Iceland trip...need some feedback please!
 

Hi,

We have 4 days in June to celebrate our 10yr anniversary. This is our current plan...

Wed: Arrive 6:15am from nyc---

thinking about booking something for this afternoon...maybe Blue Lagoon and then a dinner cruise in the evening? Is the dinner cruise worth it? Who should we go with to visit the Blue Lagoon? (I know it's en route from airport to Reykjavik BUT I don't want to book that in case our plane is delayed).

Thurs: Visit Jokulsarlon (1 day tour...I know very long) (tour company rec? If we do something like grey line, do you still get to go in the boat at the glacier? I'm really looking to take pics there and hoping to spend some time there taking it all in).

Fri: Superjeep to see Golden Circle (tour company for Superjeep recommendation?)

Sat: Snorkeling in Silfra (tour company rec?) Can we fit in anything else today?

Leave on Sunday

Also is it better to book ahead of time or when we get there?

THANK YOU!

I didn't do a dinner cruise when I was in Iceland, in fact I didn't know there was such a thing. Personally, there is so much else to do that it doesn't appeal to me.

Not a Superjeep company, but this is a great small group company that I would recommend for the Golden Circle.

www.icelandhorizon.is

Hi brownie girl,

that day travelling all the way to Jokulsarlon is going to be a really long day. what else do they take you to en route? and your first day is a bit of a waste. i know that you can't rely on your flight being on time but if it is [and it probably will be], you've lost more or less a day.

with the time you've got, you could at least spend a couple of nights at Vik, using the whole day to go to the iceberg lake but seeing other places on the way, then back to Reykjavik via the golden Circle, spend the night at Reykjavik or near the airport, and fly out the next day.

That would be a much better use of your time, IMO.

As Annhig said, Jokulsarlon is really far. Probably 4.5 hours without stopping. If you really want to go there, it may be worth dropping the car off at Hofn and flying back to Reykjavik. It is unusual for a 4 day trip to get further than Vik, especially as there is so much along the way: Seljalandfoss, the waterfall where you walk behind the water, and Skogafoss, where you can walk to the top of the waterfall and then seemingly forever, are just 2 places you have to stop! And in Vik you can ride a horse on the black sand beach.
In the general Reykjavik area, you also may want to consider the Inside the Volcano tour where you drop over 100 meters into a volcano. Very cool!

travelling dad - I was trying to get them to the iceberg lake [which seems to be important to the OP] without the over-long journey - and it ought to be possible to see the waterfalls as well.

But I agree with you - it's a very long drive to be doing in a day, even if you aren't doing the driving.

At least it's June - daylight more or less 24 hours a day/night.

Yeah I REALLY want to see Jokulsarlon. And from what I keep reading no one regrets it!

We'll take out the dinner cruise...

We don't plan on renting a car...what do people think? I'm thinking it's a short trip and if we get lost or something else I don't want to waste anytime. Is it righthand driving? Hard to get around etc? Hubs and I are still leaning towards tours but not sure yet...

The volcano tour sounds awesome...what is this called?

annhig--I see what you're saying, the only thing is we booked our hotel for all the nights already in Reykjavik...I think hubs would kill me if we decide to pay for another hotel on top of it...ahhh!

Browniegirl - of course if you don't want to hire a car and stay outside Reykjavik, you don't have much choice other than a day trip if you want to get there. Driving in Iceland is super -easy - there is only one main road round the island, and it goes to nearly all the major sights. There's not a lot of traffic either so driving on the left side of the road isn't difficult - after all, we brits do the equivalent all the time in the USA, Canada, and Europe. you might also want to look into whether you could cancel those Reykavik hotel bookings.

if not, it'll have to be the day trip, but be prepared for an long day, and see if you can find one that stops at the other interesting places on the way there and back .

My sister and family have a 4 day stop over in Iceland late May, they will pick up their rental car immediately on arrival and head oot to Vik where they stay 3 nights. They make day trips to visit Jokusarlon and Skaftafell, then the Golden Circle on Day 4, ending at Reykjavik before catching their late night flight that day. You might want to rework your plans to stay in or near Vik, that should work better IMO.

geetika - that's exactly what I was suggesting to the OP.

My apologies annhig, this is what comes from not reading all the posts in full:)

Ok a little bit of an update...

So we have the option of cancelling our airport transfer to the hotel. SO with that we are thinking of renting a car...

So now the tentative plan is this:

Day 1: Arrive in Keflavik, get rental car, go to Blue Lagoon on the way to hotel in Reykjavik, after checking in walk around Reykjavik.

Day 2: Leave early and drive to Jokulsarlon, spend as much time as possible, go on zodiac boat. Try (now I'm going to look) to stay somewhere cheap in Skaftafell (because we're still paying for our hotel in Reykjavik).

Day 3: Drive back to Reykjavik but stop in Vik along the way (see black sand beaches, Dyrholaey, Myrdalsjokull glacier) and anything else that is on the path back to Reyjavik (will take suggestions here!!!)

Day 4: Drive the Golden Circle tour (see Thingvellier, Geysir/Strokkur, Gulfoss, Kerid (??? worth it??) AND schedule a snorkeling trip in Silfra (suggestions on who to book this with??). Anything else we can include in this day or we should see during this day?

Day 5: Go back to airport/return rental car

Anyway to add in Snaefellness peninsula?

No. No there isn't a way, unless you add days or scrap your original plan. Or forgo sleeping.

well, your trip to the glacier lake is going to wipe you out, so no, please don't try to add the snaefellnesses peninsular as well! according to google maps [which will do for these purposes] it's 378 kms/4 ½ hours from Reykjavik to Jokulsarlon so there's no way you can do that it a day, and doing it in two days is going to be hard enough.

We found the Golden Circle was enough for a day AND we were staying nearby, not doing it as a day trip from Reykjavik, and we didn't try to add in any snorkelling. honestly, I can't imagine how you could add anything else in.

Just to be clear, so it is possible though to do Golden Circle and snorkeling in one day? (we plan on renting a car).

I think you can snorkel under the midnight sun! The spot where you want to snorkel is on your route, I think. Ann?

I do remember that there were companies offering scuba diving near the golden Circle; i don't remember any mention of snorkelling.

I suggest consulting the Icelandic tourist board website - they should know.

Check with www.dive.is and http://www.adventures.is.

There are snorkeling tours offered too; we're considering doing this.

Snorkelling takes place on Þingvallavatn, which is in the heart of the Golden Circle, so yes. Also check out magma.is for snorkelling

Annhig..."There's not a lot of traffic either so driving on the left side of the road isn't difficult"

They drive on the right hand side in Iceland. I don´t know what side of the road you were driving on when you were visiting....

I say your itinerary is OK, but that drive to and from Jökulsarlon will be very exhausting. I guess the abundance of daylight at that time of year will make things easier though.

If I may make a recommendation.. Cars Iceland are one of the best car rental companies in Iceland. They can help with your itinerary as well as advising what side of the road to drive on ;) www.carsiceland.com