Iceland, you took my breath away. I mean, literally – it was bloody freezing. Of course, that didn't stop this trip becoming one of my favorites ever. Sneakily scheming and planning for months last year, my Dad, brother and I planned a week in Iceland as a surprise for my Mum's 60th birthday. It's somewhere we'd all always wanted to go and hadn't taken a trip abroad the four of us for more than 8 years. So, come Christmas day, we surprised my Mum with a travel journal and told her she could fill it on our trip to Iceland coming up two days after her 60th at the end of January. There were tears, a few weeks of excited anticipation and before we knew it we were up at 4am and off to Heathrow.
Having done so much solo travel over the last year, headed to the airport with my 3 faves, Dad in a panic about being late, Mum still cramming extra undies in the case at the airport carpark and brother still half asleep, was actually such a treat. I never take travel for granted, but for the first time in ages, I was reminded of that pure ecstatic feeling of holiday excitement I felt as a kid and I knew it was going to be one hell of a special trip.
So yes, Iceland quite literally took my breath away, but not just because of the need for thermals. It was one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited and each day I found myself pretty dumbstruck with the surreal natural surroundings. I always love discovering new places when I travel and immersing myself in the culture, it's really what I'm most passionate about in life these days. And sometimes, when it's super special, I'll be so mesmerized by a place I'll fall fully on head over heels for it. And whilst I can think of 100 reasons to love this place, I've structured my travel guide into some of the highlights of our trip. I'll be doing a whole separate post on Reykjavik (the main city) so stay tuned for that one, and in the meantime enjoy these delights that the rest of Iceland had to offer.
The crazy beautiful, ethereal landscapes
There are beautiful landscapes, then there's Iceland. The vast white mountains and glaciers scattered across the island are graceful giants, half the time it's like your sitting in a painting, especially when they're plastered against a pastel sky that's always dotted with soft hues of pink and blue. Then, by stark contrast, there'll be a beach with jet black sand and coastal cliff formations looking like something out of Game of Thrones. I actually had it on good knowledge from our tour guide that the cast were in Iceland filming during our trip, so naturally, I just took a seat on the beach waiting for Jon Snow to roll up to shore but unfortunately, all I got was a cold and wet derriére.
But even sans the beauty that is Kit Harrington, these landscapes were utterly breathtaking – everything mostly so untouched and wild it felt like we were trespassing on another planet. We did two main tours to explore the island and they were my two favourite days of the trip. And there was me thinking, 12 hours a day on a minibus would be tiresome.
THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
The Golden Circle, the most popular and mother of all Icelandic tours. We went straight in on day one to experience the tours hot spots and it was the best possible start to our trip. We opted for the Classic Golden Circle tour with one of Iceland's most popular operators, Grayline Iceland. We had a wonderful local lady as our guide who delved into some of the incredible histories behind some of the sites we saw, as well as including a few of her own stories that got us chuckling as was a lovely personal touch. First up was Pingvellir national park where we learned about the home of Iceland's age-old democracy and some pretty twisted tales of witchcraft at the grislier sites – all of course whilst marveling at the panoramic scenes of serene lakes mountains blanketed with snowfall. Next got to see some giant geysers erupt which was again, otherworldly, and then it was onto the mighty Gullfoss Waterfall which was the highlight for me. A colossal force of nature it this powerful giant of a waterfall was the most incredible waterfall I'd ever seen, and probably ever will see. Special thanks to Grayline for having my family and me on such a wonderful trip – you can find the exact tour we did here but be sure to check out their packages too.
SOUTH OF ICELAND
With one day left out of 6 on our trip, we decided we wanted to go a bit further afield and explore some more rural Iceland. This trip we did on a smaller scale with Your Day Tours but very nearly had to miss it! It's no secret that Iceland's climate can be pretty extreme so following a huge storm the night before, there was a country-wide weather warning and the main road down to the south was closed. We were sat on the minibus ready to be disappointed with a turnaround back to Reykjavik like many other operators but our guide persevered, trusting his local instincts that the weather would brighten up as we camped out at a petrol station for a while. Sure enough, the sun started to peek through, the road opened up and off we went with our incredible guide who was both hilarious and knowledgeable with his commentry throughout the day.
The mixture of sun and rain actually melted away most of the snow so we were treated with a greener side of Iceland as the day went on. Cruising along the coast was an experience in itself, spying many a coastal waterfall and glacier on one side and miles upon miles of black sand on the other. The black sand beach was our first stop and as if by magic, the sun came out in full force and I actually led down to bathe a little in it, ski jacket and all! With gulls soaring above and mammoth waves crashing at the shoreline (a total surfers paradise if it wasn't so cold I'm sure) I was so damnn thankful we hadn't missed out on this. The journey back saw us stop at two more beautiful waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss (the more mega of the two) and Skogafoss to round up a perfect day, before enjoying some local snacks and drinks provided by our guide on the way back to Reykjavik.
The Aurora Borealis
Bit of a given here hey? I'd told myself repeatedly not to get my hopes up about the northern lights, we'd had a few cloudy days, I knew they can be very temperamental and you've got to be super lucky to have a chance of seeing them. So imagine my sheer delight and amazement when not 10 minutes after stepping off our tour bus, we were blessed with a dancing green show of the Aurora Borealis that lasted well over 40 minutes. Staring up as they rolled through the night sky was so overwhelmingly surreal I actually welled up a little bit – this is what we'd come for and I couldn't believe how lucky I was to experience it all with my family. Hat's off to my brother for nailing these incredible shots.
Like I said, we were super lucky to see them on the one clear night we had in Iceland (it was actually the night of the blood moon too!) so I'd definitely recommend checking the weather before your trip and designating one, if not two nights to northern light hunting. We booked through Isandgo, but from the look of it, all tour buses and private jeeps head to the same spot every night (we saw them in the southern peninsula) as all the tour guides know the best-forecasted spots.
Like I said, we were super lucky to see them on the one clear night we had in Iceland (it was actually the night of the blood moon too!) so I'd definitely recommend checking the weather before your trip and designating one, if not two nights to northern light hunting. We booked through Isandgo, but from the look of it, all tour buses and private jeeps head to the same spot every night (we saw them in the southern peninsula) as all the tour guides know the best-forecasted spots.
The Blue Lagoon
Now, did you even come to Iceland if you didn't go to the Blue Lagoon? This place very much lived up to the hype, and although it was pretty touristic it was still very much an unforgettable experience. As it's so popular, you do need to make sure to book in advance – even before you fly perhaps. Somehow, despite months of planning, we forgot to do this until the day we arrived. Fortunately, there was a 4pm slot left in the middle of our trip that thanks to booking with Grayline, would get us back in Reykjavik just in time for our northern lights trip. I was worried it would be a bit dark but it turned out being the most perfect time of day to go.
In January/February, there are only around six or seven hours of daylight in Iceland so, wherever you are, the sun is always dancing on the horizon somewhere, making the sky turn those beautiful pastel shades I was talking about earlier. Nestled in amongst mountains and vast planes of snow about an hours drive from the city, the Blue Lagoon is was the perfect spot to marvel at it. The setting sun licked the mountains, turning them bright pink as the sky flamed colours of orange and blue above us. Basking in the milky blue waters of the blue lagoon at dusk, it was the most beautiful sunset of the trip. Not to mention, the natural hot thermal pools were such a welcome harbor from the cold and made for a surreal experience given the snowy location. And then, as if we weren't already spoiled enough, we caught a glimpse of the bloody moon rearing its head over the mountains as we were leaving.
It's just as beautiful from the sea
So after exploring a lot of the mainland, it only seemed right we completed our trip with a venture out into the Atlantic out of Reyjavik's bay. We joined Edling Whale Watching in the hopes of seeing some sea creatures and they looked after us so well from start to finish. We borrowed some overalls (which were so necessary) from inside the boat and spent the morning enjoying the sights from the top deck. It was bloody freezing, but the views of the neighboring mountains in the low lying sun as it sparkled across the Atlantic waves were oh so worth it.Whilst we sadly didn't see any whales, but if you have no sightings, Elding kindly offer you another trip free of charge. We did, however, see plenty of majestic birds and the trip was worth it to see Iceland from the water alone. Wind in my hair, sailing over the waves and breathing in the crisp Atlantic air was another pinch-me moment on the trip.
And that friends, concludes my first Iceland post! I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and I've inspired you to add this wonderful place to your bucket list. Read my Reykjavik post here where I share my tips on where to stay and all my favourite spots in town.
Iceland, you took my breath away. I mean, literally – it was bloody freezing. Of course, that didn't stop this trip becoming one of my favorites ever. Sneakily scheming and planning for months last year, my Dad, brother and I planned a week in Iceland as a surprise for my Mum's 60th birthday. It's somewhere we'd all always wanted to go and hadn't taken a trip abroad the four of us for more than 8 years. So, come Christmas day, we surprised my Mum with a travel journal and told her she could fill it on our trip to Iceland coming up two days after her 60th at the end of January. There were tears, a few weeks of excited anticipation and before we knew it we were up at 4am and off to Heathrow.
Having done so much solo travel over the last year, headed to the airport with my 3 faves, Dad in a panic about being late, Mum still cramming extra undies in the case at the airport carpark and brother still half asleep, was actually such a treat. I never take travel for granted, but for the first time in ages, I was reminded of that pure ecstatic feeling of holiday excitement I felt as a kid and I knew it was going to be one hell of a special trip.
So yes, Iceland quite literally took my breath away, but not just because of the need for thermals. It was one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited and each day I found myself pretty dumbstruck with the surreal natural surroundings. I always love discovering new places when I travel and immersing myself in the culture, it's really what I'm most passionate about in life these days. And sometimes, when it's super special, I'll be so mesmerized by a place I'll fall fully on head over heels for it. And whilst I can think of 100 reasons to love this place, I've structured my travel guide into some of the highlights of our trip. I'll be doing a whole separate post on Reykjavik (the main city) so stay tuned for that one, and in the meantime enjoy these delights that the rest of Iceland had to offer.
The crazy beautiful, ethereal landscapes
There are beautiful landscapes, then there's Iceland. The vast white mountains and glaciers scattered across the island are graceful giants, half the time it's like your sitting in a painting, especially when they're plastered against a pastel sky that's always dotted with soft hues of pink and blue. Then, by stark contrast, there'll be a beach with jet black sand and coastal cliff formations looking like something out of Game of Thrones. I actually had it on good knowledge from our tour guide that the cast were in Iceland filming during our trip, so naturally, I just took a seat on the beach waiting for Jon Snow to roll up to shore but unfortunately, all I got was a cold and wet derriére.
But even sans the beauty that is Kit Harrington, these landscapes were utterly breathtaking – everything mostly so untouched and wild it felt like we were trespassing on another planet. We did two main tours to explore the island and they were my two favourite days of the trip. And there was me thinking, 12 hours a day on a minibus would be tiresome.
THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
The Golden Circle, the most popular and mother of all Icelandic tours. We went straight in on day one to experience the tours hot spots and it was the best possible start to our trip. We opted for the Classic Golden Circle tour with one of Iceland's most popular operators, Grayline Iceland. We had a wonderful local lady as our guide who delved into some of the incredible histories behind some of the sites we saw, as well as including a few of her own stories that got us chuckling as was a lovely personal touch. First up was Pingvellir national park where we learned about the home of Iceland's age-old democracy and some pretty twisted tales of witchcraft at the grislier sites – all of course whilst marveling at the panoramic scenes of serene lakes mountains blanketed with snowfall. Next got to see some giant geysers erupt which was again, otherworldly, and then it was onto the mighty Gullfoss Waterfall which was the highlight for me. A colossal force of nature it this powerful giant of a waterfall was the most incredible waterfall I'd ever seen, and probably ever will see. Special thanks to Grayline for having my family and me on such a wonderful trip – you can find the exact tour we did here but be sure to check out their packages too.
SOUTH OF ICELAND
With one day left out of 6 on our trip, we decided we wanted to go a bit further afield and explore some more rural Iceland. This trip we did on a smaller scale with Your Day Tours but very nearly had to miss it! It's no secret that Iceland's climate can be pretty extreme so following a huge storm the night before, there was a country-wide weather warning and the main road down to the south was closed. We were sat on the minibus ready to be disappointed with a turnaround back to Reykjavik like many other operators but our guide persevered, trusting his local instincts that the weather would brighten up as we camped out at a petrol station for a while. Sure enough, the sun started to peek through, the road opened up and off we went with our incredible guide who was both hilarious and knowledgeable with his commentry throughout the day.
The mixture of sun and rain actually melted away most of the snow so we were treated with a greener side of Iceland as the day went on. Cruising along the coast was an experience in itself, spying many a coastal waterfall and glacier on one side and miles upon miles of black sand on the other. The black sand beach was our first stop and as if by magic, the sun came out in full force and I actually led down to bathe a little in it, ski jacket and all! With gulls soaring above and mammoth waves crashing at the shoreline (a total surfers paradise if it wasn't so cold I'm sure) I was so damnn thankful we hadn't missed out on this. The journey back saw us stop at two more beautiful waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss (the more mega of the two) and Skogafoss to round up a perfect day, before enjoying some local snacks and drinks provided by our guide on the way back to Reykjavik.
The Aurora Borealis
Bit of a given here hey? I'd told myself repeatedly not to get my hopes up about the northern lights, we'd had a few cloudy days, I knew they can be very temperamental and you've got to be super lucky to have a chance of seeing them. So imagine my sheer delight and amazement when not 10 minutes after stepping off our tour bus, we were blessed with a dancing green show of the Aurora Borealis that lasted well over 40 minutes. Staring up as they rolled through the night sky was so overwhelmingly surreal I actually welled up a little bit – this is what we'd come for and I couldn't believe how lucky I was to experience it all with my family. Hat's off to my brother for nailing these incredible shots.
Like I said, we were super lucky to see them on the one clear night we had in Iceland (it was actually the night of the blood moon too!) so I'd definitely recommend checking the weather before your trip and designating one, if not two nights to northern light hunting. We booked through Isandgo, but from the look of it, all tour buses and private jeeps head to the same spot every night (we saw them in the southern peninsula) as all the tour guides know the best-forecasted spots.
Like I said, we were super lucky to see them on the one clear night we had in Iceland (it was actually the night of the blood moon too!) so I'd definitely recommend checking the weather before your trip and designating one, if not two nights to northern light hunting. We booked through Isandgo, but from the look of it, all tour buses and private jeeps head to the same spot every night (we saw them in the southern peninsula) as all the tour guides know the best-forecasted spots.
The Blue Lagoon
Now, did you even come to Iceland if you didn't go to the Blue Lagoon? This place very much lived up to the hype, and although it was pretty touristic it was still very much an unforgettable experience. As it's so popular, you do need to make sure to book in advance – even before you fly perhaps. Somehow, despite months of planning, we forgot to do this until the day we arrived. Fortunately, there was a 4pm slot left in the middle of our trip that thanks to booking with Grayline, would get us back in Reykjavik just in time for our northern lights trip. I was worried it would be a bit dark but it turned out being the most perfect time of day to go.
In January/February, there are only around six or seven hours of daylight in Iceland so, wherever you are, the sun is always dancing on the horizon somewhere, making the sky turn those beautiful pastel shades I was talking about earlier. Nestled in amongst mountains and vast planes of snow about an hours drive from the city, the Blue Lagoon is was the perfect spot to marvel at it. The setting sun licked the mountains, turning them bright pink as the sky flamed colours of orange and blue above us. Basking in the milky blue waters of the blue lagoon at dusk, it was the most beautiful sunset of the trip. Not to mention, the natural hot thermal pools were such a welcome harbor from the cold and made for a surreal experience given the snowy location. And then, as if we weren't already spoiled enough, we caught a glimpse of the bloody moon rearing its head over the mountains as we were leaving.
It's just as beautiful from the sea
So after exploring a lot of the mainland, it only seemed right we completed our trip with a venture out into the Atlantic out of Reyjavik's bay. We joined Edling Whale Watching in the hopes of seeing some sea creatures and they looked after us so well from start to finish. We borrowed some overalls (which were so necessary) from inside the boat and spent the morning enjoying the sights from the top deck. It was bloody freezing, but the views of the neighboring mountains in the low lying sun as it sparkled across the Atlantic waves were oh so worth it.Whilst we sadly didn't see any whales, but if you have no sightings, Elding kindly offer you another trip free of charge. We did, however, see plenty of majestic birds and the trip was worth it to see Iceland from the water alone. Wind in my hair, sailing over the waves and breathing in the crisp Atlantic air was another pinch-me moment on the trip.
And that friends, concludes my first Iceland post! I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and I've inspired you to add this wonderful place to your bucket list. Read my Reykjavik post here where I share my tips on where to stay and all my favourite spots in town.
This is such an awesome post, the photos alone make me want to book a flight! Great photography :)
ReplyDeleteAnika | anikamay.co.uk