Iceland
Getting There Getting Around Car Hire Getting to Iceland from Australia you can take several different routes - via America, United Kingdom or Europe. We flew to the UK then with Iceland Air to Reykjavik – although they also have flights to New York which are pretty reasonable if you going the America route. There are some cheaper options via UK with EasyJet and other cheaper carriers – so it is worth checking out. If you get you flights via the Flight Centre we found that they loaded your airfares by about 20% and there were also other lots of fees. So we booked online. When you arrive at Keflavik Airport be aware that it is located about 45 kms from Reykjavik. The landscape is very interesting almost like landing on the moon with the larva fields all around. We found this very cool. There is a bus service that takes you into Reykjavik for about $15 euro each. They usually sell tickets on the plane coming in or you can buy at the airport. Taxi is about $150 aud. Getting back to airport is the same. If you hire a vehicle you can often return to airport for a
fee – which can be worth it. Reykjavik city is really cool and very accessible on foot. Iceland you can utilise various forms of transport. They have has a good internal flight system. So you can often fly to very remote areas as an option. There is a bus service on the ring road around Iceland – we did not use. We opted for hiring vehicle and we both would recommend a 4wd even if it’s a small one and it gives you more options. The bulk of roads even unsealed ones are very good. Roads through the centre of Iceland we couldn’t access (due to the time of year we were there – they were closed) lots of travellers recommended these journeys as they can be a bit more adventurous. 4WD vehicles can access these roads during summer time - the locals often access these areas with giant wheeled vehicles as there are a number of river crossings, but a 4WD should be fine – just a bit bumpy. If you do get a car, make
sure it has a bit of height under it is handy for some spots. We hired from here https://procar.is/ which is in Reykjavik. They were far cheaper than others and you could also get 100% insurance cover. Damage to paint can be a danger with high winds and volcanic ash which actually rips the paint off the car. The ash is super fine and is everywhere even if you can’t see it. Some options at other places can have large excesses in the thousands. If you are going hire from Akureyri make sure you check about a possible fee for getting the car back there from Reykjavik. You may also want to check how busy they will be at this time. We went just on the cusp of summer and car rentals were all sold out. Expect to pay about double what you may pay here – most of it insurance. They also have several of the bigger name rentals but some were very expensive for shorter terms.
you are a long time long time lost
Map Guide
Road Conditions Weather Landscape Drinking Water Check details here http://www.road.is/ travel-info/road-conditions-and-weather/ Check this site for info not only about conditions but also how many cars have gone past in the last hour and last 24 hours. A perfect way to check for how many others are out there. Looks like all roads are now open – nearly all the middle was closed when we were there. I expect they should be ok when you are there but if you check the roadmap it will give you wind and temps – this might be handy for getting a feel of conditions over there. So snow “shouldn’t “ be an issue but anything can happen in Iceland. Your biggest danger is WIND. They have electronic signs along the highways advising the route – temperature and wind speed in metres per second –far number on right. Anything more than 20 M/S is dangerous. They do have speed cameras but mostly just within a few hours of Reykjavik. Speed limit is 90 mph on the highway but add 30-40 mph the further out is how fast most go.Fuel is about $2 a litre and stations are as I saw 100% paid with
a credit card in an automated box. Put your card in, select amount or fill and then put in the fuel. Make sure you have a couple of credit cards just in case. A lot of spots there is only the autofill station and no help handy. They have minimal spots along the road to stop and look at the view.Any wind even light is very cold – all the time. If you can keep the wind out you can stay warm ok. So a shell and layering clothes should be fine. Just same as AR stuff. I used shoes with a gortex upper and found these worked very well in keeping my feet warm. So any exposed skin will not be good if it is windy – including face etc. The road map site is good for checking these conditions. Don’t assume anything – always check and be c onservative. A van blew off the road the week I was there and coming off these roads in rarely a good option. Trees generally don’t exist. Its lava fields, sheer cliffs, creeks, river, waterfalls, glaciers and more of that. Not super high mountains but steep. Everything is harsh, wild and beautiful. I’m guessing there will be other water along your
route. Oh and geysers/volcanoes in some areas. Be careful around geyser areas as it has like a ceiling caps of mud but can be thin in spots so underneath may fry your feet or all of you. There are little if any barriers to anything spectacular ie. no fences etc. If you fall off and hurt yourself that is your fault. Only some of the places closer to Reykjavik have any safety arrangements. Many of the lava fields we saw had a 4-6 inch thick layer of moss over the top – very spongy and super soft to lie on but not so easy to walk on. Others will just be rocks and others may still have lots of flowers and some low brush. You can drink straight from anywhere and it is lovely. The main water supply isn’t treated. The water/geysers also supply all the heat in accommodation. Tap water – hot water will have a slight sulphur taste. Cold water nice and pure. Run the cold tap for a bit to let the pipes clear the hot water – otherwise you will get a sulphur taste. For 3 days I thought all the water had this taste.
Vik
Reykjavik
Currency Accomodation Food Every single place we went – even in the middle of nowhere had credit card. I mean everywhere! But you can get some currency (Króna) from the ATM in Reykjavik just in case. Try not to bring any home with you as I don’t think you can change it here. With cash you will also end up with coins down to 1 kr or 100th of a cent. Best to book ahead as summer is popular. Staying in Reykjavik you either need a car or stay near the original city area. It’s a cool funky sort of place. Outside this area is suburbs and we didn’t do much in that area. We stayed in some AirBNB accommodation in Reykjavik in a 2 person nice apartment. $165 aud a night. The Icelandic AirBNB hosts are very unobtrusive – arrangements clear and they did not meet us. Although, if you needed anything they were always helpful. Hotels can be expensive and the big name ones are out of the old city area. There are hostels and lots of small places but again maybe best to book ahead. But contact them before to get an idea. Out of the main big towns accommodation can be limited as everywhere is a very small town/ place. Only 100k people spread out of Reykjavik. We just walked everywhere or if needed took a cab. There are also some limited bus services but I think you need a bus card. Out of town we stayed in hostels with https://www.hihostels.com/ .
Booked ahead a few days on the net – pay a small deposit online and the rest when you arrive. All were nicely kept double rooms, some with ensuite and communal cooking and many in very good locations. All heated. Everything you buy from a shop, bakery or restaurant is expensive compared to Australia. Think of as like dining in upmarket places. Can range from double to 3 -4 times the price. There is no such thing as a cheap takeaway. Eg $35 for a hamburger. Most coffee is premade and refill out of a jug. Don’t expect things to be open out of Reykjavik. Nearly all supermarkets didn’t open until 10 or 11am and some shut at 6pm and others 11pm and others not open at all. So keep some food on you if you don’t like going hungry. Supermarket prices are similar to Australia. Good range at most places. These supermarkets are about the size of an IGA store. If you are drinkers but alcohol has a 40% tax. Accomodation 10% and the rest mostly 25%. You can buy duty free at the airport but if you drink wine it’s still expensive for ordinary wine and beer still expensive. All alcohol is controlled by the govt. So if you want takeaway buy at the airport. It’s a busy spot. Many towns won’t have minimal eat out options. If you like special hotdogs with some difference look at for red caravans selling them in some places. In town they line up bigtime. Icecream is also popular. Yogurt (SKry) is a speciality and very yummy.
Isafjordur
Local Tour Guide
West Fjords
Phones Language cameras Pools & Swimming We got a Nova mobile sim card for about $20 and used for text and internet. Just stick it in the phone and away it went working straight away. There are a few phone shops in the old town. Reception was good in nearly all places and along the main ringroad. English is spoken (in some form) everywhere. Always fun to try Icelandic though. Often the english is spoken in many different accents
eg posh pommy, Irish, American I suppose depending if they went to Uni somewhere etc. Although all the kids learn in school. If you have a DSLR change lenses under a towel or similar. There is a lot of superfine volcanic ash in the air. Despite lots of cleaning I only got it out and off the sensor after vacuuming the inside of the camera with a regular vacuum. The roads are full of people in cars with cameras so watch out
for sudden stops and people taking selfies in silly spots or driving and taking shots. The Icelandic’s love their pools. Lots of towns and villages have a hot thermal spa or pools. Most are like regular swimming pools but have usually two pools heated by thermal water. We didn’t go to the tourist spot “Blue Lagoon” and chose to go to the local pools and they were great.
These are all over the country
Keflavik
Keflavik
Jens friend Sal
Sal & Keith
Local Fisherman