Iceland

The land of fire and ice. Iceland’s volcanoes, earthquakes and glaciers keep it geologically young, active, and spectacularly beautiful. Land is created and destroyed here faster than anywhere in the world. Straddling divergent tectonic plates, Iceland stretches by about two centimeters per year. The sea erodes the shore about the some rate. Mountains, islands, lakes an gorges come, go, and transform. It’s a land whose story always seen to be starting a new chapter. That why I love Iceland! It’s so unique!

Planning details

Arrive: Keflavik Airport
Arrival: 13 December 2021 & 23 January 2022
Duration stay: 5 days & 18 days
Weather then: in December & January it's around 0 -5 degrees and rainy. There is less than 5,5 hours of daylight.
Visa: not needed

Details country:

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Iceland is between May and September in the spring/summer time. In the summer the weather is at its best, but it’s also the busiest time of the year with many tourists coming to Iceland. In the spring on the other hand is less crowded and you still have nice weather. I don’t recommend to come in the winter to Iceland. A winterly city trip to Reykjavik will be fine and you get to see the Northern Lights (what’s not possible in the summer). But the weather in the winter can be very unpredictable and tours get canceled a lot. So that’s why I advice you to explore Iceland in the spring/summer time and visit Reykjavik in the winter.

My route map

Things I've done in Iceland

Stop # 1 - Reykjavik city

Of course you can’t miss the capital city if you’re going to be visiting Iceland. The city of Reykjavik Iceland is known for it’s colorful homes, unique architecture, and wild nightlife. But honestly the houses were not that colorful what I expected it to be. Most of the houses in Reykjavik are grey-stoned. Mainly downtown you can see colorful houses. But Reykjavik is a fun place, and from Reykjavik you can easily explore more of Iceland. There are lots of tour operators that offer tours to the golden circle, the south coast, a volcano and ice cave tour, etc.. I honestly thought we would have needed more than 2 days in the city itself to see it all but I was wrong, 2 days was enough to see the main sights in the city and visit a museum /attraction (like Saga Museum or Fly over experience).

Stop # 2 - Northern lights tour

Some people are lucky to have seen the Northern lights when there at the artic circle, some have bad luck. You can’t see the Northern lights every night, you need to have good weather conditions and a clear sky. But if you stay for a couple of days, stay alert. The aurora lights are best seen between 10 P.M. and 2 A.M. Download the app Aurora to get a notification when there is a good chance you can see the aurora lights. Then head out of the city and find a remote dark place (for example in a national park). Those are the best places to see the aurora light (there is no light pollution).

Want to read more about my Northern Light experience? Click on the link below.

Stop # 3 - Golden Circle tour

Just less an hour away from Reykjavik you have the first stop of the golden circle: Pinglevir park. The golden circle will take about approximately 6 hours of your day. It’s a must-do when you’re in Iceland or just on a city trip. It takes just one day, where you get to walk between two tectonic plates, get warm when Strokkur erupts in Geysir (it erupts every 5 minutes, so you’ll definitely experience one) and see the most beautiful waterfall of Iceland: Gullfoss.

Want to read more about my experience of the golden circle? Click on the link below.

Stop # 4 - Geothermal pools

Iceland is known over the world for its famous geothermal heated pools, with the Blue Lagoon being one of it’s most pristine. Many people think it’s a natural spa, but that’s not true. The Blue Lagoon is handmade and was formed in 1976. ‘Is the water really that blue in the blue lagoon?’ many people asked. ‘YES, it is!’ That’s because it’s warm seawater rich of minerals (such as silica). With a big benefit: it does wonders for your skin! Many people with skin problems, like psoriasis, come to the lagoon for treatment. Also many Icelanders themselves come to this spa. Swimming is a national sport and going to a spa is a common thing to do in Iceland. It’s their way of socializing. A spa in Iceland is kind of like a pub, a much healthier pub. Icelanders can quite drink you know…

Stop # 5 - Volcano tour

No country does volcanoes like Iceland, there’s a reason why its called the land of ice and fire. So you can’t leave Iceland without a volcano tour. There are lots of volcano tours offered in Reykjavik and Vik. You can see the old lava stream from the Fagradalsfjall volcano that erupted in March 2021.

I heard that there are three volcano’s in Iceland that are overdue and expected to erupt soon. These are: Hekla, Katla, and Grímsvötn. How awesome would it be to witness a volcano erupting!? – from a safe distance or course. This is definitely a bucket list item for me. So stay alert, maybe you get to see a volcano erupting soon!

Stop # 6 - Silfra

Þingvellir National Park is the only UNESCO World Heritage site on the Icelandic mainland. And it is the first stop of the golden circle tour,. At Þingvellir you can witness a riff between two tectonic plates; The North America plate and the Eurosian plate. Iceland is the only place in the world where this rift is above sea-level, and nowhere can you see the edges of both plates as clearly as in Þingvellir. And what makes this place even more awesome – yes I know it’s possible to get even more awesome – You can just take a stroll on this rift, or….you can snorkel or dive between those two plates! The ravines opened by the tectonic movement are filled with the meltwater from Langjökull glacier. The water is two degrees Celsius throughout the year. Cold! But this unique trip is definitely worth it!

Stop # 7 - Snowmobiling on a glacier

We went on a snowmobiling tour on the biggest glacier of Europe: Langjökull glacier. Also the same glacier that fills up the water level in Silfra. It was already an adventure to reach the glacier. The only way to reach the glacier was by a big 4×4 bus. On the drive up to the glacier we only saw snow…nothing more. On our way back several big 4×4 cars got stuck in the snow. When we arrived at the location we got a nice warm overall. Thank god, otherwise it would be soo cold! The visibility was bad that day, but that made it quite adventurous.

I would recommend to take this trip in the spring/summer, because then you’ll have a better experience of snowmobiling on a glacier and a much better view.

What I still want to do

It was winter when I arrived in Iceland. It is fun to see Iceland in winter-time but I would say that this is not the best time to visit Iceland. The weather can be very unpredictable that results in canceled tours and dangerous roads.

Still I would love to come back to Iceland, rent a car and drive along route one, the main road. From this road you can see all the best spots of Iceland. This road trip takes approximately 6-10 days. The duration depends on how many stops you want to make and if you want to go to the highlands, Westfjords and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula as well. Then you need to take another road and a 4×4 car, because most of those roads are not suitable for a normal car.

The places I would like to visit on my road trip are (pins in italic cursor are not on road 1):

Golden Circle (Þingvellir, Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Hot Springs)
Vatnajökull Glacier
Westman islands (boat tour from Heimwaey)
Dyrhólaey
South Coast (Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, Skógafoss Waterfall, Reynisfjara)
Central highlands (Fimmvörðuháls hike, laugavegur trek, Gjáin and Sigöldugljufur, Veiðivötn, Tungnaá river, Mælifell volcano)
Vik
Skaftafell National Park
Climb the highest mountain: Hvannadalshnjúkur
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Vestrahorn
Mývatn
Dettifoss, Goðafoss & Aldeyjarfoss Waterfalls
Akureyri
Siglufjörður
Westfjord route
Deildatunguhver Hot Spring