Iceland - Full circle on the Ring Road
- jen colenutt
- Apr 3, 2019
- 4 min read
Layovers in Iceland are becoming more and more popular – why? Because this place literally looks like another planet with its remote fjords, glaciers, waterfalls and geysers. It looks so much like another world that there was a Sci-Fi movie being filmed right on the glacier that we trekked!
Driving the Ring Road
How much time should you spend here? One week would be ideal to drive the Ring Road that encompasses the island and it is 1,332 km of pure road-tripping magic. The mountains will have you gasping in the crisp Icelandic air and the enormity of nature is overwhelming and with no barriers anywhere, waterfalls literally drop at your feet.
Be prepared that ANYTHING can happen on the drive – the weather is completely unpredictable and the wind can get intense. There is very little traffic but keep an eye out for goats, flocks of sheep, the thickest fog I’ve ever encountered and loose gravel. When renting a car, be sure you know how to drive standard as that’s the model of most cars here and an automatic car was significantly more expensive. So after a few YouTube lessons and a lot of stalling, we were off on a jerky kind of start.
Before you go, download Ulmon Pro maps - you can use it to locate yourself on a map without having to use any data and as a warning - don’t go off the major roads because conditions may easily get you stranded. Bring snacks and water for the car - always. It’s an island so food is a bit pricey at the grocery stores so pack what you can beforehand.
Reykjavik – Start Here
This is the beginning and the end. Wandering around in the compact downtown area in the wind and rain, the cafes and restaurants emit a warm red glow from candles bouncing off the stained glass and seem to invite you in at every turn. It is a small and friendly city with the most people that you will see gathered together on the entire trip since the rest of the island is pretty remote. Stop to check out the church here and take the elevator to the lookout point – you can get a view of the city from up here and if you’re lucky enough, some music from the choir.
I travelled at the end of September and while the flight was a bit cheaper it actually snowed one day in the north! Peak season is summer to enjoy long days of light and warmer weather but be sure to book ahead as it’s busy with tourists. If you’re brave enough to face the cold, the Northern Lights are a sight to behold in the winter (so I’ve heard – there was no activity in the 12 days I was there unfortunately).
Sites to see (one day)
Thingvellir – We stopped briefly in this national park that was shrouded in mist.
Geysir Hot Springs – Literally huge blasts of Sulphur spewing from the depths of the earth, great to see.
Gullfoss waterfall – No holds barred, no barriers between you and a giant picturesque waterfall that you are looking down upon.
Kerid crater – A 3,000 year old volcanic crater made of red rock that encompasses a turquoise pool – this was by far the most stunning of the day.
The infamous Blue Lagoon...
First stop – Skogar
A 2 hour drive took us to see Skogafoss, and Seljalandsfoss – two great waterfalls that literally fall at your feet. The lush hills of green, pastures and grassy rooves rise up around you and you know the journey has begun. There are few accommodations in small towns like this one and usually the restaurant is attached to the hotel – I didn’t see any restaurants but sometimes the gas stations have hot food for the cold drives. Bring an appetite for Arctic Char because it’s on almost every menu at the hotels and it’s fresh!
Skaftafell
On the drive to Skaftafell to do a glacial hike, we stopped at Vik – a black sand beach with rock formations but strong winds pelting at us forced our tour onwards. There was a cool bridge wreck that we snapped a few photos of and later learned at the tourist centre that it had been washed away due to severe flooding. The video shows just how treacherous the weather can get here! Here you can do glacial hikes/walks/climbs and after strapping on some ice pick shoes over our boots, we were trekking on a glacier covered in layers of ash that had sunk its outer layer from the volcanic eruption2 years prior.
Seydisfjordur
Set aside some time for a 6 hour drive and a stop at the glacial lagoon. Sparkling like glass, these glaciers are up close and personal and there’s a whole field of them. Driving up mountains, gravel roads and a thick blanket of fog was all worth it to see the tiny town of Seydisfjordur tucked in an inlet surrounded by trees bursting into autumn.
Myvatn
Continue onto Myvatn with quick stops at Krafla crater and the lava field. Not to be missed is Namajfall Hevrir which is essentially mud pools and sulphur pits, but very photogenic ones! The best breakfast since starting the trip was at the Cowshed cafe. There’s lots to see here - Grjotagja grotto, hike through Storagja volcanic crack, Hverfjall crater and hike through Hofdi park. Finish afternoon soaking in the nature baths - it was surreal having snow fall while chilling in 39 degree blue milky water. There were only a handful of people here and it was only a fraction of the cost of the Blue Lagoon. Here it started to get cold and even snow one night so bring your woolies and treat yourself to a cabin at Vogafjós Guesthouse where the floors are heated with the natural geothermal energy of the island.
Akureyri
Yet another waterfall along the way – I’ve stopped counting at this point but the scenery is epic and ever-changing nonetheless. Here we diverted for some back country horseback riding and it was amazing! At Polar Hestar we ran full out into the mountains on Icelandic horses that have hipster-type manes that fall into their eyes. This was definitely a must-do!
The last leg is about 4.5 hours and with the weather looming there was not a lot of sightseeing stops that we took advantage of on the way back. Here you could reach out the fjord fingers but you will need an all-terrain vehicle to navigate these roads.
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