If life is a highway and you want to ride it all night long, check out the Iceland Ring Road in the summer when it’s never quite dark and the open road beckons you to continue until your eyes just can’t go on. And if you’re, ahem, *efficient* like us, then just climb into the back of your rented SUV and recharge for a few hours before pressing play again. Go with it people — music burned through me on this road trip.
You know, preparing to leave your life behind for several months proved far more difficult at 39 than it was in my early thirties. Before I left for my last backpacking trip, my most complicated task was cleaning up after the party I held the night before. Honestly, I think I may have lobbed that task over to my roommate. Anyway, there were so many days and nights packed with “have to” in the year leading up to this departure that by the time we finally left, I wasn’t feeling particularly close to Diego. Queue Tom Cochrane —
Love’s like a road that you travel on
When there’s one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind
There’s a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won’t haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore
A client turned friend once told me that when she and her husband hit bumpy roads, they have an agreement to smooth things out by traveling together. Brilliant advice. Our road trip around Iceland was so restorative – the island is a magical place after all where talk of elves and trolls isn’t peculiar and where the landscapes are endlessly enchanting.
We knew we would be road-tripping from the start, but we added camping to our adventure once we learned that Iceland might be the most expensive place in the galaxy. Fortunately, our flight from Cuba took us through Miami where we had time to pick up supplies instead of hauling them with us to Cuba. There is a saying in Iceland that if you don’t like the weather then just wait 5 minutes. With that in mind, we decided to forgo the tent and camp in the waterproof and cold-resistant car. So we rented an SUV and brought an air mattress for comfort, a portable burner for cooking, and lots of Campbell’s. It was perfect.
We spent our first night in Reykjavik and chose a counterclockwise approach around the island on Highway 1, more commonly known as the Ring Road. The proper Iceland Ring Road is 828 miles long, but with Diego behind the wheel we strayed a bit here and there. All told we put 2,250 miles on our trusty KIA Sportage – many of them in the pouring rain. Thankfully, Diego loves to drive, he thought the car was a joy to drive, and Iceland is still incredible in the rain. Plus, carrying our “house” with us like a turtle gave us complete freedom to take advantage of the 20-22 hours of daylight each day. Here are a few of our “bedroom window” views…
Our Route: Iceland Ring Road (plus)
The best part of driving all the way around the country was the chance to experience the remarkable variety in the landscapes. Iceland is visually captivating in a way that I can hardly explain. Every time you think you have seen the country’s very best you find yourself dumbfounded by its next spectacular surprise – breathtaking coastlines, wild horses, moss covered lava fields, black basalt beaches, colorful sunsets that stretch on for hours, glaciers and icebergs, sprawling countryside spotted with farms, geothermal baths and geysers, and thousands of waterfalls. No, really, according to one local, Iceland has over 10,000 waterfalls. I haven’t fact checked him, but one could easily give directions by way of waterfall – something like, “our place is just after the third waterfall on the right.” Also, fluffy adorable sheep are your ever-present companions.
I could never capture all that we saw in a single post so I’ll stick to the highlights and let Diego’s photos and videos fill in the blanks. Let’s get started with some waterfall footage…
Southern Iceland
Southern Iceland is jam-packed with ah-mazing. If you can only see one part of Iceland, see the bit at the bottom. The glacier lagoons reigned supreme for me. Fjallsárlón is the smaller of the two at the base of Vatnajökull, an ice cap that covers 13.5% of Iceland. It’s much bigger brother, Jökulsárlón (literally “glacial river lagoon”), is actually connected to the North-Atlantic Ocean by a short river where the icebergs casually float out to sea passing under a bridge that resembles a miniature version of the Golden Gate Bridge (except less golden). You know, nothing to see here. And if that wasn’t enough, we stumbled on Diamond Beach across the way when we picked the parking area for our camping spot. It’s no big deal — just pieces of the icebergs that have washed ashore dotting the beach like sparkling diamonds. There really just aren’t words to explain how beautiful this place is.
We also loved swimming in the rain in Seljavallalaug, a hidden thermal bath we hiked to in a valley near Seljavellir. I did not love hiking back in the rain afterwards — ha! The bath was built in 1923 and is one of the oldest in Iceland. Its original purpose was to teach local fisherman the all important skill of swimming. Even though the color of the water resembles nuclear waste, it’s actually fed by water that trickles down from Eyjafjallajökull, a volcano completely covered by an ice cap, and it’s regularly cleaned by volunteers. (see video below)
It’s really tough to pick favorites in the waterfall department because they all have really unique characteristics. In the south, I would have to go with Seljalandsfoss for it’s walk-behind and get soaking wet factor and Skogafoss for it’s rainbow producing skills, and because it’s the best “bedroom window” view I will ever have.
And then there’s Reynisfjara or Black Sand Beach, an actual place near the village of Vík in the southeast. We had an excellent rain-free day hiking all around the beach and the adjacent peninsula, Dyrhólaey. The black basalt columns sticking out of the ocean are known as Reynisdrangar. Together with the black sand, the contrast with the foamy white shoreline was so striking.
Finally, a word on hiking in a rift valley caused by the separation of 2 tectonic plates, Thingvellir National Park. You should go! That’s three words, but you get the idea. The rain thwarted our efforts to hike in the area more than once, unfortunately. But Iceland hasn’t seen the last of us, we’re coming for you, Thórsmörk!
Seljavallalaug Adventure
Eastern Iceland
Puffins! Puffins! Puffins! Can you tell that we enjoyed the puffins?! We went out to Borgarfjördur Eystri where they have a sweet little viewing hut perfectly positioned to see them up close and personal. Diego was just enthralled — he watched them for more than 3 hours and willingly spent part of that time in the pouring rain. A few fun facts: they mate for life, they nest in a hole burrowed into the face of a cliff or mountain, and they stand guard (also in the pouring rain) until their little ones are ready to migrate in August. They are pretty dang cute, y’all.
We also thoroughly enjoyed driving throughout the eastern fjords. The views are unforgettable and, sadly, also un-photographed. Please refer to the puffins instead. I also want to plug a campsite we found in Egilsstadir just before we reached Borgarfjördur Eystri. This place was all about the little things – free laundry detergent, a recycling center including a place for empty fuel canisters and dead batteries, a washer and a dryer, a hair dryer, really nice hot showers, super clean spacious facilities, and an absolutely lovely receptionist tending to everyone’s needs. They should definitely re-name their campsite from Egilsstadir Campsite to something like Hospitality Plus, but alas, the Icelandic language is very literal and it’s also Icelandic so that probably doesn’t work at all. We also took in a 3-hour sunset from this sweet little spot.
Northern Iceland
Siglufjördur was my favorite experience in the north. First of all, the drive takes you through these crazy long tunnels that may have been designed for the zombie apocolypse, but definitely weren’t designed for 2 lanes of traffic. Basically you pull over when you see headlights or you crash into oncoming traffic. This would be a disaster in the States, but I digress. Siglufjördur is a small fishing village made famous during the great herring era so it’s fitting that the village hosts the award winning Herring Era Museum spanning four separate buildings. I’m not much of a museum person unless it’s stuffed with art, but I loved this place. It’s incredibly informative and extremely well presented. I knew very little about Iceland’s history prior to this trip, except that they were the first domino to fall during the 2008 financial crash following the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. I’ll try not to bore you — suffice it to say that they are a rags to riches, rinse and repeat kind of story. The Herring Era started in the 50’s and lasted about 20 years before migratory patterns changed and most of the fisheries went bust. Fishing exports accounted for more than 60% of the country’s GDP at its peak. Iceland is a tiny country with fewer than 350,000 citizens and their own currency – highs and lows can happen very quickly there. Honestly, I worry that they are currently reliving the pattern of their herring boom with their tourism industry. Back in 2000, tourism in Iceland really wasn’t a thing. This year the country should see 2 million tourists, and they expect as many as 6 million by 2030. The moral of the story is to see Iceland soon if you intend to meet any actual Icelanders during your visit.
Other highlights included Godafoss (click on the photo below for more info on this stunning waterfall), the Hverarönd Geothermal area, and meeting Tony and Sierra. We actually met them at Puffin Point, but we didn’t get to hang out together until we got to the north. They’re from New York and we had a great time with them at Jardbodin vid Myvatn or the Lake Myvatn Nature Baths. They’re newly(ish)weds – aren’t they darling?
Western Iceland
For the home stretch, we finished in the Western Fjords, a place we will definitely spend more time in during our next trip to Iceland. You need quite a bit of time to do this area justice. It’s very remote and largely untouched — the fjords whisper their invitations with each breath the wind takes and the drive was absolutely lovely.
Diego also decided to seize his opportunity to take an f-road while I was napping. Ha! These roads are no joke – basically, don’t do this in a rental car without clearance and yes, it was a blast. We went to Snæfellsjökull National Park on a super foggy day for a chance to see a 700,000-year-old sub-glacial stratovolcano called Snaefellsjokull (snow fell glacier). Fog covered photos were the best we could do, but I’d sure love to see it again on a clear day. I also want to mention Raudasandur (Red Sand Beach). I swear the colors are richer in Iceland — the visual absence of pollution is remarkable.
Street Art in Reykjavík
Diego said that God decided to swing the hammer a bit in Iceland, and that He enlisted the help of his most creative angels. <– Truth
We intend to return for a longer trip with friends at some point in the future. There is so much more to explore. We want to move more slowly, explore the highlands, and hike a lot. Join us! In the meantime, click here to see more of Diego’s photos. And here’s one last video of our adventures – WITH a walking intro thing because — we fancy.
6 thoughts on “12 Days in Iceland”
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Ok. Those Puffins are everything. Just stalked through all of your posts, and aside from the beauuuutiful scenery, places, and people; am struck by how “you” you look and sound. Travel is so transformative, and I imagine your hearts are full, and minds are free….I can’t imagine a better wish that anyone could have for a friend. So happy.
Amy! Thanks for adventuring with us. :o) I have to agree that I am more full than I have been in quite some time. Traveling is always good for my soul, but I think this time away was more needed than ever. There’s nothing like living alongside so many other people’s realities to help shape your own. Hugs my friend.
“Puffins don’t care.”
I have come to expect more clever responses from you….which leads me to believe that I’m missing the joke. Le sigh.
Aaaaamazing!
I have your voice in my head, Kel — just finish it! Hahaha! I don’t know if you remember that the last time I went backpacking my laptop was stolen before I got a chance to finish writing about the places I visited. Miss you tons!