Introduction

I had the privilege of spending a long weekend in the Land of Fire and Ice. I took this trip with a dear friend and fellow hiker: Ryan.

We stepped out of the airport, and I was immediately in awe of the beautiful and sprawling natural landscapes that surrounded us. The ocean air, crisp and salted to perfection, filled my lungs and made me feel alive and alert. The Earth had a rain-soaked contrast that made every color appear deeper. Even the asphalt roads were clean and vibrant.

Another thing I noticed right away, that stuck with us the entire trip, was the abundance of tourists like us.

Small Caveat on Respect

Iceland has become well-known for its stunning scenery and incredible safety. This has resulted in a 146% increase in annual visitors since 2021. It’s wonderful that so many people want to witness the beauty Iceland has to offer, but it’s important that we respect the desires of its permanent habitants.

Icelandic people are recognized as respected leaders in cultural, social and environmental sustainability. I believe it is our responsibility as visitors to help them maintain these standards, rather than hindering them.

That means responsibly discarding our trash, staying out of designated no-walking areas, and listening when locals encourage us to use reusable water bottles. (Icelandic tap water is some of the cleanest and most delicious water in the world, and locals are really bothered when people buy plastic bottles).

Okay, now with that caveat out of the way, let’s talk logistics!

Where to Stay

We booked an AirBnb in the Vesturbær neighborhood near Reykjavík’s Old West Side. We chose this option because we wanted a glimpse into local life, and that’s exactly what we got. Our street had a little corner market where we bought chocolates, and we learned that everyone in Reykjavik has a dog but no one needs a leash.

Lara, our AirBnB host, has a Great Dane who kept me company whenever I was in the house.

Reykjavik is very walkable and we could explore the whole city by foot from our home base. Another perk of this accommodation setup was that it included one free on-street parking spot for our rental car.

If you want to be closer to the action of downtown, the Laugavegur shopping street is where you’ll find most of the city’s best attractions, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Budget-friendly hostels / hotels are Kex and B47, both of which are a five-minute walk from the main street. Centerhotel Laugavegur is a popular luxury option, also nearby.

When To Visit

September and March are reported as the best months to likely see the Northern Lights.

June through August are the best for summer activities like hiking. We visited in August, which I now realize was the height of the summer tourism season.

What to Pack / Eat

The moment I found out my waterproof boots had a hole in them.

Though summer, it was still Iceland. So the weather hovered around the low- to mid-50s. I recommend packing a waterproof jacket and bringing it everywhere with you, even if the forecast is sunny. The storms come out of nowhere and you’ll likely be near powerful waterfalls.

We spent most of our time outside, so I lived in hiking pants, boots, thermal tops, and a mid-layer. I kept my raincoat on me at all times so I was always prepared when a rainstorm inevitably passed through.

Regarding money, you can use Visa or Mastercard everywhere as long as your credit card has a chip. We took out some Icelandic Króna just in case, but never had to rely on physical currency.

In terms of food, we only bought two meals (fish and chips both times). I had a tight budget and designed this as a hiking trip. So most of my meals were tuna salad sandwiches and miscellaneous snacks, which I bought from a grocery store on our first day. Bonus is a grocery chain with affordable prices and a location near the rental car place we used.

Now onto the itinerary. Here’s how Ryan and I spent our 4 magical days in Iceland.

Day 1: Getting Acclimated

5 am: Leaving the Airport

We took an overnight, direct flight from the United States, which left Boston around 8 pm and arrived in Iceland around 5 am. Keflavík International Airport (KEF) is the country’s main hub and where you will land. (Reykjavik also has an airport, but it is only for regional flights.)

Transport between the international airport and downtown Reykjavik is a 30 mile (50-kilometer) journey on Route 41. You can catch a bus, operated by Airport Direct, Flybus, or Strætó bs; haul a taxi outside the terminal; or book a rental car, which is available through various companies.

We booked a rental car through Lagoon Car Rentals, and it was seamless. This company offers a complimentary shuttle to and from the airport, which we took full advantage of. In less than 40 minutes we had our rental car. Then we threw our luggage in the trunk, stopped by Bonus, and set off on our self-guided tour around the Southwest coast.

7 am: Transcontinental Bridge

From Lagoon Car Rentals, we drove South along Route 41 toward Hafnir.

About 25 minutes later we arrived at Leif the Lucky Bridge, which is named after the famous explorer Leif Ericson. This is a great first stop as the bridge connects the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Since we got there so early, we were two of four people for as far as the eye could see.

Leif the Lucky Bridge connects the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

9 am: The Blue Lagoon

From the bridge, the Blue Lagoon hot springs are 25 minutes West on Route 425 then left on Route 426.

We bought “Comfort” level tickets, which cost $67 USD and came with all-day entrance to the hot springs, a complementary towel rental, mud mask, and one drink from the in-pool bar. I recommend booking your tickets in advance, as the Blue Lagoon is really popular.

Though slightly crowded, the hot springs were super relaxing. The pools were big enough that we weren’t on top of other people, and this was a great way to work out the kinks from spending all night on an airplane. We spent about 4 hours soaking in the springs.

2 pm: Reykjavik

Hallgrímskirkja is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country.

From the Blue Lagoon we drove 45 minutes East along the coast to get to Reykjavik, the country’s capital.

We checked into our AirBnb, ate a late lunch with our host, and relaxed for a few hours.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city then grabbed dinner from a food truck near Hallgrímskirkja church.

10 pm: Northern Lights Tour

August is the shoulder season for Northern Lights, but we wanted to test our luck. So we booked a group tour through Reykjavik Excursions. It cost $45 USD per person and lasted about 4 hours.

Our tour guide was really funny and informative. She drove us all around the countryside and through numerous small villages. I believe we were in the area surrounding Thingvellir National Park.

We didn’t find any Northern Lights, but still had a great time learning more about the country’s history and seeing areas that we otherwise wouldn’t have.

Day 2: The Southern Coast

8 am: Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss

Ryan and I are both morning people, so every day started around 8 am. We were just so pumped to explore the natural landscapes.

From Reykjavik, we drove 2 hours Southeast through the countryside to Seljalandsfoss waterfall. Another 25 minute drive and we arrived at Skogafoss (right).

We wanted to get to Skogafoss semi-early (Arrived around 11 am) to beat the major crowds and it was worth it. This is one of Iceland's biggest and most beautiful waterfalls.

12 pm: Black Sand Beach

Another half hour along the coast and the rolling hills turned to volcanic cliffs.

We reached Black Sand Beach Vik, also called Reynisfjara. The rock formations in this region of the country are stunning and, from the beach, we had great views of Reynisdrangar, which are rocky sea stacks sitting off the shoreline.

Reynisdrangar, seen here off the coast of Vik’s black sand beach, is rooted in Icelandic troll mythology.

According to local folklore, these large basalt columns were once trolls trying to pull ships from the ocean to shore. However, the trolls weren’t very smart and went out too late in the night. Dawn broke on the horizon and the sunlight turned the trolls into solid stone.

Folk mythology is embedded in Icelandic culture, and you see this mimicked in the landscapes.

Keep an eye out for tiny elf houses (called “alfhol”) hidden throughout the country. The alfhol are warnings that elves may be present in the region.

3 pm: Back to Reykjavik

After the coldest visit to a beach of my life, we drove 2.5 hours back to Reykjavik and spent the evening there. We got dinner at the Fish and Chips Stall in Vesturbugt and had a picnic on a random bench in the harbor while watching the boats.

We then meandered downtown, making sure to explore the inside of the historic Hallgrímskirkja church. It was free to enter the church. You can also pay $7.60 USD to climb to the top of the tower.

Day 3: The Golden Triangle

We didn’t have enough time to do the full Golden Circle road trip, which encompasses the whole country. Instead, we drove the Golden Triangle, which hits multiple major sights and some surprises along the way.

I made a google map link for the route we took. You can access that here.

8:30 am: Morning Hike to Hot Springs

After driving about 35 minutes from Reykjavik, we got to the trailhead of our first hike: Hengilssvæðið (Hengill). This was an hour-long hike up the nearest active volcano to Reykjavik. Parking was free, too, which was an added perk.

A misty river scene taken during our hike up the mountain.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it, this was challenging. But it was worth every bead of sweat. The alpine trail winded up through a beautiful range of mountains and ended at hot springs where we got to relax for a bit before hiking the hour back down the trail.

It took us a little longer to hike up, because we stopped for breaks / pictures so I’d give yourself about 3 hours from start to finish.

12 pm: Thingvellir National Park

After our hike, we drove about 15 minutes to Thingvellir Visitor’s Center, where we ate the lunch we had packed. If you aren’t feeling a strenuous hike, this is a great place to start your day.

The park is free admission, though we did have to pay a $4 USD parking fee.

From the Visitor’s Center we followed the walking trail, which took about an hour or so in total. The trail was easy to navigate, though semi-crowded the whole way through, and took us past waterfalls, fissures, and gorges.

One of the views from our walk through Thingvellir National Park.

I must note, this is where the disrespect from fellow tourists was blatantly in my face. I saw people climbing in areas that were clearly marked as no walking zones, and there was a surprising amount of litter scattered along the path.

Please respect this area when you visit. Thingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage site and deserves to be treated as such!

2 pm: Geysir Geothermal Field and Gullfoss

The Great Geysir during one of its many eruptions of the day.

We then drove 45 minutes on Route 35 to Geysir Geothermal Field.

This area was free to visit and there was no parking fee.

The park had a really nice walking trail and plenty of room to find a good view for when The Great Geysir erupted. There were a few other geysirs in the park, but obviously, we focused our attention on the biggest one.

The Great Geysir erupts every 6-10 minutes. So we found a bench (it was soaking wet) and stayed for a few cycles.

This whole area smelled like sulfur, which I had gotten used to at this point. With all the volcanoes, hot springs, and geysirs, Iceland has a slight eggy smell to it.

After seeing the Geysir, we carried on toward Gullfoss, which was less than 10 minutes drive.

This was another completely free location and my favorite waterfall of the trip. You could feel the water’s power in the air and the cliffs perfectly framed the scene.

We found a spot on the cliffside and soaked in the sunshine and mist.

Gulfoss, my favorite waterfall of the trip.

3 pm: Kerid Crater

From Gulfoss, we drove 45 minutes to Kerid Crater. Parking was free and, for a small entry fee ($3.20), you can hike a gentle trail that loops around the crater and takes about 20 minutes.

Here, we learned that the slopes are red in colour, rather than a volcanic black because the iron deposits are younger (young in terms of geology). Kerid is a whopping 3,000 years old.

Kerid is a volcanic crater lake that’s approximately three thousand years old.

From Kerid, it was about an hour-long drive back to Reykjavik.

Without stopping, driving to all these locations would take about 3.5 hours. However, we took our time at each stop and made a whole day of it.

After the Golden Triangle, we decompressed in a park near the University of Iceland before calling it an early night.

Day 4: The Final Day

Chances are, you’re a little sore after yesterday’s adventures. I know I was. So today was a low-key morning. We had a slow start to the day then walked around town soaking in our last few hours of Reykjavik.

1 pm: Garður Old Lighthouse

We wanted to squeeze in one last road trip (and one final lighthouse). So we packed up our luggage and drove about an hour along the Northwest coast to Garðskagi penninsula.

This is the site of two lighthouses. One is the oldest lighthouse in Iceland, first built in 1878. However, the original structure was damaged beyond repair during an earthquake less than a decade after it was built. The second structure we saw was built in the early 1900s and has remained relatively unchanged since. We were able to climb to the top of the second lighthouse and get 180 degree views of the sea.

The view from the top of Garður Lighthouse.

This little park also has a museum, gift shop, and small restaurant. However, the largest gem is the lighthouse keeper. He was a lovely man who gave us a free nugget of life advice:

“Act with a kind heart, and you will lead a good, prosperous life.”

This was a peaceful little corner to end our adventure at. From there, we returned our rental car and caught the complimentary shuttle to the airport.

Final Thoughts

The stunning scenery at every turn, coupled with the kind-hearted people, made our weekend in Iceland a dream.

This small nation is one of peace and beautiful traditions that, thanks to how insular the island is, have remained just as relevant as they were centuries ago.

I hope that as more people discover this gem of natural beauty, that we head the advice of those who have lived on and respected the land long before we knew it existed. We can learn a lot from the Icelandic way of life. They are masters of living in unison with nature. And that’s why their water and air quality far surpass what we have in the United States.

If and when you visit, I hope you choose to slow down and listen to the mountains. Soak in the salty mist in silence. Consider the dedication it took to keep this region as pristine as it is. Those quiet moments had a profound impact on my visit.

Thank you, Iceland, for these lessons.