My Iceland Travel Blog

Read about my self drive vacation around Iceland! Summer (August) 2008. See photos of the sights we visited.

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Iceland Featured in a Dentyne Gum Commercial !

I was flipping channels the other day and an image of the black beach at Vik (my favorite place in Iceland!) flashed across the screen. I instantly recognized the troll rocks :)

Anyway for those of you heading to Iceland, do check out the Dentyne Ice - Iceland Commercial. It really captures the beauty of Iceland. Much better than the Dharma Initiative-esque ones on the Iceland tourism site! Haha!

Here's a screen capture of the commercial. Love!!! Perhaps you may recognize the other places in Iceland featured. Please post it in my comments box, I would love to know!

Iceland Travel Guide - Start your planning here!

Planning a vacation to Iceland?

This is everything you need to know for anyone researching trips to Iceland! This includes travel resources from hotels and cars and things I wish I had known before heading to Iceland!


Resource Pages

Iceland: My 10 Day Driving Itinerary - All mapped out!

Iceland Car Rental - All you need to know about driving in Iceland

Iceland Hotels - Some websites where you can book rooms.

Ferry Baldur - Sail from Snaefellenes to the West Fjords

Iceland Weather - Don't bother with weather.com, this site shows the temperature, wind, from Iceland's Meteorological office for all Icelandic cities. All in English

Air Iceland - Domestic Flights within Iceland (Pretty cheap at $90 each way)

Iceland Travel Store - Don't leave home without these essentials!

See Iceland's Vik beach in a Dentyne Ice Video Commercial

Did you remember everything for your trip?
Visit our Iceland Travel Store to find out.

My Iceland Diary
With photos and info on the hotels we stayed at.

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Iceland - My 10 Driving Day Itinerary !

It took a bit of work planning our self drive vacation through Iceland. Having a limited number of days to work with, I wanted to cover as much as I could without sacrificing the whole experience.

As you know, getting time off is hard to come by and I think we did pretty well in 10 days. We visited the main sights such as the Golden Circle, Skaftafell National Park, Jokulsarlon, Myvatn area, the West Fjords, and even Askja in the interior! Obviously, we could have used more time but this was the perfect combination for us.

I've mapped out the route we took in Google Maps and I think would be really helpful. Wish there was a site like this when I was planning my trip! Just click on the map to zoom in further.


View Larger Map

My Iceland Diary
With photos and info on the hotels we stayed at.

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Iceland Car Rental

Renting a car in Iceland is expensive. Not surprising I guess since everything IS expensive. I think it's about economies of scale. Not enough people and a limited summer.

Anyway the major car rentals in Iceland are listed below. We went with ALP.is (which is really run by Budget). They offered the best rate I could find of about US$90 a day for a small compact car (Toyota Yaris). If you pay before hand the rate is slightly lower. It cost us about USD$40 to gas up each time. Not too bad!


FAQs:
1) Do I need an SUV
2) Will I need an Iceland road map?
3) What are the major car rental agencies in Iceland?
4) What are the driving distances between cities in Iceland?


Do I need an SUV?
If it's in the summer and you aren't planning on camping off the beaten path then a 2WD is perfectly fine. Your rental agreement allows you to travel on gravel roads though NOT "F" roads as seen on the maps. The 2WD will take you through the West Fjords and all the major tourist sites.

Will I need an Iceland Road Map? Are the guide books sufficient?
You will need one because the maps in the usual guide books are inadequate. (I used Lonely Planet and Rough Guide). We wanted to use our GPS but there are no Iceland maps for TomToms. :(

We ended up buying a complete Iceland book of driving maps. It cost us US$40. But hey we had no choice, but you my friends, can avoid this!

Support me and buy your Iceland map by clicking on these links! :)

Waterproof Map of Iceland - $11.95 on Amazon




Lonely Planet Iceland - $15.63 on Amazon




Rough Guide Iceland - $15.95 on Amazon



List of Car Rental Agencies

ALP ( Always Low Price | Budget )

RA Recommended! Pick up from the airport (Keflavik | Intl) or BSI Bus Terminal (within walking distance from the city). Unlimited mileage.

Berg Car Rental They have service stations throughout Iceland as well.

Atak Car Rental Available at airport (international), BSI (bus terminal in Reykjavik), and any Reykjavik Hotel

AVIS | Sixt Unlimited miles. Pick up from Keflavic Intl Airport or Reykjavik Hilton

National Car Rental Largest car rental in Iceland. Unique in that it offers many locations outside of Reykjavik so you can supplement your trip with flying. Looks good!

Hertz Iceland Lots of locations throughout the country as well (Akureyri, Isafjordor etc.) but this was the most expensive rental agency when I was searching at $180 for a compact.

I've listed the ones I like most but here's aComplete listing of car rental agencies.

What are the driving distances between cities in Iceland?
This table provides a comprehensive listing.

(Courtesy of the Iceland Tourism Board)


Bear in mind that the speed limit is 90km/hr on paved road. On gravel we were able to drive between 30-70km/hr depending on the quality and curvature of the roads.

Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Driving Route: Budir -> Borganes -> Reykjavik -> Keflavik

We're flying back to Boston today at 5pm. I'm really sad that our vacation has come to an end. Turns out that the guesthouse we were moved to "Gistihusid Langerholt" wasn't all bad. Though that doesn't mean Hotel Budir is off the hook (Hotel Budir I am still mad at you).

While the inside was really basic, we could see Snaefelljokull from our window. Spectacular! We also spent the morning exploring the area around the hotel and walking out to the beach.

Check out the glacier in the back. The hotel owner's son also mentioned that the Northern lights, usually visible from the hotel, were starting to appear again. We set our alarms for 3am and 4am but saw nothing. Ah well ...



The surroundings:


We left the Snaefellnes peninsular at about 11am and had some time to spare so we stopped by Nautholsvik Thermal Beach in Reykjavik. One of the "must sees" in Reykjavik according to one of the guide books, but I didn't find it particularly interesting.



Le sigh ... we leave Iceland with fond memories!


Accomodation:
Gistihusid Langaholt or Guesthouse Langaholt (Gistihusid = Guesthouse)

I highly recommend Guesthouse Langaholt. It used to be a farm but was converted to a guesthouse in the 60s when the owners decided to go into the tourism business. While it isn't as fancy as Hotel Budir, it is charming in its own way. The setting of the hotel is lovely with mountains and the ocean in the backdrop. The owners are extremely hospitable and friendly. More of a "real Icelandic".

Also, not all rooms at Hotel Budir have a view the Snaefelljokull :P

View from Guesthouse Langaholt:


The room:



My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....

Do you remember this episode of Saturday Night Life? The one with the Scandinavian art dealers and Will Ferell? I think I get it now ...

( It must be true, all Icelanders know each other! )

Me: You played in a band with Bjork's sister?
Icelandic Hotel Owner: No, Björk
Me: Bjork?
Icelandic Hotel Owner: No, Björk
Me: Bjork?

And iterate ...

The SNL Nuni video is here:


Visiting Art Dealers - The top video clips of the week are here

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 9: Food and Botched Resrvations ... How Cruel

We stopped by a farm Bjarnarhofn where the family has been making putrid shark for generations. (Near Stykkisholmur) You can read more about our visit on my food blog.

The final product:


Slabs of fermented shark hanging to dry:


To get over the trauma of the putrid shark tasting, we headed to Narfeyrastofar in Stykkisholmor for a delicious dinner of local lamb and trout. It was almost 8pm when we got out and started our drive to Hotel Budir where we had reservations.

The parking lot at the hotel was the most crowded we'd seen in all of Iceland (outside of Reykjavik). As a city girl at heart, I was pleased to be back in civilization. The place was bustling as I stepped in and I was happy. The inside of the hotel was also nicer than the boring Ikea, minimalist style hotels we'd been staying at.





How unprepared we were for the surprise that awaited us.

Through no fault of ours, the hotel had incorrectly penciled our reservations in for a different day and did not realize it till a couple days earlier. They then tried to contact us by phone but couldn't reach us (DUH we forgot to unlock our phones). My question is, why didn't they call someone who was contactable instead?

So anyway they had no rooms left. My nice evening stolen from me. I was SO MAD. We ended up having to drive to a different guesthouse about 15 minutes away. At least Budir payed for our room that night, but that doesn't exactly measure up unless they give us a free trip back.

Accommodation:
Planned for Hotel Budir
Relegated to Gistihusid Langerholt (See my review of Langerholt here.)

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins at Latrabjarg

We had to catch the 2pm ferry (Ferry Baldur) from Brjánslækur (Brjanslaekur) in the West Fjords (southern part) across the bay to Stykkisholmer on Snaefellnes peninsular. It's a 3hr ferry ride and saved us HOURS of driving. Our car came for the ride for an additional $US35. Yipee!

This meant we had a couple hours to visit the bird cliffs at Latrabjarg, also the westernmost point in Europe and an hours drive from Hotel Latrabjarg. We were all excited because we love seeing wildlife (if you haven't guessed this already).

When we got to the bird cliffs at 7am and it was eerily quiet, windy, and not a soul in sight. Aren't there supposed to be thousands of birds here? Not suspecting anything we hiked up the cliffs for about half an hour and still nothing! Where were the puffins?

No people, no birds ...


I was not a happy camper at this point. Drenched by the rain and freezing from the relentless wind, while trying to find non existent puffins, I decided to give up. Anyway we learned later that the puffins left early this year. How UNFAIR! The guidebooks said they leave in August and September.

Isn't this false advertising. See the excerpt from the Rough Guide below. I was of the impression that we'd still get to see puffins at the end of August. Hrmp. OK OK rationally speaking wildlife is impossible to predict.

Although the guillemot is the most common bird at Látrabjarg, it’s the thousands of puffins that most people come here to see. The high ground of the cliff-tops is riddled with their burrows, often up to 2m in length, since they nest in locations well away from the pounding surf, ideally surrounded by lush grass and thick soil. They return to the same burrows they occupied the year before, almost always during the third week of April, where they remain until August or September. - From the Rough Guide

I am also annoyed that the folks at Hotel Latraburg failed to mention the departure of the puffins, even though we asked specifically about it.

But we saw a cute baby gull. No that isn't any consolation.


Also on the way to Latrabjarg is "The Most Beautiful Beach" in Iceland, Breiðavík. I suppose one of the few with "normal" sand.


A beautiful day for a boat ride. The captain claimed they saw orcas on the way over to Brjanslakur! But we weren't so lucky.



Sights covered: Latrabjarg, Breidavik, Ferry Ride, Stykkisholmur (Stykkishólmur), Berserkjahraun, Budir.


Accommodation: Langerholt Guesthouse near Budir on the Snaefellnes Peninsular.

What I wish I'd known:
Don't get me started on the puffins ....

Latrabjarg is about 2 hours from Brjánslakur. Leave yourself additional time because the ferry only sails twice a day in summer and you don't want to miss the boat.

More in the next post ...


My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 8: A Hellish Driving Day in Iceland's West Fjords!

Drove: Holmavik -> Latrabjarg via Ísafjörður (Isafjordur)
It's gravel galore!

Not one of our best days. We woke up to raging winds and I got trapped in the car door while trying to get into the car. SIGH. Not a pleasant experience I tell you, trying to hold the door open while the wind tries to crush it on you. I sure regret not doing more bench presses in the gym.

As our car shook in the winds, I kept wondering if our tiny Toyota Yaris would get blown over. Is this even possible? Wish I were a bit heavier to add weight. Why why why were we so cheap? Should have upgraded to the SUV.

Nevertheless, the SO managed to brave the winds for some photos.

Here's a church in Holmavik. The town is really quiet or maybe everyone (aside from silly tourists) was home taking refuge from the crazy winds.

Oh no, it's the end of the world!


On the curvy fjord roads with crazy winds blowing. Hey isn't a Fjord supposed to be protected from such things? I don't even know if its raining or sea water. Whatever ...



This photo is soo deceiving it's misrepresentation. It does not reflect at all how bad the weather was. Dear Mother Nature, just adding a rainbow does not make it all OK ...



OK here's some proof. See the windsock? It's straight:



Isafjordor:


We eventually made it to Latrabjarg. The driving took us almost the entire day without too many stops. Left Holmavik at about 10am and reached Hotel Latrabjarg at around 6ish in the evening.

Anyway that's it. Today was kind of a stressful day for me, even though I wasn't the one driving (haha!). Lots of mountainous gravel road. Being a worry wort, I was afraid the car would blow off the cliff or break down. There was also this weird rattling coming from our gear box. We think it's wind related.


Accommodation:
Hotel Latrabjarg. $130 a night with shared bath. $180 a night with private bath. Another drab hotel but clean.



Sights covered:
Navigated the West Fjords. They should sell t-shirts saying "I survived the West Fjords". I'd buy one. =)

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 7: Off the Beaten Path - Grettislaug Pool

Driving Route: Akureyri -> Glaumber -> Saudakroker -> Holmavik

Sort of. Today we spent the morning in Akureyri and then started our drive towards Holmavik in the West Fjords. Akureyri is the second largest city in Iceland. Pretty cute though there wasn't much to do in terms of sight seeing.

Akureyri:


Church in Akureyri:


Along the way we stopped at Glaumber to see the 18th century farm houses, then detoured to Grettislaug where there's a natural hot pot!

Glaumber is probably the oldest structure we saw in Iceland. Everything else we've seen is rebuilt or new (1900s). The farmhouses are small and low to the ground!


Cemetery near Glaumber:


Grettislaug is a pool from Grettir's Saga near Sauðárkrókur. According to the Rough Guide it is "off the beaten path". Well not so much anymore since it's now written up in the book. There were 2 other couples there. It is somewhat hard to get to since it's 20km towards the coast via gravel road.

The naturally hot pool where we took a dip. The water is geothermal but not sulphuric (YAY) :) The weather was cooperative that day and even a little hot so we had to alternate being in the water and outside, but it was nice and I worked on my tan while chatting with a nice Canadian couple. We spent a little too much time there not leaving till around 4pm for Holmavik but it was absolutely worthwhile.

Company at Grettislaug:


Saw some gorgeous Icelandic horses along the way:


As we drove towards Hotel Laugarholl near Holmavik, the weather got increasingly treacherous. It was almost 9pm and it had started raining. The wind picked up as well.

Sights Covered: Akureyri (church, Nonnihaus, town center), Glaumber, Saudarkroker, Grettislaug


Accommodation:
Hotel Laugarholl near Holmavik. It's 20km on gravel road from Holmavik (in the middle of nowhere) which took us longer than expected. The hotel itself has quite a few rooms and I was amused by the owner. He's this little old guy in his hotel fortress surrounded by his "stuff". He's technically saavy with his Macbook, large flat screen TV and satellite internet. I wasn't expecting this being so far out in the country. Hehe!

Hotel Laugarholl itself was basic like most of the places we'd been staying. Nothing to write home about. It was about USD$140 a night with private bath.

See where it is on a map.

Our room:


>> Take me to Day 8!
My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja

We didn't oversleep today! I think it's fate that wanted us to head to Askja on a perfect day.

The weather in the interior today was very mild and a little sunny. We weren't expecting much having somewhat gotten used to the unpredictable weather here so this was a big bonus!

This is the Askja bus ( Askja Bus Tour ) which departs from the Myvatn Info Center at 8am. Looks kinda decrepit but don't mock it. It has super large wheels (all 8 of them!) that allows it to double up as an SUV. This bus crosses small rivers.



We stopped by a couple places along the way. Mostly streams. At one of them we sampled the glacier water that tasted nice and crisp! (Poland Springs it is not HAHA) One of the stops was also where the Apollo astronauts trained (it's supposed to resemble the moon). I wasn't that impressed since it looked like erhhh most of the interior. But what do I know, I've never been to the moon ...

A stream:


The lunar landscape:


Finally we reached Askja! In case you're wondering there were several toilet stops along the way (campsites). Iceland never fails to amaze me since they have very clean toilets everywhere! Even in the most remote of places ....

It's a pleasant 2.5km hike to the caldera. It's a desolate kinda beautiful out there! A perfect setting for a luxury resort / spa IF the weather wasn't so treacherous :P Apparently it can get really windy and cold. One of the other travelers we met at the hotel said that the wind was extremely strong and they needed a winter jacket while out there a couple days earlier. They are Austrian so it must be freezing right? HAHA

I don't think anything grows in Askja. To get a sense of the grandness of it all, check out the 2 tiny people at the end of the cliff.


You can take a dip in the crater though the path down is quite steep and muddy. The water is warm (22 deg) by some standards and stinky by all standards. We had to suffer a mixture of sulphur and BO trapped in the beard of a fellow passenger :P URHGK



Anyway the trip lasts about 12 hours. It leaves at 8am and returns at about 7.30pm. You can buy tickets from the Myvatn Info Center and the cost was about US$150 I don't remember exactly.


Places covered: Askja

Accommodation: Akureyri. We decided to spend the night in Akureyri to reduce driving time to the West Fjords the next day.

What I wish I'd known:
Bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty so you can slide down the slippery muddy slope to the crater. Also bring a change of clothes and a towel. All of which we didn't have.

Oh and in case you are wondering, yes bring a winter jacket and dress in layers. We went in late August and we needed all this.

>> Take me to Day 7!

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 5: Jardbodin Nature Baths - Spa Myvatn !

In the evening, we headed to Myvatn Nature Baths for a soak in the nice warm geothermal water. It's right next to Hverir so I suppose it's the same water, laid out in a more civilized way. Beats jumping into the stinky sulphur pools at Hverir. It's about a 5 minute drive from our guesthouse in Reykjalid (near Myvatn).

We didn't go to the Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik since our friends told us that this one was way better. And they were right!

A sublime experience at sun set with with the mountains as a backdrop ...




LOVED it! Even though the water was rather sulphurous smelling :) There's nothing like jumping into a heated bath when it's chilly out.

What I wish I'd known:
Myvatn Nature Baths is open till midnight daily!

Bring your toiletries if you want to take a shower there instead of back at your hotel. They also have hair dryers in the ladies room.

>> Take me to Day 6!


My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 5: All Fossed Out at Dettifoss

Driving Route: Around Myvatn -> Dettifoss -> Asbrygi Canyon -> Husavik -> Mvyatn

We didn't let the morning's events put a damper on our mood. Rearranged our schedule and toured the Myvatn area in the morning. I think Myvatn is really one of Iceland's gems. For one, this region gets less rain than the Reykjavik area! HAH Also the volcanic activity around here really makes for a beautiful and varied landscape.

OK too many words. How about some photos.

Mini tephras around Myvatn:


A small part of the lake:


At the top of Hverfjall. It's made up of volcanic ash.


Dettifoss posed a bit of a problem. The only way to get there is via 30km of gravel. We hadn't driven much on gravel previously and I was concerned that it would damage the little car and tires. Eventually, we proceeded anyway since we saw many similar rental cars navigate the road.

Presenting Dettifoss! Anyway that's it for Fosses. I really don't want to see anymore.


We even took on the rest of the gravel road to Asbrygi Canyon another 20km away! It's really quite underrated and pretty there. You can go right up to the Canyon wall without riding a donkey. :P

You can see the horseshoe shape here.


Places covered: Dimmibogur, Hverfjall, Myvatn Lake surroundings, Dettifoss, Asbrygi Canyon

Accommodation: Elda Guesthouse


What I wish I'd known:
It's easier to drive on gravel at high speeds. We drove slowly initially (30km) and boy was it painful. The rattling was driving us crazy and giving SO carpel tunnel. However, when we sped along at 70km/hr things started looking up. The rattling stopped, perhaps since we were "flying" over the gravel. Another plus is you arrive at the destination sooner haha!

>> Take me to Day 5 "Jarbodin Nature Baths"

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 5: Iphone Malfunction

You would think that in this day and age phones would go off "silent" when an alarm is set. Apparently it doesn't. *SHRIEK* Missed our super jeep tour this morning to Askja which was costly. We had to pay half the tour value for nothing (USD$200). *#!*@!!

>> Take me to "Day 5 - All Fossed Out"


My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 4: The road to Myvatn

Driving Route: Holmur -> Hofn -> Egilsstadir -> Reykjalid (Myvatn)

Today was mostly a driving day. Destination Reykjahlid which is near Myvatn. We considered stopping by a village in the East Fjords. After circling a couple tedious baby fjords, we changed our minds. I'm getting a little concerned about traveling the West Fjords. More of the same? * Shudder *

We're leaving Holmur here. The rainbow is consolation for dreary skies and rain.


We got to Reykjahlid in good time! We left Holmur at around 7am. Stopped in Hofn to stock up on groceries. Also stopped on the way for lunch and arrived at Myvatn around 3pm. We went to the info center which was very helpful. You can book bus tours to Askja from here. There's also a tour to Lofthellir ice caves which we sadly had to miss since it's only offered certain days. :(

Last eruption at Krafla was 1976. That sure explains the random steam coming from the ground and the smell of rotten eggs at Leirhnjukur.


Huge crater viti (can you spot me in red?)! The water in the crater is aquamarine blue and so pretty. Heard the water is freezing though.



Places Covered: Hofn (kinda drove through down), Eastfjords (drive by), Myvatn Area (Krafla, Leirhnjukur, Viti, Hverir)


Accommodation: Elda Guesthouse. Good central location. Basic but clean with sinks in-room. Decent spread at breakfast. (Don't expect too much it's Iceland!) Cereal, toast, cold cuts, tomatoes, cucumbers, pickled fish, coffee, juice. They also have free wireless and a well equipped kitchen (no flies). The bathroom smelled stinky like sulphur but I suppose it's the region and the water. A variety of people staying here. Some families with older kids, some younger couples like us. Also some European tour groups?

What i wish I'd known:
Don't be clueless and book your tours (Lofthellir, Askja) ahead of time.

Askja Bus Tour
Super Jeep Ice Cave Tour - From Hotel Reykjalid
Super Jeep Askja Tour - From Hotel Reykjalid

Could easily have spent another half day at Myvatn. I only scheduled 2.5 days.


>> Take me to Day 5!

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye

Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (Channel U2)

Driving Route: -> Vik -> Skaftafell National Park -> Jokulsarlon -> Holmur

It's amazing how seeing the sun can instantly lift my mood. And gosh darn there was much sun today! I am elated! I love the black beach at Vik. I realize I may be biased because this is the first time I've seen the sun in days.



Saw some puffins near the cliffs though from afar, and I mean AFAR. Luckily I've mastered the art of puffin spotting from our trip to Boothbay Harbor in Maine where we cruised around searching for them. All 2 of them :P they are endangered in Maine.

We befriended a Spanish family along the way, let's call them the Carlos. 2 kids in tow. One is 5 the other 9. They seem to have the same itinerary. Being the competitive b#@*# we are, we tried to beat them but barely. Apparently we are slower than 5 year olds. But hah they didn't make it to Jokulsarlon before the rain. Take that tortoises!

Dramatic landscape on the way to Skaftafell National Park. Old lava (* nods knowingly*) because there is lots of moss on it. Saw the various glaciers along the way, there are many, though don't ask me to identify any of them.



The biggest of them all! Vatnajokull icecap.


We had time to do a couple short hikes around Skaftafell. Svartifoss with the infamous basalt columns. We also took a hike up to the glacier.


Foot of the glacier. The temperature dropped all too quickly ... then I got chased by 2 renegade black sheep. SERIOUS. They wanted to impale me with their horns. I'm pretty sure they were incarnations of the devil.


The glacier lagoon (Jokulsarlon) but then the rain came ...


Places covered: Vik (Black beach with troll rocks), Skaftafell National Park (Glacier, Svartifoss + Unknown foss), Jokulsarlon (Glacier Lake)

Accomodation: Holmur Farmhouse (Set infront of a glacier. Not sure what these people are thinking). Farmhouse itself was aight. It's 33km from Hofn. The rooms were clean and cosy though the kitchen was rather nasty with flies. GROSS!

Picturesque setting of Holmur Farmhouse:


What I wish I'd known:

You don't have to hike up the mountain *cough hill* to Svartifoss. You can drive!

You can schedule an extra half day for a guided tour onto the glacier. Plan ahead. Don't be lazy like me. I was all exhausted after booking hotels and car rental. Here's a link to Glacier Jeeps that runs the tours to Vatnajokull glacier.

>> Take me to Day 4!

My Iceland Travel Blog Index

Day 1: Hello Reykjavik!
Day 2: Battling Nature? Not for the Faint Hearted
Day 3: It's a Beautiful Day (channel: U2)
Day 4: The road to Myvatn
Day 5: Iphone Malfunction
Day 5: All Fossed Out
Day 5: Jarbodin - Spa Myvatn
Day 6: The Barren Interior and Askja
Day 7: Off the Beaten Path
Day 8: Hellish Driving Day!
Day 9: Revenge of the Puffins
Day 9: Food and Botched Reservations
Day 9: Nuni? No Nüni ....
Day 10: Time to Say Goodbye