by the turf houses which were on the road, these are little houses built into the rock with grass roofs. We detoured to see my first ever glacier...Solheimajokull we saw it from the road so headed up, it was quite amazing and I was so excited to finally see one in real life. I also really wanted to go and see the crashed aeroplane fuselage but the farmer has stopped people from driving down the track there so you have to park up and walk for 4km there and back...which isn’t a problem, we would do it, but not today as there is not enough sunlight left.

Solheimajokull - my first glacier! Next stop were the view points up at Kirkjufjara, which over look the beaches of Vik. The road up is pretty windy, steep and full of holes, quite narrow as well! When I got out the car I was literally almost blown over a number of times the wind here was insane! The view is pretty cool but I literally struggled to keep hold of my camera it was such a strong wind. We walked around the cliff top and drove down to the lower viewpoints then back tracked to head to Vik, our final destination.

Views from Kirkjufjara of the black sand beaches near Vik

The views towards Vik I wrapped up in all my layers and we headed down to the beach. As we went round the corner the Reynisfjara basalt columns came into view and wow, they are amazing. I loved the black sand beach here, really dramatic with the crashing waves. The wind picked up even more and started pelting us with sand, it was awful, all in my face, I quickly put my glasses and my camera in my pocket and tried to shield my face from the blasting, it was not a pleasant experience.

Incredible Reynisfjara basalt columns in Vik - Iceland

The incredible Reynisfjara basalt columns in Vik We had planned it just right with the daylight as while we were driving back the sun was setting. We decided to break up the drive by coming home past Skogafoss waterfall, which we had skipped on the way up, I was so pleased we did as it was a nice waterfall. Hubby went practically under the falls again and ended up soaking wet.

Skogafoss Waterfall It was a long drive back but it had all been worth it, if I had known before booking I would have opted for one night in Vik after that day of driving instead of having to go all the way back again in a day. We checked the Aurora forecast and it looked reasonably positive so after a quick bite to eat while we planned where we would head, we went off for night 2 of Northern Lights chasing. We headed out towards Thingvellir national park, we came off the main road and found a nice little spot...two minutes later 2 tourist buses rocked up...just our luck, a load of tourists all shining torches and letting the flash off on their cameras, it was not ideal for Lights spotting so we headed a bit further up the road. It was so windy, we stood outside trying to not get blown over while we looked at the skies but the clouds were coming in and it started raining and we knew it probably wasn’t going to happen. We tried a couple more places and with heavy hearts decided to give up around midnight.

Day 5 – Reykjanes Peninsula This was one of those days that didn’t really turn out as planned and it went from stress and strops about missing out, to it actually being the best thing that could have happened...which is one of the things I love about travelling so much. The plan was to relax in Laugarvatn Fontana, a geothermal spa on the road between Thingvellir and the Geysers. This was our next choice after I tried to book the Blue Lagoon 2 weeks before we came and they were sold out and the more I thought about it the more I was looking forward to Fontana over the Blue Lagoon. However at breakfast as we were planning our route we realised that all the timings just didn’t seem to work, our flight home was at 4.45pm and with such a long drive there and back it just didn’t make sense...damn it! So we decided to drive South to the Reykjanes Peninsula, we didn’t know much about it but it was the best decision ever! We drove on the 42 towards the Geopark area and I was totally overwhelmed by the scenery down here, poor hubby having to stop the car ever two minutes so I could take pictures. It was moss covered lava fields as far as the eye could see...just felt like we had landed on another planet.

The incredible scenery of the Reykjanes Peninsula We drove past some fish drying racks which we took a look at, oddly there was no fish smell and all I could see were fish heads drying but it was quite a sight to see! The landscape continuously changed and the sun stayed low in the sky all day casting the most beautiful light on everything. As you drive down the 42 past Kleifarvatn Lake you will see a couple of parking points where you can then walk down to these amazing almost secret black sand beaches, I just loved it!

Secret black sand beach on the shores of Kleifarvatn Lake As you drive South past the end of the lake keep an eye out on your right hand side for the lovely heart shape in the hill side! We continued on the road coming across Seltun, a cluster of hot springs with a cute little boardwalk that take you around them...be warned, it smelt so bad here! It’s worth a quick wander around but depends how long you can stand the stench for!! Just down the road at Graenavatn there is a nice viewing point that it is worth stopping for a moment to take in the landscape. We continued on the 42 until it reached the 427 we followed this for a few miles until there is a small turning on the left hand side. I had found this road on maps.me and it looked like it went to the coast, a nice stop for today’s in car lunch I thought. Turns out it is a pretty crazy little dirt track, still a road, just mainly black dirt you are driving on and at one point you drive through a small river too...my husband was in his element but for those less sure it might be a bit much. It took a while to get down the bumpy road which was about 4km and finally we reached the end, the top of the cliffs overlooking an angry sea below, it was incredible! There were huge black volcanic boulders below being totally battered by the massive waves, the drive had been worth it. By the time we got to the airport we were a bit behind schedule so it was all a bit stressful, something I do not enjoy. Our experience was quite bad at the airport there were long queues for everything plus our gate was a 20 minute walk away, so I would recommend leaving a little more time than normal to get to the airport to avoid that horrible stress.