Iceland

As most of you know, I love to travel. During the peak of the pandemic, I explored many of the state and national parks in Texas instead of traveling internationally. As the pandemic shifted in 2022, I started dreaming of traveling again. And getting a passport stamp in my recently renewed passport. I have some family and friends that travel often and as I asked them for advice on where to travel, a clear country emerged – Iceland.

I first heard about Iceland and Reykjavík during the late 90s when my college friends were traveling to Europe on a $500 plane ticket if they did a layover in Reykjavík. It sounded so mysterious…. and cold. I knew it was a great place to chase the northern lights – but again, it sounded so cold. I thought of it, like many people, as a country covered in ice and snow all the time. Some say that Greenland should have taken the Iceland title with an ice sheet that covers 80% of the country. Glaciers only cover around 10% of Iceland. Iceland is more properly nicknamed Fire + Ice due to its glaciers, volcanic hot spots, and geothermal hot springs. As I started researching these facts, a clear season to visit Iceland emerged – Autumn.

Why Autumn is the best time to visit Reykjavík, Iceland

Northern Lights

Summers in Iceland have 15-22 hours of sunlight daily, depending on the month, so there is no chance to see the northern lights. Summer is the time to hike and drive around the Loop 1 road that circumnavigates the entire country and other F1 dirt roads that aren’t accessible during the winter months. But as the continual light of summer recedes in September, the daylight and darkness balance out and allow for the aurora borealis spectacle. There is an opportunity to see the northern lights while also enjoying plenty of sunlight to hike and see waterfalls throughout the day. Winter is also a wonderful time to see the northern lights with most winter days only having 5 hours of sunlight if the cold without sunlight doesn’t deter you!

Cost

Expensive is one of the first words uttered when you mention a trip to Iceland. I happen to live in Austin, Texas which is not known for its affordability so sticker shock is slightly dependent on where you currently reside. But Iceland can be expensive, especially during the summers which is peak tourist season. After looking into the benefits of each season to visit Iceland, Autumn sounded even more appealing when I learned it was a much cheaper time to travel. Some of the hotels that I looked at were 2-3x less than in the summer months. The fall season was definitely looking like the best time for us to travel.

Weather

Summer is definitely the best time of year to go if you are looking for the warmest and driest time of year. Or if you want to drive the entire Ring Road around the country, which is very difficult in the winter or even shoulder seasons due to wind, rain, and snow. Temperatures in the fall are actually quite mild with the average high temperature in September in the 50s and 40s in October. We traveled in the last week of October 2022 and returned in early November. The temperature was typically around 45* and even at night hovered around 32* F. Now, Icelandic wind is a different story all together and gives you a wind chill that we never measured – except in expletives preceding the word cold.

There is much variability and quick shifts throughout each day during the Fall. It’s said that you may experience all four seasons within a single day in Iceland in the fall. We experienced about three gorgeous, sunny days and clear skies at night but then as we traveled south to Vík and further east towards Vatnajökull Glacier and Höfn, we experienced the rain and wind that is so stereotypical of Iceland. But with proper attire (keep reading or jump to that section now), it is definitely manageable.

Driving

Driving in Iceland is not for everyone, especially during the fall and winter season. There are many blogs about renting cars in Iceland and driving in Iceland. The round-a-bouts are intense with different right of ways than is typical and the terrifying one lane bridges will haunt your mind for years to come. One evening after we entered a bridge, we happened upon a semi-truck coming towards us that required us to reverse with another car behind us to get out of the way! The blinding lights covering the top of the truck as well as usual headlights ignited our nervous systems like a bolt of lightning. Thankfully, the speed limit is fairly low all through Iceland and strictly enforced to prevent such accidents. We made a rule right after this to only drive during the daylight hours.

Our Iceland Itinerary

Day 1: We arrived at Keflavík Airport at 6am and rented a car from Icerental 4×4 – it was a 2022 Subaru XV Automatic. They scooped us up in a shuttle with other tourists getting cars and took us to their little office 30 minutes from the airport. It was evident we were in a strange, new country when he started giving us instructions about the car:

• • • • Don’t feed the horses through the window (the horse will kick the car!)
      • Do not drive into the lake (people do it! – he said when we said we wouldn’t)
      • Park angled into the wind
      • When it’s windy, let one person open the door and get out first, then the other person so the wind doesn’t whip through the car and rip off a door.
      • When it’s windy, open the door just slightly so the door doesn’t rip off the hinges (it happens!)
      • Use headlights all the time while driving – even during the day

Our first priority after getting the car was coffee. We drove to Brauð and Co (brauð means bread in Icelandic) and learned a key lesson: if a place seems dark and closed, try the door anyway. We waited in the car for about 15 minutes trying to figure out where else to go because we thought it was closed. There were no lights or people inside. Then we finally saw someone walk in and come out with bread! We quickly jumped out of the car, got our pastries and coffee in the nearly dark café, and then made our way into Reykjavík. We spent the day roaming around the sleepy city. It was windy and cold but sunny. It was a great time to wander the streets and see the sights without the hoards of typical tourists.

 

 

We strolled along the coast to see the Sun Voyager sculpture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous church in Reykjavík called the Hallgrímskirkja was also beautiful to see in the morning light with very few tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

I was hoping to meet the IG famous Reykjavík cat named Baktus (@baktusthecat) but we missed him. The rainbow street from the church down to Baktus’ neck of the woods was empty so we took advantage of a good photo opportunity without the crowds.

 

 

We found a cute little place called Sandholt to have breakfast (and tried some Icelandic moss tea – yum!). We drove to the lighthouse and the Reykjavík Botanical Gardens.  Around 2pm, we couldn’t make it any longer with our jetlag and drove to our hotel Hlid Fisherman’s Village about 20 minutes outside of town. It’s definitely a remote place and there’s no front desk or lobby. The restaurant connected to this hotel is located in another village. There is a hot tub and a sauna and a nice area with chairs to watch the sky and listen to the waves crash on the shore. The beds were comfortable and even though I wanted to look for the northern lights, we crashed pretty early to catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, the mini fridge was broken but thankfully, it was cold enough outside so we just left our food in the car for the night.

Day 2: We woke up refreshed after a great night of sleep ready to explore Iceland’s nature. We drove the Golden Circle which is possible to do in 3 hours but I would definitely recommend taking more time. We drove (so many roundabouts!!) to Thingvellir National Park. In lceland, there is always a parking lot and a meter to pay for parking (using a credit card to pay – we didn’t use any cash the whole time we were there). There was a constant inflow and outflow of people, cars, and tour buses.

Next was the Geysir Hot Springs. Definitely a tourist destination with several restaurants in one building. When we walked through the trail to the geysirs, we saw a bunch of people poised with their cameras ready for action. We waited a few minutes when we saw the big geysir erupt. It is more impressive than the pictures are able to show. Thankfully, it erupts every 5-7 minutes instead of 35-120 minutes like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in the USA.  We had to watch it 2-3x from different angles before moving on through the park. It was awesome to see the visible thermal activity of this magical country.

 

 

The last stop on the classic itinerary of the Golden Circle is the Gullfoss Waterfall. Nothing could prepare me for what I would feel seeing this waterfall. The noise is relentless. The profound force of nature is palpable. The beauty and power of nature combine when you see the light of the rainbow over the falls from certain angles. Such magnificent views!

 

 

We stopped off for dinner at a super cute pizzeria close to our hotel called Álftanes Kaffi  When I asked the server which pizza was the most popular she mentioned a pizza with red onion and mushrooms topped with avocado salad made of avocado, spring onion, small tomatoes, arugula, lime, pepper and a little mayonnaise. She also mentioned a four cheese pizza with jam included as a side. I eventually opted for the lobster pizza and my boyfriend had the bacon pasta.  I ended up eating the lobster off the pizza and then eating the pizza and told myself I would be a little more adventurous with Icelandic flavors in the upcoming days. I highly recommend this restaurant for the good food and cute, laid-back setting.

 

 

Northern Lights

We went back to the hotel after dinner with plans to look for the northern lights in the evening around 10pm. I had been listening to a podcast called All Things Iceland in preparation for our trip (I highly recommend her podcast!) where Jewells gives loads of great information about the best time to see the northern lights. She mentioned that although she has seen them at a bunch of different times, the best times are supposed to be between 10pm-3am. So, I had it in mind that we would go back outside around 10pm to start trolling for the lights.

But around 8pm, I had to run back out to the car to grab something. As I shut the car door, I looked up at the sky to ponder the wonder and beauty and to plead with the sky to give us a show. As I looked into the sky, I saw something subtle in the lighting, almost like when you notice the shading of the stars when you see the Milky Way. I ran inside and asked my boyfriend to come outside because the sky “looks different”. It was definitely not the northern lights but it did seem like it was trying to shine. He clearly thought I was just being too hopeful but he slowly got up and came outside. He also thought it was something unique or different, not colorful at all, just a slightly white, cloudy pattern in the sky. We both grabbed our camera and started trying to capture what we were seeing. As our cameras started to pick up on a greenish color, we started to get excited! Our cameras were telling us this was the northern lights!! We just wanted our eyes to start seeing it too! Eventually, as we watched the sky longer and more hotel guests were walking around, we started to see the colors in the sky. It was still more subtle than what we both were expecting but it was a pretty phenomenal experience. Some people after seeing the lights feel satisfaction, like they can cross it off their bucket list. Me, on the other hand, just got a taste for it and was obsessed with the lights for the rest of the trip, trying to catch another evening of dancing lights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: The next morning we headed southeast from our hotel towards the rainy, coastal village of Vík. Iceland is a magical land of waterfalls and we really got to see them on this day. We got drenched as we walked behind the Seljialandsfoss waterfall (the trail runs behind the waterfall) but it was absolutely worth it. I highly recommend getting some good quality raingear for this hike. Some people were just wearing rain panchos but were soaked as they were walking to the parking lot. In the summer that may be ok, but I wanted to stay dry in the cold weather. We put on our jackets and rainpants for the short walk and when we got back to the car and took them off, I was amazed I was dry underneath. (I had a good quality jacket like this one and these waterproof joggers which were perfect for this short walk). There is a very touristy coffee trailer here where you can get some pastries, coffee, and some sandwiches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we drove another 30 km (about 30 minute drive) to Skógafoss Waterfall. There is a metal staircase that leads to the top of the waterfall and then a 4.2 mile out and back trail that takes you past more than 20+ waterfalls. I highly recommend this trail – very few tourists venture beyond the top of Skógafoss to see this gorgeous scenery. The waterfalls were endless!

Vík

We continued towards Vík from Skógafoss which was another 34 km (or 30 minute drive) on Ring Road 1. We stopped off at the gorgeous overlook point in Dyrhólaey with black beaches and the iconic arch. We arrived there around 4pm so we were able to catch some of the magical lighting as the sun was beginning to set. This was perhaps where we felt the wind the most so be very mindful of your cars doors at this look out point!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then went to the famous Reynisfjara black sand beach made up of volcanic rocks with basalt columns and dangerous sneaker waves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4: We captured a sleepy morning view of Vík í Myrdal from Reyniskirkja church before grabbing some delicious coffee at Skool Beans Cafe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did a glacier hike on Skaftafelljökull in pouring rain. It was my first time stomping around in crampons and hiking with an ice axe. Unfortunately, the caves flooded so we weren’t able to see the ice caves. But that’s late October in Iceland, folks. If ice caves are on your bucket list, definitely go to Iceland after the second week of November to ensure more ice than slush.

 

 

 

The weather delayed us from getting off the mountain early so it was dark on our 2 hour drive east to Höfn. We stayed at the Fosshotel Vatnajökull on the road to Höfn. As we passed by several other Fosshotels along the way, I wished we had booked a closer hotel. But we pushed on while deciding to only drive during the day for the remainder of the trip. We arrived at our hotel still cold and wet from our glacier adventure even though I had immediately changed out of my hiking boots, threw on some new, dry Smartwool socks and slipped into my favorite pair of winter boots for the drive. We showered and had dinner at the hotel so we didn’t have to get back out on the rainy, foggy roads. Höfn is famous for its lobster but this evening, I had the famous arctic char which lands somewhere between salmon and trout. My boyfriend ordered the lamb for the first time on our trip even though everyone told us lamb burgers would be ubiquitous and more common than beef. It wasn’t until the next morning when we were able to appreciate the floor to ceiling windows capturing the beauty of the surrounding glaciers.

Day 5: My bucket list plan was to go to Diamond Beach near Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon at sunrise but the weather had turned stereotypically Icelandic so we ventured the 12 minutes into Höfn to have breakfast. I still hoped for a brief moment of clear skies to catch the view on the shore of the four glacier tongues descending Vatnajökull. Unfortunately, the fog prevented us from seeing much. We headed west on Ring Road 1 towards Diamond Beach for the next hour.

 

Even without the sun shining and the reflection of the ice, I thought walking along the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon was spectacular. The blue color of the icebergs and the reflection in the water was unlike anything I had ever seen.

 

 

The contrast between the volcanic black sand and the broken icebergs washing up on shore makes you feel like you are in a black and white film. As with most of these wonders in Iceland, there’s a car park and you only need to spend about 20-30 minutes, depending on how picky you are as a photographer! I had read other blogs where people were a little disappointed in the beach. If I drove 5 hours from Reykjavik and then back in a day, I might not think it was worth it. But if you plan it well, it is definitely worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then leisurely made our way back towards Vík stopping at Svartifoss Waterfall in the Skaftafell National Park. To see the waterfall, there’s a 2km hike from the visitor center. It’s about 20 minutes west of Hof off Ring Road 1. The hike from the visitor center was an easy 30-45 minute out and back walk, depending on how many pictures you take and if you need to slow down on the inclines. Along the trail, you’ll see another waterfall as well as Svartifoss from a distance. The curtain of the waterfall isn’t particularly big or impressive but it drops into a pool with loads of hexagonal basalt columns in an amphitheater-like formation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove an 1 hr 45 minutes back to Vík, stopping at a local brewery, Smiðjan Brugghús, for a delicious beef burger and craft beers before returning to our hotel for the evening. It was at the brewery that we learned from the cheeky names of the beers how much rain Vík gets annually. I loved the spacious rooms at the Volcano Hotel but there wasn’t really a place outside to sit to try to view the Northern Lights. We hung outside for 20 minutes at a time, standing and gazing at the stars until we got too cold or too uncomfortable to keep watch when we would pop back in trying not to wake up the other residents. There were also a few bright lights to light the path into the hotel and along the road, understandably. The lighting wasn’t conducive to see the Northern Lights but it was definitely a lovely place to stay.

DAY 6: Our last day in Iceland! The only thing on the agenda today was the Blue Lagoon which was 3 hours away from Vík. We bought our tickets ahead of time to reserve our spots as recommended. You must arrive within the hour of your reservation time so we didn’t want to miscalculate our arrival time.  We had coffee and breakfast at the hotel before making our way westward. We did plan time for a detour to Kerið volcanic crater after seeing people at this attraction on our drive around the Golden Circle. It is about 15 minutes north of Selfoss on Route 35. There is a small entrance fee of 400 ISK (about $3 USD) to help the landowners preserve and protect the crater. It was a cold, windy but sunny day so we quickly walked about the outer rim of the crater. There are great views even if you don’t want to walk around the whole crater.

From the crater, we drove towards the Blue Lagoon. We tried to stop off for our first Icelandic hot dog at a stand along the coast but it was closed. We continued on along the coast to a beautiful old church Strandarkirkja.

It is a Lutheran church built in the 12th century by sailors who bargained with God for their safe return to land after nights of enduring stormy seas. The bay is named Engilsvik (Angel’s Bay) after an angel that guided them to shore. We were fortunate to get some amazing light to capture some beautiful pictures of the church and the coast – we even saw a few seals lounging in the cold ocean!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iceland’s Bathing Culture and Etiquette 

We continued on towards the Blue Lagoon which has been on my bucket list since I first heard about it and its healing properties for ezcema and other skin disorders. Some people assume it is a natural springs but in fact, it is a man made geothermal spa created by water from Svartsengi power station nearby.  This is a great example of Iceland’s super power – repurposing waste products from a power station to protect the environment and provide greater health for their people.

The Blue Lagoon is a very tourist place but definitely worth all the hype. We got the premium ticket which included three face mask treatments and the use of the bathrobe. The basic entrance fee included the standard silica mud mask, a towel, and one drink. In the summer, I think you’d be ok without the bathrobe but I did appreciate it in the cool air. There is a lot of talk about bath house etiquette in Iceland and I highly recommend reading about it before you go but because of the touristy nature of the Blue Lagoon, it is not as rigid as I was expecting and I think I was one of the few who was taking it seriously.

 

When you first arrive, you will receive a wristband which functions as your key to your locker as well as the gates. Proceed to the lockers rooms (men and women’s locker rooms are separate but there is a meeting place as you exit the locker rooms where you can meet up with the rest of your group). Place all valuable items in the locker room using your wristband to lock it up. Since one of the major rules of Bathing Etiquette is to shower naked before you enter the Lagoon, I carried my swimsuit to the shower rooms while wearing my robe (a benefit of getting the robe). Use the conditioner in the showers to place on your hair before you enter the Lagoon. The waters are rich in silica which can make your hair very dry and brittle. It seemed like most people just chose to keep their heads above water and kept their hair as dry as possible but I didn’t want to risk it. As you enter the lagoon, there is an area where people leave their robes (shoes are left in the locker rooms) and we realized we might not be using the same robe in the flurry of robes. There is a side entrance to the lagoon where you can slowly wade into the water to acclimate and then exit the building while half covered. If you are brave, you can just walk out the main door and the outside air slaps you as you walk briefly outside before you enter the water. Your choice! But the contrast of hot springs to cold air has never been in my constitution so I chose the side entrance.

We first went to grab a drink and then to visit the face mask bar for our first mask. She helped us choose the order of the masks. It was much bigger than I expected but was so fun and relaxing! There is a three drink maximum to make sure people stay hydrated and safe. There were some birthday parties and larger groups which were louder but in general, it seems like everyone was there to chill and experience the healing waters. We brought our Go Pro and tried to take pictures but the steam from the waters made most of them too cloudy. Still, it was nice to have a picture and to not worry about damaging my real phone. I saw lots of people using the water protector covers over their phones but I wasn’t going to risk that and do not recommend it. I’d say if you really want a picture, you can take a few pictures with your real camera or phone and return it to the safety of the locker room. If you want to take pictures in the water, go for a waterproof one! The silica and other minerals in the water can damage your camera as much as the actual water.

We spent about 2 hours in the water which was plenty of time. We showered afterwards to get the minerals off our skin. The locker rooms had hair dryers and all the spa lotions and potions (which they sell at the gift shop). I had to dry my hair so I didn’t get wind invasion from the cold air! Even when trying out other culture’s rituals, I still subscribe to the fundamentals of Chinese Medicine – no wet hair in the cold air! As we exited the spa, we walked the long way around to the parking lot as the sun was setting. It was beautiful and a wonderful last evening in Iceland.

 

     

We made out way back to our air bnb for the night and unsuccessfully tried to catch the Northern Lights one more time. We flew out the next morning after a magical trip! ✨ Bless Bless, Iceland!