Spring Break 2014 my friend Sarah and I went to Iceland. Sarah and I got to know each other because of our Costa Rica study abroad trip sophomore year. Because we were both late to a pre-trip meeting, we ended up sitting next to one another and talked the whole time about places we had been. Our shared love of traveling and Jesus and tendency to be late contributed to us becoming good friends. We knew we wanted to do something big for our senior year spring break. We got the idea in our head that we wanted see the Northern Lights. Let me just tell you, travelling with your best friend that loves experiencing new places just as much as you is really the best.

As we researched places you could see the Northern lights in March, Norway and Iceland stuck out the most. But as we looked more into Iceland we discovered how incredible it was, and we found cheap flights through Expedia.com. (It was less than $700 round trip. US Airways ATL→ Charlotte→JFK where we had a strategically planned 10-hour layover in NYC then Iceland Air to Reykjavik. On the way home we flew through DC’s Dulles airport and had an overnight layover there before flying to Charlotte and ATL). Check the cheapest prices on google.com/flights.

We road tripped the south coast of Iceland. You can see our route on this Google map and pictured below. Due to the winter season and the time constraint we opted to stay in the south instead of doing the full ring road or going up to the West Fjords.

Trip hashtag: #SKiceland

Here is our itinerary:

Day 1: Land in AM, visit Blue Lagoon, explore Reykjavik. Night in Reykjavik.
Day 2: Golden Circle on to Skogar. Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi waterfalls. Night in Skogar.
Day 3: See Skógafoss, wrecked plane, Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara beach. Night in Skogar.
Day 4: Skógafoss and Reynisfjara beach again. Vik. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Night in Skalafell.
Day 5: Svartifoss, ice cave, Jökulsárlón again. Höfn. Night in Skalafell.
Day 6: Drive back to Reykjavik stopping at Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, Skógafoss, Vik, and Raufarhólshellir lava tube. Northern lights. Night in Reykjavik.
Day 7: Souvenirs in Reykjavik. Fly home.

DAY 1: The day that we landed in Iceland was frigid with strong winds and pelting rain. We wondered what we had gotten ourselves into with the weather being like it was, but fortunately that day was the worst weather we saw. We rented a car from Blue Car Rental, conveniently located right by the airport. Having a car of your own is really the best way to experience Iceland. I repeat: rent a car. This is my best piece of advice I have about a trip to Iceland. It allows you to experience Iceland on your own terms instead of on a tour bus. We opted for a four-wheel drive car, which ended up being a great decision due to the several off-road detours we took.

If you’ve ever looked into anything Iceland, you’ve probably heard of the Blue Lagoon. That’s the first place we went. It is a hot spring of beautiful blue water. It is a very nice spa-like venue, but I’m not sure that it lives up to the hype it gets. It is just a giant hot tub, but it does look cool. It was so cold and rainy that day that the water wasn’t enough to keep us warm, unfortunately.

After the soaking and napping at the Blue Lagoon, we spent the afternoon in Reykjavik, the capital. Pictured below is Hallgrímskirkja church, Reykjavik’s main landmark, which can be seen from nearly anywhere in the city. I’d like to go up in the steeple next time. It provides great views of the city. We also went in a grocery store. In efforts to be cost-efficient we cooked or picnicked most of our meals.

DAY 2: The next day we set off east, starting with the Golden Circle. It involves Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, and Gullfoss.

We just drove through Þingvellir, but you can do incredible scuba diving there. That’s definitely on the list for next time. Our first stop of the day was in Geysir. It is the first geyser ever written about- the origin of the word geyser. The main geyser, Strokkur, goes off an impressive height every 4-8 minutes.

After spending about 45 minutes looking at the geysers and waiting for the geyser to erupt so we could take selfies, we went in the shop across the street then on to Gullfoss.

Gullfoss (Icelandic for Golden Falls – “foss” means waterfall) was absolutely stunning. Thousands of gallons of water pour down every minute in two different levels of falls. The winter made it especially beautiful as the ice accumulated at parts. You really must see this for yourself.

As a storm set in, we drove on a backroad through the thickest snowflakes I had ever seen. This was the day we experienced all the weather conditions- sun, rain, snow, sleet. We drove the backroad so we could see the mushroom greenhouses warmed by geothermal heat. Not worth a detour, as we couldn’t really see much, but it did allow us to see a bit more countryside than if we had taken the main route.

The rule about driving in Iceland that you should remember is never let your gas tank get below half. There just aren’t a lot of gas stations, and you don’t want to get stranded. We met up with the Ring Road, Iceland Route 1, which is the road that goes all the way around the island.

I highly recommend the Lonely Planet Iceland book for your travel plans. It breaks down attractions along the Ring Road, so you can follow along as you drive. It encouraged stopping at Seljalandsfoss and Gljúfrabúi waterfall, which were easily in my top three things we did. Seljalandsfoss is a magical falls– the kind of thing you see on movies or incredible Earth pictures– and you can walk behind the waterfall.

Gljúfrabúi is just about 100 yards down the way from Seljalandsfoss and is not really marked, but you simply must go down to see it. It’s hidden inside a cave. You can climb up on top and look down then go into the cave with it. You’ll get wet from all the mist but it is 100% worth it.

After seeing these we went a few more miles down the road to our home for the next two nights: Skógar. Skógar is home to an incredible waterfall, Skógafoss. We went there three different times. It is huge and marvelous.

I cannot say enough good things about the place we stayed in Skógar: the Skógar Guesthouse. Siggap was an incredible hostess and treated us like family. It felt like we were staying with family members. There are no room numbers or locks on the door. She just opens up her home. We were welcome to use the kitchen, laundry room, or HOT TUB, which was the best. She cooked us breakfast each morning and even fed us dinner one night, though that wasn’t included in what we paid for! She believes in being a traveler, not a tourist, and taking time to really experience the places you find yourself. When we had dinner that night, we were with people from 6 different countries. It was a beautiful thing. That is one thing I love about traveling. I still keep up via Instagram with two of my Australian friends from that night! If you are traveling through Skógar, you have to stay there. You have to.

DAY 3: Siggap helped us plan an itinerary for the days we spent there. The weather was foggy, making for a perfect eerie setting for going out to the crashed DC-3 plane on the black sand dunes nearby. To get to this plane, follow these directions. [UPDATE 8/20/2016: I have heard that they closed the gate that allows you to drive onto this black sand, but you can walk. I recommend taking a compass or GPS with you because it’s a long way, and you could easily find yourself lost.]

Then we went over to Dyrhólaey. You get here by turning right off Highway 1 onto 218. Dyrhólaey features sweeping cliffs and a pebble beach. You can watch the giant waves crash on the rocks and look at the stacks out on the sea.

Next we went to the see the basalt columns on Reynisfjara beach. This is one of the things I really wanted to see upon coming to Iceland. You can see this beach in the movie Noah. It was awesome. Be weary of going around the corner pictured below on the right though because those waves are very powerful and can take someone out quite easily. Or soak you to your bones, as we learned the hard way.

We also went into Vik, the nearby town.

Day 4: Today we were relocating. It is about a three hour drive from Skogar to Skalafell, but we stopped many times along the way. We went back by Skógafoss, Reynisfjara beach, and Vik. We climbed up the stairs to the top of Skógafoss and looked down at it. In Vik, we toured the little church at the top go the hill and had a picnic at the black sand beach. We drove through a town with a cute name — Kirkjubaejarklaustur. Don’t ask me to pronounce it. It was a nice drive. Rental car companies will warn you about this portion of the drive to try to get you to buy sand storm insurance. We didn’t and didn’t encounter any problems, but you can check the forecast to see if it’s likely.

One of my favorite things to see was Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. You must go. It’s incredible. During the summer months, you can take a boat tour of it.

You can watch where the icebergs are making their big break out to the sea, and see the icebergs on the black sand beach. We spent the night at Guesthouse Skalafell, just a bit further down the road. At this point we were out of food, but there weren’t restaurants. Fortunately, our guesthouse had a dinner option. It was a three-course meal of traditional Icelandic food, a nice break from sandwiches and pasta. (Side note: when we checked out we found out these three course meals were $30/person. So much for cheap eating.)

Day 5: Because of somewhat poor planning, we drove an hour backwards to go to Svartifoss, a waterfall surrounded by the basalt columns that I like so much. It was a nice hike up to it, and I even got hot walking up there, though it had been in the thirties most of the week.

The eastern portion of south Iceland is largely dominated by Vatnajökull, the largest ice cap in Europe. It takes up about 8% of the island. Once you get into this area, the activities are more wintery. You can see the tongues of the great glacier, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, go hiking or snowmobiling up on the ice, and go in ice caves. We looked at a couple of glacial tongues, amazed at their size, color, and constantly moving, cracking sound. There are plenty of these to see, and all of them are amazing.

I really had my heart set on going to an ice cave. A quick Google image search will get yours set on it too. Unfortunately, tours into them book months in advance, and we didn’t plan ahead enough. And also they’re $150+. I was bummed. But I didn’t lose hope. Now, the internet and everything else will tell you not to do this, but I decided I would go in one without a tour. We would just find one. So we asked. A nice local guy named Johannes discouraged it, but told us exactly where to go to get to the one nearby. I don’t remember the directions, but if you ask a locals, they will know.

I’ll spare you the part about walking miles across a barren wasteland we later found out we could have driven, but we got to the cave and it was incredible. Jaw dropping. And also terrifying. Because it’s made of ice, and it was the end of the winter season, and it was the very last day they were taking tours in due to safety hazards. Like, I just pictured it all crashing down on me. The reason they tell you to not go without a guide is because guides know the warning signs of danger. We did not.

There was a river running out from the mouth of the cave, and to go deep into it, you had to take a little motor boat across the river. For fear of persecution for using a boat that wasn’t ours and moreso fear of improperly using the boat and dying in an ice cave, we did not go into it, but from what we saw, it was incredble!! I seriously think it would be worth the money to go on an official tour.

We were just amazed and awed and wowed, then we had to walk the miles across the barren wasteland to our car before it got dark. We stopped by the ‘bergs on the beach again then went back to the guest house in Skalafell for dinner.

By this point I wanted see the Northern Lights so badly I could cry. We had looked for them every night, peering out the window or looking outside, but there was always a cloud cover. There is actually a Northern Lights forecast website that will tell you your chances of seeing them. On a scale of 0-9, it had been a zero all week, but our last two nights it was a one. I put a whole lot of hope into that One. That night we set out “aurora hunting,” basically just driving and scanning the skies. We drove to one of the larger towns in Iceland: Höfn. (Don’t be deceived by the way it’s spelled; it’s pronounced “hup” like a hiccup.) After a couple of hours of driving, we decided to call it quits. The only thing of particular interest we saw that night was an animal we credited as being a reindeer.

Day 6: Our last full day in Iceland involved a cross country drive, which is only about 5 hours. Ever since we booked our flight to Iceland, Sarah had a beautiful canyon set as the background of her computer. That is one of the things we detoured for on our drive back to Reykjavik. It is called Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, and it was easily one of the most breathtaking sights I had ever seen. The towering cliffs covered in the green moss with the glacier blue river running through- it will leave you speechless. I’ve said this about multiple things, but you have to see it. You really do. At first we just looked at it from our car on a bridge at the end, but we knew there was more to see, so we took our SUV on this 4WD only road. It was really muddy, and I feared we were going to get stuck up there, but alas we made it. We walked over to the edge of the canyon and were just amazed. Worth the fear of getting stuck. Heck, would have been worth getting stuck. It was that incredible. The pictures don’t even do it justice.

After a long time admiring the canyon, we traveled on to Vik again. We tried to drive up Reynisfjall ridge to see an incredible view but snow prevented us from being able to drive all the way, and it was somewhat of a fiasco, so I would only recommend that as a summertime activity.

Then we stopped by Skogar again. We saw our friend Siggap at the Skogar Guesthouse again and picked up food she allowed us to store in her fridge. For the fourth time we went to Skógafoss, the massive waterfall. This day was the day we had been waiting for. Don’t get me wrong, Skógafoss is beautiful in any weather, but when it is sunny there is a clear rainbow going across it. After a week of overcast skies, this last day of ours was perfectly sunny. And Skógafoss did not disappoint.

Our last stop before Reykjavik was something I read about in the Lonely Planet book. It is called Raufarhólshellir, and it’s a lava tube. Basically a volcano exploded and the lava came out but it somehow looped over itself and left a big, empty space nearly a mile long. You can go all the way through it if you have heavy duty flashlights and sturdy shoes. If you think you’ll be fine with your iPhone light you are very wrong. The first few hundred yards have holes in the ceiling so you can make it just fine using the sun light, but you have to get a little deeper to see what I really wanted to see: little ice trolls. I don’t know how or why or anything, but here’s a picture. It’s not too much of a detour, so I think it is worth it.

We made it back to Reykjavik, got settled into the same place we stayed the first night, and cooked some dinner in the kitchen. I was really feeling hopeful about the Northern Lights that night. After all, it had been clear skies all day. Knowing the city lights would hinder any views we might get, we drove out of the city and north to get away once it got late enough. We found a nice spot, parked the car, and just waited. I wanted to see them with ever fiber of my being; after all, it is a large portion of the reason we came to Iceland.

My eyes kept playing tricks on me. I kept thinking I was seeing something. And then it happened. It started as a white arc across the sky. I confirmed with Sarah that I was not imagining it. Then it turned green and started fanning like you see in the movies, and I lost it. I cried very happy and awe-filled tears as I watched those green lights dance across the Icelandic sky. We watched for about an hour before we headed back. Put it on your bucket list to see them. They’re incredible. What a perfect way to end a fantastic trip.

Day 7: We spent the morning looking at little shops for souvenirs in Reykjavik. We washed our rental car at a gas station car wash then rushed to get it back by a certain time, both of which turned out to be unnecessary. We flew out of the smoky bay that afternoon and knew it wouldn’t be our last time seeing this marvelous country. We already plan to return one day in the summer to do the full Ring Road and the activities we didn’t get to this time.

In summary, Iceland is beautiful, the Lord is a master creator, and traveling with your best friend is the best.

“Iceland is not a destination, but an adventure.”

 

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