Iceland recommendations

FormerHangie

FormerHangie

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FormerHangie
I'm taking the family to Iceland for a week at the end of May. For those that have been, do you have any suggestions what to see? Thanks.
 
I proposed to my wife there. Rent a 4x4, drive all over the place. There are tons of roads off the beaten path to explore/camp/hike. Stay at little B&Bs, everyone is friendly and most speak good English. The ferry to the fjords to see the puffins on the western most point of Europe is worth it. Do watch out for the sheep and especially some little game bird that kamikazes right in front of you across the road. Don’t be surprised if you leave a trail of carnage, they’re on a suicide mission. Glaciers, volcanoes, all worth a visit since you can’t do that in the lower 48(except the NW)

Soups are good, fermented shark is not. In May the sun barely sets so get ready for permanent daylight. We were there in August and it was trippy.
 
It’s VERY touristy but go to the Blue Lagoon. There may be other less touristy natural spas but we went to the Blue Lagoon. Also, you have to get an Icelandic hot dog. They are delicious!
 
Do one of the bus tours that takes you to the golden falls, the geysers and the big park. I think we did the "Golden Circle" tour, well worth it. Be aware that EVERYTHING there is very expensive, though the beauty of the whole place helps you forget about that part.
 
Wife and I will be there in early June on the way home from Spain. Hotel and car are booked. Looking forward to it!
 
Fermented shark. Blech. Doesn't sound appealing.
 
I spent a summer in Keflavik. Fortunately once you get away from the base the rest of Iceland is fairly scenic.
 
I can't wait to get familiar with their food, drink, and customs. That's the good part of traveling. Bring it!
 
Yes, Blue Lagoon. The turquoise water seems almost phosphorescent...so cool to see that contrasted with the black lava rock. Also, go to the intersection of the European and North American tectonic plates; kinda neat to see the topography there. And the tremendous waterfalls, and Fjords...even if you're a Chevy man. :D I'll try to dig up a pic or two that I took.

Ah, here are a few:

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We were able to circumnavigate the island in 8 lazy days, and were sick of volcanic rocks and waterfalls by the end of it. That's sort of what they have on offer, along with some odd architecture. English is spoken more than you'd suspect, but like anywhere, they appreciate the attempt to mangle out a greeting in their language.

We took the rental car off-roading in the NW peninsula (Hornstrandir?) for 3 days, don't do that. It's rugged as hell and there is nothing there. :D

Get very clued in about when the northern lights run, cross-referenced to the chance of overcast -- they put on one hell of a show up there if you can align things.

Renting the Diesel Subaru outback was money well spent. We literally did the island on a single tank, and it handled the gravel roads like a champ.

There is a less touristy lagoon in Myvatn. It was also blue and very pleasant and only like 15% of the tourist load.

If you do have a car, prepare to be hit up by stoned backpackers looking for a free ride when you stop at a market or restaurant. Those clowns are everywhere on the southern half of the ring road. Completely absent on the northern half.

AirBnB can save you a few coins. Many of them serve dinner as part of the deal. While we will never know for sure, I'm certain that it was a rural Icelandic AirBnB where we ate green salad with horse. Chewy. 2 stars. Would not order again.

Skip the reykjavik mall except for stocking up on strange supplies or snacks. Don't be tricked by the mexican food place. I can't explain what I was thinking. There are plenty of small grocers along the ring road, route 1.

The puffins are rad, but bring a long lens, the tour buses hog the best spots and you'll have every freaking Ansel Adams out there with his giant articulating tripod arrangement blocking the view and trying to get that perfect shot. God those guys annoy me, I wish I had shoved a few off of the cliffs. It would've doubled viewing capacity of the nesting grounds.

After doing that, there are restaurants that serve puffin. We were there late in season so I didn't get to troll my wife who is an aspiring photogue herself by ordering an 8x10 of roasted photogenic creature with potato salad.

It's windy as heck, not terribly cold, but layers are a strong choice. I did most of iceland in only the windbreaker, but there were 2 days where I was happy for the fleecy liner.

You gotta do it once and say you did. :D
 
IMG_0886.jpegFour years later, we finally made it. Landed this morning after a five hour flight, and spent the morning getting a car and then scouting for lighthouses. On the agenda for tomorrow is a visit to the Blue Lagoon, and a drive to the south coast.
 
If you dive, the Silfra fissure is a must-do. I haven't gotten there myself, but know people who made the trip just for that dive. If you aren't already a drysuit diver, you'll have to add drysuit training to the tour package.

The fissure is the gap between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. In places you can touch both continents at once, and underwater visibility can exceed 300'

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GaryM said:
If you dive, the Silfra fissure is a must-do. I haven't gotten there myself, but know people who made the trip just for that dive. If you aren't already a drysuit diver, you'll have to add drysuit training to the tour package.

The fissure is the gap between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. In places you can touch both continents at once, and underwater visibility can exceed 300'

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My eldest wanted to snorkel Silfra, so I volunteered to go with her. I volunteered to go with her. Because I’m over 65, I had to get my doctor to certify that I’m healthy enough to do this, and if I was 70, they wouldn’t let me!
 
My wife is half Icelandic and I’ve been about 25 times over the past 35 years. Skip the Blue Lagoon. Highly overpriced tourist trap, it’s just runoff from the local thermoelectric plant. Definitely see Gullfoss, black beach at Vik, and Snaefellsness Peninsula. Dinner in Stykkisholmur Harbor is nice. Glacier Lagoon in southeast, Dettifoss in northest. Local cuisine in Reykjavik at Cafe Vagninn, not beautiful decor but spectacular food. And a hotdog at Byerinns Beztu down by the harbor. If you have time, northwest fjords are spectacular, but make sure you take a 4X4 because it’s remote.
Since this is a pilots’ forum, i’ll tell you I highly recommend flying. I’ve rented planes at least half a dozen times at the Reykjavik city airport. Both 172’s and DA40’s over the years. Here is a flight over the active volcano a couple years ago

Iceland volcano flight
 
My wife and daughters wanted to go to the Blue Lagoon, so we did. I’ll spare you the pictures of wet people in steaming water. It was quite relaxing.

Today we did boat tour is the glacier lagoon, quite spectacular. Amazing ice floes
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This one got the seal of approval.
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This afternoon we did a glacier hike. I’ll attach a picture but it doesn’t do the place justice, it’s absolutely majestic.
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