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PBaruch: https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=60568.0
Aurora, Storms, and Snowpants: An Icelandic Saga by Something Fishy, whYME, and ChAiM'l
@Yehuda
BrachaB
Ponash123

Airlines that fly to Iceland direct from NY:
1. Iceland Air
2. Delta
3. Wow Air
4. United (May 23 - Oct 4)

Hotels in the Reykjavik Area:
1. 101 Hotel (supposedly one of the best spas in Iceland)
2. Ion (set on a lava field and one of Iceland's newest luxury hotels)
3. Hotel Ranga
4. Blue Lagoon Clinic Hotel (provides exclusive access to a private lagoon for hotel guests only)
5. Radisson BLU 1919 (Can use Club carlson points and in the middle of town) Will warm and store food for a nominal fee.

Camper/RV Rentals:
There are several places where you can rent a camper truck or motorhome, including here:  http://www.campericeland.is/

Campgrounds:
The campgrounds in Iceland are large and never feel crowded.  Many offer excellent facilities and amenities.  You can drive in at any time of the day or night and pay the nominal fee whenever the office opens.

Kosher Food:
Kosher food is pretty much non existent in Iceland.  Even many American brands do not have a hechsher.  Some foods that have been found with a hechsher are Cheerios Cereal, Nature Valley Granola Bars, and Powerade.  That being said, several DDF members have been able to bring in kosher food/meat without being checked or stopped.  Just walk through the "nothing to declare" line.

Random tip of the day: if you are in the Reykjavik area and need to heat up a meal but don't have easy access to an oven, the Ikea food court has an oven for guest use. Right side, near the sandwich and pastry checkout.

Tons of great seating as well. (HT: SomethingFishy)

Language
Most of the populace speaks English and children are taught English starting in the sixth grade.  It is rare but you might find some older folks that do not speak English.

Communications:
The Iceland Air Saga shop sells starter Síminn branded sim cards for a nominal amount.  If you order in advance, they will even deliver the sim cards to you on your Icelandair flight (one of the cheapest options to get a starter sim card).  You can also find stores in the airport that sell sim cards.  Vodafone is the other major carrier in Iceland and also sells sim cards.  You can purchase the Saga Shop sim starter here:

http://www.sagashop.net/men/detail/?id=57860-0009

GPS - Navigation
Garmin Nordic Maps includes Iceland and can be purchased here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BS4Q3I?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

Voltage
Iceland uses 220v.  Most cell phones, cameras and laptops come with a multi switching power supply (verify by looking at power supply) so you will only need to buy a cheap adapter such as this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058EG0KC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01

Currency/Credit Cards
Credit cards are almost universally accepted in Iceland.  As a result, you may find no need to exchange currency for the Icelandic Kroner (ISK).  If you use a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees, you should be set.  If you do decide to exchange currency, there are ATM machines in the airport right outside customs.

Activities:
1.  The Golden Circle Tour is very popular and takes you to Geysir (lame compared to Yellowstone), Gulfoss Waterfalls, and Thingvellir (where the continental drift between the North American and Eurasian Plates can be clearly seen in the cracks or faults which traverse the region.  You can dive in a lake and touch both plates). 

2.  Inside the volcano tour to Thrihnukagigur Volcano.  In this tour, you either hike ( a few kilometers) or take a helicopter charter from the Reykjavik airport to the volcano.  Once there, you are lowered by a construction type lift into the magma chamber.  The least expensive way to get a semi private tour of the magma chamber is with the helicopter, which takes you there in between the regularly scheduled tours.

3.  There are various Super Jeep Tours (vans and SUV's with tractor tires), including a tour to Langjokull Glacier, where you drive onto the glacier.  Private tours can be arranged.

4. Jokulsarlon - a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajokull National Park.  Here, you can take a duck boat tour or a zodiac boat tour of the lake where you will see icebergs, seals, and various birds.  Across the road from Jokulsarlon is a black sand beach where you can see icebergs on the beach.

5. The Blue Lagoon - the public lagoon gets very crowded and if you go it is recommended to get there when they open.  If you can manage a stay at the Blue Lagoon Clinic Hotel (currently 15 rooms but they are expanding to 30 rooms) you will get exclusive access to the private lagoon for hotel guests only.  Since there are only 15 rooms at present, the private lagoon rarely has more than a handful of people in it at any time. Most people do not make a full day out of the Blue Lagoon and instead go on your arrival into Iceland or upon departure before the airport. All the Bus lines have stops to and from the airport. 3-4 hours is ample time.

6. Waterfalls abound including Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss.

7. Dog sledding in Skallafell.

8. Icelandic Horses - Horse back riding is extremely popular in Iceland. Most residents actually own a horse. Iceland is the only place in the world where you will find the Icelandic horse. It has 5 Gaits oppose to the 3 that most other horses have. They are gentle animals and very comfortable to ride.
« Last edited by yelped on June 21, 2021, 11:36:59 AM »

Author Topic: Iceland Master Thread  (Read 220610 times)

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #540 on: October 09, 2017, 06:51:48 AM »
http://www.icenews.is/2017/10/03/a-new-concept-for-an-aurora-explorer-introduced-by-icelandic-camper-company/
This is the company that had a bad booking sure and overbooked me / cancelled before my trip. I would assume that issue is fixed, but anyway, if there auroras are dancing, would you really want to sit inside your camper?

Online Something Fishy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #541 on: October 09, 2017, 08:02:50 AM »
This is the company that had a bad booking sure and overbooked me / cancelled before my trip. I would assume that issue is fixed, but anyway, if there auroras are dancing, would you really want to sit inside your camper?

It sure would be nice to fall asleep watching them...
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Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #542 on: October 09, 2017, 11:32:01 AM »
It sure would be nice to fall asleep watching them...
What's stopping Mr. Fishy from sleeping outdoors? There are no polar bears in Iceland.  ;D ;D

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #543 on: October 17, 2017, 07:57:22 PM »
What's stopping Mr. Fishy from sleeping outdoors? There are no polar bears in Iceland.  ;D ;D

LOL

Although I am currently planning a Svalbard trip that involves sleeping outside in polar bear country.
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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #544 on: October 17, 2017, 08:02:19 PM »
can we spend shabbos in RV with kids?

Let's do this one at a time...

RV: Do you mean RV or campervan? RVs are not a good option in Iceland. They are completely out of the picture in the winter, and in the summer all the companies you see are fronts for the same two very shady places. Stay far, far away.

Kids: RV: sure. Campervan: sure, but crowded. And only two beds, max.

Shabbos: RV: AYLOR, there are many issues, most solvable. See the RV thread. Campervan: Absolutely not.

In any case, I don't know why you'd want to do that. Find a nice guesthouse for Shabbos and you'll be far happier.
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Offline boruchy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #545 on: October 17, 2017, 08:29:44 PM »
i meant campervan.
thanks for the reply.
we booked tickets for the end of january,  ( still able to cancel tomorrow )
is that doable with 2 little kids?
or too windy? would the kids be able to be outside at all?
is it better to stay in the hotel and rent a car and drive daily ?
or do campervan partially ? ( thats where bathroom issues comes with kids )
we are arriving Thursday and leaving Tue evening.


Online Something Fishy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #546 on: October 17, 2017, 08:56:22 PM »
i meant campervan.
thanks for the reply.
we booked tickets for the end of january,  ( still able to cancel tomorrow )
is that doable with 2 little kids?
or too windy? would the kids be able to be outside at all?
is it better to stay in the hotel and rent a car and drive daily ?
or do campervan partially ? ( thats where bathroom issues comes with kids )
we are arriving Thursday and leaving Tue evening.

- See me post here re. daylight in January. End of Jan will have around 6-7 hours of daylight, make sure you're fine with that.

- Which campervan? You'd need one of the larger ones.

- Chances are that it'll be incredibly windy, but I doubt it'll be bad enough to blow the kids into Munchkinland. That being said, Iceland in the winter is not something to be trifled with. I doubt the kids would even remotely enjoy being outside in that.

- Campervan vs. hotel+car depends what you plan on doing...

- Partially works great, @yehuda did that and loved it.

- No bathroom in the campervan, so you'd need to go al fresco (remember that there are no trees in Iceland and to mind the wind :D) or in gas stations (which can be few and far between). You could also use a campsite for bathrooms and showers, but the vast majority of those will be closed in the winter.
« Last Edit: October 17, 2017, 09:27:05 PM by Something Fishy »
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Offline ponash123

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #547 on: October 18, 2017, 09:35:06 AM »
What does 9 AM look like in Jan? Is it really dark or more like dusk?

Online Something Fishy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #548 on: October 18, 2017, 11:09:31 AM »
What does 9 AM look like in Jan? Is it really dark or more like dusk?

9am on January will still be pitch dark. Sunrise isn't until 10:42, and it'll never get really bright, considering the sun never climbs higher than 5.4°.

Play around with the dates here to see how the rest of January compares, it varies quite a lot throughout the month:

http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=63.741500,-19.978345&dt=20180115133000%2B0000&center=63.4827,-18.9676&z=7&spn=3.29,14.80
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Offline ponash123

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #549 on: October 18, 2017, 11:12:16 AM »
9am on January will still be pitch dark. Sunrise isn't until 10:42, and it'll never get really bright, considering the sun never climbs higher than 5.4°.

Play around with the dates here to see how the rest of January compares, it varies quite a lot throughout the month:

http://app.photoephemeris.com/?ll=63.741500,-19.978345&dt=20180115133000%2B0000&center=63.4827,-18.9676&z=7&spn=3.29,14.80

Thanks. Considering going Feb 1, for that reason. Looks like it will be a lot better then.

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #550 on: October 18, 2017, 11:14:28 AM »
Thanks. Considering going Feb 1, for that reason. Looks like it will be a lot better then.

You'd get an extra hour and a half of sunlight per day, but still only around 7 hours. If you can go mid-Feb, that's even better.
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Offline BrachaB

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #551 on: October 18, 2017, 05:25:15 PM »
@Something Fishy, I'm doing some more research into self-touring Iceland during my stopover next week, and I have a few questions.
-Do you have any Jewish contacts in Iceland? I know there's not much of a Chabad there...
-Did you encounter any locals who would be willing to take people on private tours in their own car? Booking private tours online is way too expensive, and I wanted to know if there was an alternative to doing the driving and touring on my own.
-Did you have any experience with non-camper rental companies? Do you think it's smarter to rent from an international company (Avis, Enterprise, etc) or a local one? It seems like the local companies charge less, but on the other hand, the international companies [might] have discount codes. Do you know if local companies would upgrade your rental if they had cars available?
Thanks!

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #552 on: October 18, 2017, 05:31:03 PM »
@Something Fishy, I'm doing some more research into self-touring Iceland during my stopover next week, and I have a few questions.
-Do you have any Jewish contacts in Iceland? I know there's not much of a Chabad there...
-Did you encounter any locals who would be willing to take people on private tours in their own car? Booking private tours online is way too expensive, and I wanted to know if there was an alternative to doing the driving and touring on my own.
-Did you have any experience with non-camper rental companies? Do you think it's smarter to rent from an international company (Avis, Enterprise, etc) or a local one? It seems like the local companies charge less, but on the other hand, the international companies [might] have discount codes. Do you know if local companies would upgrade your rental if they had cars available?
Thanks!

- For all intents and purposes, there is no Jewish presence in Iceland.
- I'm sure there are plenty such people, but I don't know anyone specifically. IIRC @PBaruch may have met up with someone, maybe he can chime in here. The big problem with this kind of scheme is that you don't know who the dude is, there's no vetting process of any kind...
- I've only rented campervans, but @yehuda and others have rented regular cars. I believe the local places may be cheaper than the chains, but the cars are not as know or well maintained. @yehuda , CMIIW.

What's your planned itinerary?
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Offline PBaruch

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #553 on: October 18, 2017, 05:42:58 PM »
- For all intents and purposes, there is no Jewish presence in Iceland.
- I'm sure there are plenty such people, but I don't know anyone specifically. IIRC @PBaruch may have met up with someone, maybe he can chime in here. The big problem with this kind of scheme is that you don't know who the dude is, there's no vetting process of any kind...
- I've only rented campervans, but @yehuda and others have rented regular cars. I believe the local places may be cheaper than the chains, but the cars are not as know or well maintained. @yehuda , CMIIW.

What's your planned itinerary?

Received this email about kosher food in Iceland in 2015 - I doubt anything has changed since:

I'm privileged to have served the small Jewish community in Iceland. There are about 100 Jews residing there. almost all reside in the capital city of Reykjavik. It is a very diverse bunch, Israelis, Americans, and a handful from other countries. Most of them are married to Icelanders, so that's how they ended up there. I have met a handful of 3rd generation Icelandic Jews, but they are a rarity.

The community gathers for the Holidays, so we send a Rabbi every couple of months for the Chagim. For Pesach We held a communal seder for over 50 people. This past Rosh Hashana we had 40 people for Rosh Hashana dinner. at the moment there is not a full time Minyan or Chabad House in Reykjavik.

Kosher brands of Food is hard to find however being that almost all food items are imported, one can find many products from the US and UK with a kosher Certification on them, in the main stores like Hangkaup and Kronan. Bonus, in central Reykjavik 10/11 and noatun are some more options for grocers.

Best,

Berel

As for private tours  - I did meet up with a few people.  One is kind of flakey but if you want I can try and reach out to him.  Another fellow drives for the tour companies - have to see if I can find his number.

There is also a photographer that gives private tours in his car.  I emailed back and forth with him a few times and need to find his contact info.

What do you do after your dreams come true?

Offline BrachaB

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #554 on: October 18, 2017, 06:27:09 PM »
- For all intents and purposes, there is no Jewish presence in Iceland.
- I'm sure there are plenty such people, but I don't know anyone specifically. IIRC @PBaruch may have met up with someone, maybe he can chime in here. The big problem with this kind of scheme is that you don't know who the dude is, there's no vetting process of any kind...
- I've only rented campervans, but @yehuda and others have rented regular cars. I believe the local places may be cheaper than the chains, but the cars are not as know or well maintained. @yehuda , CMIIW.
What's your planned itinerary?

As for private tours  - I did meet up with a few people.  One is kind of flakey but if you want I can try and reach out to him.  Another fellow drives for the tour companies - have to see if I can find his number.
There is also a photographer that gives private tours in his car.  I emailed back and forth with him a few times and need to find his contact info.

Figured it couldn't hurt to ask about the Jewish community...
As far as guides, that's why I asked if you actually met anyone who you could recommend. Don't think I'd want to go with the flakey guy, but if you could find the contact info of the other guys, I'd definitely appreciate that!
So if the local place is offering current and known cars, that would be worth it? (I came so close to booking with one of the chains and then read in the tiny print in the terms and conditions that cars from KEF come with an extra 5500 ISK or so. Thanks but no thanks...) @yehuda, would love your input on this.
I posted a few times on page 36 about my itinerary - hoping to drive down the South Coast and see as much as possible in the time we have - Hveragerði, Seljalandsfoss, Eyjafjallajökull, Skógafoss, Reynisfjara Beach. This will probably be my only long stopover in Iceland ever, so I want to try to cram in as much as I can.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #555 on: October 19, 2017, 12:13:37 PM »
Strange that I didn't get any of the notifications about being tagged in these posts. Still haven't figured out the tagging well yet.

I spent $114 for a one day, one-way, automatic rental with pickup in REK and return at KEF booked with SIXT (Platinum status gave a little discount). Add $11 for wifi in the car and $80 for gas. :o

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #556 on: October 19, 2017, 12:25:34 PM »
Strange that I didn't get any of the notifications about being tagged in these posts. Still haven't figured out the tagging well yet.

That's because of the @ in your name. I believe the above tags fare for a yehuda, not @yehuda. Sometimes it seems to get you, sometimes it doesn't.
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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #557 on: October 19, 2017, 12:28:54 PM »
That's because of the @ in your name. I believe the above tags fare for a yehuda, not @yehuda. Sometimes it seems to get you, sometimes it doesn't.
Aha. But I also don't know how the notification is supposed to show. I'm not getting emails, I don't have tapatalk, but I think a few times, I got a notice on my phone anyway.

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #558 on: October 19, 2017, 12:29:02 PM »
That's because of the @ in your name. I believe the above tags fare for a yehuda, not @yehuda. Sometimes it seems to get you, sometimes it doesn't.
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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #559 on: October 19, 2017, 12:39:27 PM »
Strange that I didn't get any of the notifications about being tagged in these posts. Still haven't figured out the tagging well yet.

I spent $114 for a one day, one-way, automatic rental with pickup in REK and return at KEF booked with SIXT (Platinum status gave a little discount). Add $11 for wifi in the car and $80 for gas. :o

Don't look at me, I'm new here... :)
What size car was it? I know from your TR that they charged extra to return it to KEF. Was that because it was KEF specifically, or because it was a different location than the pickup? I don't have Platinum, so can't get that discount...