Does this Iceland Itinerary Work? Best Routes? Sites?
 

Hi:
I've read a lot of threads here on itineraries and came up with this itinerary (below) for an early August 2006 trip. Is it too late to book the hotels?
Are the routes and sites to see doable in the time I outlined or too rushed? Am I missing any key sites I really should see? Are there some I should skip?
Are these the best cities/towns for overnights? How do I find the best hotel bookings?

DAY 1: LAX to BOS; BOS to KEF
Day 2: Arrive Reykjavik 6:30 am rest day, stay at Reykjavik Hotel
3: Drive Golden Circle stay at Reykjavik Hotel
4: Drive to Akureyri: 5 hour drive then wander town, stay at Akureyri Hotel
5: Drive toward Egalsstadir: See Myvatn Volcanic lake, Godafoss waterfall and Krafla volcano area, stay at Egalsstadir area Hotel
6: Drive toward Hofn: See East fjords drive and view of Vatnajokull glacier, take Jokulsarlen glacier boat ride, Ingolfshofdi puffins? (gone in 2nd week of August???), stay at Hofn area Hotel
7: Drive toward Vik: See Skaftafell Park glacier and black sands, stay at Vik area Hotel
8: Drive toward Reykjavik: See Seiljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls, Thingveliir Nat’l Park, stay at Reykjavik Hotel
9: Reykjavik: Wander around. Stay at Reykjavik Hotel
10: Depart 5pm

Thanks!!!

ttt, for paulo. hopefully someone can give an opinion. Deborah

Hi Paulo, I've only been to Iceland once (for one week) about eight years ago, but I can give you my two cents for what it's worth... I was there in mid-August, there was still lots of daylight (until almost 11pm? if I remember correctly) and the temps were in the mid 50's to mid 60's. I didn't make it to Akureyri/the north and want to go back just for that if nothing else!

- Do spend your first day in town. Reykjavik is cute, clean and small, easy to wander around and beautiful after a long flight. The air is SO clean in Iceland, you'll feel rejuvenated just by breathing, I swear! I'm not sure you need two days in town (this one and the one you have at the other end) unless for souvenir shopping on your last day...
- Which way are you anticipating driving to Akureyri? Will you take the ring road or try to drive straight across? Unless things have changed, there's no fuel, food, etc. in the interior, so that certainly would be a big adventure! Maybe take the ring road north then east and get a closer look at the volcano Snaefellsnes?
- I took a day trip from Reykjavik to Vik and loved the coastline and the part of Vik we saw. I don't remember Vik being very big at all; do they have hotels there? I also don't remember it being too long of a drive from Vik back to Reykjavik, so you might want to push to get back to town and stay there.
- I'm sure you've read plenty of posts extolling the virtues of the Blue Lagoon - but I'd say you should really try it! The water is warm and relaxing, and since the BL is so close to the airport, it's a nice way to begin or end your trip. (The drive from Reykjavik to the airport in Keflavik is about 45 minutes; BL is quite close to Keflavik.)

Hope this helps! ggreen

Paulo,

I can't answer your question with any certainty as I haven't been to Iceland. However my wife and I are going there in a few weeks so this is opinion based on our research.

Whilst the Ring Road driving you plan is doable I don't think you'll have much time to see things. I suggest you consider slowing down. We're there for just over two weeks and have decided to do things very steadily and spend several nights in a small number of places. We're taking our own car in by ferry to Seydisfjördur and will be driving south as far as Skaftafell then north to Asbyrgi before heading back to the boat.

Incidentally Jökulsárlón is after Höfn, not before as you say, in your itinerary.

As I understand it August is busy so you should pursue reservations urgently and be prepared to be flexible.

Michael

I agree with Michael that this sounds rushed. I can't say whether it's doable or not (do you sleep much?) but it certainly isn't leisurely.

I was in Iceland during April and spent 5 nights all in Reykjavik. (Things aren't quite as thawed out that time of year :-) ) We did the Golden Circle in one day, and that's a straightforward trip. We did one day out to Vik and onto the black sand, then back, but remember that we'd already seen the near part of that route when we did the Golden Circle. That was a doable day, but not a terribly short one (though there's less light in April than in August, at least early August). And we did one day up to Snaefelsness, all the way out to the tip, which was lovely but again a fairly long day (and we had to cut our route short).

In August, the ring road obviously makes more sense than our itinerary, but these things might give you a sense of how spread out things are and also how much time you may want to take for hiking from the car, etc. It was amazing and fantastic and I'd love to go back again. I'm sure that you will have a fantastic trip, but I'd definitely take time to go slowly if you can.

Oh, and there are hotels in/near Vik, or at least there is one, because we almost stayed there. Friends of ours did and loved it....I think it's actually just east of Vik, in a little gap in the mountains....

Paulo59, my wife and I are leaving for Iceland at the end of the month for 10 days and my plans are similar to yours. My suggestion is, fly to Akureyri (instead of driving) on the evening of Day 3 and rent a car there. This will shave off some driving time and give you a more leisurely schedule. I myself arrived at an optimal programme both through some research of my own and in consultation with a travel expert in Iceland.

I have just started planning a trip for June which is paced like yours Paulo. I'm a bit scared now that things will be booked up!

moxie,

From what we read early June is relatively quite, gets busier later. July hectic. Weekends often busy any time. Suggest you get booking fast, though.

What sort of accommodation are you looking for?

Michael

What are the best hotels or other places to stay on my route stops in the following general areas?
1: Akureyri
2: Egalsstadir
3: Hofn
4: Vik

Willing to stay in other towns if there are better choices.

Note that even the best hotels in Iceland are not really luxury class by international standards but I understand that they are functional and very clean. I have booked (in consultation with a travel expert) the following hotels for our trip. I wanted to stay only at the best -

1) Reykjavik - Hotel Reykjavik Centrum

2) Akureyri - Hotel KEA

3) Hofn - Fosshotel Vatnajokull

4) Vik - Icelandair Hotel Ranga (close to Vik in the town of Sudurlandsvegur)