indiancouple

It had been a dream from my teenage years to visit Iceland. Why ? Because those days in the 1970’s, no one thought of ever visiting Iceland. It was an obscure island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and no one had ever heard of it or visited it. Yes, it had hosted the classic chess championship between Spassky and Fischer, when the world had first heard of Reykjavic. The country was so strange and untrodden, that it drew me like a magnet.

Not any more of course. The world now flocks to Iceland for tourism, specially the well travelled tourist, who yearns for the exotic. The country is now inundated with tourists, more than what the tiny island can handle. It had been on our bucket list for awhile. Finally we decided to plunge into this much awaited destination in the summer of 2018.

We are a couple in our late 50’s/early sixties (former for DW and latter for myself). Have travelled to a lot of places around the globe. Always independent travel, and always end up posting our report on this site – both for the enjoyment of other readers, as well as a record for ourselves. And this time is no different, except that it has been over a month since we returned.

We visited Iceland for 6 days in end-June 2018. 3 nights in Reykjavic, and 3 nights at various other spots on the island. Here goes the trip report.

Saturday, 23rd June :
We had over a 3-hour drive from our home town in India to Mumbai, and we made it to Mumbai airport in the wee hours, just after midnight. We were flying business class on KLM to Amsterdam, connecting on to an Icelandair flight to Reykjavic. The check in at KLM in Mumbai was smooth, and we had a few hours to kill in the Business Lounge before our 4am departure. Relaxed with drinks and a foot massage, before we boarded at 3:30 am, and went straight to sleep. The KLM business class is OK, but not like Emirates which is my favourite airline.

Woke up after a nice 5-hour sleep and had some breakfast. We reached Amsterdam at 9:40 am local time. We had a choice of going to the KLM Lounge or the Icelandair Lounge. At Amsterdam, not surprisingly, the KLM Lounge was much bigger and that’s where we went. We had some lunch and some wine, and generally relaxed. Boarded our Icelandair flight at 1:20 pm local time, and after a 3-hour flight (during which I had my first taste of Reykjavic gin), we landed at Reykjavic at 3:30 pm local time. We had a car from the hotel waiting for us, and it took us just less than an hour to reach there. We were staying in a studio apartment at the Reykjavic Residence Hotel. We were somewhat disappointed at the room size, but everything else, including the location, was perfect.

After showering, we left on foot for the Hallsgrimishkirkja, the iconic building in the city, and took the mandatory elevator ride to the top for a look around. Then we walked past the Harpa concert hall to the Old Harbour area ad strolled around. We sauntered into various shops enroute, but were struck with sticker shock at the prices everywhere. Reykjavic is a sleepy town by European standards, and there is not that much to see in the city. We settled down at Essensia restaurant for dinner, where we had some nice ravioli and beer. As we walked back to the hotel, we walked past the Prime Minister’s residence. So surprised to see not a single security guard outside – we could have almost walked to the door and rung the bell ! When we enquired about the same at our hotel, the counter question was – why should the Prime Minister require security ? Wish we could ask that to most world leaders around the globe. Anyway, we were tired after a long journey, and went to bed early.

tripplanner001

Following along and looking forward to more.

indiancouple

Sunday, June 24th :
We were up early, and were ready for breakfast by 7:30 am. The breakfast at the hotel was sumptuous and awesome. We were booked that day for a Superjeep tour of the Golden Circle, including a snowmobile ride on a glacier. We had to wait for our vehicle at Bus Stop No. 7, which was across our hotel. We had booked with Grayline Tours, but were picked up by a vehicle from “Mountaineers of Iceland”. There were only 6 of us in the jeep, so it was comfortable and spacious.

First stop was at the Thingvellir National Park, where we got down and walked past the techtonic plate of North America. Pretty awesome sight, with the techtonic plate of Europe visible a short distance away. Then we drove to the Langjokull glacier for our snowmobile ride. This was an experience of a lifetime, of which I will cherish memories for a very long time. The weather was excellent, and driving the motorcycle (mounted on skis) was fairly simple. DW sat behind me, and we were off in single file, with the guide leading up front, and another guide marshalling the rear. It was an exhilarating drive on the glacier, with undescribable beautiful views everywhere. Never experienced anything like this in my life. We reached our terminal point in about 20 minutes, and got down for photo ops. Majestic, and never to be missed as an experience in Iceland. Then the ride back to a slightly different point where our vehicle was waiting for us. Everyone does the Golden Circle tour in Iceland, but not everyone ventures to this snowmobiling experience – if you ever go there, do not miss this for anything. It will be one of your wow moments in life.

Next we were driven to the Gulfoss waterfalls. Most unusual waterfall of a triangular shape, where you view the falls from above the falls rather than the base. Gorgeous sight, and had never seen anything like it. I wish the tour had allowed us some more time at this stop, as we could not get enough of it in the time available. Would have liked to just sit there and watch it for a long time. A stunning sight, and you need to google its pictures to understand how beautiful it is.

Then we were taken to our final sight – the Geysir area. We walked by hissing waterpools, with steam rising above them, till we reached Stokkur – the geyser which erupts every 5 minutes or so, and shoots hot water up to a considerable height. We had seen better stuff in New Zealand, so it was not overwhelming, but still lovely as a sight. We sat down at the café for coffee, till our vehicle was ready to go. On the way back to Reykjavic, we stopped at a small farm to pet Icelandic horses and hand-feed them horse candy, which was a nice experience.

We were dropped back at our hotel by 6:45 pm. We took off a few layers of clothing, and went to the highly rated nearby organic restaurant “Glo” for dinner. The food was great – pure vegetarian and organically grown. We had some Thai soup and a Mexican wrap. One of the better meals on this trip. It was raining heavily by now, and we were tired. So we skipped doing any shopping, and went straight to bed.

Melnq8

Along for the ride.

We spent 10 days in Iceland in May 2017. We're waffling about a return stopover in December, in an attempt to see the Northern Lights, but Iceland left us both feeling so ambivalent, that we can't seem to make a decision.

I look forward to hearing your impressions.

indiancouple

Hi Melnq, why did Iceland leave you with an ambivalent feeling ? Any bad experiences ? For us, it was simply awesome all the way. I guess it will be an entirely different experience in the winter months, when it attracts a lot of Northern Light seekers.

Melnq8

Indiancouple -

I've posted an excerpt of my trip report regarding our impressions of Iceland:

<<After the photographs I’d seen, the enthusiasm and positive experiences of others that I’d read, I thought Iceland might become my new favorite place.

I thought wrong. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps I’m just jaded from years of traveling to and living in beautiful parts of the world, but Iceland left me feeling confused and ambivalent.

Many parts of Iceland are spectacular, no doubt, and I'm glad we went, but...

I can’t help but think that Iceland is poised to become a victim of its own success. Natural attractions are crowded, basic facilities and infrastructure in heavily visited areas is sadly lacking. Airlines continue to tout free stopovers, bringing in more and more tourists, yet the country doesn’t seem ready to accommodate them.

Anyone who has looked into going to Iceland probably knows that it has a reputation of being quite expensive. What’s worse is that it’s very low value, or at least it was to us.

Would we go back? Unlikely. Unless, like so many others, we’re enticed into a short stopover with an-impossible-to-resist low airfare and promises of the Northern Lights.>>

So, now the time has come, we're being enticed into a short stopover in December on the way to Munich/Zurich. The sole purpose of a stop would be an attempt to see the Northern Lights, but I just can't decide it its worth the time. money and effort involved. Iceland Air is currently offering the best airfare for our proposed trip, but if we stop there en route, that savings goes out the window, plus some, as Iceland is very expensive as you know. But then again, we'd be there, so it tempting. What to do, what to do...

indiancouple

Monday, June 25th :
We had a really good night’s sleep, and awoke early feeling bright and fresh. We had breakfast at 7 am, and once again it was a wonderful spread. I had forgotten to change any dollars to Icelandic currency at the airport the other day, and banks opened only after 9 am. The hotel informed me that the only bank which opened early was about a 10 minute walk away. Trudged all the way to the Central Bank of Iceland, only to discover that it was like a Federal Reserve Bank, and not for the general public ! Came back, and managed to change some currency from the hotel reception itself. It was not very necessary, as Iceland is a country where people are accustomed to using credit cards for even the smallest purchases.

We had booked a car from Thrifty for the next 4 days, and the pick-up van from Thrifty arrived at our hotel at 8:30 am to pick us up. Their office was a little out of town, but all formalities were speedily done. Got a lovely Peugeot 508 automatic – a peach of a car. I struggled a bit with the car controls, the car GPS and the street signs for about 30 minutes, but got the hang of it very soon. Always a troubled start in any new country. We were headed on Highway 1 (Ring Road) to Borganes, and from there to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula for the day.

First stop was at Ytri Tunga, where there are seal colonies to be seen. However, the viewing point was quite far from the car park, and it was raining and very windy. So we skipped the seals, and drove on till we reached Budir. This was a photogenic spot, hosting a solitary black beautiful church, in the backdrop of the volcano. We clicked our camera, and drove on to Arnarstapi, a coastal village with a gorgeous waterfront. We had planned on doing the lovely coastal walk from here to Hellnar village, but the winds threatened to blow us away. Could not see any tourist daring the weather to take the walk, so we too decided to skip it, and drove on to Hellnar. We stopped for lunch here, and although we had a simple meal of mushroom soup and veg patties, the cooking was simply divine. One of the best meals in Iceland – it was so good. The rain had abated, and we walked to the waterfront, and down to the cave full of nesting birds. Very pretty indeed.

We continued driving around the peninsula, and the weather started getting better. We stopped at Malarrif to see the rock stacks rising above the ocean, and then on to the black sand beach of Djuppandalussar. Very pretty sight. Then we stopped driving west, and turned the loop to drive east on the northern edge of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The weather on this side was much better, and the winds were much less. We stopped just before Grundarfjordur village, at a scenic point which offered the best view of the Kirkjufell mountain. The spot was lovely, and the mountain looked its best from here. Clicked lots of pictures, and drove on till we reached Stykkisholmur town. This was a photogenic town, with a lovely marina, and many brightly coloured houses. Opportunities to click cameras galore. Had an average dinner at a restaurant here, downed with great porter beer. Then we drove back to Reykjavic – it had been a very long driving day, and we were tired. However, the weather was benign, so we did some shopping nearby on Laugavegur street near our hotel, for some woollen items. Once back at our hotel, we packed out suitcases and crashed out for the night.

indiancouple

Melnq, I just read your Iceland trip report. Sounds like you were a victim of both bad weather, and some unplanned forays into the hinterland of Iceland. Our experience was much better, as you will discover in our Trip Report further.

annhig

as ever, loving an indiancouple TR not least because it's fun to compare your experiences with ours from our visit to Iceland about 10 years ago.

I think you would find our opinion to be halfway between yours and Mel's - overall the trip was very enjoyable and there were some amazing highs, but there were some real lows too, though the rose coloured glasses of retrospection have made them more amusing than they seemed at the time.

I just hope that your trip continues to be as enjoyable as the first few days have been.

Melnq8

Sounds like you were a victim of both bad weather, and some unplanned forays into the hinterland of Iceland.

The weather didn't put us off - and some of those unplanned forays were highlights - but the number of tourists, the poor infrastructure in heavily visited areas (such as those neglected toilets I mentioned in my report) and exceedingly poor value did.

I'm glad you had a better experience.

indiancouple

Melnq, when we visited some of the heavily visited tourist areas like Jokulsarlon Lagoon etc, we were always booked on a rafting tour or a kayaking tour or something, and the tour operators had their own toilets which were very clean. At other places like Skaftafell National Park and Gulfoss, the toilets were surprisingly clean wherever we went. Maybe they are improving over time.

However, will agree about the prices of everything in Iceland - from hotels, to food, to shopping, and petrol/diesel, everything is sky high. Certainly the most expensive country we have ever visited by a very long margin. Agree that it is not the best value for money. However, we still found it very beautiful.

annhig

Mel/Indiancouple - I certainly don't remember "toilet issues" 10 or so years ago, but then it wasn't anywhere near as popular then.

But the cost v value issue definitely existed - we found food very expensive. Though there were some nice surprises - the ubiquitous coffee refills, the "cake buffet" we discovered at one place, and the free, yes free oxtail soup at the pub at the end of the earth aka the western fjords. And as you say, indaincouple, the stunning beauty of your surroundings make up for many shortcomings.

Melnq8

Did someone say 'cake buffet'?

Sorry I missed that one!

indiancouple

Tuesday, June 26th :
Woke up to a lovely day, with no rain, and no wild winds. As usual, we had a great breakfast at the hotel, checked out, loaded our luggage in the car, and we were off by 9:15 am. We drove in a southeasterly direction, headed to Seljalandsfoss, where we reached by 11 am. Most of the driving was on the Ring Road Hwy 1.

We took the walking path that went behind the waterfalls, and had a great rear view of the falls. Then we walked about a kilometre to the Gljufurarbui waterfall nearby. This is a waterfall which falls inside a cave. You can see a bit of it from outside, but you have to venture inside the cave for the best views. There is a stream of water about 4 inches deep that you have to negotiate, which has loose stones kept inside it, to hop over. Most tourists did not venture in, but the few who did, claimed that the views inside were great. I decided to venture in. As I tiptoed on the stones going in, I lost my balance, and suddenly both feet were a few inches deep in ice cold water ! Anyway, I managed to scamper inside the cave, and the views were truly awesome. Managed to walk back without any misadventure, and changed my socks back in the car.

We drove on to Skogar town, and the Skogafoss waterfalls were visible from the road as you drove into town. By far the largest waterfall of the day, and the most beautiful. The best views are from the highway (before you enter the town), just opposite the waterfalls. Lots of people were parked there, clicking pictures. There was a field of Alaskan lupin flowers, and the views of the waterfall, with the lovely lupins in the foreground, made for a perfect snapshot. We clicked lots of pictures, and then drove to the carpark at the base of the falls. There were a long series of wooden steps which you could climb, to reach the top of the falls, and slowly but surely we climbed all the way to the top. Awesome views both at the top of the falls, and back at ground zero at the base of the falls.

We had lunch at a busy café/bistro near the waterfall base, of mushroom soup and some pasta. Then resumed our drive, reaching the Solheimajokull glacier carpark in another 30 minutes. From the carpark it was a 20 minute walk to the glacier face, and we stayed there for a long time admiring the views. The last we had seen such a sight was in Alaska many years ago, and the sight reminded us of that trip. Then we returned to the Ring Road, and continued driving towards Vik, our destination for the evening.

Before reaching Vik, we took a detour to reach Dyrholaey, which was a very steep drive up a hill on gravel roads. DW was extremely nervous about me taking the car up the hill, but we made it there safely. The views were divine – black sand beaches down below, a huge stone arch, and very scenic in general. You felt you were in the middle of nowhere – in another planet perhaps. After strolling around for awhile, we negotiated the drive down the hill, and took another detour to Reynisfjara beach. This was another black sand beach, with large number of basalt columns in geometric shapes, and you could see the Reynisdrangur rock stacks rising from the ocean a short distance away. A memorable sighting to round off the day.

We made it to our Icelandair Hotel Vik by 6 pm. Found that the views of the Reynisdrangur stacks were actually better from our hotel ! The hotel was highly rated, but once again we were disappointed by the small room size and the starkness of the décor (or lack of it). Talk about value for money ! Across the street was the huge “Icewear” shop, having a very rich collection of woollen items, at prices which appeared reasonable by Iceland standards. We spent a good 90 minutes shopping inside there, and then walked over to the “Strondin” restaurant nearby for dinner, which had been recommended by the hotel staff. Then back to our hotel, and we retired to sleep by 10 pm.

indiancouple

Wednesday, June 27th :
Today was the best weather day of our trip so far. Warm at 12 degrees, with zero winds or rain. We had breakfast at the hotel, and were off in our car with our bags. We were now driving east, in the direction of Hofn. First stop of the day was Skaftafell National Park, where we went to the Visitor’s Centre and parked. On enquiring at the Visitor Centre, we decided that there was enough time to either do the walk to Svartifoss waterfalls, or to the glacier face. As we had done enough waterfalls on this trip, we decided to go for the glacier face walk. It was a nice 35-40 minute walk, with views of the glacier face somewhat similar to what we had seen the previous day, but rewarding nonetheless. Then we walked slowly back to the Visitor Centre, and had a light lunch at the cafeteria, which was rather nice.

As we resumed our drive eastwards, we were rewarded with the most awesome views on this trip. We could see one large glacier after another on our left, and the ocean on our right. Must have stopped a zillion times to take pictures along the way. We stopped at Jokulsarlon Lagoon, of which we had heard and read so much about. The huge Vatnajokull glacier was in full view, in all its glory. We had booked a Zodiac boat tour with “Ice Lagoon” for 4 pm, but had called up earlier to prepone it to the 2:45 pm tour. We were there 30 minutes earlier, and were outfitted into flotation suits and other protective gear. A vehicle drove us to the Lagoon edge, where we got into the rubber boats (more like rafts). The Vatnajokull glacier dominated the scenery, towering over the large lagoon on one side. The next 70 minutes were one of my “wow” moments in life, where I was dumbstruck at the sheer beauty of everything before me. The boat zipped across to the far end of the lagoon, right in front of the glacier face. As we stopped and clicked pictures, we were fortunate to witness a glacier calving moment, accompanied by thundering sounds. The boat took us past numerous icebergs floating in the lagoon – ranging from clear blue to stark white to muddy in colour, of all shapes and sizes. I was simply overwhelmed by the beauty of the scenery, and I think it would be a shame to visit Iceland and not take this boat trip. Certainly an experience of a lifetime – much like the snowmobile ride on the glacier earlier on this trip.

We were driven back to their caravan, where we took off the layers of clothing, and drove off across the street to Diamond Beach. The icebergs of the lagoon drift into the ocean through a narrow water passage when they get smaller, and the ocean breaks them up into tinier pieces, some of which get washed ashore on the black sand Diamond Beach. It is a spectacular sight, to see the sparkling pieces of crystal clear ice resting on dark black sand. Huge number of people there, admiring the view, and we certainly enjoyed it. The ice pieces look like diamonds against the jet black sand.

From here we drove to our Fosshotel Vatnajokull, which was about 5-6 km before Hofn. For once it was a great hotel, with a huge room, with glass all around, and fab views from the room. This is what we had hoped for everywhere on the trip. By now it had started to rain, so we skipped our plans of driving to Stokksnes, which would have been a waste in such weather. We had dinner at the hotel, and when we came back to the room to sleep, we noticed that a 10 feet section of the curtain was missing in the room, causing bright light to invade the room at night. Calls to the reception were in vain – they said they had no stock of extra curtains, and were obviously aware of the problem, but shrugged off their ability to do something. This was not expected from a pricey hotel, but we were so tired that we managed to doze off quickly despite the sunlight streaming in.

ileen

Indian couple--Once more, your writing is superb and I am really enjoying your trip. Your descriptions are so beautiful written and I can really imagine how much you savored the fascinating sights.
Your travels have taken you to many unique places around the globe and I have been following you two. Truly admire your adventurous spirit.
I am now tempted to travel to Iceland, although the cold, winter temperatures will keep me away. In the meantime I will enjoy your reports.
Just curious, where are you planning to go next?
What type of items did you purchase in Iceland since it is so very expensive compared to India or even other western countries.
Well, waiting for you to continue with your story. Thanks for sharing.

indiancouple

Thanks annhig and ileen.
As for purchasing in Iceland, it was mainly woollen caps, scarves, gloves and pullovers. There is a distinctive Icelandic design and weave, which you begin to recognize immediately after spending a few days in that country. But yes, everything is very expensive.

tripplanner001

Waterfalls, ice, black sand - Iceland sounds like heaven to me. Loving what you're putting down more and more.

indiancouple

Thanks tripplanner. Last installment coming up very soon.

indiancouple

Thursday, June 28th :
This was our last day in Iceland, and we knew it would be a tiring one, as we had to drive for almost 550 km today ! Got up early, and after a nice breakfast at the hotel, we checked out, loaded our bags in the car and were off by 8 am. We were booked on a kayaking trip at Heinabergslon Lagoon starting at 9 am, for which we were required to be there by 8:45 am latest. We made it there in about 30 minutes, and parked in the large compound of Flatey Dairy Farm, where the tour operator “Iceguide” was located.

We were fitted out in wet suits and flotation devices, and driven to the Heinabergslon lagoon. This was somewhat similar to the Jokulsarlon lagoon, except that it was smaller in size, and was a lot quieter. This one also had large number of icebergs floating in the water everywhere. We were given a short instruction/demo on how to kayak, and we were off – ourselves in a double seater kayak. We had some difficulty getting out of the maze of icebergs at the launch point, but once we were through that, it was smooth rowing. It was another amazing experience, to be surrounded by so many icebergs, and negotiating our way through them. Unlike yesterday, today was hard work, as kayaking can get a bit strenuous on your arms after a while. However, there was no hurry to get anywhere, and each kayak could keep its own pace. Once again, there was a glacier feeding the lagoon, and we kayaked to the glacier face and back. After about an hour of kayaking, we berthed our kayaks on a large iceberg, and got off. We were provided with spiky chains to put on our boots, which assisted in walking around on the iceberg without slipping. It was a great experience to walk around the iceberg and click pictures. Finally, we re-boarded our kayaks, and paddled ashore. Once again, a fabulous experience, and the weather stayed benign all through.

Once back to our car, we sped away in the westerly direction on the Ring Road. We were carrying a lot of munch food with us from India, and we were prepared to have our lunch in the car while driving. However, around lunch time, we were crossing the Skaftafell National Park, so we drove back into their Visitor Centre, and had a light lunch at their cafeteria. Off again, as we had miles to cover.

Late afternoon we stopped at Fjadrargljufur Canyon, which was on the way. We got off and roamed the canyon walkway for some distance. It was a very pretty sight. However, we did not venture very far, as we were short on time, and DW was feeling a bit tired. As we walked back to the car, I missed my footing, and had a nasty fall on the ground. Hit the ground on my right knee and my left palm of hand. I was worried if I had broken a bone. DW helped me gingerly get back up, and although the knee was paining badly, I could walk comfortably, suggesting no broken bones. However, I had scraped my knee real bad, and I applied some dressing to it on reaching the car.

We continued driving towards Keflavik, which was our destination for the night. We had a booking for Blue Lagoon at 8 pm, as we had been forwarned to attempt the Blue Lagoon only in late evenings during high season, to avoid the maddening crowds. We reached the Blue Lagoon almost exactly at 8 pm, but by then it had started raining quite heavily. It was a long walk from the car park to the entrance, and seemed even longer in the strong rain. We were quite wet by the time we reached the entry point. What followed for the next 90 minutes was a somewhat underwhelming experience of this overhyped tourist attraction. We found the establishment somewhat unable to handle the large number of tourists, and there was confusion everywhere. It took some time to figure out what and where we were supposed to go/do, and after we had showered in our respective male/female enclosures, there was further confusion about where we were supposed to re-unite. After long delays and confusion, we finally met up and entered the lagoon waters together. It was a nice experience, but not great as what we had imagined. Anyway, this had to be done, and we made the most of it, and exited. I think Iceland has far more to offer than this tourist trap.

Drove to Keflavik, and reached our Hotel Berg. Really nice hotel, where we had a spacious suite. Dumped our luggage and hopped over to the restaurant Kaffi Duus nearby, which was highly rated. They had closed for the night, but the staff were still there, and agreed to take us in. Wonderful people, and they cooked us a great meal, which was very welcome as we were ravenously hungry. Then back to the hotel for a late night crash out.

Friday, June 29th :
We had a 7:40am flight to Amsterdam, so we left the hotel real early in their shuttle, and checked in at Keflavik. The airport is so crowded and lacks basic infrastructure, which made everything very difficult. Anyway, we were glad to have covered Iceland in its glory, and were looking forward to joining a large group of friends in Amsterdam, from where we were headed for a 7-day Norwegian fjord cruise (our first cruise in our lifetime) !

This brings me to the end of this trip report. Glad to have found time finally to finish it.