BostonFlyer1624

Yes. Just to echo what the other person said, since lodging is limited in some parts of the country, I would suggest booking in advance. You could eliminate this problem if you rent a camper/sleeper car.

mstraveler

Would certainly eliminate one problem but create some others IMHO . Not that I don't like campers - we did one last year in Alaska for ~3 weeks, but would just rather stay indoors this trip. Definitely need to book in advance and thanks all for the advice.

Craig95

In some areas you may have luck finding AirBnb places, particularly if it's end of Aug. I was there end of Aug/start of Sep and did the RR in a similar time period. We tent camped for a few days and then stayed in an AirBnb house booked a few days before, then camped again, then house...
It gave us some flexibility (that we needed due to weather), but also a chance to put our feet up in our 'own place' or meet some locals - both of which were memorable. Many AirBnb places have a flex cancellation policy (24 hours+ notice).
Prebook a nice hotel in one spot perhaps, then save your $ for langoustine in Hofn

Green Dragon

It's been a long time since I've been active on Flyertalk, but I thought I'd come over and wave hello!

I'm planning my first trip to Iceland for late July this year. My husband and I are in our low 40s, can walk several miles, but not overly active. We love history and photography/gorgeous landscapes.

Here is my itinerary so far. Please feel free to comment! I know I have WAY too many things listed. It's more of a 'what we could do while we're in this area' list, rather than what we WILL do in each area.

We do plan on renting a vehicle with a GPS for our explorations. My biggest question to ask: Will we need a 4WD? I could get by, I think, with two day trips for Landmannalaugar and for Þórsmörk National park. If I were to do that, would 2WD suffice for the rest? Or would I still be very limited in my explorations? I know there are sites I would have more hiking to get to, but July seems to be relatively easy for roads. Advice is much appreciated! Thanks for any thoughts.



3 nights in Reykjavik (Blue House B&B)
2 nights in Skogar (Skogar Guesthouse)
2 nights near Jökulsárlón (Skyrhusid Guest House)
3 nights in Langavatn (Langavatn & Klambrasel Guesthouse Farm)
1 night in Vesturhópi (Hotel Borgarvirki)
3 nights in Ólafsvík (Hotel Ólafsvík)
1 night in Alftanes (Hlid Fisherman's Village)

Details of places we COULD go each stop:

Reykjavik:

Hallgrímskirkja Church
Penis Museum
Glymur Waterfall - tallest in Iceland
Hraunfossar and Barnafoss - lavafield waterfalls
Deildartunguhver - Most powerful hot spring in Europe
Þingvellir National Park - First Parliament (930)
Öxarárfoss
Almannagjá Canyon
Peningagja (coin fissure)
Geysir - the original geyser, geothermal hot springs at Haukadalur (nearby Strokkur erupts every few minutes)
Gullfoss double waterfall
Kerid Crater
Landmannalaugar colorful mountains/lava/springs
Mount Hekla

Skogar:

Seljalandsfoss - can walk behind
Þórsmörk National park
Mount Eyjafjallajokull
Skógafoss - often rainbows

On the way to Jokalsarlon:

Cape Dyrhólaey - ocean cliffs (puffins!)
Reynisfjara Black sand beach - basalt columns, caves
Núpsstaður turf-roof church


Jokalsarlon:

Jokulsarlon - floating iceburg lake
Vatnajökull National Park
Svartifoss - Black Waterfall - hexagons (near Skaftafell Visitor Centre)
Skaftafell - colored mountains

On the way to Langavatn:

Höfn - Glacier
Hengifoss and Litlanesfoss (basaltic pillars) and Lagarfljótsormurinn

Langavatn:

Dettifoss/Jokulsargljufur Canyon
Holmatungur
Asbyrgi Canyon
Voladalstorfa (puffins)
Godafoss
GG2 Big Whale Safari & Puffins from Husavik (http://www.gentlegiants.is/tours-and...-whale-safari/)

On the way to Vesturhópi:

Flugumyri
Hvítserkur monolith
Ketubjorg cliffs/waterfall
Kalfshamarsvik basalt columns
Hvitserkur

Vesturhópi:

Osar - Seals and Hvitserkur monolith

On the way to Ólafsvík:

Gerduberg basalt columns
Kirkjufell mountain

Ólafsvík:

Ferry to Barðastrandarvegur
Arnarfjörður fjord
Kaldbakur Mountain
Dynjandi Waterfall
Londrangar basalt cliffs
Snæfellsjökull.volcano/glacier
Vatnshellir water cave
Gatklettur - Arch Rock
Arnarstapi. grottos
Djupalonssandur Beach
Viking Sushi Tour

On the way to Alftanes:

Reykholt - Snorrastofa - Snorri Sturluson's home and museum/folk park, medieval studies
Borgarnes - Settlement Center/Borganes Museum
Gunnhver Hot Springs
Krýsuvík thermal area
Lake.Grænavatn - green water
Reykjanestjá
Valahnjúkur cliffs

Out of my Element

2 weeks, I'm jealous! We did 10 days in August, 2013 and 5 this past May.

I can't speak about your accommodations, but the two thoughts that immediately popped into my head about your choices are these:

From Jokulsarlon to Langavatn is a pretty long drive for one day. You'll miss the whole East Fjords, a nice drive around Myvatn (and the Myvatn Nature Baths which are, IMHO, better than the Blue Lagoon (and more affordable), as well as Hverfjall, which is a great hike up a very dormant volcano and the Namafjall boiling mud pots.

I've not heard of anyone staying in Alftanes. We stayed on the Reykjanes Peninsula in March and really enjoyed exploring that whole area.

Green Dragon

Yeah, we know that will be a long drive. We plan on spending some of our time in that area going back to Lake Myvatn and the Nature Baths. MUCH more appealing than the Blue Lagoon.

Green Dragon

Any thoughts about needing a 4WD?

Out of my Element

We rented 4WD on both trips (I drive 4WD at home), as we wanted to be able to go on the lesser quality roads (no stream fording for us!), and we were glad we did.

First trip we rented a Nissan Patrol, but were given an older model Land Rover, which was very nice. In March, since it was only a few days and it was winter, we just rented a Land Cruiser, wanting as much heft and familiarity as possible (we have driven more Toyotas than anything else).

I've read on tripadvisor's Iceland forums (do check those out!) that 4WD is not as necessary in the summer as high clearance is, so make sure if you get a 2WD vehicle that it's got some height to it, as some of the roads off of Route 1 aren't in very good shape.

Our favorite drive is Road 221, just west of Vik, where after 3-5 miles of ruts and washboard and potholes, you park just a few hundred yards away from the finger of a glacier. We saw 2WD cars there, but I doubt they came out the way they went in!

Two other roads we were happy to have 4WD for were road 550, heading north from Thingvellir. It used to be an F (Mountain) road, but they say it's been upgraded. Scary as all heck (as in, "is this really a road" and "now THAT'S a pothole", but amazing scenery and we were happy we took it from road 52 to Thingvellir. The other road was F570 on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, which had spectacular views right up to the snowfields (where we chickened out on going further).

Green Dragon

That's good news. I am going in July, so perhaps things will be a bit better than they were in March!

My biggest worry with renting a 2WD is our tendency to say 'Oh, I wonder what's down that road? It looks like the scenery will be amazing! Let's explore!' Randomly doing this in a limited vehicle makes me a bit leery. But I'm also cheap - do I want to spend that much more for the freedom?

Out of my Element

We were very pleased to have the 4WD in August for Road 221 and the other two. Would never have tried 550 or 570 in a 2WD vehicle.

Skimp on food, save on lodging, do not miss being able to go down "that road", it will be worth it.

Green Dragon

Fair enough advice! It won't be skimping - it will just be more to save up for, and perhaps a bit to owe when we're done. That's OK - I knew going into this that it wouldn't be cheap. Besides, it's 16 days in Iceland! Now, if it just gets dark enough for the Northern Lights one night... (yes, I know that is a slim-to-none chance in late July).

nirajshah8

Hi folks, the gf and I are travelling to Iceland in late September for about a week. We've put together a tentative itinerary and I wanted to gauge whether it makes sense, if we're tackling the best options, and any other general feedback / thoughts.

We're looking at starting out trip by spending the first 2 nights at a hotel in Reykjavik, then travelling south across the island and finding a place to stay near Vik / Skaftatell National Park / Jokulsarlon for 2 nights, then heading back to Reykjavik for 2 more nights, finishing up with a final night near KEF airport.

We've rented a Chevy Captiva SUV for the duration of our trip at a reasonable rate of $427 for the entire trip.

Day 1: Land at KEF, early morning
Drive to Reykjavik, spend day sightseeing in and around Reykjavik
Night in Reykjavik

Day 2: From Reykjavik drive to Thingvellir National Park, Gullfos Waterfall, Geyser (Geysir Strokkur)
Night in Reykjavik

Day 3: From Reykjavik drive Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls
Drive Reynisdrangar black sand beach

Need place to stay around this area (Vik)

Day 4: From Vik drive to Skaftafell National Park (Cave park)
Check out Game of Thrones scenes at national park
Drive to Jokulsarlon for glaciers (cruise around glaciers)

Need a place to stay around this area or back in Vik for the night

Day 5: Drive back to Reykjavik
Go to Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, Kerid Crater
Night in Reykjavik

Day 6: Reykjavik, perhaps going north on Road 1 (towards Borgarnes)?
Thermal pools?
Spend night in Reykjavik

Day 7: From Reykjavik back towards KEF
Check out the Viking Museum
The Blue Lagoon
Night at hotel near KEF

Day 8: Fly Out

Out of my Element

That's a great itinerary for that amount of time. Make sure you don't miss the Solheimajokull glacier en route to Vik!

We've stayed at the Hotel Hofdabrekka just east of Vik twice, and were quite satisfied. It's not fancy but it's well located, the included breakfast is very good, and the rooms are comfortable. There are upscale options in that area as well, if you're interested.

IMHO, the Kerid Crater is overrated, especially compared with everything else you'll see. It's also the only site in Iceland that charges admission (although I've read the government is arguing with the property owner against charging the fee). I like the idea of heading out to Snaefellsnes on day 6, it's really gorgeous out there.

tupungato

Quite cool volcanic activity place between Keflavik and Reykjavik is Seltun/Krysuvik on Reykjanes peninsula. Here is a photo: Seltun Krysuvik Iceland.

Also, very nice waterfall about 1 hour from Reykjavik is Glymur. I spent 3 weeks in Iceland and it was one of my favorite places.
Here is Google Maps route: http://goo.gl/s5kIgO
Here are some photos:
Glymur waterfall Iceland 1
Glymur waterfall Iceland 2

Alsacienne

Drive to Jokulsarlon for glaciers (cruise around glaciers)

Might be a very full day ....