Iceland Diaries- The Land of Fire & Ice — Part 1
I recently went for an 11-day Ring Road trip to cover Iceland and it was the most beautiful and mesmerizing trip of my life to date! Below I share my experience of the entire journey in a 2-part blog.
I hope you like it enough and make it a point to add Iceland to your bucket list and travel soon!
Day 1
Highlights- Lava Show
We landed in Iceland around 1 pm and were welcomed by sleet (ice rain) and a mild hailstorm! Picked up our car rental and chit-chatted on the things to cover in Iceland- general rules & regulations and things to avoid with the rental folks
As we checked in to our property we saw the visuals of the active volcano in South West Iceland on the TV. So wished that we could go close to it and experience the lava live there!
We started by exploring the City Center. Visited the famous Rainbow Street and the nearby streets which were lovely and serene! Then went to explore Harpa concert hall which looked better in pics!
Overall enjoyed the calm and quietness of Reykjavik while roaming the streets. Next up we went for the Lava Show which was the highlight of the day. In the 50-minute show, it recreates a volcanic eruption by superheating real lava up to 1100°C (2000°F) and then pouring it into a room full of people! The entire show is divided into 3 parts.
First is where the host explains her backstory, a bit about Iceland, and why it is the most active volcanic country in the world. The second part is a 15–20 min movie that explains the history of Iceland right from the time when Vikings discovered it and made it their home to the last volcanic eruption in 2021 which disrupted air travel. The host also talked about the recent eruption in Grindavik which remains ongoing as we were in Iceland.
The volcano has been spewing lava for 54 days and was the longest-running in recent times and the areas around have been closed. The only pain is that the attraction I was keenly looking forward to i.e. Blue Lagoon remains closed :/
The last part of the show is the showstopper where the lava flows from the tunnel and you feel the temperature rising in the room as it crackles and emits a strong orange light. The host does various acts where an ice bar is kept with lava to show the ice and lava reaction, bubble formation, and how lava becomes shiny (lava diamonds) among other things which is an immersive and educational watch. Overall a pretty unique show and not to be missed in Reykjavik!
Had dinner at a doner kebab place which took 1hr to serve pizza and burger: phew so much for late-night eating options in Iceland! Lesson learned that you should do dinners before 9 pm in Iceland as most restaurants close by then!
Day 2
Highlights- Sky Lagoon!, Northern Lights!!
Had a modest breakfast at the hotel which comprised of bread, cheese, cucumber, juice, muesli, and milk. Food is expensive in Iceland as nothing is grown here and 99% of products are imported. That shows why breakfast is very limited in Iceland around almost all the places!
Enroute we stopped at a place with fresh snow and indulged in snow fights and clicked great pics
Departed for our itinerary for the day! Started with Thingvelir National Park. It is Iceland’s first national park and where Iceland’s parliament was formed in 930 AD. It’s a beautiful park that houses a waterfall, has the largest lake in Iceland, and is best known for Mid Atlantic ridge which separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and you can snorkel between two continents!
I was hesitant due to the cold but we decided to do the Silfra Snorkeling at -2°C (May God save us!). The snorkeling place is famous for its fissures and crater formations. It is the clearest water in Iceland where the mesmerizing view underwater allows you to see various colors, crevices, and tectonic plates. For the experience, you first need to wear a waterproof inner covering followed by a dry suit. With all the covering and snorkeling gear you are fully stuffed up and your face is so tight that you can barely smile or speak!
The entire experience was above average and not as great as a few fellow travelers who had done it earlier told me. My hands and back of my head were frozen by the time we ended although the rest of the body parts were safe. I was also the slowest to end because a lot of water was going into my snorkel, and I was unable to breathe properly underwater (ugh!). Still, the views in the initial part were amazing and you will not get this kind of experience at any other place while snorkeling.
The best part of the tour was being served with hot chocolate and bourbon biscuits after arriving. When you come out freezing cold that’s the best part you love. Thankfully during the tour, the weather was on our side with strong sunshine and no winds. Otherwise, I would have literally frozen once we came out!
Post this our next stop was the Geysir geothermal area. It’s the most popular tourist attraction as could be seen with the highest tourist inflow that we have seen till now. The area is famous for the hot spring which shoots up water 15–20m in the air due to geothermal activity. As you explore the area many such thermal hotspots are steaming ready to cook your next maggi or omelette!
Iceland’s nature wonder is on at full force in the area as you see icy water and just near to it are the various bubbling hotspots of 100–120°C. Truly the Land of Ice and Fire!
The highlight of the day was our last stop — Sky Lagoon. It exceeded my expectations in the bestest sense!
One thing that Icelanders love is swimming, and bathing, and hence they have tons of lagoons or swimming pools with geo-thermally heated water which allows them to have a hot bath in freezing cold too!
We had booked the entire 7-step ritual with lagoon access which was beautiful, relaxing, and the best! The lagoon is at the tip of the Arctic Ocean and hence you get infinity pool views
In this you step into the sky lagoon in step 1 breathing refreshing ocean air, and go into a cold icy plunge in step 2. In step 2, I took a quick dip and was literally frozen in the brain! Step 3 is Sauna which opens pores, removes toxins, and cleans the skin with an amazing ocean view (from the largest window in Iceland!).
Step 4 is cold mist which stimulates the senses, step 5 is applying a body scrub all over the body which has almonds, butter, salt, etc. Step 6 is going to Steam which opens the pores once again and makes your body smooth and slippery from the pack heating off. The final step is a relaxing hot shower to wash away all the worries and toxins!
And finally plunging back into the lagoon to relax and chill. We spent a good 3 hours there soaking in the joy and peace, drinking excellent Apple Cider Beer, and being grateful and happy!
Overall, a must must-visit experience and not to be missed at all!
Post this we thought the day could not have ended better. But boy we were so wrong! We had met an Indian couple based in the US at our hotel. They had become Northern Lights hunting expert having seen it 5–6 times in the past week on their trip! We had asked them to take us to the most optimum places to view the lights at night. They came in around midnight and we departed for the hunt!
In just 15–20 mins of our drive, we were about to be bedazzled by nature’s wonders. We spotted the Northern lights glimmering gently with wavy green hues! The interesting part that we did not know earlier was that it’s very tough to see Northern lights through the naked eye. It’s best viewed through a camera in Night Sight. Else it’s faint green gases due to solar flares that you might see. We spotted the lights in 2 places, stopped a bit to admire its beauty, and took pics. Outside it was -4°C so your fingers were freezing when you took photos.
But overall, one of the best days of the trip easily!!
Day 3
Highlights- Black Sand Beach & The Sunset!
Departed at ease from the hotel around noon. We had warnings for the Northwestern part of Iceland with snowstorm warnings and advisory that certain routes might be closed due to heavy snow. We were hoping it did not happen and with prayers departed for our next stop!
We visited Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls which were pretty good. In Seljalandsfoss you can go behind the waterfall and get a bit drenched and take pics. Unfortunately, the path to go back was still snow-covered and the route was closed! Skogafoss was the bigger waterfall and the better one. We climbed 200–250 stairs to reach on top to see the river and the origin of the waterfall with a great bird s-eye view around.
From there we reached Vik a nice, small, and beautiful town famous for its black sand beach. I always ask for local recommendations and did the same as we checked in. Our hotel check-in staff recommended we visit Dyrholaey! In any new place, locals are the best to recommend unique, undiscovered places and we were not disappointed
It was a 15-minute drive from our hostel and an amazing place. Known as ‘Door Hill Island’, it is the southernmost part of Iceland. In the summertime (May-Aug) many Atlantic puffins nest in the cliff faces of Dyrholaey which we missed out on :/ A fun fact was that in 1993, a pilot flew a plane through the small Dyrholaey arch (daredevilery max!) to show his flying prowess.
We also saw the largest collection of seagulls and ice birds. A really cool place if you are visiting Vik.
Post this we had dinner at the famous Black Crust Pizza place recommended by the Indian couple. It was simply delicious! It was around 8:30 pm and the sun was about to set. Yes, sunsets in Iceland happen around 9/9.30 pm! We quickly departed for the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach made particularly famous post GoT shootings! We hoped to capture amazing sunset views from there.
The view of the sunset as we reached the beach was just magical and jaw-dropping! It is hard to describe the experience in words! The crisp sunset gave 5–6 shades of orange, pink, red, and blue and was majestic. We could only stare at it starry-eyed and experience the awesomeness! A sunset to be treasured for a lifetime and possibly the best one I have seen to date!
We also went to the beach and saw its beauty against the strong waves. There was a yellow alert issued for the beach which meant you had to be far behind the waves. We admired the basalt stacks and saw the roaring Atlantic waves and stunning panoramic views.
And rightly so for Black sand beach is considered among the most dangerous beaches in the world. This is because sneaker waves which are large powerful waves can come suddenly and topple you or take you into the ocean. Hence best advised to be cautious and explore the beach and its waves from a distance.
Chilled at our hostel post this and played cards before retiring for the night.
Day 4
Highlights- Glacier Walk & Ice Cave!!
The hostel in Vik was pretty nice with friendly vibes. We departed and headed for our next stop which was Vatnajokull National Park. We were eagerly looking forward to the Glacier Walk and Ice Cave tour that we had booked in the park that day!
Vatnajökull National Park is a protected wilderness area in south Iceland. It’s defined by massive glaciers, ice caves, snowy mountain peaks, active geothermal areas, and rivers.
Just 30 minutes from reaching the park, we met with an unexpected hurdle. The road ahead was closed with a yellow alert! The weather agency had assigned a 2 on 4 rating due to a wind storm and blocked the road to go further! The update we had was that the roads might be opened in 4–5 hours which would ruin our day’s plan! We started calling the activity operator and hotel to cancel our booking for the day dejected. Thankfully and with god’s blessing they opened the roads within 30 minutes of our waiting! Ironically, the wind directions had changed and it was now coming for where we had halted! So we were asked to quickly leave!
The drive was a bit terrifying from there with wind speeds of 140–150kms/ hr. Our cars swayed in the strong winds and you had to carefully steer the vehicle with both hands. Thankfully we made it in time! The tour was delayed by 30 minutes to allow others to also arrive safely.
We were wondering how the tour would be conducted in such strong winds. But we were about to be pleasantly surprised! We got ready for the tour putting on helmets, taking our crampons, and hike-related gear like ice axes. We started with a 15-minute bus ride. Then we hiked for 15–20 mins.
As the ice was about to start, we put on our crampons. In just 5 minutes post that we reached the ice cave!
It was a very small cave but you really marveled at nature’s beauty and just stared wide-eyed at it! We spent 10 mins there as our guide Francesco recommended we spend more time on glacier walks which is more beautiful. So we duly followed his advice. He also told us that we were lucky to see an ice cave this time of the year as generally, they melt. So good fortune for us again!
We then went for our hike which was close to 2–2.5 hours but probably the most enthralling, bedazzling, and picturesque scenery I will ever get on a hike. We traveled over a stunning outlet glacier navigating through a labyrinth of high glacial ridges, deep crevasses, and other glacial landscape features.
The entire view looked right out of a window wallpaper scenery. And to our surprise, we found the winds to be calm and limited cold as we hiked uphill. We hiked a few glaciers. Francesco also told us about certain glaciers that were slippery as they did not get sunlight and hence were slippery to walk on. On the other hand, sunlight-beaten glaciers were brown and easy to walk on.
We saw one more ice cave which was almost melted and then saw a few more glaciers and took amazing pics. We also broke a bit of fresh ice and ate. Only if we had a few colorful flavors we could have made the freshest ice lollies right there :p Thankfully the Trek was quite beginner-level against what I anticipated. Plus the views were so amazing that you easily lost track of time! But this was by far the best activity we had done and probably would do on the trip! As we descended, we did not want to go down and wished that we could stay there forever. Such an amazing place!
Once we came down we read about the various aspects of the park. We were short on time to cover other places in the park as we had to depart for Hofn which was 2 hours. En route, we accidentally discovered Diamond Beach which was pretty good. The beach has various ice forms and the sunlight gives reflection of it being various diamond shapes and hence the name ‘Diamond Beach’. Waves were very powerful and we took quick pics and departed.
Reached around 9:30 pm and retired for the night.
Day 5
Highlights- Snow Fights & Our Snow Covered Property to Stay in!
Today was mostly a driving day with limited stops and activities. But it was really the most scenic drive with picturesque scenery and fantastic views! And the delightful part was that within 5–10 km, the scenes changed- from brown mountains with little sprinkling of snow to pristine clean blue water to angry sea with huge waves to snow-covered mountains. Every nature scenery was there to witness and be delighted with!
It was as if God had sent his best painters down to create different views of nature and showcase them in Iceland! Raw untouched natural beauty which is truly a Heaven on Earth!
We travelled through East Fjords which had beautiful lovely towns. You could see the perfect hut-shaped houses there neatly arranged with a small dockyard. These towns were lovely and symbolized a perfect, happy, peaceful life!
We also passed through a 6kms mountain tunnel which was amazing. I was thinking of the architectural marvel and the costs it would have taken to build this. We then visited the town of Seydisfjordur and stopped for a good lunch. The cafe was run by a couple and their pizza, and fries were pretty good. We also met a naughty Icelandic child and played with him a bit. He was speaking Icelandic which we did not understand but it was good fun!
The last 30 minutes of our drive to the property was spectacular and terrifying with almost zero visibility and a thick sheet of snow all around. Your eyes went white seeing that much snow! As we reached our hotel it was pure bliss with a fresh snow blanket adorning the entire property and nearby areas.
As we parked our car at the hotel, we let loose our inner childhoods! We indulged in snowfights, made snowmen, fell in blankets of snow, roamed, and sang in the mild snowfall and it was a delightful experience. One of the best memories to treasure!
Unfortunately, due to the weather, we could not do Hengifoss waterfall as the road to it was closed due to snow, and had to skip it. But we utilized the extra time. The property had a hot bathtub with beautiful views of the property and snowfall which we made full use of! Dipped in hot water while enjoying fresh snowfall above! What bliss and relaxation!
Chilled at the property post that and watched an old B’wood movie!
Day 6
Highlights- Dinner at Hotel Laxa
Today was marred by activities we had to cancel due to closed roads :/. Unfortunately, we had to skip Asbyrgi Canyon Hike and Detiffos waterfall as the side roads were drenched in snow and hence closed :/ I was looking forward to visiting Detiffoss as it’s the most powerful waterfall in Iceland but alas you can’t do everything in Iceland and have to keep your travel plans adaptable!
Given the extra time we had we decided to go to Husavik and explore the town on foot at leisure. All towns in Iceland are pretty small- probably like a small colony in Delhi or Bengaluru with limited local people seen. But the town’s beauty with colorful hut-shaped houses, excellent decorations, and snow-covered everywhere makes you jealous of the people who stay here! The peace, calmness, and relaxing vibes of these towns are wonderful!
We saw the Husavik Whale Watching Museum from the outside briefly and checked out various whale-watching tours. Initially, we had planned to do it but decided to cancel it later due to poor reviews from fellow travelers that we encountered in our trip.
Had a vegan burger at N1 which was pretty good. As we roamed, we saw Icelandic kids doing ice skating in shorts at 2C temperatures!
By evening, departed for our hotel as we were staying in Myvtan. Lake Myvtan was 10 mins from our property but was all snow-covered so we could not see or hike around it! But the entire landscape and scenery was again something to die for! Mesmerizing views indeed!
We checked into our hotel which was pretty nice with amazing interiors. Played Table Tennis and Darts and chilled out. The highlight was an amazing vegan dinner served by a very friendly staff where we had mushroom, grilled cauliflower, and chocolate mousse. All of them were Master Chef-level presented, beautifully decorated, and super tasty. One of the best meals we had till now!
Stay Tuned for Part 2 where I cover the remaining part of our trip…
