Iceland 2021

Iceland has been on my bucket list ever since I was 7 years old. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with reading. I would beg my parents to take me to the library and I was so fascinated with the international/travel section. Iceland has always been a place that absolutely intrigued me. I am so grateful for the opportunity to visit Iceland this summer. Below is my Iceland itinerary with some travel tips. Hope you find it useful.

DAY 1

Stop 1: Grocery store

We took a red eye flight from Newark, NJ to Keflavik and arrived to Iceland around 7 am. After picking up our rental car, our first stop was the local grocery store called Kronan. Bonus and Kronan are the two major grocery store chains in Iceland. There is one Costco in Iceland as well, which is 30 minutes away from the Keflavik airport and the prices are comparable to US prices. We decided to go to Kronan since it was open when we arrived.

Since we had a jam packed itinerary, we knew we wouldn’t have time to eat out, so we decided to pick up some groceries, such as bread, milk, veggies, snacks, chocolate ( I asked the cashier for her favorite chocolate brand; local recommendation is always the best). I was surprised at the vegan selection at the Kronan; they had a whole vegan cheese and milk section! Also, we bought two big bottles of Icelandic water, but it was not necessary. I would definitely recommend stocking up on groceries if you plan to stay in Airbnbs and plan to cook. However, we saw multiple Kronan/Bonus throughout our drive, so they are available in the main towns.

TIPS: Bring empty reusable water bottles and fill the water from the tap or actual waterfalls; the water in Iceland taste wonderful and it is safe to drink! Each major town has a grocery store, so don’t get too crazy on the first day; many hotels don’t have refrigerators, and you don’t want your food to go bad.

Stop 2: Thingvellir National Park

After our grocery store haul, we drove an hour to Thingvellir National Park. This park is famous for tectonic plates; the park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of 2 tectonic plates (North American and Eurasian plates). Many people go snorkeling in this park, where you can snorkel in between the tectonic plates during the warmer months. I am not a good swimmer, so we had to pass on that activity. This park is huge so you can spend the whole day here OR you can also spend 30 mins to an hour here as well (depends on your preference). We spent around1.5 hours.

TIPS: This park has a few parking lots. We parked in Parking lot 1; the walk from this point is fairly easy and relatively flat; it takes around 30-40 minutes to walk to the Oxararfoss Waterfalls. However, there is a parking lot closer to the waterfalls (parking lot 2). This park is kid-friendly (you can bring strollers) and elderly-friendly.

Stop 3: Friðheimar restaurant

We decided to stop at this restaurant, which we heard and read great things about. The ambiance of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful, with tomato and basil plants growing all over the restaurant. We had a 30 minute wait, so we walked around the tomato farm and played with the horses outside, which you are not allowed to feed btw (oops!). We had the fresh tomato soup and bread buffet, which was just okay in flavor and taste ( it definitely needed some hing, jeeru, and mirchi aka Indian spices, haha), but I would totally recommend checking this place out, if you have the time. They have lots of vegetarian/vegan friendly options on their menu as well.

Stop 4: Secret Lagoon

We went to check out a less popular natural hot spring, which was more like a pool. I thought it was just ok. If you are in the area and want to relax, then check it out. Otherwise, skip it. Fun fact: basically everyone walks around completely naked in the changing room. I guess that’s a norm in Iceland/Europe, but I have never been surrounded by so many naked ladies before, so it was very weird and awkward for me (LOL). We also went to the Blue Lagoon on our last day of this trip (see below), and I thought that Blue Lagoon was so much better than Secret Lagoon; Blue Lagoon was cleaner/nicer/more relaxing/no naked ladies in the changing room.

Day 1 Hotel: Geysir Hotel – Pro: Prefect location in the Golden Circle right across the street from the main geysers/very clean and comfortable/modern/nice staff/vegetarian-friendly breakfast included; Con – does not have kitchen, microwave, or refrigerator. We had to leave our groceries out, which was bummer since we just bought them.

Day 2

Stop 1: Bruarfoss Waterfalls

We checked out of our hotel early and told the receptionist that we were headed to Bruarfoss and she was puzzled as to why we wanted to go there. I guess this is not a common waterfall that tourists go to, but this was definitely one of the most beautiful waterfalls that I have ever seen. When we arrived in the parking lot at 8 am, there were only 2 other cars there.

The hike to the waterfalls is moderately challenging (easy if you are a avid hiker, hard if you’ve never hiked before). The hike took around 45 minutes each way and it was around 7 km total (3.5 km each way). The hike itself was very beautiful with purple flowers along the way – I loved it. There are a few waterfalls on the way to Bruarfoss and they were so stunning ( Hlauptungufoss, Midfoss, and then finally Bruarfoss – my favorite was Hlauptungufoss). The water was SOOO blue (there are no filters in the pictures below) and the blue water blew me away!

If you love hiking, DO NOT MISS this hike and waterfall and make sure you make time in your schedule for it.

Tips: Hiking boots are an absolute must on this hike, as certain areas can get muddy, especially if it rains. The trail is usually closed in the winter months. Pee before you go as there are no restrooms on the way.

Stop 2: Gullfoss Waterfall

This is a popular waterfall on the Golden Circle Route. I would describe it as “grand.” It reminds me of Niagara Falls. There is a top viewing area and a bottom viewing area and I recommend checking out both views since the experience is different from each one. It is definitely worth seeing, but this was not my favorite waterfall.

Tips: From the parking lot, this waterfall is just a short, easy 7- 10 minute walk away, so it is definitely kid-friendly or elderly-friendly. Restroom facilities are available and there is a nice giftshop as well.

Stop 3: Snowmobile/Ice Cave Tour in Langjokull Glacier

We did this tour (https://guidetoiceland.is/book-holiday-trips/ice-cave-snowmobile). The tour picked us up from the Gullfoss parking lot and then took us to Langjokull Glacier, which believe it or not, had snow in the middle of July. We chose the snowmobile/ice cave option and we were on the snowmobiles for quite some time (around 2 hours); the ice cave was super tiny but still cool to see. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. The snowmobiles are not exactly the easiest to operate especially since the snow was turning into slush, and we actually fell off the snowmobile (which was kind of a scary experience as I was stuck underneath the snowmobile.) By God’s grace, we did not get severely hurt. This tour was hub’s highlight of Iceland!

Tips: This tour gives you snowsuits, so dress normally, but be sure to bring hats/gloves/scarfs/waterproof shoes etc. Be careful on the snowmobile; even if you are driving normally, it is easy to tip, especially when going at slow speeds and making turns.

Stop 4: Geyser Hot Springs

Even though we stayed a Geysir hotel our first night, we missed out on seeing the geysers which were literally across the street, so we went back to see them. The Strokkur geyser is the one that erupts the most out of all of them (every 5-7 minutes when we were there). There are also other smaller geysers in the area, which are cool to check out. The colors of the geysers were phenomenal. We spent around 30 minutes in this area.

Tips: This is a kid-friendly/elderly-friendly area, as the geysers are very close to the parking lot, but monitor your kids as the geysers have very HOT boiling water.

Stop 5: Fagrabrekka Guesthouse in Hella, Iceland

We drove to Hella because it was a good location to stay for the next 2 days. We loved this guesthouse as it was perfect for our needs (small kitchen, cozy and clean, and a perfect deck to sit outside and enjoy the view at breakfast and dinner time.) The view from the guesthouse was so peaceful and serene. I even used their well stocked kitchen to make pasta for dinner and wraps for the next day. This guesthouse is located around 5 minutes away from the main road. The host, Ragnhildur, was super sweet and brought us homemade bread and a vegetarian-friendly breakfast to our door every morning. They even had horses on the property, just a short walk away. Excellent place for couples or 2 friends!

Day 3

Stop 1: Thorsmork

We did a super jeep tour of Thorsmork, aka Valley of Thor, which is a valley nestled between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull, Mýrdalsjökull, and Tindfjallajökull. The area was stunning and you definitely need super jeeps or special vehicles to access it as there are small bodies of water that you have to cross. (Do NOT attempt to drive there with your rental car).

The tour and the views were stunning, but I am not going to link the tour because our tour guide got us LOST while hiking. A simple hike before lunch that was supposed to just take 30 minutes ended up taking 4 hours and our tour guide was extremely unprepared (she had NOTHING with her in case of an emergency – only a tiny water bottle which was almost empty). Then, we had to literally hike downhill thru thick bushes and shrubs because she could not find the exit trail and she didn’t even check on us to see if we were okay (how rude!). On the other hand, hubs was SUPER prepared in case of an emergency, since he had 2 fully charged battery packs with iPhone and android charging cables, a rain suit, first aid kit, pocket knife, fire starter, etc etc and I packed enough food for everyone on our tour (naturally). Besides the tour guide being wacky, the scenery was spectacular. The overall tour took around 9 hours, so we just chilled when we came back to Fagrabrekka Guesthouse.

Tip: If you go on a hiking tour, make sure to be prepared with the necessary hiking essentials (first aid kid/battery pack/water/snacks/pocket knife/rain suit, etc). Do not rely on your tour guide or anyone else.

Day 4

Stop 1: Diamond Beach

We checked out of the guesthouse around 7 am and drove 2.5 hours to Diamond Beach. The drive to Diamond beach was so interesting with the changing scenery; we saw mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, and volcanic lava rocks on our drive. It was a very picturesque drive. Diamond beach has pieces of the icebergs on the black sand and floating in the water. It is unlike anything I have seen before; if you have time during your trip, don’t miss this place! We packed lunch and ate it on the beach. The weather was sunny and warm!

Stop 2: Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

We did a tour of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and it was AMAZING. Hands down, my favorite part of this entire trip. We did this tour (https://guidetoiceland.is/book-holiday-trips/zodiac-boat-tour-on-jokulsarlon), which was great. There are different types of boat tours (zodiac and amphibian). The zodiac tour was extremely bumpy as it was a windy day; I had to hold onto the ropes for dear life (not exaggerating). In fact, they had to cancel the morning tours because it was so windy.

I loved this tour -it was the highlight of Iceland for me. We were able to see the glacier and icebergs up close and personal AND also saw seals chilling and posing for us on the icebergs. The icebergs were phenomenal and just amazing.

Tip: This tour is weather dependent and also is not available in the winter months. This tour can get canceled due to weather so be prepared. This tour is NOT kid friendly or elderly friendly as it can be VERY bumpy (hold on to your phones and cameras). They also give you a full thick body swimsuit and a life jacket so dress accordingly and no need to take any belongings with you as the boat is small, except a phone/camera.

Stop 3: Paradise Cottage (Gotur Cottage), Vik, Iceland

We decided to drive to Vik and checked into our Airbnb which was close to the small town of Vik. It was a cozy tiny home with a small kitchen; great for couples or 2 people. The view was very serene and peaceful. We loved it. We were able to relax for a bit, eat dinner, and then head to to our next adventure.

Stop 4: Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck

This is the famous plane wreck that is depicted in the Bollywood song “Gerua” and also in Justin Bieber’s “I’ll Show You” music video. In fact, they are both the cause of increased tourism to Southern Iceland. YouTube these music videos and you will be blown away. The walk to this plane wreck took 40 minutes EACH way and it was super windy, but a relatively easy, flat walk. Be prepared if you decide to do it – wear warm clothes and hiking shoes as it is rocky. This is also a great photo-op place, so if you’re into photography/videography/playing with drones/etc, you will really appreciate it. I was indifferent, to be honest, but hubs really enjoyed it, so sometimes you gotta just take one for the team.

Stop 5: Black Beach (Reynisfjara Beach)

By the time we finished seeing the plane wreck, it was already past 10 pm. At this point, we had a choice to go back to the Airbnb and chill OR go to the black beach and of course we chose the latter. It was a good choice, since it was still bright outside (the pros of visiting Iceland during the summer). Overall this whole vacation did not involve a lot of chilling, since we wanted to see and do a lot of things.

This beach was unlike anything I have ever seen before. The sand was black due to the ocean waves breaking down lava. The basalt columns were stunning and so unique. At first, we couldn’t find the beach, and ended up near the beach at Vik (which is black sand beach or Vikurfjara), which wasn’t where we wanted to go because we couldn’t see the basalt columns from there.. It was around 11 pm when we found Reynisfjara beach and we were surprised to see people there. It was amazing to be at the beach so late at night and still have daylight.

TIPS: Be extremely careful at this beach. The waves can be deadly and this is NOT a swimming beach. If you have kids, WATCH them like a hawk OR don’t bring them here. DO NOT go near the water at ALL. The waves are called sneaker waves and can be “sneaky” and can drag you in the ocean; sadly tourists have died on this beach before. Stay near the basalt column area and take tons of pictures from there.

Day 5

Stop 1: Kvernufoss

We checked out of our Airbnb to check out some cool waterfalls in the Southern Coast.

Kvernufoss is a less popular waterfall than its neighbor Skogafoss, but I thought it was charming. The walk/hike to the waterfall is very pretty. It was raining so we didn’t hike close to the waterfall, but just saw it from afar. You can hike behind the waterfall, but we skipped it due to weather and time constraints. This waterfall is not as powerful as Skogafoss but it is beautiful in it’s own unique way. All the waterfalls in Iceland are so unique and have their own charm.

Tips: We had to climb over a small fence, which was easy, but it is NOT elderly-friendly; kids can do it. It’s only 5-10 minutes away from the parking lot, and an relatively easy walk, so don’t miss this beauty if you have the time.

Stop 2: Skogafoss

This waterfall was powerful and amazing. You can view it from the top or bottom or even from the main road when you are driving. The view from the top also leads you to a path with MANY other waterfalls, but you do have to climb many stairs to get there. Unfortunately, we did not know this, and we had to go back to Reykjavik by a certain time to get our scheduled COVID test, so we had to skip out on this hike, but plan for it, if you have the time. The view from the bottom was stunning and you can get SO close to this waterfall.

Tips: If you get close to the waterfall from the bottom view, you will get wet. Wear appropriate clothing. This waterfall is kid friendly and elderly friendly. There were many campers here as well, and they had bathroom with showers, so this is a great place to camp out.

Stop 3: Seljalandsfoss/Gljufrabui

Seljalandsfoss is an AMAZING waterfall. It is absolutely captivating. This is the famous waterfall that you can go behind and it will leave you speechless. You can also see this waterfall from the parking lot, so it is kid-friendly and elderly-friendly. One of my favorite waterfalls of all time.

Further up the path is the Gljufrabui waterfalls; it is 560 meters away from Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is actually hidden and you have to climb a few rocks in water behind a narrow path to see it – follow the sign to Gljufrabui. It is a fairly easy walk for most people, but just wear proper shoes as it gets wet and rocky as you get closer to the waterfall. Do not miss this waterfall; it is incredible and beautiful! We loved it. I actually even drank the water from the waterfall and filled up my water bottle because it was SO clear and crisp.

Tips: Wear waterproof jacket or rain jacket and hiking boots as you will get wet if you decide to go on the path behind the waterfall and some areas are muddy and slippery. You do have to pay for parking but I believe the Gljufrabui waterfall parking lot may be free. There are restroom facilities and a small cafe as well.

Stop 4: Exploring Reykjavik – part 1

We had to go back to Reykjavik for our scheduled COVID test. If you are going during COVID times, be sure to check the rules for going back to your home country. We stayed at Center Hotels Laugavegur; this hotel had a really nice breakfast as well and a small parking lot. The location was perfect; all the restaurants, shops, and entertainment was walking distance. We wanted to see more of the city, so we just took take out for dinner from a restaurant called Chickpea and ate our falafels outdoors. We walked around the town and had dessert at Valdi’s ice cream – check out the salted licorice flavor, and went to see the famous Sun Voyager.

TIPS: Stay close to Laugavegur as the main sites are walkable from there.

Day 6

Stop 1: Exploring Reykjavik – part 2

This was the first day that we were able to sleep in a little bit. We spent the morning eating breakfast and then checking out a famous bakery called Braun & Co. I was surprised that they even had vegan cinnamon buns and they were delicious! We also saw the beautiful Hallgrimskirkja church, but we didn’t go inside because it was not open.

Stop 2: The Lava tunnel

We were planning to hike up Geldingadalir Volcano after breakfast, but since the weather was a foggy, we decided to check out the lava tunnel instead. This was an interesting 1 hour experience inside the lava tunnel. The colors were magnificent and the tour guide explained how the lava tunnel was constructed. It was informative. Good activity to do if the weather outside sucks.

Tips: The walk to the tunnel is a bit rocky so wear hiking shoes. Also wear layers; it is quite cold down in the cave. They provide a helmet with an attached flashlight as it is dark down there. The drive to the lava tunnel from Reykjavik was extremely foggy so drive slow.

Stop 3: Geldingadalir Volcano

This is an active volcano that has been erupting for the past few months near Reykjavik. However, we were only able to go to the lava flow area as it was very foggy and cloudy. The lava flow area was steaming as there could still be hot lava flowing inside. Very unique. You are not supposed to really stand on the lava as it is very dangerous and unstable, but i saw everyone else doing it so I got peer pressured to do it and the lava seemed very hard ( but it was very stupid; don’t be dumb like me). Also, you are not supposed to stay there for too long as the fumes could be toxic.

Day 7

Stop 1: Blue lagoon

We visited the infamous blue lagoon on our last day. It was definitely a nice place to relax right before our flight back home. The water temperature was wonderful and it was clean. We spent around 3 hours total at Blue Lagoon, and felt that it was just enough time. But it depends on what you like to do (you could spend more time or less time). They have different packages with different options.

The showers and changing rooms are very clean and well maintained (much better experience than Secret Lagoon LOL). This would also be a great place to go straight from the airport as your first stop. Many people do that and they even have transportation from the airport to Blue Lagoon as it is pretty close (around 20-30 minutes away from the airport).

Tips: They have a wrist band locker system so everyone gets their own locker and you activate it with your wrist band. If you buy anything, you just scan your wrist band and then pay when you exit, so no need to carry thing with you. However, if you want to take pictures, I suggest taking a waterproof phone case that you can wear around your neck (even if your phone is waterproof, if you drop in the water it will be hard to find because the water is hard to see through). Make sure you put the conditioner in your hair, as the silica in the water can make it very dry and if you have long hair, tie it up in a bun and try not to get it wet. Make sure to take advantage of the face mask and complementary drink they give you ( I got the orange smoothie and it was great!).

Stop 2: Flying back home

Getting thru the check-in and security line took 3 hours – we barely made it to the gate and had to run! Make sure you arrive to the airport 3 hours prior to the flight. Perhaps the line was long due to COVID travel rule (each passenger had to show proof of a negative COVID test), but the line was just crazzzyy. Be on time!

Overall Iceland Tips:

1. Make sure to take hiking boots and a waterproof jacket or raincoat. Wear layers as the weather may vary from warm to cold, even in the summer time. Hubs and I brought North face jackets with a waterproof layer and removable inside layer, which was perfect.
2. Do not drive on the F roads, which are the unpaved gravel roads, if you do not take the full travel insurance from the renal car company. Rental car companies will check your cars thoroughly for any damages. Make sure to take pictures of the car when you first get your car, We did that which really helped us when the car guy asked us about a damage that was already on the car when we got it.
3. Make sure to account for foggy or rainy weather when traveling or driving somewhere and take that into consideration with time.
4. Don’t book tours/activities back to back. Only 1 out of the 3 of the tours that we did ended at the time it was supposed to.
5. Pack lunch if you plan on having a busy day. This was save you lots of time and you will have more time to explore.
6. If you don’t want to drive around Iceland, there are many day trips/tours leaving from Reykjavik. Reykjavik is a cute town with lots of restaurants and shops, so it might be a nice place to stay if you care to go out to eat and enjoy nightlife.
7. Reykjavik has some great vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants, which we did not get a chance to check out due to our schedule, but some vegetarian-friendly restaurant recommendations that I got a friend are : Sumac, Cafe Babalu, Cafe Loki, Meze, Serrano, Himalayan Spice, Apotek, Le Bistro, Rok, Laundromat cafe, Kol Kitchen Bar, Kopar, and Durum
8. We did ALOT on this trip (we woke up at 6 am every day and went to sleep around 11 pm) and we did very little relaxing. This itinerary may not be ideal/possible for most people, but we wanted to make the best use of our time and we are SO glad that we did.
9. Take time to appreciate the beauty of Iceland.
10. Enjoy your trip.