On July 1st my husband and I began our journey to travel around Iceland in 7 days. I will start by saying that it was very ambitious of us! Our adventures were filled with such unique and amazing scenes that left us speechless. I did my best to capture this incredible country, and I hope that this blog posting intrigues those ‘nature lovers’ to look into visiting this incredible place some day. Our overall experience was enlightening and filled with admiration.
Day1: Arrived in Reykjavik.
We checked into our hotel – splashed our faces with cold water (to wake up) and headed out the door to begin exploring. We had our first meal, traditional Icelandic soup, and then did some window shopping with a side of photo taking & people watching.
After walking around the city of Reykjavik we took a bus to the famous ‘Blue Lagoon‘! The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal pool with therapeutic benefits of mineral-rich waters. It was absolutely beautiful and romantic.
After our refreshing swim in the lagoon we decided to go on a night walk and enjoy the city before leaving it early in the morning.
Day 2 : The Golden Circle & South Coast
Today was the start of the real adventure. Though the city was cool to experience, we were so excited to get to the ‘nature’ that makes Iceland so magical.
Gullfoss ” Golden Falls” is a breathtaking two-tiered waterfall that drops 32metres into a narrow canyon. Such an amazing sight and powerful sound!
Pit stops for coffee were always a plus for us…especially since we had such long adventurous days!
Before our 20+ hours of daylight had ended we stopped to see a few more waterfalls… how could you not?
Bellow is the 40-metre high Seljalandsfoss waterfall. What makes this waterfall so unique is that you can walk behind the cascade via footpath at the base of the cliff. It was rainy out, and the path was muddy but we still ventured to see the views from behind the falls.
Day 3: A day of Black Beaches and Blue Glaciers.
Vik is famous for its black beach that has been named as one of the 10 best in the world. Though this beach is gorgeous it is also quite dangerous. A local shared some crazy stories about the shore at Dyrholaey beach; apparently it has such strong currents that it is known to suck people out into shore and never return. Needless to say, we made sure to keep our distance from the water.
From Vik we headed to Skaftafell, part of Vatnajokull National Park, an area of amazing natural contrasts next to Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in Europe.
Before we reached our destination we made a few stops to photograph some things along the way
We sat to enjoy some warm delicious soup for lunch before a small hike to the glacier!
Day 4: Eastern Fjords
Near Egilsstadir is Iceland’s largest forested area at Hallormsstadur. Currently there are over 40 tree species from around the world planted in this sheltered area.
Today was full of beautiful scenic drives – such a peaceful day. This also gave us time to rest up a little from the first few days that were jam packed with excursions!
As the night quickly approached us we had two options- to check into our guesthouse for the night or keep driving and enjoy the ‘night sun’ at Hverarond. So, that is what we did, and it ended up being one of my favorite nights of the trip.
Hverarönð is a geothermal field which is full of mudpots, steam vents, sulphur deposits, boiling springs. Simply beautiful and miraculous.
Iceland Power plants are kinda pretty!
Our place of rest for the night- Vogar Farm (Vogafjos).
Day 5: Lake Myvatn
If only every morning could start off like this one did. We sat on the patio of the Vogafjos Cafe and enjoyed a healthy breakfast while admiring the mountains in the distance and enjoying each others company; followed by a swim in a heated geothermal pool.
Myvatn Nature Baths was even more blue then the ‘Blue Lagoon’…which I didn’t even think that was possible.
(above image was taken with a water camera)
We didn’t experience too many sunny days on our trip – but this particular day was full of sunshine! And when that sun was out, so were the
rich blues in the sky.
After sitting at the edge of the Godafoss waterfall we headed towards Akureyri, the “Capitol of North Iceland” where we stopped for a wonderful Italian dinner. Then we had a cosy night stay in the middle of no-where at Hofsstadir Guesthouse. As we were getting settled in our cabin we grabbed a pen, our maps, reading material, and hot tea and started discussing our route for the last full day of our trip. Then fell asleep to the sound of cows in the near distance ‘mooing’.
Day 6: Snaefellsnes Peninsula
When you are in the middle of no-where this is what a gas station looks like.
We took several detours today and the first was along the eastern shoreline to check out the curious rock formation of Hvitserkur.
Since we were near one of the largest seal colonies in Iceland we went on the hunt to find them!
Our last night of stay was in Hellnar. Hellnar is a fishing village nestled on a dramatic coastline with unique rock formations, rugged cliffs, and home to many sea birds.
Day 7: Home sweet home
We had a lovely breakfast at the hotel and then explored Londrangar before leaving the Peninsula.
One last coffee stop for a Swiss Mocha. Yum
Because we were making good time we decided to stop at the Blue Lagoon again. It was so interesting to see the contrast of how it looked on a sunny day verses a rainy romantic day like we had upon our arrival. Either way, amazing place to visit.
Then our adventures ended just like that…and we were off on a Six hour flight back home to reality!
Whenever I think about this trip I get this wonderful sensation of adventure and overwhelmed by the beauty that exists out there in the world. I am so blessed that my husband and I got to experience Iceland together and hope we get to return again in the future. Till then, I have these wonderful memories and unforgettable experiences that I get to share with all of you.
Enjoy!
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by andrea
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