In May 2012 I left with a bunch of friends to explore the mysterious Iceland. Herding a bunch of young guys through an island of ice implies a lot of preparation and planning, especially concerning where we sleep. We organized the trip remotely, first we set the dates, then the roadmap with reservations and activities. Some left from Paris, the ticket was about 500 EUR round trip with Icelandair (we were a bit late…), for those who left from Frankfurt it was about 350 EUR.
Reykjavik
So we arrive with two different flights, the first group is already waiting for the second at the airport. We get pour beloved Land Rover Defender on tha parking lot, spacious and able to accomodate our little gang and well equipped for off road! We connect the gps and we set off towards the capital of Iceland. We chose a cheap youth hostel in the suburbs (capital inn). In retrospective in was not a great choice as it was really far away from the city center.
After a small aperitif we walk to Reykjavik to visit a little and have a bite. The two classic attractions of the city are the rather original cathedral and the drakkar on the waterfront. You can see them below. In the evening we stop at a restaurant in the city and taste a whale steak. It is freaking delicious, I still think about it sometimes. In the evening we search for a pub as it is saturday night, but not much is going on in the city.
Reykjanes Peninsula
The next day we leave the city and explore the southwestern peninsula. We still sleep in Reykjavik tonight though so we can’t go to far away . We start with the Blue Lagoon, one of the most famous places in Iceland. A spa resort, for 28 EUR you can swim in a 200m long artificial lake, in the middle of a volcanic area. Sauna and cold shower for the brave ones. Very touristic but frankly enjoyable.
We then continue our visit of the Reykjanes peninsula, a magnificent land of high volcanic and geo-thermal activity. You will see lava fields, smoking plains and towards the coast steep cliffs. The colors are sumptuous, the photographers are delighted! In the evening we return to Reykjavik to prepare for the next day’s departure.
On the road to Selfoss
We leave Reykjavik early because we have a busy day, we’re heading south-east to sleep in a farm in Selfoss and on the way we absolutely want to complete the “golden circle”. The golden circle is the combination of 3 exceptional sites:
Gulfoss, “the golden waterfall”, is a gigantic waterfall, a path allows to approach very close, the sight is striking, in my opinion it is the most impressive waterfall of Iceland.
Geysir, is a site with geysers. But it is the site that contains the original geyser, the one that gave its name to this type of geothermal phenomenon. Every few minutes there are explosions projecting streams of steamy water to a height of about ten meters, it’s great!
Thingvellir is a national park consisting of a plain, a lake and various rock formations which gives a grandiose aspect to this place, this is where the Vikings gathered for their congresses and assemblies. Once again it is superb.
In the evening we sleep in Selfoss in a cool farm, we have a full barn with a huge table next door for us to make dinner in the evening and play cards while having an aperitif. Speaking of drinking, beware, alcohol is EXTREMELY expensive in Iceland, during our stay a bottle of whisky costs 50 bucks in the state shops authorized to sell alcohol (the vinbudin). You won’t find any elsewhere, so don’t forget to take your favourite drink with you.
On the road to Litla Hof
Leaving Selfoss we go along the south coast of the country, we pass by Vik to get some supplies. The road is calm and we start to see on the horizon the famous glaciers of the center of the country. We also stop to admire a beautiful waterfall, we to walk a little bit next to it to enjoy the beautiful view over the valley.
We also make a detour in thorsmork, we drive in creeks, streams and on rocks for about an hour to get to a cluster of houses at the bottom of the valley, I think we must have taken the wrong road, the GPS was not working at all there… We tested the 4×4 at least, it was fun.
End of afternoon we arrive at our pitch for the night, a small bungalow in a farm, it’s picturesque, sheep are grazing not far away, the calm is total and the atmosphere very zen.
A hike on a glacier
The next day we meet with a guide to hike on the glacier svinafelljokul, we had booked the activity in France on the site moutain guide, the guide picks us up at the foot of the glacier and gives us our gear for the day! We walk for an hour on the ice, the sun shows up, it’s sunny. It is very pleasant. Arrived towards the top of the glacier we take a photo break and we go down quietly. It’s quite easy physically but a bit expensive (408 for 6)
We sleep a second night in our little bungalow.
The road to the East
We take the road to the east now, to reach the port city of Hofn. On the way we admire the beautiful coastal roads. We stop of course at the glacial lake, a sort of lake filled with Iceberg and floating ice, on a dare I take a dip in the lake. After a few minutes I feel my limbs getting numb, I quickly crawl back to the mainland. An organization offers boat tours on the lake, we tell ourselves that it’s not really worth it. Instead we go for a 4×4 ride on the beach and we scare birds away.
We arrive in Hofn in the afternoon, we take advantage of the time we have left to visit the city and the small port and to book the restaurant next to the youth hostel. We taste succulent and freshly fished lobsters, it was delicious and not that expensive (30 EUR). The restaurant is: the Humarhofnin.
Deep in the Fjords
We continue our tour of Iceland by going up a little to the north, it is now time to enter the famous East Fjords. We have booked a night in a small cottage at the bottom of a fjord in Eskifjödur, we meander along the roads along the fjords which dig into the land and then spill out into the ocean. It’s easy to imagine the drakkars that used to sail in these calm waters in the past.
We take the opportunity to do some food shopping on the way, spend the evening in Eskifjödur and go to a local ale den. We are quickly stared at by a local population of regulars, not threatening but rather curious. A few drinks later the tongues loosen and we chat a little with them. They confirm us that they are not really used to having tourists over there.
Husavik !
We have another busy day ahead of us, quite a lot to see on the way to Husavik in the north of the country and a lot of asphalt. We visit the Dettifoss waterfalls, supposedely the most powerful in Europe. The sight is impressive, and for those who remember the beginning of the movie Prometheus, you might find this place familiar.
Arrived in Husavik at the end of the afternoon, the weather is still good and our accommodation is great, 2 wooden chalets with a view on the northern arctic sea and a forest of trees, we really feel in Iceland. In the evening we take the car to go to eat in a restaurant in Husavik, we taste the Puffin, the local bird. It is really good, a bit like duck, but hurts the wallet. In the evening we notice snow starting to fall..
Husavik round 2
When we get up we notice that the snow fell in great quantity during the night and that everything is buried, the difference compared to yesterday is mind blowing, I let you judge on the pictures:
We had a whale-watching trip planned, but it’s cancelled, no boats are leaving the harbour. We don’t get discouraged and we decide to visit other things in the area. We admire the godafoss waterfall, magical with the snow and ice around. We also wanted to go and see Odin’s horseshoe, a geological wonder, but due to the weather we can’t really drive in the snow and we return to the chalet hoping that tomorrow it will calm down. Belote/Citadelle evening in the warmth!
Osar
The next day we leave for the west of the country, our objective is to sleep in Osar in a small and very isolated village, with cliffs populated by puffins and beaches with seal colonies. On the road we stop again to see a waterfall. Despite their beauty, I am starting to get a little bored with all those waterfalls, first world problems.
In the afternoon we arrive in Osar, in fact it is not quite a village, it is a farmer who owns 2 houses, one of which he rents to tourists. In front of the building a bus is parked, tonight we share the hostel with a whole bus of american students. After a week and a half where we met only locals, and not really many young people, it was good to talk a bit.
We wanted to visit a bit around Osar, but again the blizzard strikes and prevents us from seeing anything. Early in the morning it is sunny again and we go for a walk on the beach to have a chat with the seals.
The West Coast
We leave our buddies the seals and we set off towards the western fjords, only 3 nights to spend in Iceland left! Day on the road where we follow the ragged coast, it’s very nice and very beautiful. There storm is gone, it’s nice and warm, the change is incredible. Initially we wanted to see the West Fjords but the lack of time makes us give up on this idea, we fall back on a small fishing village on the west coast. The village is small and pretty, beautiful wooden houses, restaurants, a small port… We buy some whale steaks for the evening dinner and take some pictures of the sunset.
Way home
We take the road to Reykjavik where we booked a trip to see whales as we had missed the one in Husavik because of a storm… We board the ship, it is cold because of the wind, and except for a whale tail that breaks the surface for a brief moment, nothing, nada. It is a little disappointed that we go ashore.
Luckily our evening chalet has a Jacuzzi, the sun is shining and there is plenty of meat to barbecue in the evening. An end of day that makes up for this totally useless sea trip!
The next day we go back to Reykjavik to do some souvenir shopping and we go directly to Keflavik, near the airport, where we spend our last night in a rather shitty hostel. Back to the airport, we return the car, full of mud and dust, and we board the plane. Skal Island!
