With airfare being so cheap, tourism is on the rise in grand 'ol Iceland. Our flight was only $175 direct from Iceland to SFO!! WHAAA? Yea, man! No amenities, but bring your own snacks (or buy them on the plane), and download your movies and Kindle books beforehand. So many people have been asking me about Iceland, so hopefully this post comes in handy:
Tip #1: Rent a campervan (unless you're doing a quick 2-3 day trip).
If you're into camping, nature, and road trips, this is THE ultimate road trip! There are too many amazing things to see, and driving is the most affordable and flexible way to do it. This place is what fairy tales are made of. It's like entering the set of Lord of the Rings. I think we may have grown elf ears just stepping foot there. Ben and I sang the theme song to The Neverending Story on repeat throughout our trip, and we used our mobile wifi hotspot provided in the campervan to stream karaoke videos! SO fun!
There's even something called The Law of Survival that says you can stay on any Icelandic land for 1 night for free. Be respectful and park in areas with inlets for you to do so. The campervans come with everything you need (except for a bathroom), but there are affordable campsites along the way. This thing even has a heater you can run all night. Restaurants are expensive, so stock up at the local grocery stores (e.g. Bonus) in Reykjavik before you head out on your journey. Try to book your campervan early, especially if you're going in high season.
Try to also book at least 5 nights if you plan to drive. We drove the western/southern part of the island and made stops along the way. Some of our favorite places to stop: eating a cup of noodles at the foot of a glacier lagoon and falling asleep to a rushing waterfall -- that big one on the cover of the Lonely Planet book.
Update (9/26): Since many have asked, we used Campervan Iceland (also affiliated with Go Iceland). We read reviews on a few companies before booking, and they seemed to have decent prices and service.
So many waterfalls! There's even one you can walk all the way around. Free shower!
Tip #2: Go with someone you love.
You'll be spending a LOT of time with this person. Trapped in an automobile, possibly peeing just a few feet away from each other within the wonders of nature. The moments you'll share are magical, so you should enjoy it with someone you love. This trip is a good test for a marriage or friendship.
Tip #3: Visit hotsprings.
There's nothing like being surrounded in nature while sitting in a soothing river of natural hot springs (or the infamous milky blue, manmade kind will do), especially after all the hiking you'll be doing. Our favorite was Reykjadalur (Hot River Valley). It's about an hour hike up, but it's filled with beautiful views and worth it when you reach the end. We saw a couple people bring tents to sleep out there as well. Neat!
Blue Lagoon?! Yes, it’s touristy and overpriced. Would I still recommend it? Since likely you’ll be flying into Reykjavik, it’s a short stop over, so why not? #yolo! Since 99.9% of you will probably go there when visiting Iceland, here are some more specific tips:
Allocate a few hours to get your money’s worth.
Book ahead and download your ticket(s) when you have good wifi connection. Our mobile hotspot wasn’t so hot near the area. I guess back in the day, it used to be easy to just show-up.
Do this before or after the airport. We chose to do it afterwards to cap off our week, but many do it before to try to combat jetlag.
If you need a place to stay nearby the airport or the Blue Lagoon, there’s a really clean campsite with hot showers about a 15min drive away, in a town called Grindavik. Blue Lagoon will have showers though, but you can’t park overnight in their lot.
There’s usually someone there that will take photos of you and email it to you directly, in case you forgot your waterproof camera or are too lazy to get out of the baths to snap some pics.
Tip #4: Eat a lamb sub at Holla Batar.
Errrmaahgod. Best sub sandwich I've ever had. And it's affordable! Our favorite was the lamb sub (Pin Boat). They put some fried onions and magical sauce in it. SO mouthwatering good. I'm drooling as I type this right now. The hotdogs at the gas stations are famous too, but honestly, it just tasted like a hotdog on the regs, so I wasn't too impressed. But the hotdogs are definitely better than eating overpriced food at restaurants, and so convenient at the gas stations! (Side tips: Fill up whenever you see a gas station, because you never know when you'll see one again. And most places take credit card, but having some cash on you is handy for some gas stations or bring a card that has a pin #.)
Tip #5: Visit during the summer (if you're ok forgoing the Northern Lights).
We went in late June. In May, you're still in shoulder season, so you might get good rates and avoid some crowds, but even when we went in June, it wasn't too crowded. Later in the summer months, the weather is great for hiking and you get endless daylight to see more cool landscapes. The roads are also in really great condition. While you'll miss the Northern Lights, you'll avoid bad roads. Personally, I think I'd save a trip to Alaska to see the Northern Lights, but if you've always dreamed of that experience in Iceland, more power to you! Just be prepared for the bitter cold and rougher terrain. Note: Northern Lights is not a guarantee though, so if you plan to do it, try to stay at least 4-5 nights to have a better chance of seeing it (at least that's what I've read). You'll probably need that much anyway to make a roadtrip worth it.
And if there's never darkness, that means if you're jetlagged and feel like driving, you can! Which also means, not many people will be on the roads at 2am, except maybe sheep. Hence! You get great photo opps to check out the peaceful landscape and make furry friends, even if you're in high season. One of my favorite memories was when Ben found some sheep wool and decided to disguise himself to get closer to these adorable creatures, but he ended up chasing them away anyways. Hilarity ensued.
Endless daylight also means if at 4am, you want to pull over and take a picture in the middle of a field of blue bonnets, then OK! Just make sure you do it fast and stay on the curbside.
I'm sure I have many more tips, so if you have more questions, leave me a comment! And, take us with you! Ben and I would be happy to be your guides! ICELAND!!