Iceland is every nature lovers dream! This country had been on my bucket list for a very long time and when I heard it was opening to tourists again in 2021, I knew I had to go immediately. After a year of no international travel, this seemed like the safest destination at the time (outdoor explorations). There were no reported COVID cases in the country and you could enter with proof of vaccination, so it was easy enough.
It took me a year to make this post because there was just too much to cover. I did my best to be as helpful and informative as possible. I hope you enjoy my thoughts as well as the photos that most definitely do not do justice to it!
Getting There
I took a direct Icelandair flight from Dulles International to Reykjavik, Iceland from July 3-11, 2021. It was about a 6 hour flight and cost $646.00.
Transportation
I was traveling with a friend form the UK who was in charge of the car rental. According to her research, sadcars.com has the best deals. We rented a small car from the airport for a total of $800 for 8 days. However, we really got lucky because they ran out of small cars and upgraded us to a Honda CR-V with no extra charge!
Road Trip Breakdown
Day 1
We landed around 8 am on Sunday morning and finally got our car at 10:30 am. So after picking it up, we headed to the grocery store to pick up essentials and had lunch in Reykjavik.
Afterwords, we got back in the car and decided to hit the Ring Road immediately. We headed westbound on the road as opposed to the popular route which goes east. This was because we researched that some of the best stops are towards the end of the trip so the attractions get better and better as you drive west, north, east, south and back.
First stop: Glanni Waterfalls
It was bright and sunny here and was a 5-10 minute walk to the falls from the parking. They were small, nothing spectacular but a good first stop on a journey that would keep getting better and better. After spending about 30 minutes here, we checked into our first hotel, took a bit of a nap and then decided to head to Kirkjufellsfoss on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula to see the midnight sun which occurs in the summer months when it doesn’t get completely dark. Though we missed the peak season for that, this drive was amazing and you will see why in these photos.
Second stop: Enjoy drive around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula on the way to Kirkjufellsfoss
When we arrived at the falls, it was cloudy so we didn’t get to see the entire iconic mountain. Nonetheless the drive to the falls was beautiful and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Day 2
We purchased breakfast from the hotel and then headed out.
First stop: Reykjafoss
This was another waterfall (spoiler alert, we visited a lot of falls). There is also a small hotpot bath near the river side which people were bathing in when we arrived.
The parking to this location is tricky so I’d suggest using Reykjafoss Car Park on Google Maps to find it. After parking, you’ll walk on a short trail through the farm and be able to see the falls.
Second stop: Drive through Akureyri to get to Myvatn Nature Baths
Our last stop for the day were the baths. This location is a smaller version of the Blue Lagoon in the south, less crowded and cheaper. Okay, as a Muslim woman who covers up, I want to give some tips to other woman who dress modestly and would like to experience something like this. The rules at all the lagoons across Iceland is that you have to shower naked before you can get in. The facilities generally have communal showers and you have to bathe in front of everyone. HOWEVER, in this particular facility, there are two, private, closed showers too for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable doing that. The reason for the shower is so that the water in the lagoons stays as clean as possible.
The experience here was excellent! I am not a swimmer and am generally afraid to be in large bodies of water. The lagoon is like a big pool that you could easily walk around in. The water came up to my waist and I was able to enjoy. The temperature was perfect and the view was excellent. We went around an hour and a half before closing time and were able to capture some amazing shots.
On our way to the second accommodation, we once again had gorgeous views of the sunset.
Day 3
First stop: Lava Field Dimmuborgir
We got up, made breakfast at the aribnb and decided to check out the lava fields which were nearby. There are several pathways through the fields and what you see are huge rock formations that are believed to be trolls. See if you can spot any faces in my photos.
Second stop: Hverir
Warning: This place smells but is so cool and comes out of nowhere. You are driving through vegetation and then BAM all of a sudden you approach an almost mars-like terrain and it’s spectacular! As soon as you get out of the car, the smell of rotten boiled egg hits you pretty badly. Just suck it up though because where else are you going to see giant mud pots like this? (Check out my video of this location)
Third stop: Selfoss
These are several waterfalls that are easy to get to from the parking lot. We parked on the west side. Just a short walk from this fall is another one so you can see two in one stop.
Fourth stop: Dettifoss
Having seen so many waterfalls already, I couldn’t imagine what the difference would be in this one and in any future ones we would visit. But let me tell you, this one was insane! It was unlike any other ones we had experienced. The force at which these fell and how close you could get to them was an experience unlike any other. We spent the last half of our day here admiring these falls and talking to other travelers and it was so fun. Definitely don’t miss these if you are on a trip around the Ring Road. (Video tour of this waterfall)
Day 4
Drive through parts of eastern fjords
The best part about doing this kind of road trip is that the drive itself is so scenic that everything feels like a point of interest. Driving through parts of the eastern Fjords was one of my favorite things about the road trip. Each turn had beautiful views and it just kept getting better and better.
Our goal was to get to the Glacier Lagoon at a decent time so we kind of rushed the drive and didn’t stop as much as I would have liked.
First Stop: Glacier Lagoon
We took a boat tour of the lagoon which was a fun way to see it. Though you can see the glaciers without doing the tour, I really enjoyed the short boat ride around it. My friend said she wouldn’t have minded if we didn’t do it, but I thought it was an inexpensive way to go through it. We learned that the lagoon was as deep as the Eifel Tower!
Second Stop: Diamond Beach
This is right across Glacier Lagoon and an easy walk over. Just know that if you go in the summer months, you probably won’t see as many “diamonds.” These diamonds are basically small broken pieces of the glaciers that are washed up on the beach making them appear diamondesque at times.
Day 5
Drive through southern Iceland was also another highlight of the road trip. The lush green hills/mountains were beautiful to look at.
First Stop: Seljalandsfoss
These falls don’t look like much from far but as you get closer and closer you see just how unique they are, especially since you can get behind them. If you do go behind them, be sure to wear waterproof clothing because you will get wet!
Another pro tip for this location is that if you keep following the little walkway/trail that goes behind the fall and then to the right of it, you will eventually end up at another hidden fall in a cave. This was also really neat! We really enjoyed this part as well and I’d definitely recommending taking a little bit of extra time to walk to it and enjoying it. It’s probably an additional 10-minute walk from what I remember. (Video of the waterfall)
Second Stop: Dyrhólaey Lighthouse
Our next stop was this lighthouse as we heard that you can spot puffins here! We drove up the cliff (having the CR-V helped) to get here and the view was spectacular.
We ended up doing a bit of hiking as well to check out other parts of this area. I highly recommend this place if you want to see puffins. I didn’t realize how small they actually would be, so bring binoculars to really see them! So many birds were flying in and out of these cliffs and it was just a beautiful sight to see, especially around “sunset.” (Can you tell that I love sunsets?)
Day 6
First Stop: Black Beach
My opinion on the famous Black Beach may be a little different from most people. Though I did enjoy it, I didn’t think it was all the hype. I think that by this time we had seen so many other beautiful things that the beach itself was not the highlight of the trip. This opinion goes the same for the Golden Circle which we attempted to see parts of as a last thing on the road trip.
Second Stop: parts of Golden Circle
Strokkur (Geyser)
Again, it smells here just like it did back in Hverir. These were cool to see for sure and we also went on the trail here to get a view of all the geysers and see them erupt from higher up. You do have to do a lot of waiting around if you want to capture the right photos/videos. There is no set time of eruptions but they do tend to be like 10-15 minutes apart.
Gulfoss
These waterfalls are a sight to see as well. Funny how we didn’t get tired of seeing so many of them. But at this point we were definitely feeling like we saw so many more amazing things and so did not spend as much time here. This area got windy and we got a little wet too since we did get pretty close to it.
Day 7
Fagradalsfjall Volcano
Last year, in March, a volcano erupted in Iceland which had been dormant for over 800 years. During our visit, on our final day, we were lucky because the volcano was erupting so we decided to go check it out. It was about a 45 minute drive from Reykjavík and then about 2 hour hike to the viewpoint. You cannot get so close to it obviously but you can get close enough to see it erupt. It was a challenging hike with a small part of it being really steep and rocky. People were slipping and sliding all over the place. My friend had brought hiking sticks so those definitely came in handy.
This was one of our favorite experiences and were so glad we decided to do this last minute instead of walking around the city, which was our original plan. Not many people can say they have seen an active volcano! We were here for a total of like 5 hours including the hike up and down.
Food in Iceland
Before I talk about the food and eating out in Iceland, I just want to be clear that I did not go to Iceland for its food, but rather for its scenery. Though it has some great seafood options, we mostly ate wraps and salads as we were on the road most of the time. (See tips below) My South Asian palette felt the food was a bit bland in most places.
101 Reykjavik Street Food
We got Fish Soup (best one we had) and Fish & Chips. Both were delicious and excellent customer service here as well!
Hraunsnef Country Hotel Breakfast
This hotel offered breakfast for an extra fee which I purchased. I had some eggs, bread and butter. For some reason I got to the dining hall after the buffet was over but they were nice enough to lay out some things for me anyway.
Glacier World Hoffell Hotel Breakfast Included
Another breakfast buffet, this one was included in the price. They had a nice spread of choices and fresh baked bread too which was delicious!
Sandholt
A great place for breakfast. They make fresh breads and pastries daily. You can get baked goods to go or enjoy them in their restaurant along with other breakfast options. We ordered Shakshuka and Berry French Toast. French toast was good but the Shakshuka was a bit lacking. We took some pastries and bread to go and those were all amazing! My friend even took some sourdough back home!
Cafe Loki
This cafe featured traditional Icelandic food so of course we had to try it. We ordered Mashed Fish and Lamb Shank. The shank was very tender and we liked the mashed fish more than we were expecting.
Brass Kitchen & Bar
We treated ourselves to this after our volcano hike. We ordered a lamb burger and fish soup here. The soup was okay (the one we had at the beginning of the trip was the best.) The burger and fries were delicious! The vibe here was nice too.
LooKooMas
Before heading to the airport, we stopped here to get some traditional Greek donuts. The owner was super fun, and we really enjoyed these sweet treats. Definitely check this out!
Accommodations
July 4-5 Hraunsnef Country Hotel
Great first stay. Rooms were clean and there was also a hot tub outside.
July 5-6 Vallakot Farm Miobaer
Wonderful stay here as well. Fully equipped kitchen, clean and there was even a laundry line outside. This was perfect for us since we stayed here the night we visited the lagoon so we were able to wash our swimming suits and hang them to dry.
July 6-7: Lagarfell Studios
Nice location and right off the Ring Road. Great for a one night stop to continue with our trip.
July 7-8: Glacier World Hoffell
This was a really cool accommodation because you had the view of the glacier from the property. This stay also included breakfast which was nice. They also had some geothermal hot tubs for use with your purchase.
July 8-9: Paradise Cottage #2
This accommodation was right across the Black Beach which was super convenient and cute. We enjoyed dining with a view in the middle of beautiful Icelandic scenery. (Tour of the location)
July 9-11: Hild’s Fisherman’s Village
Our last two nights were spent near Reykjavik and though I tried to find accommodations in the city, it just wasn’t working out. Instead, I got a better deal with a seaside hotel and it was amazing. The only down part of this was that we didnt’ have a kitchen but that didn’t matter because we wanted to splurge on food a little on our last two days since we were living on wraps and salads for most of the trip. This was a great stay and we really enjoyed the views, not to mention the horses that could be spotted right outside our back door.
Tips
- Pack Food: Dining out is expensive and since we were going to be driving around the ring road which doesn’t always have a restaurant available, this was the best option for us. Because we were visiting in the summer with longer days, you lose track of time and so trying to find dinner is especially hard because places usually close by the time we are ready to eat. Bring whatever non-perishable items you can from home. My friend brought tortilla wraps, pre-cooked grain packets, etc. From the local grocery stores, we bought veggies, cheese and condiments to make salads and wraps.
- Pack layers. Though we went in the summer and got really lucky with the weather, you never know what to expect. It can become windy out of nowhere or start pouring rain suddenly. We didn’t experience much rain but did experience wind here and there. If you go in winter, that is an entirely different story from what I hear. However, we had pleasant 50–60-degree sunny days and some overcast ones as well. Defintely make sure you have waterproof clothing, including pants that you can just slip on top of whatever you are wearing.
- Rent a car! This is the best way to see Iceland. Tours are great if you are short on time but getting a car and going at your own pace is the best thing ever!
