Iceland

Iceland is a "hot" place for tourists today.  I am not exactly sure why but over the last few years everyone seems to want to visit Iceland.  In the summer of 2016, it got even more notoriety when its football (or soccer) team reached the European Cup quarterfinals, defeating a traditional powerhouse like England.  I know Americans don't care much about soccer but it's a big deal in Europe, because Iceland is a very small country compared to the others.  Its population is less than 400,000!

I decided to go to Iceland late in the summer, after I've decided to take a Hurtigruten Cruise along the Norwegian coast.  Between my granddaughter's 1-year birthday party and the Norwegian cruise, I had about 3-4 weeks I wanted to fill with some travel.  I checked many of the tour companies in Iceland but they were all fully-booked.  I asked 2 or 3 of them to put me on the waiting list and finally one of them responded - GJ Travel or GUÐMUNDUR JÓNASSON TRAVEL.  I was lucky.  They have been in business for 85 years, probably the oldest travel company in Iceland.  The tour was one of their most popular tours:  Guided Iceland Circle Tour  It's an 8-day tour but technically only 6 days because the 1st and last evenings are spent in Reykjavik.  The tour took us around the island.  It may sound like a lot of days but there are actually tours that last longer.  I think 6 days is just about right.
I've included the itinerary at the bottom of this post because I am sure the itinerary will change every year.  I paid about US$2,400 for the tour with a single supplement.  It'd have been about US$1,600 if I share a room with someone but I want to spare my roommate having to listento my snoring.

Iceland Circle Tour

The first thing that comes to mind after being in Iceland for about 10 days is the extreme geography - earthquakes, volcanoes, geothermal steam, glaciers, waterfalls, lavas, deep canyons, etc.  It's amazing that people have been living there since the 10th century, when the Vikings started settling there.  Today it's a modern European country.  Reykjavik is like any European city - museums, cafes, shopping, modern public transportation, concert halls, statues, memorials,   It survives on tourism, fishing, some farming, and very little industry.  Our guide told us that they built aluminum-smelting plants here because of the cheap electricity.

That's one thing going for Iceland.  Energy is cheap here.  You get cheap electricity from hydro-power and geothermal plants.  If a farmer owns land that has a waterfall, he can build a hydro-electric plant to tap the waterfall.  Even heating is cheap.  They just pipe hot-water coming out of the ground to the homes.

I took a 5-hour Icelandic Air flight from Newark Airport to Keflavik Airport, then took a 1-hour bus ride to the city of Reykjavik.  One thing I learned from trying to book my own accommodation here is that the hotels are expensive, averaging about $200 a night in the summer.  And it's just a 3-star hotel.  The good thing about GJ Tour is they put us in nice hotels, mostly owned by Icelandic Air.  Considering that it costs about $200 a night for a hotel room, the 8-night stay itself would've been about $1,600.

Reykjavik is a nice, clean and modern city.  It's dominated by Laugavegur Street, where all the tourists go.  Here, you find tour agencies with every tour and activity you can imagine, souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants, grocery store, etc.  Some of these businesses branch out into side streets.  It runs in a southeast to northwest direction.  At the end of the street, on the northwestern end, you find all the cultural activities - Harpa - the concert hall, some museums, more shopping, hotels, restaurants, tour agencies, etc.  It's where the waterfront is.  It's a nice area to take a stroll.  On the day before I left, a Saturday, I went into a building to get some coffee and found myself in an indoor flea market.  Like any flea markets, you find bargain hunters.  Here I found many non-whites, whether they are Norwegians or not, they look like they work and live here.  Asians (many Filipinos) and blacks (probably Africans).  At the hotel where I was staying, the cafe help was mostly staffed by Filipinos.   As always, I was mistaken as a Filipino myself.

Hotel Natura, where I stayed, and the tour bus that took us around Iceland

Laugavegur Street, the main tourist street

Hallgrimkirkja - a church and the tallest building in Reykjavik

Street art in Akureyri, capital of North Iceland

Lava from past volcano eruptions

Goðafoss, the waterfalls of the Gods

Main shopping and restaurant street in Akureyri

Mývatn Nature Baths

Dettifoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park

Námaskarð with bubbling mud pools

Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs.  A couple of seals are swimming in it.

Petra's Rock Garden

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall 

 Gullfoss, "the golden falls"

Geysir Geothermal Fields

Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis

I never expected to see the Northern Lights this early in the year.  On the next to last evening, we were told that there might a possibility of seeing the lights.  We asked the hotel front desk to call us in case the lights showed up.  At 10:30 pm, I got a call.  We went outside and sure enough, there were the Northern Lights.  It was pretty amazing.  It stayed strong for about 30 minutes, then started to fade.  I took some pictures, although not the best.

This was an amazing trip.  We drove about 1,700 km or a little over 1,000 miles in 6 days.  There are a lot of places in Iceland we did not go but I am sure we hit all the highlights.  Some places require all-terrain vehicles.  After 6 days on the bus, we had enough.  We can save the other places for future trips, example, places that are known for their photographic scenery.  Our driver, Sigbjorn Steinporsson and guide, Hilke Jakub, were very patient with us.  They are true professionals and I am sure sometimes we tested their patience.


Itinerary:

Day 1, TUE or FRI: WELCOME to ICELAND (50 km/31 mls)
Individual transfer by Flybus shuttle bus from Keflavik Airport to Icelandair Hotel Natura in Reykjavík where you spend the night. If you book the tour without accommodation the transfer is offered to BSI bus station. We provide you with ideas how to explore Iceland's capital on your own. Dinner suggestions as well!

Day 2, WED or SAT: VOLCANO CRATER, SEALS, FJORDS & MOUNTAINS (425 km/264 mls)
At 09:00 meet our tour guide and depart from Icelandair Hotel Natura. Travel west, passing the town of Borgarnes and climb the Grábrók volcano crater. In the afternoon visit a natural history & seal museum in a small fishing village in Northwest Iceland and stroll around the local harbour. Further north we stop at the turf church of Víðimýri which has been extensively restored to its original form and is widely considered one of the purest and most beautiful examples of traditional Icelandic architecture. We continue along scenic fjord landscape and over several mountain passes until we reach Akureyri, the capital of North Iceland. Overnight location is either at Icelandair Hotel Akureyri or on your own.

Day 3, THU or SUN: THE CAPITAL OF NORTH ICELAND, LAKE MÝVATN & GEOTHERMAL BATHS (120 km/75 mls)
In the morning we explore Akureyri, a charming town of 17000 inhabitants, visit the botanical garden and enjoy the panoramic view over Eyjafjörður fjord. In the afternoon we travel to an important spot in Iceland's history, Goðafoss, the waterfalls of the Gods. We continue to Lake Mývatn which is known for its geological wonders and active bird life during summer. We stop at the bizarre lava formations at Kálfaströnd followed by a walk around the many pseudo craters and end an exciting day with a relaxing soak at Mývatn Nature Baths that contains a unique blend of minerals, silicates and geothermal micro-organisms. The warm soothing waters benefit both skin and spirit alike. Overnight location is either at Hotel Reynihlíð or on your own.

Day 4, FRI or MON: LAVA LABYRINTH, HOT SPRINGS & TRAVEL EAST (250 km/155 mls)
In the morning we hike in a lava labyrinth at Dimmuborgir "the dark castles", hoping to get a glimpse of the trolls who are said to live there. After an optional lunch we visit the hot spring area of Námaskarð with bubbling mud pools and steaming solfataras. We head through the uninhabited highlands and moonlike surrounding to East Iceland. With some luck we might spot an Arctic fox or see reindeer. From June to August the tour includes a detour to Dettifoss, Europe's most powerful waterfall in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park. Overnight location is either at Icelandair Hotel Hérað or on your own.

Day 5, SAT or TUE: FJORDS, GLACIER AND ICE (470 km/292 mls)
It's a day to admire the dramatic fjord landscape and its tiny fishing villages at the end of twisty roads in the East Fjords and on route we visit an interesting stone and mineral collection. In the afternoon we see Vatnajökull – Europe's biggest glacier that is visible all over Southeast Iceland. Past the town of Höfn, we stop at Jökulsárlón, a glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs, and we explore the extraordinary site and might see seals swimming in arctic waters. You can walk on the black sandy beach where large icebergs get stranded. Depending on the season optional boat trips are available. We travel along the southern part of the glacier Vatnajökull and spend time at Europe's largest national park, which has Iceland's highest mountains, an alpine environment, and Europe's largest glacier. Overnight location is either at Icelandair Hotel Kirkjubæjarklaustur or on your own.

Day 6, SUN or WED: SOUTH COAST (240 km/149 mls)
A beautiful drive with many natural wonders awaits us today as we head across the Eldhraun lava field, cross the sandy desert of the south coast, overlooked by mountainous cliffs, glaciers and waterfalls. We stroll along the black lava beach of Reynisfjara near Vík. In the small village of Skógar there is Skógafoss waterfall which is 60 meters high and is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the country. Further west we stop at the Eyjafjallajökull Information Center and learn about living next to a glacier and an active volcano. We continue to the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall which plunges over the mountain. There is an interesting trail that goes behind the fall – if you are prepared to get wet! Overnight location is either at Icelandair Hotel Flúðir or on your own.

Day 7, MON or THU: ICELANDIC HORSES & GOLDEN CIRCLE (160 km/99 mls)
We explore classics today as we travel the route of the Golden Circle sights. We start the day at Friðheimar, where you learn about the Icelandic horse, its special qualities and history and visit a geothermal greenhouse. Later on we see steam from the Geysir geothermal fields as we arrive. There is a variety of hot springs and bubbling pools. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur "the Churn" which erupts at 5-10 minute intervals. We continue to Gullfoss, "the golden falls", which is a double waterfall that tumbles 34 meters into the Hvítá river and attracts travelers in summer and winter. We travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. As we return to Reykjavík, we take you for a short city tour to show highlights of the world's northernmost capital. Overnight is either at Icelandair Hotel Natura or on your own.

Day 8, TUE or FRI: DEPARTURE HOME (50 km/31 mls)
Individual transfer by Flybus airport shuttle to Keflavík Airport.