Iceland - The Land of Fire and Ice
THE HOTEL
I chose to stay at the 3 star Hotel Fron, it is in an excellent location, right in the heart of the city centre and within walking distance of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, shopping and the harbour.
We stayed in a studio apartment which was large with a kitchenette, the decor was wooden and beamed so it had a very cosy feel to it.
The continental breakfast was quite basic but enough to get you up and running. The staff are friendly, they keep you informed of cancelled excursions, rebooking them and re-confirming other arrangements. Due to the changing weather conditions, you have to expect a little work on your part; to check excursions are running and rearrange if necessary.
Keflavik Airport is 45 mins from Reykjavik city centre but the transfer can take longer if you use the usual shuttle type service.
Note: the shuttles depart approx 40 mins after flights land so if you are first on board the bus, expect to wait a while until the bus is full before it departs. Also, there may be a change of vehicle once in Reykjavik at the bus depot to smaller coaches, ready for the hotel drop offs.
GETTING AROUND REYKJAVIK
Reykjavik centre is quite compact and easily walkable, if travelling in winter be sure to wear thermal layers, sturdy boots and warm outer clothing. We wore salopettes for the excursions and these were perfect. Otherwise walking around with thermal layers, jeans and coats were fine. Definitely need hats, gloves, scarfs and snood if you have one.
EXCURSIONS
Visiting the tectonic plates…
Our first excursion was on a Superjeep out to see the tectonic plates, this is where the continents of North America and Europe meet and pull apart, unfortunately, this was the worst day for weather plus it was dark when we visited (11 am) so we couldn't see too much and we didn’t have time to explore the area as it was a quick stop off. You need a bit of time here to take in the enormity of what you are seeing so I would love to go back and do this in the daylight.
Strokkur Geysir…
The next stop was the Strokkur Geysir, this was the main hot spring which spouts water high up into the air every few minutes, great to see and if you stand close enough you will get wet!
Gullfoss Waterfall…
We also visited the Gullfoss waterfall, now this is incredible, it's powerful, large and the scenery is beautiful, definitely not one to miss.
We stopped at the Kerio crater which is 6,500 years old, the colours were stunning, you look down in this crater which had frozen water in the middle and red rock on the surrounding sides and it was just visually amazing. You can walk right down to the water's edge and look up too. In the summer when the ice is melted, the lake is a lovely blue colour.
Part of this trip was a visit to the Glaciers but unfortunately, this was called off due to the bad weather with no visibility on the glacier. This was really disappointing but gives me an excuse to go back!
Blue Lagoon…
The next day we visited the Blue Lagoon, which is a man-made attraction but one of the must do things in Iceland.
As this is near the airport, many people do this trip either after they land or on their last day. Personally, I didn't want to feel rushed for time so I chose to do it on a free day. I have to say unless you are really pushed for time this is what I would recommend doing. You can stay in the Lagoon for as long as you like, there is a restaurant on site, you can upgrade your package to include spa treatments and if you took advantage of all of this, you could be in there for 4-5 hours.
Tip: towels are not included so take your own if you don't want to pay to rent them, approx £4 each. Lockers are free.
There is a chargeable bar in the lagoon itself (limited drinks per wristband due to dehydration) and free face mud mask station.
We loved it here and spent 2 hours relaxing in the lagoon. The water is 38 degrees so you never get cold even if it starts snowing/sleeting when you are there, which it did!
Northern Lights…
The next trip was a boat to see the Northern Lights. We booked the boat for the first night we arrived but it was cancelled due to bad weather at sea plus no chance of seeing the lights. We were advised at the time that Friday was meant to be a good night to see the lights so we rebooked for then.
On the Friday, the boat left the harbour at 9 pm and they provide you with all in one suits to put over your clothing. You really need to wrap up warm if you want to stay outside so just wear everything!
Just as the forecast had predicted out the lights came! Now they were faint and they were not all singing and dancing pictures you see but you could see the green trail across the sky.
Amazing! Mission accomplished and I have to say I was really excited by it.
NEW YEARS’ EVE
The next day was New Year's Eve and this was our first free day to explore the town centre. We hadn't seen the town in daylight yet as the sun doesn't come up until around 11:30 and goes down around 4 pm and as we had been out on excursions it was always dark when we left and returned to the hotel.
It is worth mentioning that Iceland is expensive to eat and drink, you can pretty much double the price of what we pay in the UK and more in some places.
Well, what can I say about New Year's Eve! I have never seen anything like it before. We went on an excursion at 8pm on a coach, the Aurora Borealis made another appearance! It was a brighter display than the night before on the boat and again very exciting.
Our guide took us to a spot which gave us a 360-degree view of the fireworks. You have never seen anything like it, thousands of fireworks going off all around us.
I loved Iceland at New Year, they really embrace this celebration and with the proceeds of firework sales going towards the Iceland Search and Rescue team, it is all in a good cause too.
I will definitely be going back to go hiking on a glacier and to see those tectonic plates so watch this space!