Iceland Trip Report: 9 Days in May - non Ring Road!
Jan 4th, 2017, 07:06 PM
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Iceland Trip Report: 9 Days in May - non Ring Road!
The husband and I were lucky enough to take a 9 day dream trip to Iceland this past late May/early June (sans kids!) and it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. While there are so many places in this world to see, Iceland was the first country I cannot wait to return to: the people, the food, and of course the out of this world scenery. Here's a brief recap for anyone looking for itinerary ideas - the Ring Road trip did not appeal as we felt we'd be too rushed with only 9 days, so we took on Southern Iceland, Reykjavik, Snaefellsness and the Westfjords. A few takeaways:
-The weather was great - between 40-60 the whole trip, with sunshine, wind, rain and fog, sometimes all in the same day. We're big believers in the saying "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing" and with the right gear, weather was never an issue!
-For our rental car, we went with Cars Iceland and got a great price on a perfect condition RAV4. No dents or damage, no pressure to get all the different kinds of insurance offered (we were covered through our CC), and easy to spot after a short walk from the terminal exit.
-Stock up on beer/wine/liquor at the airport duty free shop! Provisions are expensive and few and far between.
-So many people commented that the food is terrible to not great in Iceland. We definitely didn’t find this to be the case! We did our research and except for one unfortunate gas station dinner, the food was amazing! Reasonably priced, fresh and delicious (highlights below)
Night 1:
We found a killer deal on a direct flight Denver - Reyk in August (for a May trip) for under $400pp RT and had to book. The flight was a red-eye and even though we thought we could do it - it was brutal! Our plan was to land at 6am, grab our rental and head straight for our hotel outside Vik. We got about an hour into the drive and had to pull over and take a nap! All those sleepless nights with a toddler at home didn’t prepare us afterall...
Nights 2 & 3:
Our first two nights we spent at the Volcano Hotel outside Vik. The price was right and the hotel was spotless and roomy, with an awesomely friendly staff and yummy free breakfast (and great blackout curtains!). We checked out the awe-inspiring Skogafoss and hiked to the top before crashing for a 4 hour nap. We woke up and took off for Reynisfjara beach and the basalt columns (could've spent hours here...) before finding a nice dinner at the packed Halldorskaffi in Vik. Dinner was fresh seafood and Icelandic beer, for roughly $50 total - well worth it!
The next morning we had a hotel breakfast and set out for a big day of driving. Our first stop (an hour or so East?) was Fjadrargljufur Canyon, which was an absolute highlight of the trip. The fog made the photos and experience even more incredible, and we spent some time hiking the canyon before setting further East to Svínafellsjökull. We're NOT tour people, but the day before we left (so 2 days prior) we took a chance and booked a glacier tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides (since there's no way to safely see the glacier without a guide). We were glad we did it but it wasn't what we expected. Roughly zero athletic ability required, but an awesome and knowledgable guide, and scenery we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
After the glacier hike, we did the short (45 min) hike up Svartifoss which begins a short walk from the main parking lot for the glacier hike. Svartifoss was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and the fish-n-chips food truck in the parking lot was a great way to cap off the hike.
Thanks to the almost constant daylight, we decided we’d come too far to not continue on to Jokulsarlon. We arrived about 8pm and had the lagoon almost entirely to ourselves. After an hour or so, we decided to make the long trek back to our hotel in Vik (3 hours maybe?). About halfway through we realized we were starving and very short on options (note: helps to plan ahead for meals when you're outside Reyk!). We ended up at a gas station eating awful "lamb nuggets".
The next morning we checked out of the Volcano hotel and headed to Reykjavik, which we hadn't seen on our arrival. BUT not before we made a handful of stops on the way:
-Dyrholaey for insane views and whipping winds
-Seljavallalaug - a short hike to a "secret" pool for a quick lukewarm swim among 200 other tourists in the algae-covered oldest-pool-in-Iceland. Joking aside - I wouldn't miss it. Stunningly beautiful setting... we spotted 11 waterfalls and 36 selfie sticks from our spot in the pool
-Seljalandsfoss & it's neighbor Gljufrafoss
-The Sólheimasandur plane crash - this was totally a happy accident. We spotted 5 or 6 cars parked together on the side of the road, and could see hikers headed out into the distance and decided they must know something we didn't. It's a long trek but a creepy and surreal and beautiful site once you arrive!
Nights 4 & 5:
The next two nights we spent in Reykjavik at the Reykjavik Residence Hotel. This tiny apartment hotel was spotless, quiet and had a full kitchen where we could save some money on breakfast and lunch by cooking in the apartment. After so much driving the last two days, we decided to spent the next two days without an itinerary. We mostly walked around the city but a few highlights were:
-the understandably hyped Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hotdogs
-a farmer’s market where we stocked up on local items like Omnom chocolates and Saltverk salts
-our final dinner at Grillmarkadurinn where we lucked out with a last minute reservation. 3 words: TRY THE HORSE!
After two days of rest, we got back in the car and headed for the northern Westfjords. A few memorable stops on the long 6 hour drive:
-The Bonus! Great prices on groceries and also an awesome place to stock up on cheap local food gifts for friends back home
-Erpsstadir Dairy Farm for some of the best ice cream in recent memory, cheese for the drive, so much skyr, and a “tour” of the farm (basically someone who opened the door to the barn and closed it behind us)
Nights 6 & 7:
After a few more stops to stretch our legs and a harrowing but breathtaking gravely hairpin drive, we finally arrived at our next stop: Hotel Djupavik on the Strandir Coast of the Westfjords. I debated making this far of a drive to such a remote area but it was so, so worth it. Djupavik was totally unforgettable! (HELLO Sigur Ros fans!) We learned about the history of the area and of the herring factory, got to see an art exhibit being setup inside the old factory, saw whales in the fjord and did a few strenuous, spectacular hikes around the fjord. Some of our highlights were:
-playing board games and drinking wine in the common room with other guests
-the owners two dogs who joined us on our hikes (I still cannot believe a bulldog could keep up!) -dinner of fresh seafood at Kaffi Nordurfjordur while we watched the fishing boats unload their haul
Some of the CONS of the stay were never getting to soak in Krossneslaug (it was filled with swearing sailors both times we attempted it) and our nights sleep. I wouldn’t miss Djupavik if you have the opportunity to go to that part of the world, but the lack of blackout curtains and the thin walls were tough. The teeny tiny rooms and shared dorm-style bathrooms added to the charm but it was definitely far from a refreshing night's sleep.
Nights 8 & 9:
After two dreamy days here, we didn’t even scratch the surface of the Westfjords but it was time to pack up and head for our AirBnB in Arnarstapi in Snaefellsness. On the way we went back by our favorite Bonus, and had a long soak in the pools at Drangsnes. Definitely another highlight of the trip, we saw whales playing in the fjord and snuck in a few cans of Einstock.
We arrived at our incredible AirBnB in Arnarstapi around dinner time, complete with a hot tub on the edge of a cliff. I’d twisted my ankle on a hike the day before so we decided the next day would be spent taking in sights only a short walk from the main road. These included:
-Eldborg crater
-The multiple beaches just off the main road (can’t remember names but there are plenty - black sand, white sand, stones and sheer cliffs)
-Kirkjufell and the iconic Iceland photo of the falls with the triangular mountain in the background
-an orange lighthouse we found at the end of a dead end road
-Raudfeldargja Gorge
-the black church at Budir
For our final meal, we had the perfect dinner of mussels and champagne at Sjávarpakkhúsið at the harbor in Stykkisholmur. It was definitely heartbreaking to leave in the morning, but we made the 2 hour trek back to the airport without incident and vowed to return to Iceland with our son as soon as we could. Iceland is a country that sticks with you and we were so glad to have gotten the chance to visit. If you have the chance: GO!
-The weather was great - between 40-60 the whole trip, with sunshine, wind, rain and fog, sometimes all in the same day. We're big believers in the saying "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing" and with the right gear, weather was never an issue!
-For our rental car, we went with Cars Iceland and got a great price on a perfect condition RAV4. No dents or damage, no pressure to get all the different kinds of insurance offered (we were covered through our CC), and easy to spot after a short walk from the terminal exit.
-Stock up on beer/wine/liquor at the airport duty free shop! Provisions are expensive and few and far between.
-So many people commented that the food is terrible to not great in Iceland. We definitely didn’t find this to be the case! We did our research and except for one unfortunate gas station dinner, the food was amazing! Reasonably priced, fresh and delicious (highlights below)
Night 1:
We found a killer deal on a direct flight Denver - Reyk in August (for a May trip) for under $400pp RT and had to book. The flight was a red-eye and even though we thought we could do it - it was brutal! Our plan was to land at 6am, grab our rental and head straight for our hotel outside Vik. We got about an hour into the drive and had to pull over and take a nap! All those sleepless nights with a toddler at home didn’t prepare us afterall...
Nights 2 & 3:
Our first two nights we spent at the Volcano Hotel outside Vik. The price was right and the hotel was spotless and roomy, with an awesomely friendly staff and yummy free breakfast (and great blackout curtains!). We checked out the awe-inspiring Skogafoss and hiked to the top before crashing for a 4 hour nap. We woke up and took off for Reynisfjara beach and the basalt columns (could've spent hours here...) before finding a nice dinner at the packed Halldorskaffi in Vik. Dinner was fresh seafood and Icelandic beer, for roughly $50 total - well worth it!
The next morning we had a hotel breakfast and set out for a big day of driving. Our first stop (an hour or so East?) was Fjadrargljufur Canyon, which was an absolute highlight of the trip. The fog made the photos and experience even more incredible, and we spent some time hiking the canyon before setting further East to Svínafellsjökull. We're NOT tour people, but the day before we left (so 2 days prior) we took a chance and booked a glacier tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides (since there's no way to safely see the glacier without a guide). We were glad we did it but it wasn't what we expected. Roughly zero athletic ability required, but an awesome and knowledgable guide, and scenery we wouldn't have seen otherwise.
After the glacier hike, we did the short (45 min) hike up Svartifoss which begins a short walk from the main parking lot for the glacier hike. Svartifoss was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and the fish-n-chips food truck in the parking lot was a great way to cap off the hike.
Thanks to the almost constant daylight, we decided we’d come too far to not continue on to Jokulsarlon. We arrived about 8pm and had the lagoon almost entirely to ourselves. After an hour or so, we decided to make the long trek back to our hotel in Vik (3 hours maybe?). About halfway through we realized we were starving and very short on options (note: helps to plan ahead for meals when you're outside Reyk!). We ended up at a gas station eating awful "lamb nuggets".
The next morning we checked out of the Volcano hotel and headed to Reykjavik, which we hadn't seen on our arrival. BUT not before we made a handful of stops on the way:
-Dyrholaey for insane views and whipping winds
-Seljavallalaug - a short hike to a "secret" pool for a quick lukewarm swim among 200 other tourists in the algae-covered oldest-pool-in-Iceland. Joking aside - I wouldn't miss it. Stunningly beautiful setting... we spotted 11 waterfalls and 36 selfie sticks from our spot in the pool
-Seljalandsfoss & it's neighbor Gljufrafoss
-The Sólheimasandur plane crash - this was totally a happy accident. We spotted 5 or 6 cars parked together on the side of the road, and could see hikers headed out into the distance and decided they must know something we didn't. It's a long trek but a creepy and surreal and beautiful site once you arrive!
Nights 4 & 5:
The next two nights we spent in Reykjavik at the Reykjavik Residence Hotel. This tiny apartment hotel was spotless, quiet and had a full kitchen where we could save some money on breakfast and lunch by cooking in the apartment. After so much driving the last two days, we decided to spent the next two days without an itinerary. We mostly walked around the city but a few highlights were:
-the understandably hyped Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hotdogs
-a farmer’s market where we stocked up on local items like Omnom chocolates and Saltverk salts
-our final dinner at Grillmarkadurinn where we lucked out with a last minute reservation. 3 words: TRY THE HORSE!
After two days of rest, we got back in the car and headed for the northern Westfjords. A few memorable stops on the long 6 hour drive:
-The Bonus! Great prices on groceries and also an awesome place to stock up on cheap local food gifts for friends back home
-Erpsstadir Dairy Farm for some of the best ice cream in recent memory, cheese for the drive, so much skyr, and a “tour” of the farm (basically someone who opened the door to the barn and closed it behind us)
Nights 6 & 7:
After a few more stops to stretch our legs and a harrowing but breathtaking gravely hairpin drive, we finally arrived at our next stop: Hotel Djupavik on the Strandir Coast of the Westfjords. I debated making this far of a drive to such a remote area but it was so, so worth it. Djupavik was totally unforgettable! (HELLO Sigur Ros fans!) We learned about the history of the area and of the herring factory, got to see an art exhibit being setup inside the old factory, saw whales in the fjord and did a few strenuous, spectacular hikes around the fjord. Some of our highlights were:
-playing board games and drinking wine in the common room with other guests
-the owners two dogs who joined us on our hikes (I still cannot believe a bulldog could keep up!) -dinner of fresh seafood at Kaffi Nordurfjordur while we watched the fishing boats unload their haul
Some of the CONS of the stay were never getting to soak in Krossneslaug (it was filled with swearing sailors both times we attempted it) and our nights sleep. I wouldn’t miss Djupavik if you have the opportunity to go to that part of the world, but the lack of blackout curtains and the thin walls were tough. The teeny tiny rooms and shared dorm-style bathrooms added to the charm but it was definitely far from a refreshing night's sleep.
Nights 8 & 9:
After two dreamy days here, we didn’t even scratch the surface of the Westfjords but it was time to pack up and head for our AirBnB in Arnarstapi in Snaefellsness. On the way we went back by our favorite Bonus, and had a long soak in the pools at Drangsnes. Definitely another highlight of the trip, we saw whales playing in the fjord and snuck in a few cans of Einstock.
We arrived at our incredible AirBnB in Arnarstapi around dinner time, complete with a hot tub on the edge of a cliff. I’d twisted my ankle on a hike the day before so we decided the next day would be spent taking in sights only a short walk from the main road. These included:
-Eldborg crater
-The multiple beaches just off the main road (can’t remember names but there are plenty - black sand, white sand, stones and sheer cliffs)
-Kirkjufell and the iconic Iceland photo of the falls with the triangular mountain in the background
-an orange lighthouse we found at the end of a dead end road
-Raudfeldargja Gorge
-the black church at Budir
For our final meal, we had the perfect dinner of mussels and champagne at Sjávarpakkhúsið at the harbor in Stykkisholmur. It was definitely heartbreaking to leave in the morning, but we made the 2 hour trek back to the airport without incident and vowed to return to Iceland with our son as soon as we could. Iceland is a country that sticks with you and we were so glad to have gotten the chance to visit. If you have the chance: GO!
Jan 4th, 2017, 08:11 PM
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Thanks @basingstoke2 and @mms - photos here: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...hIVV9kbVg1Nzd3
Jan 22nd, 2017, 07:34 AM
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Thank you immensely for this short, but sweet, "packed with essential detail" trip report. We travel alike....looking for off-the-grid experiences. Traveling in early April for 9 full days with our shutterbug teen. We are contemplating the entire Ring Road hitting the West Fjords and Snaef Peninsula and nixing Reykjavik. Doing one night stays along the journey. Loved your photos!
Nov 13th, 2017, 07:02 AM
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Amazing trip report and pictures! Thankyou!
Do you mind telling us a rough idea of what this 9 days cost including flight? Presently doing research on visiting Iceland and would love to do some kind of road trip like this.
Thanks again - this report really helped!
Do you mind telling us a rough idea of what this 9 days cost including flight? Presently doing research on visiting Iceland and would love to do some kind of road trip like this.
Thanks again - this report really helped!
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