An Icelandic Adventure
The weather was very changeable, and on more than one occasion we seemed to experience all four seasons in one hour! Do make sure to pack lots of layers and proper waterproofs, the top temperature during our trip was 6 degrees and we experienced everything from freezing cold rain to cornflower blue skies.
Blue Lagoon
To soak in the warm blue waters at The Blue Lagoon was amazing, I felt instantly relaxed and rejuvenated after our early morning flight. Do make sure to book in advance as we met people on our travels who even in the quiet season couldn’t get in. It’s best to visit early morning or late afternoon if you can, to avoid the crowds and it ties in perfectly to visit when you first arrive or on your way back to the airport.
Whale Watching
We took a whale watching boat tour from Reykjavik Harbour and although it was quite choppy we did get to see a Mink Whale and several White Beaked Dolphins playing alongside the boat. There are some lovely restaurants in the harbour, we were staying very close by and visited Del Rio for lunch and Caruso for dinner, the food here was divine. Dining out in Iceland can be expensive so do factor this in.
South Coast
We opted to drive straight out to Reynisfjara and stop at all the sights on our way back to Reykjavik so we weren’t rushing. Reynisfjara black sand beach was stunning, you can see the Reynisdrangar sea stacks, which are said to be petrified trolls that were caught outside at sunrise and frozen in time! Just a short drive is Dyrholaey from where you have amazing views out across Reynisfjara Beach and can see the huge stone sea arch.
Solheimajokull Glacier was amazing to see, to just stand there and view this huge glacier up close was mesmerising. Glacier hikes can be organised in advance, we sadly did not have time, but we did see a group of walkers with their crampons in hand!
Two fabulous waterfalls are located along this route. At Seljalandsfoss you can follow the path up behind the waterfall as it cascades over steep cliffs – but be prepared to get wet! The second waterfall is Skogafoss, where you can climb a fairly steep set of stairs up to the top of the waterfall and peer out across the edge from the viewing platform!
Golden Circle
We had every intention of leaving early for our drive out to the Golden Circle, but fate had other plans for us as we had a flat tyre (luckily whilst still in Reykjavik!) I had chosen to book a local car hire company, Lotus Car Rental, and they were amazing. The founder of the business came out himself to change our tyre, so we didn’t have to wait several hours for the recovery company! You can’t get much better service than that.
Once we got on our way, our first stop was Kerid, a beautiful blue crater lake. The colour changed along with the weather!
Onto Geysir and Gulfoss which are located just a 10-minute drive from each other. Gulfoss waterfall was spectacular, the sheer power of the water cascading down was amazing. Our trip to the Geysir was interesting, after standing and viewing Strokkur Geysir shoot water up 30m into the air we had a little wonder around the hot pools – 80-100 degrees Celsius – before deciding to go back and try and video ourselves with Strokkur exploding behind us. We picked a spot away from everybody else, maybe this should have been a sign, and whilst videoing we realised why this spot was clear, what goes up must come down! We got absolutely soaked! Check out my Facebook page for the video!
After several hours exploring we decided to stop at Fontana Spa for a soak and it was incredible. Located on the lake it has amazing views, and even steps down into the lake for those who are brave enough to take a dip! There are several pools, all heated at different temperatures and we tried them all, simply fabulous to simply lay back and relax.
We were recommended a local farm to stop for a spot of lunch – Efstidalur – and the burgers were incredible. Rather bizarrely though, there are windows from the restaurant that look over the cow shed!!
Our last stop on the Golden Circle drive was Thingvellir, we arrived at 8pm and had the place to ourselves! Thingvellir sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge marking the boundary of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and thus has the most incredible scenery. We visited the beautiful waterfall and walked all the way along the paths until reaching a view point over Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest natural lake.
Reykjanes Peninsula
We had a late-night flight back to the UK so decided to make the most of our last day with a drive through the Reykjanes Peninsula, and I’m so pleased we did. We were blessed with bright blue skies for our last day, and what a difference it made!
Kleifarvatn is a deep mineral lake with black sand beaches, the views were incredible from here and we spent a bit of time snapping some great photographs. Gunnuhver is a geothermal area and has a hot spring and a vent where you can see hot steam billowing out from below the Earth’s crust – this was quite incredible to see and did make us wonder what was going on just below our feet! Valahnukur is one of the most wild and wonderful spots on the peninsula, there are huge cliffs that are home to colonies of sea birds plus the lovely Reykjanesviti lighthouse, the oldest in Iceland.
One of the most incredible places on the Reykjanes Peninsula is the Bridge Between Two Continents – and the bridge literally spans the plate boundary. There is a sand filled gulley underneath, which you can walk along!
All in all, an incredible trip to Iceland. Would I return? Absolutely! I’m already thinking about when I can return, and next time hope to visit in Summer to drive the Western Fjords, The Snaefellsness Peninsula along with a visit to the north.