Iceland’s Far North : Husavik and Northern Coast

June 19, 2015

On our recent trip to Iceland in May, we traveled the farthest North we’ve ever been on the globe. In fact, we drove up around the third most Northern peninsula on the island of Iceland, rounding the corner up past Husavik and taking in sea views from high up on the cliffs for miles. The air was so crisp up there, we could see the coastline of Iceland as it went West to the West Fjords and East towards mainland Europe and Scandinavia. The cliffs sprawled against the wild ocean and we spent a few hours just driving the ring road exploring the area and wandering through the cute little fishing town of Husavik. Iceland’s far North feels so different from the South and I’m so glad we got to experience it. It actually reminded us a lot of Scotland or Northern Ireland, the rugged coastlines and the coastal view. The nature is more wild up there, it’s more raw and rugged and the coastline views are simply stunning.

Headed to Iceland?

See all our Iceland content here.

Where to Stay in Iceland

Travel Tips : Packing for Iceland

June 18, 2015

Packing for Iceland can be a hard thing to do. It’s fairly cold most of the year and even if the sun comes out, the weather can change really quickly so you need to be prepared for any weather that might come your way. It’s also a country that is very remote, so many of the things you should pack will be unique to Iceland. Our trip at the end of May proved to be hard to pack for, since there was still a lot of snow on the ground and rain was forecasted for most of our time there. The highs were somewhere in the 30’s most days while there, but in Iceland, the temperature usually feels a good 5-10 degrees cooler than what it says, so prepare yourself and your wardrobe for that. I’ll be doing a Travel Style post in the days to come, but for now, here’s some of the top things to remember when packing for your trip to Iceland!

What not to forget when packing for your trip to Iceland:

1. Hand Warmers

I brought with me 2 small hand warmer packets, which are liquid when not activated and then just snap to create warmth. They were small enough to bring through airport security in my carryon but packed a lot of warmth when I needed them. I actually only used them the morning we spent at Godafoss, but I was so glad to have them.

2. Layers!

When packing your wardrobe for your trip to Iceland, pack lots of layers! Even at the end of May, I was wearing leggings under my jeans and multiple layers on top because of the chill in the air. So pack lots of scarves, multiple pairs of warm socks and things you can wear to stay warm and then take off it you need, like hats or ear muffs.

3. Lots of Camera Memory and Extra Batteries

You’ll be taking lots of photos in Iceland so bring lots of memory. You’ll also notice all your batteries dying faster than normal there… it’s due to the cold temperatures, so bring extras!

4. Snacks

If you’re driving around Iceland (like we did), you’ll want lots of snacks as often there are hours between towns and even then, you can’t bank on them being open. We brought with us granola bars and small snacks and then also bought more in Reykjavik before leaving for the North. You want to make sure if nothing is open, you have something to eat on your way to your destination.

5. Comfortable Clothes

When we were packing for Iceland, I really didn’t want to take my purse since most of the time we would be in the car or out exploring the countryside. I opted to bring a backpack instead of my usual handbag and it was such a good decision. It was so much easier to head out exploring with only my backpack, so make sure to bring comfortable clothing items that you aren’t going to worry about. Iceland is not a place for your designer wardrobe, bring clothes that are ok to get dirty and that are easy to use.

6. Boots

I brought my rubber wellies with me on this trip and I was so glad I did. There were lots of spots that were either wet, snowy or muddy and it was great to not have to worry about my converse getting too dirty or soaked through. Boots will be your lifesaver as you climb over rocks or through water in Iceland.

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Exploring Godafoss : Dawn at the Waterfall of the Gods

June 17, 2015

There are some moments when traveling that you remember as moments where you changed. Moments that blow all the “normal” traveling moments out of the water, moments and places that you’ll never forget. Moments that you can still picture that view in front of you and the feeling you had there… our morning at Godafoss was one of those moments for me. Probably in my top 10 moments while traveling, we woke up really early (like 3am early) and jumped in our car in Akureyri, driving the incredibly beautiful half hour to Godafoss in the early dawn light of the Midnight sun.

Dawn at the Waterfall of the Gods was a special memory; a morning that we spent totally alone with this incredible waterfall and Icelandic landscape. I sat taking it all in as Nick took photos, feeling cold but totally in awe of my surroundings. I get asked a lot if I have to wait a while sometimes while Nick gets some of his beautiful photographs while we travel and while yes, I do, I also love that time because it’s usually in incredible places around the globe and it’s in those moments that I get to just sit and take everything in around me. This was one of those moments.

The sky was just opening up, the water rushing down boulders and cliffs, the air cold but making us feel alive, our dawn at the Waterfall of the Gods will forever be etched into my memory. If you’re in the North of Iceland, don’t miss this incredible sight and if you can, go at dawn, you’ll thank me later.

Tips for Visiting Godafoss:

-Go at dawn. You’ll have it all to yourself and the sky in this part of the country is incredible that time of day.

-The viewpoint area has a parking lot, but if you go to the other side (where the little buildings are), there is a new gravel parking lot that has better access to the trails down to the base where we were.

-Plan to spend some time here. We were here about 2 hours for Nick to get all the shots he wanted. If you’ll get cold (like I do), bring hand warmers.

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Akureyri : Iceland’s Northern City

June 15, 2015

Nicknamed “the capital of the North,” Iceland’s second largest city of Akureyri was a definite stop for us while exploring the North of Iceland. When we scheduled our trip, we knew we wanted a couple days up North and Akureyri looked (and ended up being) the perfect stopping place. With a decent amount of hotels, it was easy to find lodging here and on top of that, the town is gorgeous, set among snow capped mountains and sitting on an incredibly long fjord of sparkling blue water.

It was really interesting to see the town that follows Reykjavik in size as Iceland’s Northern city and it turned out to be a really cute little Icelandic town, complete with lots of restaurants and bright Scandinavian architecture. It’s also really close to a lot of sites to see in the North, including Husavik and Godafoss (posts coming later this week on both!). All in all, while it was small, we really enjoyed seeing this cute little Northern Icelandic city!

Tips for Akureyri:

-For amazing views of the city across the fjord, head further on Highway 1 across the water. There is a viewpoint about 10 minutes past the city that has amazing views (like in the top photo).

-Wander the main street of town; it’s filled with restaurants and cute little shops selling Icelandic souvenirs.

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Where to Stay in Iceland

Snow, Mountain Passes and Fjords : Driving North in Iceland

June 12, 2015

After leaving the Kirkjufell and the Snæfellsnes peninsula, we headed back East to connect to Highway 1, which would ultimately take us up to Akureyri, our next stop on our Icelandic road trip. Our top thing on this second trip to Iceland was to see the North of the country which we didn’t get to see last trip, since it was the dead of Winter. So as we headed back to the main highway and then up North into Iceland’s countryside, we loved seeing a different side of the island.

The drive was long (we drove a total of 12 hours this day and about 1000 miles including our time on the Snæfellsnes peninsula) but getting to see so much of the country was so great. Iceland’s landscape literally changes every 10 miles or so, going from lava fields covered in moss one minute to prairie like plains the next, followed by snowy mountains looking very ominous with low lying clouds to bright blue sky and rolling hills. We loved seeing the changes and the way the country looks as you head North. I would highly recommend this drive to anyone wanting to see more of Iceland, though be sure to check the weather before making the trek up North as it can change quickly.

We stopped along the side of the road to snap photos of fjords spilling into the country with bright blue water, ominous snow clouds gathering over mountain passes and views for miles as we peaked over certain spots in the road. The drive is long but so incredibly beautiful!

Tips for Driving North in Iceland:

-Don’t forget to follow my tips on driving in Iceland, many of them were necessary on this drive!

-Bring food… there really isn’t much along many parts of this drive, so bring snacks!

-Check the weather ahead of time as you do go through a few mountain passes.

Headed to Iceland?

See all our Iceland content here.

Where to Stay in Iceland

Exploring Kirkjufell : Scenic Viewpoints, Mountains + Waterfalls

June 11, 2015

As we continued our road trip around Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula, another major stop we had our itinerary was Kirkufell. This mountain is a famous spot that many people visit in this area of the island, but every photo I had seen of it showed it as a sort of rounded top mountain, a very large hill almost. So as we drove the 45 minutes or so from the orange lighthouse at Iceland’s western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, we were surprised to find in essence a giant mountain.

You see, from the side (the side you arrive at from the West), the mountain is actually very long. It’s only when you arrive at the view point for this site, that you see the narrow, rounded top view. This drive is also very scenic to get to Kirkufell and it’s neighboring waterfall, Kirkjufellfoss. The mountains were tipped with snow, but their sides were dark brown like mountains made from the darkest chocolate. The land in front a deep olive-y green covered in rolling grasses and moss, beaches covered in black stones and water so blue it was almost blinding.

We stopped at the viewpoint for a quick stop and some photos, but I thought the view from a small pull out farther East on the 54 near the town of Grundarfjörður offered a more scenic view of the whole area, mountain and landscape all in one shot with the ocean in front. So don’t forget about other spots to see the whole mountain of Kirkjufell instead of just the one shot everyone gets!

Tips for the area around Kirkjufell:

-Everyone stops at the viewpoint and goes up towards the small waterfall (Kirkjufellfoss) to get the standard cliche image of this mountain, but the viewpoint offers great views other than just that one.

-Head into the little town just East of the mountain for more viewpoints with different perspectives of the mountain.

Headed to Iceland?

See all of our Iceland content here.

Exploring Svörtuloft : Iceland’s Orange Lighthouses

June 10, 2015

Before heading back to Iceland, I spent a few months collecting images of places I saw other people visiting to add to our list of spots to stop on our road trip. One thing I kept seeing were orange lighthouses. In fact, they are all over the island and every lighthouse we saw on this trip (which were a few) were a bright orange/yellow color. I’m not sure if that’s a country-wide thing, but I know that there are definitely a few that people visit all over the island in different spots. Since we were driving the Snæfellsnes peninsula, we adding Svörtuloft to our list of stops.

At the second most Western tip of Iceland, lies Svörtuloft, a bright orange light house at the end of a very windy one lane gravel/muddy road. About 20 minutes to a half hour drive from the tiny town of Hellissandur, you’ll find this lovely little spot complete with ocean views, cliffside with intense waves crashing high against them and a lovely little lighthouse with picnic benches and spots to sit and take it all in.

The view here is pretty picturesque: mountains behind, surrounded by lava fields covered in inches of spongy olive green moss and a bright orange lighthouse against the gray sky and deep blue ocean. Well worth the trek to get here, this Western tip of the Snæfellsnes peninsula truly brought into perspective where you are, in the incredibly beautiful and raw beauty of the country of Iceland.

Tips for Getting to Svörtuloft:

-We had a hard time finding this lighthouse without searching for it’s actual name on Google Maps. So be sure to enter the name and confirm it’s on the Snæfellsnes peninsula at the very end on the map to get your directions.

-Beware that the windy one lane road to get here takes a while and in small cars, it’s often hard to pull over to let another pass, so drive safely and slowly.

-Don’t miss the chance to stop on the way here as it’s gorgeous countryside on the way into the lighthouse.

Headed to Iceland?

See all our Iceland content here.

Where to Stay in Iceland

Travel Tips : Driving in Iceland

June 9, 2015

When we booked this Iceland trip, we knew we wanted to rent a car and drive around the island. Our first trip a few years ago we had a private tour guide for a day that drove us around and after seeing the country on that trip, we knew the next time we returned we wanted to be able to have more free reign on where and when we headed somewhere instead of relying on someone else. And also, after driving in a number of other countries throughout Europe in the past few years, we felt ready to take on the challenge of driving in Iceland.

When I searched for a post similar to this before we left, I had a hard time finding out small detailed information and tips for driving in Iceland, so after figuring these out on our own while driving around Iceland, here’s your one stop post for all you need to know about driving in Iceland!

1. Get an N-1 gas gift card before you leave Reykjavik.

We spent a great deal of time driving to places that aren’t heavily populated like the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the North of Iceland, and we found along the way that hardly any of the gas station markets or attendants were open along the way. Couple this with the fact that American credit cards don’t do pin numbers yet (which are mandatory on the Icelandic gas machines) and you could really have an issue out in the middle of no where if you can’t go inside a market to buy your gas. The best option: buy an N1 (a huge gas station chain, they are everywhere) before you leave a major town like Reykjavik. You’ll have no issues filling up with it.

2. Beware of gravel roads not shown on maps.

When we mapped out our routes for this trip (which I would highly recommend doing before you leave), we did a lot of research into which were the best roads to travel on since even in May, many roads were still closed due to heavy snow. But the one thing that we didn’t know, a lot of “highways” on the maps of Iceland can actually turn into gravel roads for a section or the remainder of the road. We had about a 10km stretch of true hard gravel in a mountain pass on the Snæfellsnes peninsula that was pretty hard to drive on in our little car and we had to go really slow. Beware that “highways” don’t mean the same thing in Iceland as they do in the States.

3. Be safe on one lane bridges and passing.

When out in the Icelandic countryside, many bridges become one lane and you need to wait for others to go from the other direction before passing. Make sure to be safe and always drive slower than normal when on one lane bridges and roads. When passing as well, be safe and follow the rules.

4. Know the speed limits throughout the country.

Iceland does a great job of posting speed limits on their roads, but it doesn’t hurt to know the general speeds throughout the country: 90km/hour on highways, 70 when coming into towns, 50km while in towns and between 60km/hour and 80 while driving around Reykjavik. Also side note: there are quite a few speed cameras around Iceland on highways, but you’ll see signs for them before you’re coming up to them, so just keep an eye out.

5. Check the roads online before you travel.

There is a great website that Iceland keeps updated frequently on road conditions throughout the country. Be sure to check this before you travel as a lot of roads were still closed throughout the country. Be sure to check this before you travel as a lot of roads were still closed or impassible in areas that we traveled to even in late May. We also didn’t check this the day we left, since we hadn’t had any storms in Akureyri where we were staying and didn’t even think about it but driving back to Reykjavik, we had some pretty nasty conditions with snow in the mountain passes we went through.

6. Load your GPS maps before you leave a city in case you don’t have signal later.

There are obviously a lot of places throughout Iceland where you don’t have a phone/date signal since the country is so vast and isolated in parts. So if you’re using your phones GPS for directions, be sure to load the directions and maps before you leave a city so it stores the information. I also printed off Google directions from each place we were headed before we left, so in case our phones died or we lost signal, we still had paper copies. We also had a real paper map as well, just to be safe.

7. Bring snacks.

Since a lot might not be open at all hours throughout the country or you might be driving for hours without going through a town, bring snacks to tide you over in between the long stretches between towns.

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Coastline, Mountains and Horses : Driving Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula

June 8, 2015

As I’ve mentioned in many posts like this before, Iceland is a place so unique and different than any you’ve ever seen. It’s an island that spans numerous landscapes, from almost plains type spaces to mountains covered in snow, from breathtaking fjord views to lava fields covered in inches of spongy moss. On our first trip there a few years ago, I was blown away by the Southern Coast, but this time, seeing more of Iceland as we drove around the Western and Northern sides of the Island, I was even more blow away.

We began our drive heading out from Reykjavik early in the morning (around 5am) since we were up due to jet lag and it was bright outside (due to the Midnight Sun this time of year) and ventured out on to open roads with hardly anyone else on the roads. (Note: I have a whole post on driving in Iceland coming tomorrow, with a lot of tips for your own road trip journey around the country, so stay tuned for that).

We headed West towards the Snæfellsnes peninsula, a spot that I had seen a ton of photos from and had a few different landmarks we wanted to see, which I’ll be touching more on individual spots later this week that we stopped at. We drove through valleys, through a 6km tunnel under the ocean (seriously), over bridges and through tiny towns where nothing was open. We stopped at horse farms and played with the famous Icelandic horses, watched baby goats hopping along and playing with their mothers. We watched clouds gather and disperse over mountains and drove along coastlines so beautiful we had to stop and take photos about every 10 minutes. We drove over mountain passes that were called out as highways on the map, yet turned to tiny gravel roads with snow on either side.

The Snæfellsnes peninsula was absolutely breathtaking. The views, the scenery, truly one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever seen and I’m so glad we chose to drive it as part of our Icelandic road trip. And while yes, sometimes the roads were a little treacherous, it was well worth the visit and I can’t recommend it highly enough! As I mentioned, I’ll be getting more into the details of actual stops we made at specific points and attractions on the peninsula this week, but for now, let your jaws drop to the floor with the photos that are to follow…

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Where to Stay in Iceland

Flying Over Iceland : Nordurflug Helicopter Tour

June 3, 2015

About a month before we were schedule to head to Iceland, I had an idea. Nick has been wanting to do a helicopter tour forever and I’ve always been a little scared of the idea to be honest, but with his birthday coming up in June, I figured I’d bite the bullet and look into a helicopter tour while in Iceland. I asked the lovely Kaeleen of Unlocking Kiki (who I got to meet up with in Iceland by the way and had so much fun!) if she had heard anything about good companies to book with. She recommended Nordurflug Helicopter Tours, which was also the company that I read a ton of great reviews about online. I promptly emailed them and see about setting up a tour.

We only had one real day in Reykjavik so we couldn’t be super flexible but we booked our tour and in the weeks leading up to it, we were getting more and more excited. It ended up being such an incredible experience it’s hard to even put it into words; flying high above the gorgeous Icelandic landscape, stopping over at a geothermal area in the middle of nowhere and listening to our pilots talk about the mountains around us come alive, it was truly one of those experiences I’ll never forget. Our experience was so great, I know we’ll do it again next time we’re in Iceland. So if you’re headed to Iceland in the near future, this is one experience I can’t recommend highly enough!

What I Loved

The Pilots– Our pilots were hilarious from start to finish, but also extremely professional. Both had lots of experience and did so many checks and marking things off lists when taking off and landing that we felt really safe. They also had such a great commentary as we flew over things and explained local landmarks and stories to us as we went.

The Communication Before and After – From start to finish, working with Nordurflug Helicopter Tours was amazing. They were prompt on email and answered any questions I had along the way. The morning of our tour when we weren’t sure the weather was going to cooperate, they emailed me back and forth numerous times to keep us up to date and emailed after to make sure everything was great – seriously amazing customer service!

The roomy helicopter – Our helicopter sat 8 plus the pilots, and with only another couple on our tour we had so much room to spread out and see everything.

The Views/Route – We chose to do the Geothermal tour, which flies out of Reykjavik, stops at a geothermal area near by and then flies back. However due to the weather that day, we merged our tour with another couple doing a different one so we ended up getting to see so much more, including a fly over of Reykjavik on the way back.

The Stopovers – Stopping at a geothermal area mid way through our tour was so cool! We walked around hot springs that were literally boiling and took in the landscape… a tiny group of people out in the middle of nowhere was a pretty cool experience!

What I Didn’t Love

Nothing! – It was seriously such an amazing experience that there was nothing that wasn’t amazing!

Notes to Keep in Mind

Realize that your scheduled time might change due to weather, so be flexible – The staff will keep you informed, but realize that you might have to reschedule or potentially cancel due to Iceland’s fickle weather. They are great about letting you know though, but just don’t schedule anything right before or after as your time might change.

Arrive at the Reykjavik Domestic airport at least 20 minutes before your flight – Make sure to arrive early enough to sign in and get situated before your flight. It’s only 5 minutes drive from downtown Reykjavik, so it’s close, but just be sure to give yourself enough time.

Dress Warm and wear boots – It was fairly cold in the helicopter and then colder when you land wherever you’re headed, so dress warm. I would also recommend wearing boots. I was in my converse, which got pretty muddy in the geothermal area when we landed, so boots would be a good choice!

Land of Marvels was offered a discounted rate for the tour, though all opinions are my own for this review.

Traveling to Iceland?

See all of my posts on the country!

Iceland’s Far North : Husavik and Northern Coast

Headed to Iceland?

Travel Tips : Packing for Iceland

What not to forget when packing for your trip to Iceland:

Exploring Godafoss : Dawn at the Waterfall of the Gods

Tips for Visiting Godafoss:

Akureyri : Iceland’s Northern City

Tips for Akureyri:

Snow, Mountain Passes and Fjords : Driving North in Iceland

Tips for Driving North in Iceland:

Headed to Iceland?

Exploring Kirkjufell : Scenic Viewpoints, Mountains + Waterfalls

Tips for the area around Kirkjufell:

Headed to Iceland?

Exploring Svörtuloft : Iceland’s Orange Lighthouses

Tips for Getting to Svörtuloft:

Headed to Iceland?

Travel Tips : Driving in Iceland

1. Get an N-1 gas gift card before you leave Reykjavik.

2. Beware of gravel roads not shown on maps.

3. Be safe on one lane bridges and passing.

4. Know the speed limits throughout the country.

5. Check the roads online before you travel.

6. Load your GPS maps before you leave a city in case you don’t have signal later.

7. Bring snacks.

Coastline, Mountains and Horses : Driving Iceland’s Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Flying Over Iceland : Nordurflug Helicopter Tour

What I Loved

What I Didn’t Love

Notes to Keep in Mind

Travel

Life

Favorite Destinations

Travel Reviews

Headed to Iceland?

What not to forget when packing for your trip to Iceland:

Tips for Visiting Godafoss:

Tips for Akureyri:

Tips for Driving North in Iceland:

Headed to Iceland?

Tips for the area around Kirkjufell:

Headed to Iceland?

Tips for Getting to Svörtuloft:

Headed to Iceland?

1. Get an N-1 gas gift card before you leave Reykjavik.

2. Beware of gravel roads not shown on maps.

3. Be safe on one lane bridges and passing.

4. Know the speed limits throughout the country.

5. Check the roads online before you travel.

6. Load your GPS maps before you leave a city in case you don’t have signal later.

7. Bring snacks.

What I Loved

What I Didn’t Love

Notes to Keep in Mind

Disclaimer