quick ICELAND trip report

2,600 Views | 10 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by Counterpoint
hds
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Quick summary from trip to Iceland . . . got back last night so writing down before I forget!
Spent 5 full days in Reykjavik with day trips.

It rained every day I was there! The sun did not come out at all but had a fabulous trip! Take the best rain jacket and pants you own and waterproof shoes are a must too! I was amazed at people in jeans and flip-flops/sneakers when it rained non-stop. I stayed dry and probably why my days were enjoyable.

Temperature ranged from 45-55 every day so a great escape from a Texas summer!

Departed on American Airlines from DFW 820pm for KEF with 915am arrival. Flight was bumpy but on time.

After arrival took the shuttle from KEF to Blue Lagoon with transfer after to Reykjavk. I purchased the premium ticket (about $20 more) which after seeing the line was worth it. I think got a free drink, robe, and extra face mask. After checked in and received towel/robe/key it did not feel crowded. The lagoon is huge but check in was crowded and unorganized. Get in the correct line if you pay for premium. If you think you want to go book early as they only allow so many people to enter per hour. Yes, it was touristy but glad I went. I also ate lunch at LAVA which was good. You can wear your swimsuit with a robe while dining if you wish. When I was ready to leave transferred from Blue Lagoon to city center was easy and part of the package deal when booked Blue Lagoon. Be sure to check schedules as bus only leaves at certain times each hour.

Stayed at Canopy by Hilton (free with points) which was a great location and easy to walk to main attractions in the city as most of places reached in no more than 20 minutes by foot.

Since I was traveling solo I spent my days on tours. All day tours were booked with Arctic Adventures and were 18 people or less. Buses were small, comfortable, and had free wi-fi. The tour guides ranged from "I'm here to drive you around" to "excellent information with funny jokes too". Honestly I just wanted to get from point A to point B. Most people showed up on time and felt enough time was given at each stop.

Tours I took:
South Coast, Jokulsarlon, and Diamond Beach: 15 hours long! It wasn't that bad and had a lot of stops along the way. Pick up was at 8am and dropped off at 11pm. It was the one tour I looked forward to the most and did not disappoint. It is a beautiful area and if was traveling with anyone would do it as an overnight. It worked for me to do a bus trip even if very long day.

Snaefellsnes Peninsula Small Group: 12 hours long but again a lot of stops along the way; worse guide and my least favorite tour. Iceland is beautiful so at least that part did not fail me.

Golden Circle Superior: 9 hours and hit all the highlights on the Golden Circle route. I think every company does one of these tours. Since we were a small group (16) we made several stops on small roads that big tour buses can't go. I think the smaller the tour the better. Would be an easy tour to do with a rental car. The power plant stop was boring and a waste of time to me! We did stop at Efstidalur Farm which had wonderful ice cream. Actually all dairy products in Iceland were fabulous!

After so many hours on a bus, I spent one day hanging out in Reykjavik. I did a free walking tour (tip if wish but not hounded to do so) with City Walk. You sign up online with your email and show up . . . it was 2 hours and hit the highlights of the city with some history facts too. Some people just showed up and wasn't a problem. The group was about 25 people and not bad. Guide was a student working on her masters and has bachelors in history so very knowledgeable and funny too. I then walked to the harbor to see about catching a puffin tour. I went with Mr. Puffin Express tour. It was a RIB boat and only allowed 12 passengers. They give you suits to keep you warm/dry so that was good. The boat was able to get close to the shore and saw hundreds of puffins flying and nesting.

Since my tours were all long with late night arrivals back I only ate at 2 restaurants plus the famous hot dog stand too. I had coffee and cake one day at Apotek which was good and had a nice bar area. The two restaurants were next to my hotel and in same building, MAT Bar and Geiri Smart. I recommend MAT Bar as the portions were good for the price plus the food was very fresh and yummy; don't let the Mat Bar fool you it was a very small restaurant with great menu and bar too. I did the chef menu and for 60.000 had 5 small plates; it was a lot of food for 1 person. I almost went back but decided to give Geiri Smart a try. It was good but just had a drink and 2 starters; all were good; portions were a lot smaller than MAT Bar.

I booked the Airport Direct Premium van from city center back to airport. It picked up at hotel and did not have to transfer. Van held 8 people and we made 3 stops. The entire process took about one hour. The airport is small but efficient. It took me 5 minutes to get through security. You then walk through a shopping/restaurant area, then on to customs which took 2 minutes . . . another duty free shop before arriving at gates. Super easy to navigate.

Enjoy! It really is a fabulous country even though prices can be shocking!
RoyIII_Ag08
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Thanks for the write-up. Do you have any pics of the places you saw on each tour?
nosoupforyou
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Super cool to read this.. I read it all and want more.. thank you!

Question for when you aren't busy.. why Iceland and why take a solo trip.. I'm fascinated by that and impressed with your sense of adventure
PlanoAg98
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When I was small, I liked books with lots of pictures. I'm still the same as an adult.
wangus12
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Because you get to cater to yourself when you go solo. When I was single, I traveled all over the place by myself. Its nice to be able to do solely what you wanna do.
hds
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Why travel solo?
Short answer: A perk to solo travel is you get to do what you want when you want.

Long answer: At 30 years old, my husband died so I was left to raise our 10 month old son by myself. My husband lived most of his life outside of the US, and I always thought that was super cool to have that experience growing up. After he died, I vowed to show our son the world and expose him to life outside the US. I started traveling internationally with him around age 6. He is now 14 and has visited 22 countries and I have been to 38. We also travel around the US too. While he complains at times, we really have been fortunate to travel so much. I love it, and it is my hobby . . . too bad there is work and school!


Why Iceland?
I have always wanted to go there and now that there are cheap, direct flights from DFW (American, WOW, Icelandair) it became a no brainer. My flight on American was about $515 which I thought was a great deal. I had a ton of Hilton points so hotel was free (otherwise hotel was $500 a night). Iceland is not cheap! I really wanted to go before it changed due to the influx of tourist over the last few years. My son usually travels with me but we had just returned from a 16 day trip to Canada and Alaska and my son decided to stay home for the week. I wanted to go so went without him. I should also add that I lived in Europe for 4 years and my son was born there so I feel very comfortable traveling around Europe. Iceland was amazing and beautiful even though it was very expensive.
angel_00
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Great summary! We are headed there on July 26. Did it rain all day every day? Was it heavy rain? I am bringing waterproof hiking shoes but considering also bringing my rain boots.
hds
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Yes it rained everyday I was there. It was off and on and hardly ever a total down pour. Waterproof hiking boots were fine.
Ol Jock 99
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https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2985632

My Iceland trip report posted on the OB.
OlArmy12
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Meh. Won't ever visit since they started whaling again.
dcAg
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Great summary!
Counterpoint
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Ol Jock 99 said:

https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2985632

My Iceland trip report posted on the OB.
I love this (and the OP!) What are your "can't miss" things to see in Iceland?
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