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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 220700 times)

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #680 on: October 31, 2018, 01:33:50 PM »
If you're a small group, you can fit in the small campers which are no larger than a minivan.

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #681 on: October 31, 2018, 02:26:32 PM »
If you're a small group, you can fit in the small campers which are no larger than a minivan.

Thanks, just myself and husband. But then the dilemma of driving (and sleeping) in potentially scary weather still holds...

For self-driving, would this itinerary make sense? Anything I'm missing? I figured that if we're based in Vik for 2 nights, if we see bad weather predicted one day, we'll always have the next. Hopefully weather will be ok arrival day....
Day 1: Arrive morning, drive towards Vik, stopping on the way to see skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Reynisfjara if there's time. Stay overnight in Vik
Day 2: drive out towards Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, see Svartifoss on the way. Drive back to Vik, stay in same hotel
Day 3: Drive back towards Reykjavik seeing sights that missed on way there
Day 4: Drive abbreviated Golden Circle (not interested in Geyser), evening flight back to London.

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #682 on: October 31, 2018, 02:49:20 PM »
Thanks, just myself and husband. But then the dilemma of driving (and sleeping) in potentially scary weather still holds...

For self-driving, would this itinerary make sense? Anything I'm missing? I figured that if we're based in Vik for 2 nights, if we see bad weather predicted one day, we'll always have the next. Hopefully weather will be ok arrival day....
Day 1: Arrive morning, drive towards Vik, stopping on the way to see skogafoss, Seljalandsfoss, and Reynisfjara if there's time. Stay overnight in Vik
Day 2: drive out towards Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, see Svartifoss on the way. Drive back to Vik, stay in same hotel
Day 3: Drive back towards Reykjavik seeing sights that missed on way there
Day 4: Drive abbreviated Golden Circle (not interested in Geyser), evening flight back to London.

Seems doable. Day 3 needs more to do. Maybe you can get in hot springs like Seljavallalaug. Day 4 - if you're not snorkeling or rafting, the Golden Circle doesn't take all day. See my TR for how much I did that day (was my last day).

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #683 on: October 31, 2018, 03:09:11 PM »
Seems doable. Day 3 needs more to do. Maybe you can get in hot springs like Seljavallalaug. Day 4 - if you're not snorkeling or rafting, the Golden Circle doesn't take all day. See my TR for how much I did that day (was my last day).

Thanks so much for your input! Read your trip report previously (which is so detailed, thanks!). I figured that since winter days are so much shorter, I shouldn't pack in too much. Also wanted to leave some buffer time in case of bad weather (Something I'm super nervous about, don't know if you could tell :)

More interested in taking in beautiful scenery than hot springs or snorkeling. Could we instead cut our trip shorter to two nights, and instead do the golden circle on day 3?

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #684 on: October 31, 2018, 03:12:14 PM »
Actually, forgot that I had planned on 3 nights to give us more of a chance to see the Northern Lights.

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #685 on: November 06, 2018, 12:35:47 PM »
Any other driving Iceland in winter input?
Been reading so much on TripAdvisor about how dangerous it is to drive etc.
If I plan on checking weather/road conditions every morning will I be ok? (Or could 74 mph winds suddenly crop up in the middle of a drive without warning)

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #686 on: November 06, 2018, 12:42:43 PM »
Any other driving Iceland in winter input?
Been reading so much on TripAdvisor about how dangerous it is to drive etc.
If I plan on checking weather/road conditions every morning will I be ok? (Or could 74 mph winds suddenly crop up in the middle of a drive without warning)

Trip Advisor is the land where the term "self-drive" is a 4-letter word. It is not a good source for reliable information about driving in potentially/possibly/theoretically hairy areas.

If you know how to drive in a NY winter you will be fine, unless a storm comes up. The forecasts are pretty good, but of course anything can happen. Common sense will go a long way.
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Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #687 on: November 06, 2018, 12:55:16 PM »
Trip Advisor is the land where the term "self-drive" is a 4-letter word. It is not a good source for reliable information about driving in potentially/possibly/theoretically hairy areas.

If you know how to drive in a NY winter you will be fine, unless a storm comes up. The forecasts are pretty good, but of course anything can happen. Common sense will go a long way.

Sure sounds like it! But most are locals....
East Coast winter sounds like nothing compared to Iceland in terms of winds and black ice. In your experience, was the bad weather you encountered forecasted before? What kind of common sense  :)

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #688 on: November 06, 2018, 12:57:30 PM »
Sure sounds like it! But most are locals....
East Coast winter sounds like nothing compared to Iceland in terms of winds and black ice. In your experience, was the bad weather you encountered forecasted before? What kind of common sense  :)

It was forecast, but we were not connected enough to know. we heard it from someone we met along the way.

Common sense means knowing when not to proceed down a particular road, how fast to drive, and most importantly, when to give up.
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Offline ponash123

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #689 on: November 06, 2018, 01:01:25 PM »
I drove in Iceland in February. For the most part, it was completely fine.
The last day, I got stuck in a white-out snow storm and it was absolutely terrifying. I had to pull over and wait for a while, until I was forced to drive again to make our flight.

Your schedule may change a bit depending on the weather, but overall it should be okay.

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #690 on: November 06, 2018, 03:03:34 PM »
It was forecast, but we were not connected enough to know. we heard it from someone we met along the way.

Common sense means knowing when not to proceed down a particular road, how fast to drive, and most importantly, when to give up.

Thanks! will hopefully have data and diligently check weather. I guess our contingency plan will be not driving out, and potentially losing next night's hotel reservation/having to make a last minute res. Since you rented a larger car, did you find that it was more susceptible to winds? Debating between a 4x4 like Toyota Rav4 vs a mid-size

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #691 on: November 06, 2018, 03:05:15 PM »
Thanks! will hopefully have data and diligently check weather. I guess our contingency plan will be not driving out, and potentially losing next night's hotel reservation/having to make a last minute res. Since you rented a larger car, did you find that it was more susceptible to winds? Debating between a 4x4 like Toyota Rav4 vs a mid-size

Taller vehicle = more susceptible to winds, can't get around that fact. However the benefits of a 4x4 vs. not may outweigh that.

And whatever you do, be damn certain that you have winter tires before leaving the lot. Some shady rental places are known to lie about that.
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Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #692 on: November 06, 2018, 03:06:59 PM »
I drove in Iceland in February. For the most part, it was completely fine.
The last day, I got stuck in a white-out snow storm and it was absolutely terrifying. I had to pull over and wait for a while, until I was forced to drive again to make our flight.

Your schedule may change a bit depending on the weather, but overall it should be okay.
Thanks a lot for your input! just reread your trip report, seems like you had pretty bad weather while driving the golden circle? Was it manageable?
I'm booking the first two nights in Vik, and then the last one or two nights in Reykjavik to allow for a buffer and so we'll make our flight. Really hoping for good weather the first day so we'll be able to drive to Vik, and if not we'll just need to make a last minute booking for Reykjavik.

Offline eandd

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #693 on: November 06, 2018, 03:10:03 PM »
Taller vehicle = more susceptible to winds, can't get around that fact. However the benefits of a 4x4 vs. not may outweigh that.

And whatever you do, be damn certain that you have winter tires before leaving the lot. Some shady rental places are known to lie about that.
Right. If it's super windy we'll pull over and wait it out/ drive slowly (which could also make us vulnerable to the wind..) vs if we get stuck in snow the AWD will benefit.
Thanks for the winter tire tip! Read about a lot of rental car "scams" as well, and planning on going with Blue car rental which had the best reviews, as well as studded tires. Will make sure they provide a spare as well as some sort of equipment.

Offline ponash123

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #694 on: November 06, 2018, 03:20:28 PM »
Thanks a lot for your input! just reread your trip report, seems like you had pretty bad weather while driving the golden circle? Was it manageable?
I'm booking the first two nights in Vik, and then the last one or two nights in Reykjavik to allow for a buffer and so we'll make our flight. Really hoping for good weather the first day so we'll be able to drive to Vik, and if not we'll just need to make a last minute booking for Reykjavik.

Yep, we were not very lucky :)
We had terrible weather, but aside from the last day, the driving was very manageable. Like @Something Fishy says, if you're okay with NY winter driving, you'll be fine.

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #695 on: November 06, 2018, 05:47:58 PM »
Yep, we were not very lucky :)
We had terrible weather, but aside from the last day, the driving was very manageable. Like @Something Fishy says, if you're okay with NY winter driving, you'll be fine.
Yeah, it really sucks when you go all the way somewhere and have terrible weather! Really hoping we'll be fine, at least for like 2 out of 4 of our days lol
Hoping to report back with any uneventful and beautiful trip report  :D

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #696 on: November 06, 2018, 05:52:03 PM »
Yeah, it really sucks when you go all the way somewhere and have terrible weather! Really hoping we'll be fine, at least for like 2 out of 4 of our days lol
Hoping to report back with any uneventful and beautiful trip report  :D
Hope the weather will be OK and you'll have a marvellous trip :)
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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #697 on: December 26, 2018, 05:16:49 PM »
How many days/nights are recommended to do Iceland? Is 4 days 3 nights enough or need more?

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #698 on: December 26, 2018, 05:27:58 PM »
How many days/nights are recommended to do Iceland? Is 4 days 3 nights enough or need more?
Depends how much you want to do. See my TR where I did 6 days, 5 nights. You could technically skip things like the volcano and Westman Islands and do the rest in 4 days.

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Re: Iceland Master Thread
« Reply #699 on: December 27, 2018, 09:24:03 AM »
How many days/nights are recommended to do Iceland? Is 4 days 3 nights enough or need more?
What time of year?  If winter, probably fine.  In summer, you'll want to go out to Jokulsarlon, and that's a good six hour drive each way.  I'd allocate a bit more time for the summer.
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