Iceland - some questions for winter travel
 

Heading that way in a month for a romantic trip with DH. Planning to rent a car because we're spending the first night after arrival along the route of the Golden Circle (it was the only night available at highly recommended hotel).
Curious to know how easy it is to navigate around the area? Would you recommend a GPS system or is a basic map okay?
What about hitting the northwestern fjord area the next day? I've seen in guidebooks how long they estimate the drive to be, but that's generally in the summertime and with lots of stops Are roads generally okay in winter? Would the drive be awful or would it be a decent trek?
Also interested in horseback riding - any recommendations where to go somewhere along the western side? Would like someplace we can't access with a car, or someplace that gives a special view/experience if possible?
Lastly (and this is probably a post for a different forum) we're going there to see the Northern Lights. Any tips on photographing or ideal places for viewing that offer something besides just sitting on a bench outside shivering with a camera?

Just 2 quick comments right now - will try to get back w/ more. Plus others will have advice

• A month from now the days will be very short w/sunrise around 11AM and sunset before 4PM.

• There are no guarantees you'll see the Northern Lights

For photographing the lights you need to wrap up warm, especially hands and feet. You will need a sturdy tripod, cable release or remote control, a wide angle fast lens, high ISO, and an exposure time of 10 -20 seconds. If you don't mind star trails you can go longer with the exposure.
Make sure you have a couple of fully charged spare batteries which you need to keep close to you body to keep them warm - the cold drains batteries very quickly.
Look for some foreground interest , set up the camera, and set it to B, manual focus, as high an ISO as you dare without risking noise. Use the cable switch or remote to avoid camera shake, and also so you can actually stand and watch whilst the camera takes the photo - it would be terrible to only vies them through the viewfinder! Take a couple of test shots and see how they look - it can take a while to get it right. Shoot RAW if you can - you can get a lot out of an apparently duff photo in post-processing if you do.

Don't be surprised if the lights don't look very coloured to the naked eye - they will be more colourful in the photos.

Check the aurora forecast at http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast. You can change the view of the forecast to cover Iceland.

Do take the time to just stand and stare!

Hi,

I would hightly recommend NOT to go to the westfjords during the winter when you don't know the area because the weather can be unpredictable, snow storms come up easily and you have to pass roads next to high cliffs !
I went there last april (!) and it was crazy driving and we even got offroad. So I would rather recommend to go to Snæfellsnes, which is easier to drive, also just beautiful and no highland roads have! to be passed !

Have a safe trip and best wishes from Iceland !

Great tips! I have a follow up regarding battery life for camera. Our DSLR generally can keep a charge for about a week with general use. Do you think we'll need a back up if it's charged daily?

Yes you will need a back up battery. You will be taking long exposures in cold weather if photographing the Lights - it will drain quickly. Batteries don't keep their charge in cold conditions, which is also why you need to keep the spare close to your body to keep it warm or it could drain just from the cold.
Better to have a spare charged battery and not use it, than not have one and miss a great shot.
Take lots of memory cards too ;).

What anja said about going to the western fjords. we travelled from Gulfoss to the fjords in a day in midsummer and it took us about 6 hours. the roads [even though they were B roads and therefore permitted driving in a hire car] were shocking in places and the road to the fjords goes round many cliff faces. bad enough in summer in good visibility but in winter NOT an easy drive.

Definitely stick to the area recommended by Anja.

Atok taak!! We'll avoid the fjord area and focus on the golden circle and Reyk.

BTW - do we need GPS or will basic map work for those areas? And any recommendations for horseback riding or will we have a good experience anywhere?

if you are sticking to the ring road [it goes all the way round the island in a big loop] a map should be fine [try amazon] but if you're intending to go further afield GPS might be good, if it exists for Iceland. Anja should know.

as for horse riding, there are loads of farms [some of which offer accommodation] around, but you might like to contact the tourist board for the area/s you are staying in to check what's available in December.

Golden Circle is great because it includes three places of interest. First, Golden Waterfall. Second, Geysir Geothermal Area. Third, Parliament Plains (Thingvellir).

Although I've probably been along this route about one thousand times already in my career as a tour guide - starting in 1988 - I still love showing the place to foreign guests.

As for a drive from the Golden Circle area to the Western fjords it will take you about 8 hours shortest way to drive to Isafjord, the largest town in the area. Be prepared for snow on the mountain passes.

At the moment we've got 10 degrees Celcius but the weather can change quickly. It has snowed already in the the Western fjords and North Iceland.

Yes, there's only about 4 hours daylight 21 December which is the day with the least daylight hours. People in some of the Western fjords do not see the sun for up to six months as the sun does not rise high enough above the mountains.

I'd get a good 4x4 just in case and make sure it has winter tires on it. Take all the time you need to get to the Western fjords. It is better to arrive late than never.

Iceland Tour Guide (& others!), we've decided against the Western fjords due to the length of time, but is it worth going through Borgames and that area to get a taste of the coastline instead? Or would you stay further south and go along that coast?

Also, is there a spot you'd recommend grabbing a nap before we can check into our hotel? :) Our flight arrives at 6am and can't check in until 3pm. We will have a rental car, so that's probably our bed, but is it okay to snooze at a rest area or gas station when the inevitable jet lag hits? Thanks!

Oh sorry Anja - just noticed you recommended that exact route! That's what well do then - perfect. And can we make hotel reservations on the spot generally or is it best to have something set ahead of time?