New Year’s in Iceland

Day 1 - Jetlag and Rest

The first (and a half) day begins with an overnight flight from Saint Louis to Reykjavik. After a sleepless 6 hours of flying, plus 6 hours of time zone change, the jet lag set it early and fast. However there was no time to waste!

Before the sun rose, we set off for Kirkjufellsfoss (maybe a familiar place to any Game of Thrones fans). Luckily, it was early in the morning so the roads were empty giving me a chance to re-learn how to use roundabouts and get re-familiar with driving a manual SUV. About halfway, the jet lag really starting taking it's toll, so a quick snack and a nap in the car was needed.

Kirkjufellsfoss with Kirkjufell Mountain in the background

Finishing the commute we made it to our destination. As someone who lives in an area that's essentially flat, being able to drive along side mountains and waterfalls was a treat - it took a lot of energy to not pull over every few minutes at the new sight. After snapping a few pictures, taking in the sights, and enjoying the view we headed into Grundarfjörður for lunch.

Once rested and no longer hungry, the trek to Reykjavík can begin - but after 10 minutes we had to stop and take in some more sights. As we looked off to our right, we could easily see Grundarfoss from the road. Although we would have loved to get closer, it looked like this was on private land and we did not want to trespass or anger anyone living nearby.

Once back in the city, the remainder of the day was walking around the city, window shopping, and finding the places we wanted to come back to for food and drink later. Additionally some interesting street art throughout the city.

We did however decide french fries was the best food for our first dinner of the trip, and plenty of options to try out.

Day 2 - Swimming Between Continents

Day two had one main activity planned - snorkeling. And yes, it was below freezing and snowing at the time. One unique characteristic found in Iceland is tectonic rift between the North American and Eurasian plates which luckily is filled with some of the cleanest water you can find (it's drinkable!)..

Once dressed in our wetsuits to keep us warm, we set off to snorkel through Silfra and it was truly a sight to behold. Once out of the water, dry, and warmed up after drinking some hot chocolate, the sun began to set and we made our way back to the city and spent some time shopping and finding a pub for a few drinks and food. Once nice and relaxed, it was time to head to our first hot spring and really begin to relax and recover from the cold snorkeling experience.

After driving some of the same route as earlier in the day, we made out way to Laugarvatn Fontana. Although it wasn't as natural a hot spring as I expected, it was still a great place to sit back and relax either in the warm water or dry saunas. Once fully relaxed, and starting to overheat, it was time to depart for our Hostel. We knew the next day was going to be busy, and keep us up late so we turned in at a decent hour to get some sleep.

Day 3 - Golden Circle and New Year's Celebrations

The next day was packed with no time to spare, so naturally we set our alarm incorrectly and slept an extra three hours forgetting about time zone changes. Although it was still dark, we were behind on our sight seeing agenda of the Golden Circle.

The first stop in the loop was Öxarárfoss - the trail leading to the falls is another Game of Thrones location I'm sure most fans will recognize. The weather this day was freezing, and the trail had plenty of ice for me to slip on but fortunately we made it with only minor injuries. But no time to waste! After our hands were adequately frozen, we trekked back to our truck and headed for stop #2.

The trail to Öxarárfoss had some sneaky ice spots. The day was freezing so my hands were kept in my pockets hoping I wouldn’t fall too hard. Luckily once we reach the paved portion the walk was easy……until we had to walk back up.

During the drive, the clouds parted and we were able to get a great overlook view of Þingvallavatn lake. During this drive we also crossed through small towns and cities, which I can always appreciate since I've mostly lived around large cities and populations.

After a bit of driving, we arrived at Geysir. Although it was a little more crowded than I would have expected, it was still a great stop with the sun on the horizon. I'd never seen a geyser up to this point, and seeing this erupt on what felt like a set schedule was remarkable. Walking around the trails, seeing a few eruptions, and simply stretching our legs gave plenty of photo opportunities. Small disclaimer though, if you are not a fan of eggs or a sulfer smell this place may not be your favorite.

Finally seeing some direct sun for the day. Still cold, but a welcoming sight.

Watching a geyser erupt.

Shortly after erupting and flowing down the path, the water would freeze causing more ice spots for us to avoid.

Back in the car and a little further down the road we stopped to see Gullfoss. At this point, the sun began to set so we couldn't stay too long. We managed to snap some good pictures and headed back to Reykjavík for our New Years celebrations.

Gullfoss from it’s vantage point. The path leading closer was closed due to ice and wet conditions.

The main sights for New Years in Iceland are the bonfires and fireworks. To start, we walked from out hostel to the closest "Large" bonfire after seeing where the bonfires were spread throughout the city. We greatly misjudged the actual walk distance but eventually made it, and this was the largest fire I've ever seen. The heat was so intense, steam was coming off the wet ground. As the fire died down, we had to make the trek back to the city center to celebrate the new year and watch some fireworks.

We stayed close to Hallgrímskirkja, which right out front was set up for everyone to light their fireworks. We unfortunately didn't see a place to purchase any, but some generous bystanders decided to give us some to join in the fun. Once we passed midnight, finished our celebrating, and socializing with some other tourists, we decided to head back to the hostel and call it a night (or morning in this case).

Fireworks above Hallgrímskirkja as the crowd launched fireworks throughout the night.

Day 4 - Shopping and City Life

Day four was a freebie day, ending in another hot spring to recover from the night before. Walking the streets, going shop to shop really worked up a need for one of the famous Icelandic hot dogs I read about. Luckily we had no problem finding one within the city.

One of those famous hot dogs I read about to accompany a day of shopping

After a bit more shopping, we headed off to our next hot spring - Secret Lagoon.

This place was as natural as I could expect, having it's own little geyser erupting and giving a continuous supply of hot water to the pool. Standing right where the hot water reaches the pool was the place to be. After a couple hours of soaking, and a buffet meal, it was time to go back to the city and sleep.

Day 5 - Southern Coast Road Trip

Once checked out and car packed up, we set off to finish up the last part of the Golden Circle we could not see - Kerid Crater. For a small fee, you can walk around this water filled volcanic crater and even down to the water itself. Not wanting to waste any time, we did a loop around, and walked down to water level getting our pictures and stretching our legs preparing for the rest of our road trip.

Assortment of snacks for the road trip to come

After a quick drive, we pulled up to Seljalandsfoss and it's neighbor Gljufrabui only a short walk away. As we were taking in the view, the weather began to turn and the rain started. One really cool perk of Seljalandsfoss is the ability to walk behind the water. While being soaked from rain, blowing the waterfall backwards, and overall water everywhere we made our way behind the falls not wanting to miss this opportunity. The downside however was having to change out of our soaking wet clothes once back in the parking lot and setting off to Skógafoss.

View looking out from behind Seljalandsfos

Boy, was this waterfall huge. Contrasting with the black ground and green cliffsides it can easily take the top spot of the waterfall list. Along with admiring from the ground level, a path to the top is available to give some great overlook views. Plus, if you walk a little further upstream there's an additional waterfall (Hestavaðsfoss) I think most people neglect - or at least I was the only one to venture back that day.

Peering over the ledge at the water heading to Skógafoss

Hestavaðsfoss
At this point, the sun began to set and we were once again soaking wet and cold so we straight shot the rest of the way to out hotel in Kirkjubæjarklaustur - good luck getting me to try and pronounce that.

Day 6 - Rainy Hike and Glacier Lagoon

Day 6 can only described as rain, which was unfortunate since our plan for the day was to day drive/hike east and see Svartifoss and the basalt columns......we still did the hike, but it was just unfortunate it was raining the whole time. Braving a few icy spots and a washed out train, we got as close as we could to the falls to check this off our to-do list. Along the way, you can also see Hundafoss, but due to gloomy weather conditions and the angle we could see it wasn't as impressive as I'd hope (although I'm sure in better conditions it's a must see while there).
The heavy rain and overcast didn’t allow for great viewing, but it made for a lot of water flowing at Svartifoss

The heavy rain caused portions of the trail to be washed out. Little unease knowing the water flowed into another waterfall as we made our way as far as we could.

Since we were already east of our hotel, and not too far from our other destination, we drove a little further east to see Glacier Lagoon (Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon) as the sun was setting. The low light didn't help with trying to take pictures, but with the naked eye this was pretty breathtaking to see - and hear as the wind blew ice around colliding with more ice. A few other visitors turned their headlights on to try and get some final viewing in but soon it was time to depart and grab dinner at the hotel. Luckily, we managed to friend a couple other patrons and an employee so the five of us stayed up way past our bedtimes chatting and having fun in the bar/dining area.

Glacier lagoon after sunset lit up with car headlights. As the wind blew and water flowed, you can sit and listen to the ice clanking as it shifted around in the lagoon.

Day 7 - Ice Caves and Black Beaches

Waking up before sunrise, we began trudging our way to Vik for an ice cave tour. I could not pinpoint this spot on a map if I tried since we loaded up in what I can only describe as a Mega-Van and drove north through open land. Once on location, we braved some very handmade bridges over running water (remember all the rain I've been mentioning?) and made our way to the caves.

Entrance to the ice cave. The rain caused plenty of water flow in the area for us to walk over.

The blue and white ice layers with black sand mixed in was a pretty aesthetic sight, especially as a large ice wall. Climbing into the river itself, crossing a few more mini bridges, and back into the cave it's remarkable to see how much ice can just be in one spot. Our guide did inform us there isn't as much ice as in years past due to warmer weather which is a shame, but to play devil's advocate (at least in the short term) it was much easier to drive in the rain than it would be if all the precipitation was snow and ice.

View looking out from the cave and one of the few makeshift bridges we needed to cross.

Once finished in the cave, and back at Vik, we made our way to the Solheimasandur plane wreck on the southern coast. Although it was a neat visual, with very limited light I would suggest passing on this (unless you take a 4-wheeler tour to cut commute time). The walk there and back took a long time.

The vast openness as we walked to the plane wreck. The fog and mist made neighboring mountains look ominous.

After snapping a few pics, we continued our southern coast tour and drove up to the Dyrhólaey lighthouse overlooking the massive coastlines and Dyrhólaey. Driving up to this lookout in a manual SUV was a lot of fun, and makes me with my car back home wasn't an automatic.

Dyrhólaey looking from the ridgeline near the lighthouse.

With one final stop with the remainder of our light, we descended and headed to Reynisfjara beach and the Hálsanefshellir cave. We were a bit unlucky and the crowd was pretty large so we were unable to have any clear pictures, but it was still a great sight - plus the pillars out in the water not far off the coast. The waves were huge crashing into the black sand, and on a couple occasions we needed to run up shore to avoid our pants getting wet. After a few final pictures, it was back to the hotel for dinner and relax.

Hálsanefshellir cave - if you want to try and see it without a crowd be there at the start of the day, not the end.

Day 8 - Helicopter Ride and Wind Down

Again, waking up before sunrise we checked out of the hotel and headed back to Reykjavík for a helicopter tour of the city and neighboring volcano fields. Never again will I ride in a helicopter. As someone who's already scared of flying, this was a bit much for me. The views of the city were great, along with the neighboring volcano field, but my favorite part was touchdown and landing. Along with the overhead tour, we landed on an overlook near Kleifarvatn to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. About this time, the clouds parted and we were given a spectacular vision of the massive lake, mossy green cliffs, and a little warmth. Once rested, and passengers splitting a bottle of morning campaign, we were flown back to the city.

We had a little time to kill, so we did one final walk around the streets and last minute shopping before we checked off one final tourist must do - spa time at Blue Lagoon. We just wanted to soak and relax, so we rushed to get into the water, apply a face mask, and have a couple drinks and unwind from a very busy and hectic week. After chatting about the trip, the goods and the bad, and deciding a summer trip is necessary - we realized a few hours had passed. Beginning to feel hungry, we decided it was time to go treat ourselves to our most expensive meal of the trip (at a sit down restaurant and not gas station food!) then call it a night.

Day 9 - Back to Responsibilities

Unfortunately, it was time to head back home and responsibilities. We inspected our SUV and saw how dirty it was compared to when we picked it up and decided that was a true sign of a successful trip.