Iceland - Part I - Reykjavik to South then East Coast up to Egilsstaðir

*Up close and personal with a glacier. Road F249 to Þórsmörk*

We debated whether or not to spend the money to ship our own vehicle to Iceland. In the end, we decided it was worth the significant investment for access to the less travelled F roads. We extended our time in Iceland to warrant the expense (which was definitely worth it). With a month in the country, it the savings on nightly accommodations and food far outweighed the shipping costs. (A little over 2,200 Euros RORO roundtrip from Rotterdam to Reykjavik with Smyril Cargo.) There are options for accompanying your vehicle on a multi day ferry or for shipping it on its own. Since we are always worried about Schengen limitations, the idea of spending days on a boat at sea was not attractive and we shipped it on its own.

Hands down this was the best decision we made. If we have one strong recommendation for travelers to Iceland, it is to somehow travel in a 4x4 vehicle with the ability to camp. Getting off the well travelled Ring Road into the stunning mountainous, glacial and volcanic interior was the highlight for us.

We dropped off the truck at the Rotterdam port and then worked our way to Amsterdam (1 mile walk, two buses and a train) to fly to Reykjavik to wait for the truck to arrive.

*Dropping off the truck in Rotterdam at the port. Regulation borrowed helmet and safety vest.*

*Before we dropped off the truck we stocked up on basic non-perishables, having heard that food was expensive in Iceland.*

*Glad we did. Our first breakfast at a “budget” option in Reykjavik- $35.*

Highlights for First Half of Iceland Trip

Driving the F Roads! Not nearly as intimidating as we had feared. Best resource we found for detailed information:
https://epiciceland.net/list-f-roads-iceland/
Landmannalaugar - colorful pass in the rhyolite mountains, super hiking and scenic camping. F208, F210, F224
Þórsmörk - stunning volcanic valley complete with canyons, glaciers and river crossings, walking up Stakkholtsgjá Canyon. F249
Favorite campground, Camping Basar at the end of Þórsmörk valley
Southern Ring Road scenic stops: Seljalandsfoss, Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, glacier stops along the way from to Höfn to Jökulsárlón, stunning icebergs at Jökulsárlón and Diamond Beach

Reykjavik

Reykjavik has a quirky feel, both outdoorsy and artsy at the same time. The streets are filled with tourists and locals sporting the best in outdoor gear - down coats the norm even in July. Of course, we started our visit with the Free Walking Tour and had a fantastic introduction to the history of the city and Iceland. Compared to other European nations, there was a notable lack of bloodshed through the decades. Still today, Iceland ranks as the safest country in the world and has no military.

There is no record of anyone living in Iceland until the Norwegians settled the country in the late 800’s. Today, most individual Icelanders can track their ancestry back to those original 20,000 settlers. When Norway and Denmark united in 1380, Iceland came under Danish rule. This continued until Denmark was invaded by German forces in 1940, which led to Iceland making a peaceful exit from Danish rule in 1944. As our tour guide Eric put it, “we basically gave them the middle finger and took control of ourselves, knowing there was not much they could do about it.”

*Parliament Building, ruling seat of over 350,000 people in the country*

*Water front art. With Andy photo bombing.*

*Old Harbor - tourist boats at the ready*

*Hallgrimskirkja Church dominates the skyline*

*View from our hotel - 10pm at night. We stayed at Hotel Island - a great basic option. A pleasant walking trail along the waterfront to get to the town center 2 km away.*

Golden Circle

After two days of wandering the city, we were ready for a new adventure so booked a bus tour to explore the famous Golden Circle - a trio of natural wonders easily visited from the city.

*Bonus stop at a beautiful glacial river*

*First official Golden Circle stop - Gullfoss falls, impressive in sheer size and volume*

*Second official stop in the Golden Circle tour - Geysir geothermal area*

*Strokkur Geyser, erupts every 4-10 minutes*

*Another bonus stop - farm with home made ice cream*

*Rarely do you eat ice cream with the cows producing the main ingredient as a back drop*

Third and final official stop, Þingvellir National Park, ancient seat to the Icelandic parliament from 930 to 1798 when it moved to Reykjavik. Located in a rift valley directly between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. This makes it one of the few places in the world where you can walk between the continents, in the Mid-Atlantic Rift.

Just as we were getting restless amusing ourselves from our static hotel room, our truck arrived at the port. A few buses later we were reunited. We had the comforting sense of coming home as we moved back in.

Land of Fire and Ice

At this point our real Iceland adventure began. The country astounded us at every turn. Lush green valleys, craggy lichen-covered mountains, volcanos, bubbling thermal areas, glaciers and icebergs. It had it all and exceeded our wildest expectations. Iceland is hands down the most geologically diverse place we have travelled so far. We set off to circumnavigate the island counterclockwise with key forays inland along the way. To unpathed waters, undreamed shores.

*Route for our first half of our time in Iceland: 13 nights total, 5 nights in Reykjavik waiting for the truck to arrive, and 8 nights on the road.*

A section of our trip planning document. Andy went through Lonely Planet, Google searches and mapping programs. He created a master spreadsheet with estimated timing for the total trip. First column is place name, second reference to Lonely Planet guidebook, quick description, then driving time and estimated date.

Camping

Wild camping is mostly illegal (with a few technical exceptions) and highly frowned upon in Iceland. With a pop up camper we are never very stealthy so opted to stay in designated campgrounds - a rarity for us normally. Campgrounds were plentiful, no need to pre-book even in July. Living with the light, people tended to arrive late and staff were usually on site or stopped by late evening. Costs ran about $7 per person at the low end (1000isk) up to about $22 per person (3000isk). The conversion rates when we were there was about 135 isk to the dollar. The most expensive sites were typically the most remote National Park ones with the least facilities, but you are paying for location and scenery. Campground facilities were always scrupulously clean and hosts and fellow campers friendly and respectful. Sometimes hot showers were included, sometimes they were an extra $2-3 charge. Many had laundry and kitchen facilities available.

Þjórsárdalur

Our first night we drove from the port in Þorlákshöfn to Þjórsárdalur Camping in a valley of the same name, just out of Selfloss (where we stocked up on fresh groceries). The campground was basic and beautiful, 1700isk per person. The next day we hiked in to the excavated ruins of a Viking long house.

*Feeling a little wet on our first real Iceland hike*

*Viking long house ruins at Stöng, Road 327*

Landmannalaugar

Next, we headed inland to this stunning mountain valley driving our first F roads, F208 and F224. The day treated us with sleeting rain, 45mph winds and rainbows. Another day on the road in Iceland.

Even though we usually try to limit our driving to 2 or at the most 3 hours a day, this quickly went out the window in Iceland. With so much to see and with rough, slow roads, we accepted that we would often be in the car closer to 4 or sometimes even 5 hours. But we kept to our minimum 5 miles of hiking a day rule. Since we do not carry multi day hiking equipment in the car, we did not do some of Iceland’s more epic hikes but still managed to fill our days with beauty.

*Greeted with a rainbow, mountainous valleys with magnificent colorful mountains.*

*Water crossing on final approach to Brennisteinsalda Camp. There are two in a row that are fairly significant, but you can park before them and it is a short walk to the campground.*

*Green buses double as snack and supply stores*

*Views from Brennisteinsalda campground at the end of the Landmannalaugar road*

*Went for a beautiful, if cold, hike– 5 miles of the epic Fimmvörðuháls trail*

Although by far our most expensive campground at 3000isk per person per night, the view and location was worth it for us. It was our second night in the truck in Iceland and we felt like we were well on our way.

In the morning, we worked our way back along the F roads to the Ring Road and stopped by Seljalandsfoss - beautiful. Waterfalls are commonplace in Iceland, cascading off green cliffs along the Ring Road, enchanting.

*Behind the waterfall at Seljalandsfoss*

Þórsmörk

For our third night in the truck we drove the F249 to the end of the Þórsmörk valley and stayed at Básar Camping. Unbeatable scenery, beautifully spaced out private sites along the river with a mountainous backdrop along the river. On the expensive side at 2000isk per person but well worth it for the site. Our favorite camping spot of the trip.

*Andy contemplating the view at Básar Camping*

*The view at Básar Camping . We had many nights with glacier views as a backdrop in Iceland, but it never got old.*

*Small river crossing on the F249 in the Þórsmörk valley*

*Stakkholtsgjá canyon - short but stunning 2 mile hike off of the F249*

*Þórsmörk drive - green craggy mountains as a continuous backdrop*

Southern Iceland Ring Road Scenic Stops (with some side excursions)

Then back out to the Ring Road for more standard tourist stops - still outstanding though.

*Skogafoss -immense (Icelandic word for waterfall=foss). We got in the habit of pulling over whenever we saw the word foss on a sign.*

*Caves at Reynisfjara black sand beaches on the southern coast*

*Reynisfjara beach, offshore sea stacks, a bit of a gloomy day*

For our fourth night on the road, we drove the F214 to Camping Þakgil. The main road to the campsite was easy and smoothly graveled. We thought we would try the steep offshoot - a jeep road to the glacier, but turned back when we started slipping in the mud. Decided to hike it the next day instead.

*Camping* *Þakgil, beautiful green valley*

The next day we woke to sheeting rain and bailed on the 8 mile glacier hike. Instead, back out to the Ring Road to enjoy the easy views.

*Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, one of the most stunning views we encountered. Even without Justin Bieber singing and dangling his sneaker-clad feet off the cliff edge.*

Somedays we wake up grumpy in the rain but we always get back to why we love each other and this journey we are on together. 33 years and getting stronger. Really no choice but to get closer when you live 24 hours a day in a 10 ft square space together.

Time to really explore some of the fantastic glaciers Iceland has to offer. Driving the Southern Part of the Ring Road, you can see the consecutive fingers of ice creeping down from the mountains. The glacial area is a large part of the immense Vatnajökull National Park which encompasses a lot of the interior in this region. Our first real glacier stop was at Skaftafell where a short walk from the national park visitor’s center and campground takes you to the edge of the ice.

*Glacier edge at Skaftafell National Park*

We spent our fifth night in the campground at Skaftafell. Not the most inspiring place, but definitely convenient. We stood in line for two hours for access to the free washer and dryer which was in high demand.

*Skaftafell Campground - 1800isk per person ($13), including endless strong warm hot showers and parking in a wet field*

We continued along the Ring Road, stopping along the way to admire the glaciers. From Höfn to Jökulsárlón there are numerous access points, places you can drive up simple roads and have a view to yourself.

*Stopped at Fjallsárlón visitor area - first time with hand on the ice*

Then, the famed Jökulsárlón, or Glacier Lagoon, with its floating icebergs.

*And across the road, Diamond Beach where the ice floats out to sea*

*Side jaunt up F985 for our own view of the glacier. View was stunning, weather not so cooperative.*

Our sixth night was spent at Haukafell Camping - on a road with another easy access point to the glacier. Trails leave from the campground to the glacier’s edge. A simple and quiet site with toilets and washing up sinks. Payment was by an honor box - cash 1000isk per person.

*Glacier’s edge from Haukafell Camp. Blue ice just calved as we walked up.*

*We had a beautiful clear day so played with posing the truck along the cliffs as we started turning north up the coast.*

*Brief stop in the harbor town of Djúpivogur*

*Drove through the beautiful and tranquil Breiðdalur valley*

East Coast Ring Road

After a big driving day we were happy to find peaceful farm camping for our 7th night on the road. We stayed at Stora Sandfell, a pleasant farm-based campground with a riding stable. Views of the mountain, a creek running through, lots of room to spread out and hot showers. 1500isk per night per person.

With the sun shining the next day, we cheerfully headed out to explore the scenic and remote fjord, Mjóifjörður.

*At the top of the valley overlooking Mjóifjörður*

*Scenic wreck - seen lives as a WWII landing ship and a herring boat*

*Peaceful lunch spot overlooking Mjóifjörður*

Seyðisfjörður

Our guide book named Seyðisfjörður as one of the most architecturally interesting places in Iceland so we decided it was worth a detour and made our way there. A port city where the ferry arrives from Denmark, it has a gorgeous setting and an artsy feel. The architecture felt like a blend of Norwegian and Icelandic - practical and colorful.

Kindred spirits - Finnish couple that we ran into repeatedly, ending with a lovely rainy evening in our camper sharing wine and peanuts. Final spontaneous and happy meeting as they head on their way back home.

*The iconic photo that must be taken in Seyðisfjörður. Only waited 20 minutes for Instagram fashionistas to finish multiple poses while 20 of us in our grubby outdoor clothes stoodby.*

*Walked up the hill to this art installation,* *Tvisongur, designed as a soundsculpture. Since Andy is not a modern art fan and Dawn is tonally challenged, not sure we got anything out of it. But the walk was nice.*

*Enjoying the view as the sun peeks out. Love the Icelandic cultural practice of placing benches in the most beautiful places*

*Public art is the norm in Iceland, it shows up in the most unexpected places like this random roadside stop!*

Our 8th night on the road marked the halfway point of our time in Iceland. We camped at our least favorite and yet eminently practical place in Egilsstaðir. The visitor center runs a crowded field camping area. 2000isk per person. The bonus was decent wifi in the campground lounge.

Continuing our way north along the Eastern Coast. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more!

Iceland - Part I - Reykjavik to South then East Coast up to Egilsstaðir

Iceland - Part 2 - Vatnajökull National Park, North and West Coasts

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