The Trip that Spoilt all Others… Iceland
Asitha Hingulage MBA (Finance), ACMA, CGMA
Director of Finance at Penderels Trust
It has been a while since I wrote an article on LinkedIn. This time I thought of doing a travel blog.
We have been discussing about a family trip to Iceland for a while before our elder son passed away in 2021. And we thought it would be nice to make that trip in his first death anniversary and reminisce about the good times and make new memories as a new 3-member family. Don’t worry, this is not going to be a sad read as you know it is not what I learnt from Sandev as per my previous article. Hence this trip became a bittersweet memory for us.
I nearly didn’t write this article. But then thought if you are in the UK as many of my contacts here are, it is worth sharing our adventure to encourage you to make a trip to Iceland. Fair warning folks! A trip to Iceland may spoil many of your other trips you have made already or yet to make. If you read to the end, you may think I am trying hard to sell Iceland, but a quick YouTube search will assure you that there are no exaggerations here.
The Land of Fire and Ice
Frankly, it is the getaway you never knew you needed. It is a destination that grows fast in popularity amongst the travellers. From somewhere I read that it was created by the gods as a natural Disney Park for outdoor lovers. While I am no ambassador of the story of creation, it almost feels true when you think about how one little island have so much adventure and gorgeous scenery packed into one place. It only takes a couple of hours drive for you to get from a recently erupted volcano that is still spitting smoke to an icy cold ice cave or a breath-taking glazier.
They say a carefully planned 7-day trip to Iceland is sufficient for one to cover most of what Iceland has to offer. So, we planned for an 8-day trip, just to be sure. And I made a really detailed but brilliant plan (if I say so myself) to make the most of our time there.
Since Iceland is in the top part of the northern hemisphere, it is very important to time your trip. Whichever time you choose, there will of course be pluses and minuses. If you want to see the puffins in their natural habitat and travel around the island and into the central highlands, you should make the trip in summer. However, you will most probably miss northern lights. And attractions can get a bit crowded. Oh, and on the plus side you will have daylight for the most part of the day. But if you are visiting Iceland in the winter months you might want to avoid the northern parts of the island or the highlands unless you are of the freakishly adventurous type. Since we made our tip in late October, there were no Puffins waiting for us. But we managed to see amazing northern lights a few times. And some attractions were deserted which was so great for us. Sometimes it took a good thirty minutes to see another vehicle go past on your route, exactly how I like my adventures. Imagine being alone with the whole scenery around you without a vehicle or a person in sight. It felt as if that whole awesomeness has been laid out just for you and for you alone.
Geographical Diversity
Iceland’s landscape is blessed with a plethora of geographical wonders such as waterfalls, geysers, glaziers, canyons, mountains, lava caves, geothermal springs, volcanoes, black sand beaches, northern lights and otherworldly steaming lava fields…and…breathe. So, it is not surprising that some of these places to feature in a large list of blockbusters such as The James Bond series, the Star Wars Saga, the Game of Thrones Series, Tomb Raider, Batman Begins, Oblivion, Interstellar, Fast & Furious 8, Journey to the Centre of Earth, Prometheus, Thor and Captain America etc. It is hard to believe how such contrasting diversities could exists within forty thousand square miles, an area only slightly larger than Ireland.
So, wherever you travel in Iceland you are bound to come across many of these wonders. If you visit Iceland during winter months, you will face some travel restrictions as the weather conditions seem to change at very short notice. So as expected, we only managed to cover the southern part of the island during our 8-day stay. But I am very proud to say that we managed to see all the above diverse geographical wonders. Photos & videos we have taken or my mere descriptions here simply do not do justice to the wondrous grandeur of the things we saw and experienced. ?
Attractions
Below is a list of a few of the attractions we visited to give you a flavour of what Iceland has to offer. A lot of prior research was done for this trip. As you can see most of these attractions carry Icelandic names that are a bit difficult to tap on to a Sat Nav. So, I collected coordinates for all these places which came in very handy. I have given a link to a Google document with details if you want to find out more.
Destination - details
Fjaerárgljúfur canyon - Deep & winding river canyon. A great hike
Stjórnarfoss - An amazing waterfall and the blue water river
G?nguleie um Eldhraun - Millions year-old moss-covered lava fields
Dverghamrar - Dwarf rock formation
Fossálar river & waterfall - Rapid mini waterfall & river
útsyni yfir Skeiearárj?kul - Amazing mountain views
Skaftafell National Park - Glacier hike with tour company
Skaftafell National Park - Svartifoss waterfall hike
Diamond beach & J?kulsárlón - Popular diamond beach and the glazier pool
Gígjagjá - Yoda cave. Checkout the photo to see the resemblance
Black sand beach & Vik town - Black sandy beach and Vik town
Plane wreck - As featured in Justin Beiber's song I'll show you
Skógafoss Waterfall - Hugely popular waterfall
Katla ice cave tours - Amazing ice cave tour
Seljalandsfoss - You can walk behind this huge waterfall
Tingvellir National Park - Long walks along the river and amazing rock formations
Haukadalur geyser valley - Valley consisting of 40 geysers
Gullfoss falls - Large Gullfoss waterfall
Kerid Crater - Blue water crater. It looks amazing when frozen.
Geothermal Park Hveragerei - Geysers, hot springs activities
Indjánah?fei - Amazing views of the lake Kleifarvatn
Fagradalsfjall Volcano - The one that erupted in Aug 2022. Still spitting smoke
Continental Bridge - Where the Euroasian & American tectonic plates meet
Brimketill lava rock pool - Rough sea rock pool
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Raufarhólshellir - Lava tunnel guided tour
If you make a trip to Iceland, you will most probably want to relax in the warm therapeutic waters of the Blue lagoon. We are not of the relaxing in a warm bathtub kind. So, we skipped that one. There are some other popular activities available in Iceland such as whale watching tours, snorkelling tours, glazier snowmobiling etc. Of course, you need to choose the ones that tickle your fancy.
Costs and accommodation
Currently Iceland sits at the 8th place in the world cost of living index. So, it is needless to say that your pound (or the dollar) will not stretch that much there. But if you seek an Iceland type adventure, it is worth every penny.
Unless you are planning to hire a campervan and travel around the island in it, it is advisable to book your accommodation well in advance. We found two great Airbnb’s to stay at. First, down south and the other in the capital Reykjavik. During autumn time you might be able to catch northern lights from your place of stay if you are lucky. As you move away from the capital Reykjavik you will be surrounded by the wilderness and the star filled night skies. So, try to catch at least a small stay away from the city to experience how it feels to be isolated in the wilderness and all that light pollution that surrounds our lives most of the time.
Even if you choose your accommodation in Reykjavik there are plenty of tour companies that cover most of the tourist attractions & activities. Even though these will be costlier than travelling on your own, you cannot discount the fact that they are the experts in finding what you are after than doing it on your own. And there are certain attractions that will not allow you to travel without a tour guide. We enjoyed each one of our tours and had no issues.
Accommodation can be a bit pricy, and you can choose to fit your needs and budget. I haven’t heard of anyone complaining about issues with accommodation during my research. I never expected to get internet download speeds over 600mb in a faraway cottage we stayed where there weren’t any humans and buildings as far as the eye could see. Over 65% of Iceland’s houses are heated via natural geothermal energy. So, the accommodation was so cosy & comfortable even though the outside was -5c at night.
One thing about the water though. Hot water in the shower smells of sulphur as they use the natural ground water. But soon you will get used to it. Even though they have bottled drinking water in shops the general advice is to drink straight from the tap. Why wouldn’t you? The cold tap water comes straight from the glaziers, and it tastes so much better than bottled water.
Many asked whether you can find the usual foods there. Iceland was ranked the 20th richest country in the world in 2021 and its per capita is well above of the UK’s. So of course, why would Iceland be any different? We wanted to research about grocery prices as we were planning to self-cater during most part of our trip. I couldn’t find a good YouTube video on it. So, I made one during our shopping trip to the Bonus supermarket at Reykjavik. You can find it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8rvRuI1mqI
Car parking fees and fuel can also be a bit dearer in comparison to the UK. So be prepared.
Local delicacies
Iceland has some amazing treats that you should try. First is the amazing Icelandic lamb hotdog. You can find this amazing snack everywhere you go. Remember to go all in! All their sauces, raw onion, and fried onion. You will not be disappointed.
The next is the Skyr yoghurt. Again, you will be able to find them anywhere you go. They are so thick & creamy & yes; they are much tastier than the Skyr yoghurt you find in the UK.
Then the Icelandic ice-cream. Again, ty it and see how amazing they are. Word of warning! Be careful of how you order. If you are not careful, you might end up with an ice-cream in your hand that is loaded with so many scoops making it larger than your head.
Icelandic fish & chips – I don’t know whether it was the fact that we were rapidly falling in love with Iceland or the colder climate. The fish and chips tasted so good. Oh, also they do a lot of fishing. So, I guess the fish is fresh.
Lava bites (Goa Hraunbitar) – We loved this chocolate covered wafers. Makes a nice treat to bring back home with you.
Finally, Icelandic lamb – you must try the local lamb. So yummy & scrumptious.
Tour companies
As you can expect you will find a huge number of tour companies that offer various types of tours and adventures. I can only comment on the tour company we used. We booked four tours with Arctic Adventures prior to and during the trip. We found their service very professional and the dedication, knowledge and the courteousness of the tour guides was commendable. Disclaimer: I have no affiliations with the company so there could, may well be better companies.
You can book in advance and/or when you are there with a slight risk of not being able to secure a spot. Especially in summer, when things get a bit crowded. I recommend the use of the services of tour companies if your trip is short. In any case, you will not be able to visit some attractions without guides as I said before.
Car hire and driving
Again, you can find a lot of car-hire companies offering various options. You can book prior to travel or on arrival at the airport. Sat Nav (in car or via smartphone) is necessary so you can avoid getting lost in the middle of nowhere. Even though, we did manage to stick to speed limits and drive carefully & respectfully, they say road fines are hefty. You may have noted that I said “respectfully” there. It is our duty to respect and follow the local rules and restrictions. Sticking to speed limits, not parking on the roadside unless it is a designated area, not walking on preserved moss fields that are millions of years old are a few that tourists get blamed of not adhering to.
When you book your hire car, seriously consider buying a sand and ash protection (SAAP) insurance and a gravel protection (GP) insurance. Since all Icelandic roads are either rough tarmac or gravel, there is a high chance of you damaging the car during your journeys. And theses covers will come in handy. As with any instance of renting a car, ensure you note down any damages that is visible prior to driving off.
When travelling on some routes you may not find a fuel station for long periods. So, it is always good to keep the tank topped up. You will find unmanned fuel pumps along your route. At these pumps, specify the Icelandic Kroner amount that you wish to pump for. Your card may most probably be charged with a large holding deposit (approx. ￡200 sometimes), and it should be returned to you in a few days.
Before you set off for the day remember to check the weather at www.vedur.is and road closures at www.roads.is and plan your journey accordingly. These sites update frequently and warn you of any weather changes and route restrictions.
Saving Iceland
While we were in awe of what we were seeing we could not help feeling sad about the fate of the island. The threat of climate change is not a stranger to that part of the world. Iceland faces inherent threat of sudden volcanic eruptions that can take away most of its beauty within a few hours. Leaving such unavoidable aside, learning about the human impact on the nature makes it incredibly sad. Islanders and their governments in their pursuit of development & keeping up with the world are seeing the impact of carbon emissions & deforestation. This is a problem that they seek solutions for as we do everywhere in the world.
However, as tourists we owe it to the nature to leave it as we found it. There is so much to enjoy yet there is so much harm we can cause to the natural habitat. So please be careful if you visit Iceland to ensure you do not break any environmental rules.
While I can categorically say that I am not a Belieber of Justin Bieber I found this video of one of his songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfGaX8G0f2E
We visited all these places featured on his video. But it is unimaginable how he got away with breaking so many rules that tourists are expected to follow. So, I found one Icelanders’ response to it. See below.
So, to conclude, having re-read what I have written above I feel like I have not done enough justice to what Iceland has to offer for the adventurous traveller. I hope the following will help a bit more.
Below is a link to all the attractions we visited and their locations with Google map links.
Short video that I have made for potential travellers to Iceland during autumn.
I hope I managed to convince you to put a visit to Iceland in your bucket list.