Iceland has been the most stunningly beautiful place we have been to so far. I remember the first lime I saw the Himalayas up close on a long trek, I remember the first time I swam in the ocean, I remember the first time we saw the expansive dry desert in the lap of bare mountains in Leh. Iceland was all that fascination bundled into one. Add volcanos and lava fields and geo-thermal pools to it, and I found myself wanting to study geology once again!
Our trip was for 11 days, starting 19th August 2023. This post is a summary of the best places we visited, some logistics, experiences and learnings along the way. We are not the best of photographers, so take what you see in the pictures below and multiply it by 20! That’s how stunning the place was.
Starting first with the least interesting topic, logistics!
Getting Around in Iceland
Rent a car. Period. Public transport beyond the main cities is little to none, and the group trips (in shared vehicles) aren’t even half as fun. We tried that for a day, and immediately got our car back.
Which car? Get a 4x4 camper if you can. We had our hesitations, but if you can drive in India, you need not worry. The camper gives you the flexibility to stop wherever and wander into the highlands and F-Roads (These are gravel/off-road tracks).
Tip: Get sand and ash insurance and roadside assistance, to remove any anxiety of driving into tough terrains. Note: Most car companies don’t cover damage from river crossings, though.
Stay and Food
Hotels in Iceland are expensive, especially in the summer. Here are a couple of ways to avoid that cost:
a) Stay in a camper vehicle: Easy if you are two (or fewer) people and all you need is a place to sleep. You can check a few out here rent.is.
b) Camping pods at campgrounds: Some camping areas have small, simple and relatively cheap pods, with access to common showers and toilets and kitchens (and also geo thermal springs in some cases).
c) Hostels: There are not as many as in the rest of Europe, but you can find a few along R1, if you’re okay with shared dorms.
Coming to food. [Ignore this if you eat meat or fish] As vegetarians, we realized restaurants in Iceland were a waste of money for us. So, we stocked up the car in with of lots of ready to eat oats, skyr (yogurt-like but better), fruits, breads, spread, veggies, noodles, coffee and just found nice, isolated picnic stops to have our meals. Unlike India, you cannot just stop anywhere, but you will find signs like the one below on the road. 100% recommended, we loved this!
Now to the main part — Where to go?
The route we chose started and ended at Reykjavik, covered the south coast till Diamond beach and the Jokulsarlon Glacier, via Vik. Then we went around the Golden Circle, followed by the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and then to Landmannalaugar and areas around it. Here are my top recommendations from this set. This is by no means a comprehensive list, since we did not get to cover the north or the west fjords (saving it for the next trip).
Skogafoss - The fall - yes, but the Fimmvörðuháls trail — definitely yes! A personal favorite, I felt like I was walking in a simulation. The trail starts at the top of Skogafoss, passing through what felt like endless (26) stunningly gorgeous waterfalls, barren lands, green hilltops and ends in the Þórsmörk valley.
On the Fimmvörðuháls trail Landmannalaugar: LoTR fans would love this. You can stand on the peaks here and imagine the endless misty mountains, the blackish peaks of Mordor, the mossy lava fields, complete with some grasslands and meadows. You need a 4X4 to reach here. The route is mostly off road, both from the north and the south (F-208), but the south side has river crossings. The campsite is great and has a natural geo thermal spring, which feels amazing after a long hike. There are a lot of hikes here — long, short, easy, tough, so you can pick and choose. The views are stunning from every direction.
Tip: If you are here, some things not to miss are the Hekla Volcano, the (Rivendell like) Sigoldugljufur Canyon, the Háifoss falls and the Hjálparfoss falls.
The Sigoldugljufur canyon 
The lava fields at Landmannalaugar Diamond beach and the lagoon at the Jokulsarlon Glacier — This was very different from all the beaches we had seen so far, with ice structures floating in the ocean and glaciers in the background. We did kayaking in the lagoon right across from the beach, which was beautiful. We also did a hike over the glacier at Skaftafell. If you’re new to glacier hiking (like we were), it is an easy and fun one to start with.
Floating ice at the diamond beach Brúarfoss Waterfall Trail: This is a little known spot but was one of our favorite ones due to the breathtakingly blue water and the lack of anyone around on the trail. It’s a short hike — you can start at either end, or do a round trip covering three gorgeous waterfalls. The hike covers multiple waterfalls with the water getting bluer with each.
The Bruarfoss Waterfall Black sand beach and basalt caves at Vik. We saw a hauntingly good sunset here. Golden skies turning into orange, then pink, then purple over the glaciers, contrasting with the endless black sand and the dark ocean. The sharp and stony basalt caves (looking like the Shrike Church for Hyperion fans) formed the perfect background. You can also take a long walk or hike in the Dyrhólaey peninsula in this area and watch the cute Puffins! If you are a star wars fan, there is also a ‘Yoda’ shaped cave, just 3km off Route 1 on a gravel road near Vik.
I wish I had a better picture of the sunset at black sand beach!
A few other places that are definitely worth a mention are:
The walk at Arnarstapi and views from Kirkjufell in the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. We also managed to see a few black and white seals on the Ytri Tunga Beach.
Snorkeling in the clear blue water at Silfra between the tectonic plates. It’s touristy and expensive but I loved the experience. If you go on a sunny day, the patterns of light in the water are spectacular.
Geothermal Pools — we skipped the Blue Lagoon once we found out that there are numerous other, much cheaper and more natural geo thermal springs in Iceland (some are even free and others are a fraction of the price). Highly recommend the Hvammsvik Hot Spring, where you can step right into the icy cold ocean straight from a hot pool.
The Lava show: This is the only ‘indoor’ activity we did, and it was amazing. If possible, try and go for it during the beginning of the trip so that you can appreciate the geographical marvels you see later on even more. The show is great, and you can stay back to get all your questions about volcanos answered.
Kvernufoss Waterfall: It’s a small, but stunning waterfall right next to Skogafoss. We were enchanted by it, as we went very early in the morning and there was no one there except us.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon: It’s a popular but gorgeous canyon with many twisting and turning falls along the way. The hike at the top is easy and has marked view points. A slightly less known but much more stunning canyon is the Mulagljufur Canyon on the southeast coast. It is a paradise for hikers.
Surprises along the way
The day we landed in Reykjavik, turned out to be Reykjavik’s birthday! It was a great start to the trip, with lots of dancing on the streets, beer and food and a large, open concert by local artists. At midnight, there was a fireworks show over the main square.
The weather was almost perfect, with just one day of rain in our entire trip. But, be prepared, the rains and winds in Iceland are very strong. Carry good wind and rain proof jackets and hiking boots. Driving in the rains is hard too, with almost no visibility.
Trolls and elves are part of Iceland’s folk lore! As a LOTR fan, I was amused to hear about the elves and the trolls in the caves and The Icelandic Yule Lads. Tolkien clearly got a lot of inspiration from here!
There are so many sheep and so many horses. You can find lots of cute little sheep along the road (and sometimes even on the road). There are also many horse farms and you can go say hello if you wish to.
Learnings along the way
Skip the Blue lagoon if you are on budget. Go-to local pools, you can do a lot more for a lot less.
Limit your stay in Reykjavik. It’s good, but you can do a lot more with your time than stay in the city. As one redditor said, the best thing about Reykjavik are the two roads leading out of it.
Don’t do group trips unless you have to. Driving is a lot more fun. Carry food, hot water and coffee, stop along the way and take it at your own pace. More than half of the places we visited, we discovered along the way, thanks to having our own car.
Do some research on geography of Iceland (if that is your thing) before visiting the major attractions. We had so many questions and often realized how awesome it was after reading the details later.
If you can, stay at one place, do longer hikes instead of short and quick visits. The landscape of Iceland is brilliant, but if you keep hopping, it will start looking all the same. Our best days were the unhurried ones where we kept on walking along the paths we did not even plan for.
I hope you enjoyed the post and thank you for reading. Drop a comment/DM if you have any questions and are planning a trip, happy to help! Also, please hit subscribe if you’d like to read more about trips and travel.