Iceland

[Kaiser]

I've been to Iceland twice now, in May 2011 and July 2014. Both times I rented a small car and drove around the country, using Ring Road 1 as a rough guide. I don't have much to report on the flights themselves other than that they were comfortable with plenty of legroom in Y - Icelandair flies 757-200s which we found adequate for the short hop across from mainland Europe.

Here is a similar map showing Ring road 1 - the main highway around Iceland. It is well signed and has excellent tourist info maps in the rest areas.

Accommodation: We are budget travellers so accommodation for us involved using the excellent https://www.hihostels.com/ network spread around the country. Private rooms are available in most hostels which will set you back $60-100 per night for 2 adults.

Transport: We opted for a smaller rental car as we were not travelling inland to the highlands or on any on the rougher F-roads which require a proper 4WD vehicle. There is so much so see for a first time visitor just by using the Ring road. Be aware that there are still some unsealed / gravel sections on the Ring road and opting for the extra gravel insurance is advisable - unless you are certain your travel insurance will cover you for the excess should you sustain a rock chip etc. We cracked our windscreen on the second trip thanks to oncoming traffic on a gravel section of Ring road 1 and had only opted for the basic insurance. It cost us $800 but thankfully I got about $500 of that back from my CC travel insurance. Also be advised that if going earlier in the season (April-June) there will still be some snow on the higher passes - as seen one one of the photos below. This can be very hazardous as it drops visibility and traction down to very low levels. Some of the fantastic scenery on Ring Road 1...

 

[deka2]

Good photos Kaiser, do you have any more to share?

Iceland is on the Radar for our July16 Europe Trip

How long did you spend there, and what was the weather like in July?

 

[Kaiser]

One of my favourite areas was the Öxi pass, which gives you stunning views of this stepped valley, lots of meandering streams and small waterfalls to stop and chill. Speaking of chill - the weather during spring and summer is not as cold as you might expect - but the wind can be fierce and expect lots of rain/sleet at various times throughout the day.

If you are lucky you will get some sunshine - this day in Vik, a town on the southern coast of Iceland, provided unusually great weather which allowed us to walk up to the cliffs and get these views.

Iceland is a waterfall lovers paradise. You will drive past many along the Ring road and some of the more famous ones are well signed and have paved road access. We preferred going to the less popular ones especially in peak season as there were hoardes of buses and crowds at the bigger known waterfalls such as Detifoss, Godafoss and Gulfoss.

Gulfoss

Godafoss

 

[Kaiser]

Good photos Kaiser, do you have any more to share?

Iceland is on the Radar for our July16 Europe Trip

How long did you spend there, and what was the weather like in July?

We we there in July for 2 weeks. We found 2 weeks a comfortable amount of time to do the Ring Road. The weather was mostly showers/overcast - last year was one of the wettest on record apparently. The weather is extremely changeable but the temperatures seemed to hover between 10-18C while we were there. Waterproof jacket/pants are mandatory, otherwise, we didn't mind the cold too much.

 

[RooFlyer]

I love Iceland; paid homage at the mid Atlantic ridge at Thingvellir (sp. I think) and stood on Nth America and Europe/Eurasia (plates) at the same time.

Hope there is more to come..

 

[Kaiser]

[h=2]Vagnsstaðir[/h]

Icelandic horse

Jokulsarlon

Glacier Dog sledding with Huskies

Plenty of amazing places to walk

 

[RB]

Great photos and a good read of helpful advice.

 

[Major]

Fantastic photos. Thanks for sharing

 

[Virgin Bart]

One of my favourite place in the world.

 

[Isochronous]

Great TR. Definitely inspired me to visit. Thanks!

 

[Captain hum]

Stunning photos. That's another place to add to my wish list...

 

[zainman]

Thank you for the fantastic photos! Iceland is definitely on my list!

 

[LadyC]

Some great photos! Thanks for sharing - Iceland is definitely on the list now!

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

+1 Thanks for sharing the awesome photos!
Iceland is certainly an amazing destination and with more & more flight options becoming available to KEF, ( BA from LHR & U2 from MAN coming onboard recently) no doubt the nation will grow with tourism moving forward.

 

[casanovawa]

Its a place i had been thinking of going, but maybe going to do it on a RTW fare or one of those One World award fares, where i could hopefully max out the value of by flying to some expensive out of the way destinations such as Easter Island and Iceland etc...

Maybe i might just have to get a cheapish flight if possible out of Europe some time in the next year or two.... EasyJet look like they have some pretty cheap flights there...

 

[RooFlyer]

Icelandair offer some really good trans Atlantic fares, the 'catch' being that you have to go via and overnight in Keflavik/Reykjavik. Its the way many students fly. I imagine it'll be more expensive if you stop over, but still good value.


I once went biz LHR-KEF on Icelandair and the only wine with lunch was something called 'Koala white' <vom>.

And on that theme Kaiser, did you try the local Hákarl?

 

[Kaiser]

Icelandair offer some really good trans Atlantic fares, the 'catch' being that you have to go via and overnight in Keflavik/Reykjavik. Its the way many students fly. I imagine it'll be more expensive if you stop over, but still good value.


I once went biz LHR-KEF on Icelandair and the only wine with lunch was something called 'Koala white' <vom>.

And on that theme Kaiser, did you try the local Hákarl?

haha I certainly did not. The hotdogs, however, were delicious and a staple food for budget travellers.

 

[Magpie10]

Kaiser absolutely amazing photos, thanks for sharing, what a stunning country.

 

[Fifa]

We visited Iceland for a week a couple of years ago and loved it.
Such a shame my photos are not half as good as yours though.

Thanks so much for your TR.

 

[amaroo]

Nice report.

We've got a week in Norway (Bergen and Tromso) coming up ... although I suspect the landscape will look different in January.