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Exploring Iceland was an experience that was both rewarding and challenging. While recent pushes to incentivize tourists has made this island a tourist hotspot in the past few years, Iceland truly has an adventure for everyone. Want to lounge in comfort at a stunning hotel underneath the northern lights? Iceland is for you. Want to drive down a jarring and unpaved road (f-road) for hours to see a stunning and untouched landscape? Iceland is for you. We tend to structure our adventures to have a little but of both.
While there are hundreds of activities to do in Iceland, our favorites were the ones where we were able to get away from the crowds. If you are tackling the southern coast like we did, push yourself to drive the few hours past vik to spend time adventuring around Hofn. You wont regret it!
For this trip I bought a new Jacket. Patagonia's Nano-Air® Light Hoody
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Landmannalaugar
The Drive to Landmannalaugar takes about 2.5 hours from Keflavik Airport. After heading east on route one, and making a left on route 26, we came to our first F-Road of the trip, F26. While these rocky and off the beaten path roads are daunting to drive on at first, they offered incredible sights. As you drive on F26 to Landmannalaugar - you will feel like you are driving on Mars. The contrast of the Moss Green Mountains and black sand roads creates a stunning view.
When you get to Landmannalaugar, you are immediately met by the beautiful painted mountains. There are tons of campers in the basecamp hanging out and relaxing in the hot springs. We had an amazing time walking and hiking around the camp and were able to get our first taste of an Icelandic Hot spring. Landmannalaugar was an incredible introduction to a landscape unlike anywhere else in the world. The drive in, on its own, was well worth the trip and was one of the most beautiful drives we have ever taken.
Vik is a quiet little town of 200 people sitting on beautiful black sand beaches. The people here are super friendly. Don't be surprised if your waiter from one night is also checking you out at the grocery store the following day!
We stayed outside Vik at Guesthouse Vellir, a sleepy inn about 10 miles away from town. The view from our bedroom window was breathtaking and the horses added a romantic touch.
The town of Vik has a ton to do, and is just a few miles away from Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls. If the weather is nice, check out the Seljavallalaug Bath, but be warned that the water is a bit chilly.
In downtown Vik, there are a few nice restaurants and stores. Hanging out in the Icewear store ended up being a highlight. The attached grocery store was the perfect place to buy travel snacks.
Reynisdrangar (The most visited black sand beach) was beautiful, but a bit crowded and touristy. It is easy to get to regardless and worth crossing off the list. We also visited the famous airplane crash, which no longer directly accessible via car. It requires a long 4km hike, but is worth it as the landscapes provided a beautiful unobstructed view of snowy mountains, vegetation, and black sand. Walk past the the airplane crash to the water to get a stunning appreciation of the vast black sand beach.
As we headed east out of Vik, we also stopped at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, a stunning hour long stop right off the Ring Road.
Containing one of the most fantastic hikes and waterfalls in Iceland, Skógafoss is a must see.
Taking a hike up the stairs to get a view of the waterfall and the ocean is a must, but the real magic begins as you continue on and start the Fimmvörðuháls hike, which begins with the waterfall. As you continue north on the hike, you will start to lose the crowds of tourists. This section of the hike, which leads to the Laugavegur Trail, contains countless waterfalls, each bigger that the last.
Even though we hiked through the rain, the vastness of the landscape, ferocity of the waterfalls, and vibrance of the green made this hike one of our favorite parts of the trip. Since there is not much elevation gain past the initial climb, those accustomed to summiting peaks will think of this hike as a cake walk.
While we didn't continue too far due to the weather, the three hours we spent hiking was absolutely surreal. In better weather we may have continued on to Porsmork!
JThe Glacial Lagoon, Jökulsárlón, is one of the most beautiful natural features we have ever seen! The depth of the blue and the texture of the glaciers are absolutely stunning.
As you walk around the lagoon you will most likely be able to see seals playing in the surf.
Make sure to take a walk to the ocean to see the icebergs slip out into the sea or wash up on the beach.
At Jökulsárlón, we saw our first glimpse of sunlight. And as the clouds lifted we could see the tendrils of the glacier slip down to the lagoon. The contrast of the white glacial ice, black mountains, and blue lagoon created an unreal panorama.
The Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Europe, and an incredible place to explore. It is easily accessible from Hofn, and there are a wide variety of activities you can do here.
We drove up the glacier in a Super Jeep. While most people seem to favor snowmobiling, the Super Jeep allowed us to go farther onto the glacier and higher on the peaks of surrounding mountains.
As we drove up, we passed multiple locations for Game of Thrones filming - and even saw a crew pulling up airplane parts to create a plane crash for a new movie.
From the peaks of the glacier we had stunning views of the landscape and the sea. Being able to see the ocean from a glacier was definitely a new experience.
On our second day at the glacier, we opted to kayak in a glacier lagoon. This is highly recommended over kayaking at Jökulsárlón. In this tour, we were able to get up close and personal with the icebergs. There is no danger of tipping icebergs due to the murky color of the water. We wove through different icebergs, paddled into crevasses, and even hopped off the kayak to walk on one.
My absolute favorite part of Iceland was the Vestrahorn and Stokksness. This may be one of the most underrated and least talked about gems in Iceland. We were lucky enough to read about it in our guidebook (Lonely Planet) - because no where else mentioned this.
DO NOT be fooled by negative reviews of this place on Trip Advisor. The people who left these reviews clearly did not spend the time hiking here. And next time we visit Iceland, we will definitely be prioritizing spending more time here.
As you pull up to the Viking Cafe, you will see a small hut to get a hot chocolate or coffee. After refreshments you can take the 25 minute walk to the Viking Village. This stunning movie set is an incredible place to explore, and the wooden structures set against the mountains create quite a view.
The best part of the landscape comes after continuing past the village through 45 minutes of marshland. As the Vestrihorn continues to grow in sight, you will come upon a stunning rock beach. Don't be alarmed by the chimneys, as a US armed forces base was stationed here during WWII. What a posting that must have been. We spent time exploring the rock beaches and views. The crashing waves, turquoise water, and magical granite mountains are out of this world.
Once you are done here, you can return via the black sand beach and head past the observatory to the lighthouse. Hiking around here will give you incredible view of crashing waves. If you are lucky you can see seals or puffins during the summer!
As far as little towns go, Höfn is a masterpiece. Sitting at the base of the Vatnajökull Glacier, this town is an incredible jumping off point for glacial exploring and hiking. The gateway to eastern Iceland, I can't recommend staying in Höfn enough.
Höfn is a quaint town with incredible food and a homey feel. Don't miss sunset at the waterfront walk - as this will give you a magical view of the water and the glacier. Just sitting and watching the sunset here may have been one of our favorite parts of the trip.
When it comes to food. The langoustine is a must try. We had an incredible meal at the Pakkhus Restaurant. While a bit pricey, it was worth every penny to get an authentic Scandinavian treat.
Even better was Hafnarbudin a small diner that served out of this world langoustine sandwiches, fish n chips, and ice cream.
Take a drive 10 minutes out of town to see the Hofell baths. The perfect place to relax after a long day of hiking or exploring the glacier.
While we mostly went to Iceland for the outdoor adventuring, we were excited to get some R and R in the beautiful city of Reykjavik.
Reykjavik has an incredible mixture of fantastic food, bars, and culture, and we spent most of our days hopping from cafe to cafe drinking coffee and eating incredible food.
When you go to Reykjavik, make sure to take the walking tour. The guides are incredible and the whole tour is free. Our favorite activities included, eating, walking around to find beautiful graffiti, and eating.