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IJsland

September 2021
A 15-day adventure by Laurens Read more
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  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 1

    A quick glance of Reykjavik

    September 4, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Finally the day is here: September 4th. We've been counting down the days to the start of our adventure. Having seen many pictures of Iceland our expectations are high.
    Around 10AM we head to the airport to catch our flight Brussels - Keflavik.
    On the boarding passes it says Reykjavik, and although Reykjavik does have its own airport, Keflavik is Iceland's biggest international airport about 30-45' drive away from the capital. We board our B737-900 Max from Icelandair, and after a quick 'hi' to the flight crew we take our places.
    When the plane starts descending we stare outside the little window, hoping to catch a first glimp of this island. Unfortunately the cloud cover is rather low and it's not before we're over the ocean again, preparing for our inbound turn, that we can see something.

    At around 3PM local time we set foot on Icelandic soil and quickly arrive in the baggage reclaim area where we are welcomed by a huge puffin breaching through the ceiling. A true icon of Iceland! Rightfully so, as Iceland hosts the biggest colony of Atlantic puffins in the world. Unfortunately we won't be able to see these cute birds as breeding season has already ended and they have flown south for the winter.

    After collecting our bags we pick up our rental car just outside the airport. We requested a 4 wheel drive Suzuki Jimny-type car to be able to drive the highland roads. Anything more ambitious didn't really fit into our financial planning. However, when arriving at the office we were pleased to hear that we received an upgrade from the Jimny as they found out that the cars aren't as suited for Icelandic roads as they thought... hmm. Very pleased we take place in our new Jeep Compass Trail Hawk. Before us, it clocked off at 7000km and apart from a tiny scratch at the right back it looked like a brand new car.

    The drive to Reykjavik goes smoothly. The highway travels through the countryside and we're already amazed by the rocks we see just next to the highway. Would that be lava? Is it really that common here? Spoiler alert: yes, it is that common. There are fields of many square kilometers of pumice stone from eruptions long ago. On most rocks there is a small layer of green moss developing.

    When entering Reykjavik we encountered a typical Belgian problem: traffic jams. Apparently they do exist in a country with only a fraction of Belgium's population (357.000 vs 11.460.000). However, considering that over 70% of the population lives in the southwest corner of the island and the huge working opportunities that the capital provides, traffic jams are maybe normal.
    We park our car in front of the hotel and check-in to get rid of our bags and go grocery shopping to collect as much as we can. After all we're not sure how many other stores we'll be able to find during our journey and definitely not what prices.

    Not far from the hotel we find a 'Bonus'. Together with 'Kronan' are these the cheapest general stores in Iceland. The shop isn't huge, but we quickly find what we can use: bread, salami, cheese, cookies, chocolate milk and two instant pasta carbonara cups. Just in case...
    After having dropped this off at the hotel, it's time to explore some parts of the city. We're surprised by the hours of daylight we still have left. Sunset is only around 8PM! Because of the time difference (2 hours with Belgian summer time) it feels like there's still plenty of time.
    We head out to a nearby famous landmark of the city: Sólfarin. Better known as "the viking ship". Located at the edge of the city near the water it's a nice and modern piece of art. The dark skies that evening give it a more dramatic look. The light rain provides a challenge to take good pictures.

    We continue our evening walk along the coastline towards one of Reykjavik most modern buildings: Harpa, the concert hall. It's made out of a lot of glass and really stands out near the harbour area. Travel guide books advised us to go inside on a sunny day to have a coffee in the bar and enjoy the light fraction from all the different glass plates. No sun today, but we welcomed the warmth of the building just to be out of the rain and wind for a short while. The inside proves equally spectacular as the outside of the building. A cozy bar at ground level. The modern architecture is a joy to watch.

    We circle back into the city and take the shopping street back to the hotel. The main shopping street is a pedestrian area and has a nice atmosphere. When passing one of the many gift stores Ann's eye catches a huge adorable cuddly toy puffin. To be honest, it was hard to miss as it nearly took the entire size of the window. Disappointed that we probably won't see these cute little animals she gathers all hope to spot one during our trip. If not... this fella has to come home with us.

    One of the side streets is painted in the rainbow (LGBT) flag and gives a view on the huge church. A visit to this other major landmark will be for when we're back in Reykjavik at the end of our trip. As we weren't really hungry we had a quick bite for dinner in our hotel room. Happy to already have seen a quick first impression of the city, we prepare for bed. For now our mind is set to an early morning start to kick off our road trip and find the true nature gems of Iceland.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 2

    The adventure begins

    September 5, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Not yet having completely adjusted to the Icelandic time, we wake up around 5:30AM as the first daylight touches Reykjavik. Or maybe it's because we're so excited to start this day and see our first waterfalls?
    At around 6AM we decide to get out of bed and no longer wait for the treasures ahead of us. As with all the hotels our travel agency booked, we have breakfast included. So after a stop at the buffet, we grab our bags and head out of Reykjavik.

    Today has a long drive in store for us and there's plenty of things to see. So many in fact, we had to discard a few from our list before arriving in Iceland. It doesn't take long before the urban city landscape makes place for typical Icelandic landscapes: vast green mountains and black lava rocks. Every now and then you can spot a waterfall from a mountainside. Not long into the drive we make halt at a viewpoint just before the town of Hveragerði. In hindsight this wasn't such a spectacular view, but for us at that time... we were more than impressed. Big mountains on our left with steam coming out of the ground. In front of us a wide view over the road ahead and the town of Hveragerði. To our right and at the horizon the sea. Such an unrealistic sighting.

    After a couple of pictures, we drive down to the village to see the geyser 'Grýla'. Although we've read in the guidebooks that the geyser is dormant, we also read that it could still be activated by soap. Not too convinced about the latter and the impact on nature, we still wanted to stop by and see. Maybe other tourists didn't have issues with the soap trick...
    When arriving at the approximate location we didn't see any sign or indication of the geyser. By this time, it started raining heavily and Ann decided to jump out of the car and take a short walk (or run) over a hill to see if it was maybe at the other side. Meanwhile I kept searching on my mobile to find the exact location. By the time Ann returned we found out that the geyser was actually right next to us. A subtle circle of stones gave the hole in the ground away. No other tourists and no activity, just a hole in the ground. Not a huge success for our first stop.
    We continued down the ring road and stopped at a waterfall called Urriðafoss. As we walked down to the waterfall from the parking lot nearby, we were in luck: a short burst of sunlight broke through the clouds and allowed us to see our first waterfall in the golden sun rays. You have to enjoy these (sometimes short) moments while they last, because a couple of minutes later all was cloudy again.

    Originally, we planned a visit to the LAVA Museum in Hvolsvöllur, but because of the many points of interest this day we had to discard this as well. Despite this, the museum seems interesting and even has some modern features like trembling ground built in. In the town we stopped for fuel and a short sanitary stop. We swap the main ring road for road 261 to drive to Gluggafoss, another waterfall. You'll quickly notice that -foss means waterfall in Icelandic. This one has the main fall coming down in a small rock valley, but later forms another wider waterfall at the bottom before turning into a creek.

    To get back to the main road we have to travel a short bit on a gravel road that connects the 261 with the ring road. Cautious we advance down the road, carefully looking for potholes or bigger stones. About halfway down the road we spot another vehicle on this road behind. Not too much later the car caught up with us and was right behind. We moved a bit to the side of the road so he could overtake us. Despite all our great care, one of the loose gravel stones from the car hit our windscreen when re-joining the road and marks a small star. Slightly worried about the insurance on the car, and windscreens in particular, we continue to our next big stop: Seljalandsfoss.

    This maybe is the opportune time to give a bit of advice when travelling in Iceland with a rental car. Make sure you have proper insurance on the vehicle! In our case the car was extremely well covered through some additional insurance via the touring operator. Especially when travelling the highland roads: small scratches or possible damage from loose rocks to the underside of the vehicle are inevitable. Take care reading what is covered in your insurance and what not. Also keep in mind that river crossings are never ever covered by any insurance.
    Having arrived at Seljalandsfoss without further damage we look for a parking spot on a rather crowded parking lot. This is our first parking where we have to pay for parking. Normally parking in Iceland is almost everywhere free, apart from Reykjavik. Some of the touristic spots in Iceland now require you to pay a parking fee in order to keep the parking lot in "good" shape and maintain toilets and facilities.
    After some issues with the ticket machine, we find one that is willing to accept our payment and head to the waterfall nearby. The cool thing about this waterfall is that you can walk around it. Getting this close to the immense force of water crashing down is impressive... and wet.
    From the same parking you can make a small hike (less than 2km) to another waterfall: Gljúfrafoss. This one is located in a small canyon and at first we're not completely sure which path leads to the waterfall. As none of the paths is very long, we follow the tourists in front. As the path gets smaller it turns out that... no, dead end. We head back and take the next path that follows a creek coming out of a canyon. By this time we can hear the waterfall. This must be the right way! Staying close to the canyon wall not to step into the creek we arrive at waterfall. In front is a huge stone that makes the perfect photo spot. Because little light reaches the waterfall through the canyon, taking pictures is a challenge.

    To finish our daily amount of waterfalls, we make a final stop at Skógafoss. The impressive "beast" is clearly visible from the ring road. This is one of Iceland's most photographed waterfalls. The wide curtain of water falling from a height of 80 meters is nothing less than spectacular. After playing around a bit on the tripod, we follow the path on the right of the fall that brings us to the top. From there you can follow a trail that brings you along various other smaller waterfalls. After about 500m we decide to head back to the car. We don't have the time to do the full 7km trail as many other highlights await us on this first day.

    As a true aviation enthusiast, I didn't want to miss the famous DC3 plane wreck. I'm sure everyone has seen the picture of the almost aluminium looking plane on the black sand beach. It's such a photogenic sight! Because the wreck is only reachable via a 3,5km rather dull trail (one way), and we didn't read much about parking lots nearby, I expected this to be a less touristic spot. When arriving at the parking (which was clearly marked) it turned out I was completely wrong. There were a lot of people walking down this seemingly endless black road to the sea.

    The fun thing about this area is the fact that you don't see the plane until you're almost there. Although you constantly have the feeling that you can look into the far distance, there is a depression and turn at the end of the trail where the plane lies. The wreck meets all our expectations! Again a very surreal sight to have this suddenly on these vast black beaches. We wonder how this was ever discovered and what other undiscovered treasures this land maybe still holds.
    The only downside: everyone wants to take a picture on or next to the plane so getting these beautiful shots of the wreck in its beautiful surrounding requires some patience and luck. Maybe we're the only ones that prefer this type of composition...
    On our walk back to the car we have a lovely view on the mountains ahead and some glaciers. It's a shame we don't have the luxury to visit all these places at sunset or sunrise.

    It's almost 6PM when we arrive at our last stop of the day near Vík. Dyrhólaey is a rock formation in the sea with a hole in it. From the lighthouse on the hill nearby we get a nice view. There is also a walk up to the lighthouse that starts down at the beach, but again, we didn't have the time to do this. As the sun sets in the west, we soak in the last golden rays touching the ocean and the white wave heads crashing into the black sand beach. We could stay here for much longer!

    A very short drive later we check-in at our hotel just outside Vík, the most southern part of Iceland. After having tried one of the countries specialties for dinner, lamb, we go to bed. Still baffled by the amazing things we've seen today.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 3

    Soaking wet

    September 6, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    After a well night rest we wake up again rather early. Together with a few other people we're the first to enter the breakfast buffet at the hotel. It's a grey and rainy morning but that doesn't affect our anxiety to go out and explore more amazing things.

    Having filled up our tummies we check-out and head once more for the black sanded beaches. Not far from where we finished yesterday, near Dyrhólaey, there is a basalt formation on the beach. Not far of the shoreline three sharp rocks clearly stick out of the water. According to legend three trolls came out to sea to pull ashore a ship. They were surprised by dawn and were frozen into stone and they have remained immortalized since, as a warning to their kin. If you're a fan of these kind of tales, Iceland has plenty of stories about elfs and trolls.
    When entering the path to the beach we are warned several times by signs about sneaker waves. This beach is notorious for very unpredictable high waves and people are advised to stay at least 30 meters away from the water's edge. The Atlantic Ocean is unpredictable and gives waves a lot of time to build up in strength and size. People who were surprised by these waves have died here.
    We take pictures of the wild waves crashing ashore not far from the basalt columns that are rising up at the bottom of a mountain. Being warned about the danger of this beach we have one eye looking through the camera's viewfinder, and the other on the shoreline. And not in vain, because every now and then we have to run further inland to prevent our feet getting wet.

    We continue the ring road further to the east and make a quick stop at Hjörleifshöfði. I honestly have no clue how to pronounce this too. It's a lonely mountain on a little peninsula with a lot of beautiful flowers around it in spring or summer time. On our rainy day in September, however, none of these flowers still remain. Nevertheless, we decide to have a quick look at the trail that leads up to a viewpoint and explore a nearby cave. As we leave the ring road, we trade asphalt for black sand. It drives softly and following the tracks of previous cars it gives a taste of the off-road adventure.
    From the parking area we have to look for the start of the trail, but with the use of our smartphone we quickly get on the right track. From the viewpoint we get an incredible sight over nothing else than a black desert with at the horizon the ocean, which is often hard to see due to the clouds. Judging by our map we must be standing right above the cave. The steep cliffs in front of us give you a sense of how tiny and insignificant we are in this world.
    We walk back down and drive with the car a bit further around the mountain to see the cave. You can literally park the car in front or wherever you like. No roads in this area.
    The cave has a little arch through the front dividing it into two big holes. From the inside it provides a great opportunity to take silhouette photos.

    This was a calm and not touristic stop, which will probably soon chance when we visit Fjaðrárgljúfur. For us, better known as "the Bieber gorge" simply because we can't manage to pronounce this one either and we've read that Justin Bieber's videoclip of "I'll show you" was recorded here. Since then, many tourists have visited the gorge and sometimes it's even closed off.
    When we arrive at the parking lot there are a lot of cars but compared to July or August I guess this is still okay. The path is clearly marked and set out by ropes so people don't go too close to the edge. Probably a rather recent chance as you can still clearly see the marks and destruction of people who went to spots that stick out a bit further into the gorge. It is a shame that everything is so restricted now, but at the same time we're happy to see that Iceland is taking measures to protects it's beautiful nature. Things don't grow here as quickly as down south, especially mosses.
    At the end of the gorge, there is a waterfall and a viewing platform. It's weird to see how the earth just pulled apart these giant pieces of land and left this crevice in between.

    Many pictures later, we drive to Skaftafell national park. This is the biggest national park in Europe and offers many multi-day hiking trails but also one very famous shorter hike to Svartifoss. A waterfall surrounded by black basalt columns. Just before arriving to the park, we catch our first glimp of the immense glacier that lies in the park. Because of the low clouds and rain today, we couldn't really see into the far distance. We pay for parking and take our lunch at a picknick table that is covered from the rain. The whole day it has been drizzling and there isn't enough time in between stops for the clothes to dry again. Luckily our rain jacket and trousers don't let any water through, it's just all damp. After lunch we start a hike of about 3h to see both Svartifoss and Sjónarnýpa, a viewpoint overlooking the glacier.
    The trail starts with a graduate climb and very quickly gets us out off the beaten track. We enjoy the tranquillity and views we get along the way. Little berries, waterfalls, every now and then a view in the distance.
    After a good while we arrive at Sjónarnýpa, the view is so rewarding. Everywhere in front and below us there's ice. White ice, blue ice and ice with black sand or dirt on it. Once again we're blown away by the magnitude... you can see people down below who are merely black dots. I'm sure that some movies were filmed here! Later that day we googled it: turns out many of Iceland's glaciers were used in various movies.

    We need to go back a bit on the trail to find our way to Svartifoss. When we arrive, there are many tourists, but by the time we've taken our pictures most of them had already left again. So... we could take more pictures. We continue our downhill walk and pass two houses with grass roofs. After a long and rewarding walk we finally get back to the parking lot. We take of our drenched clothes and drive to our next hotel. In the evening we had an amazing meal in the hotel's restaurant. Really nicely decorated dishes and mix of flavours. In Belgium this would surely be a dedicated restaurant and never to be found in a hotel. Thinking about all the amazing things we've seen in only three days time, we go to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 4

    Ice ice baby

    September 7, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After a well night's rest, we open the curtains to a bright blue sky. As we enjoy our breakfast in the restaurant where we had yesterday's dinner, the view is quite different. Yesterday we couldn't see much, this morning the view is spectacular. More excited than ever we check-out and quickly drive off to our first stop of the day.

    While reading the guidebooks in order to prepare for our trip, I read something about a beautiful hike to Hangandifoss. There was little information to be found on where the waterfall was exactly located. Nevertheless, the few lines that I found promised a spectacular walk to one of Iceland's highest waterfalls. Especially when visibility is good. As today seemed the perfect day for such a hike, we carefully looked up the coordinates for the start of the gravel road that should take us there. After a short drive we park our car at the end of the track in a slightly wider area. There's one other car, so we're at least not the only ones who found out about this trail. Even as we get out of the car, we're already blown away by the view of the gigantic glacier not too far away. Yesterday we couldn't see any of this, today all the ice on the mountain tops is clearly visible. As we continue our climb uphill, we often look back to see the glacier and the sea. After crossing a little river it's one climb to the top alongside a deep gorge. We can see the goal of our trip in the distance; a long and small waterfall that falls down inside the gorge. Along the way we take many many pictures of the variety of views that the landscape offers us. The seagulls inside the gorge provide great contrast as to how huge this canyon is.
    Nice weather always improves the way you perceive things, but this hike is by far the most spectacular so far. Also, the fact that we're alone is great and gives you a great feeling of freedom.
    After about a 2h walk we arrive back at the car. Grateful for this hidden gem we drive to our next stop which we could already spot from up the cliff: Fjallsárlón, a little lake at the end of the glacier.

    After parking the car and walking a short path to the lake we are now standing right at the end of the glacier. The size of it and floating pieces of loose ice are breathtaking. For both of us, it's the first time we can get so close to the glacier itself. The beach provides great photo opportunities. By now we already realize that selecting photos at the end of our journey will be a very difficult and time consuming job.

    Not much further lays the most famous glacier lake of the country: Jökulsárlón. With a surface of 15km² it's a huge lake full of icebergs drifting away from the glacier itself. The dark blue water gives great contrast with the white and light blue glue of the ice. The lake is connected to the sea through a river where big pieces of ice end up in the ocean. At the seashore there are lots of these smaller pieces of ice that wash ashore and make another famous picturesque sight: diamond beach.
    We explore the lake from near the parking area. There are trails that walk (partly) along the side of the lake, but we're in luck: most of the icebergs are on the south side of the lake where the parking area and river to the ocean are. Every now and then there are boat tours that take you between the ice.
    When returning to the parking lot we enjoy a hotdog for lunch. Hotdogs are a typical Icelandic snack and can be found almost everywhere. Every gas station, shop or small vendor has them. After our lunch we follow the river to the diamond beach. It's here that we spot our first seal. It's playing in the rather strong current and jumps out of the water every now and then.

    As we arrive on diamond beach, I'm amazed by the number of little pieces of ice laying in the black sand. Maybe you've seen one of these iconic pictures before. I always thought there weren't so many lumps of ice and you needed to have some luck to see the perfect one. Turns out I was wrong. There are many different sizes to choose from and some more bright than the others. We start our search for the perfect picture and spend a lovely time on the beach. We're so lucky that the sun is shining today! The blue colours in the ice and reflection are so much more spectacular on a day like this.
    We take a moment to soak it all in: a hazy black shore in the distance created by waves and sunlight, standing on a beach between pieces of ice, an ocean in front of you where seals play between the floating icebergs, only to turn around and see vast green mountains with glaciers all in between and a blue sky. This is a place and moment we will never forget.

    This was the furthest point to the east we will go on our trip and are now driving back the same road to spend the night in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. A little town that provides a great starting point for our trip the next day: the start of the highlands. Driving down the same road doesn't bore us the least. We see things now that we didn't see yesterday at all due to the low cloud cover. Also, we still have a few stops to make.
    Svínafellsjökull is still on our planning today: it's also a glacier lake that normally does a fine job in introducing tourists to glaciers as it brings you rather close to the ice mass. Unfortunately, before travelling to Iceland, I read a report of a tourist saying that the trail was closed due to a landslide. When we first passed this area the day before, the gravel road was indeed closed off. Looking at our maps we see if there isn't another trail that could lead us to the lake. Not too far away there is another parking lot where you can walk to the lake. Still baffled by all the amazing things we've seen earlier we decide to stop here as well. Again, this does not disappoint! Everything is super quiet and every now and then you can hear the ice melt or break loose. With some imagination you can think of what it must feel like sailing between the arctic ice.

    When we arrive in Kirkjubæjarklaustur, we make a quick stop at Kirkjugólf. Roughly translated as "the church tiles". These basalt columns were formed long ago after an eruption and when cooling down formed the hexagonal structure. These columns are special because the top is at ground level, giving you the impression as someone has laid down these hexagonal tiles.

    After checking-in at our hotel we make a short walk from the hotel to Systrafoss. The water flows down over a wide 45-degree angle slope making it somewhat unique. We follow the trail next to the waterfall to the top. Here we find a lake that feeds the waterfall and a beautiful view on the town below and the area. With evening sun we take another few photos and say goodbye to this amazing day.

    During dinner we have a final check on the Icelandic road service website and discover that the road we had planned to take tomorrow is closed due to river flooding. A bit disappointed we plan our route around, adding quite some kilometres to the trip. Nature is unpredictable, especially in such a country. Because of the chance in tomorrow's plan, we go to bed early to start the next day in the early morning.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 5

    Colourful highlands

    September 8, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    It's early morning when the alarm goes off. The sun has just risen and during breakfast we check again the Icelandic road service website. Nothing has changed: the nearest road into the highlands is still closed. Turns out the daily refresh is only at 7AM. We will be driving by that time, so we plan for the longer route which takes us all the way back to just before Selfoss. A town we passed by on our second day.

    At last we leave the ring road and turn on road 26. New, undiscovered, ground that will take us further inland. This road turns after a while in the F26 which we will drive all the way to Mývatn on the next day. All F-roads in Iceland are off-road tracks and require a 4-wheel drive car. Just before the asphalt stops, we turn right onto the F225, our first F-road. We quickly read the signs sayings that 4x4-cars are mandatory and that there are possible river crossings on these roads. The speed limit is reduced from 90 km/h to 80 km/h on these roads, but 60 km/h is often recommended. It doesn't take long before the landscape around us has changed completely. From the fields and pastures we've seen around us into the black sand and green hills. The road is generally a single lane track so when encountering opposite traffic you need to be creative to pass each other or wait in a wider area.

    We advance slowly but enjoy the environment we're in. As we approach our first flooded part of the road we stop and go out to inspect. Very cautious, executing everything that we've read about driving in the highlands. It's only a small pool and we make it across just fine. As a matter of fact, even a normal car would be able to do this. Nevertheless, for us it feels like the adventure of the highlands has truly started!

    At the end of the F225 we head back south onto the F208, which is the original road we planned to take. It's closed further down south, but after only a few kilometres we find our first stop of the day: landmannalaugar. As we arrive, the parking area is full. There are 3 cars queuing at the end of the parking to what seems another river crossing. We park the car at the back of the queue and get out to inspect this obstacle. Across the river there is a camp site where we can see other cars parked. Mostly decent 4x4 cars. After a quick glance we feel confident about the river crossing and get back in our car. We take the lead and very decently make it across. Lead by our example the other cars follow.

    With the trailing cars in the rear-view mirror, we notice our mistake... this was only a first flooded area to cross. Up ahead is a way deeper and wider area to cross. Ann gets out of the car and inspects the danger ahead. By what I make of her body language and hand gestures I believe this second part is equally do-able as the first part. Slightly pressed by the cars behind, I continue and follow the path Ann has explored: first a turn to the right to get to the edge of the pool. Just before the pool's edge, she makes clear that I cannot go there. Because stopping is one of the things you really shouldn't do when crossing water on loose stones, I decide to give the car a whirl to the left and cross at the point where we currently are. The car takes a dip with the nose in the water and rather clumsy I end up at the other side of the pool. The cars behind me have seen enough and decide to take a different approach on this (rightfully so). The car behind me with slightly higher clearance decides to go straight through. He makes it across looking less like an idiot, but I'm also not entirely convinced as the water did rise to his ventilation panel. For us that would have come even higher. We both get back in the car and drive to the parking lot. Just before we arrive, we smell a burned odour. We quickly park the car and turn it off. Hoping it will all be dry again after our walk. That dip the car made, was slightly above the maximum wading depth for our car... We hope we'll find a working car when we return.

    Landmannalaugar
    Even before arriving here, we noticed colour changes in the mountains around us. Slowly, the black mountains turned into beige sand like coloured hills. Within these hills various pastel-like colours can be seen.
    We take the hike to Bláhnjúkur, a 945m hill that provides an excellent view on the area. Taking into account a trail review that advises us to make the walk counterclockwise, we start our trip shortly after lunch.
    The trail begins with a lava field. The road winds through the sharp rock structures and every now and then provides a view with colourful hills. Not that much later we arrive at the end of the maze and at the foot of a hill with steam coming out of the earth at different locations. When getting closer to one of these steam holes, the smell of sulphur becomes more intense. As we circle back for a short while, the trail suddenly takes us into another valley. Now we're really in between the hills and we're blown away by its beauty. It is unbelievable how nature can create these places on earth.
    We start our steep climb on one of the hillsides to get to the top of Bláhnjúkur. We have to tread carefully because the path can be rather slippery and is steep. Luckily, we don't mind at all to take a rest every now and then to turn around and soak in this fairy-tale landscape.
    The higher we climb, more of these colourful hills in the valley become visible and more pictures are taken. After a long and very windy walk on the hill's ridge, we reach the top. Everywhere we look it's a different and beautiful scene. The idea that almost every guidebook uses the same picture for this place was never so wrong. You can take a hundred different pictures here and use them all in a guidebook.
    As we descent, we realize the benefit of walking counterclockwise. The path is even more steep here and less graduate. The people we cross going up have to pay close attention to where to place their feet.
    Just before we reach the bottom of the hill we pass along another strange sight. A rock, extending out of the hill has yet another completely different colour: deep dark green.
    When we arrive back at the parking lot, we're curious if our car survived its first water adventure. The thought has never really left our mind from the moment we set off.

    Further inland
    The car starts: that's a good sign. Also no indication light on the dashboard. Relieved, we carefully drive off to meet our fearsome river crossing again. We immediately turn of the ventilation and air conditioning to prevent any not evaporated water causing trouble with the electronics. When we arrive at the crossing there's again a queue of cars. We even see a highly adapted 4x4 of 'environment control' pass by. Someone must have said something to the camping owner about this crossing and they went out to have a look. I was a bit afraid they would close it off because it became too deep. Maybe the river had swollen even more during the afternoon making it even harder to get across. We carefully study the cars in front of us, and it turns out that a straight line, slightly to the edge of the pool is the best approach. Ann gets out of the car and walks around to take pictures while I prep the car for the crossing. 4-wheel drive mode: on, ventilation: off, traction control: automatically turned off, windows: down, doors: unlocked. We're ready! From the outside everything looked flawless from the inside it still felt scary: the car loses traction on the stones, it feels like you're in the water until just below the bonnet and all sensors and systems start making beeping sounds. Next time we definitely turn of the parking sensors as well.

    After the crossing we switch drivers and Ann has a go at our off-road adventure. We continue the F208 to the north to stay the night at a very basic hotel in the highlands. The road has a lot of potholes so we advance slowly. Our cell phones often don't have any service so we can't rely on Internet for navigation. It's the good old road map that tells us where we are. We pass some small waterfalls after a good while hit asphalt roads again. Not much further to the hotel now, where there is a gas station. I think everyone fills up here. It's not recommended to go in the highlands with less than half a tank of fuel. After fuelling up, we check-in at the hotel. Luckily there's dinner available here, because there's nothing else nearby. No need for our instant carbonara yet.

    The hotel is simple, but has a nice and cozy atmosphere. Like in most Icelandic homes you have to take your shoes off before entering. There's a small sauna that's available free of charge. Before going to dinner we make a stop there to relax.

    Tomorrow we have another big piece of highland road to cover. We will cross the country to Mývatn via the F26, also known as Sprengisandur. It's the longest inland road in Iceland and takes you through a deserted black landscape. There's little to see there, except for the experience to drive this adventurous road. After our first meeting with a river crossing today, we are a bit anxious for what tomorrow will bring...    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 6

    Alone in this world

    September 9, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    As dawn breaks, we have another early morning start. The drive on the Sprengisandur will take almost all day, so we have to start early. After a simple breakfast on our wellness slippers, we check-out. Actually, we just have to leave the key on the counter as most employees work in the restaurant/breakfast area in the morning. When we walk to our car, we see some huge trucks parked in front of the hotel. These cars have been adapted to travel anywhere at any season.

    We hit the road once more and after 10 minutes leave the comfort of asphalt for a day of shaky loose rocks. Unlike yesterday this road doesn't have that many potholes, it's mostly rocks and evading the biggest ones. We're lucky as the sun is shining upon us today allowing far views in the distance. We spot huge mountains and glaciers. After a couple of hours, we cross two bikes. Amazed by the dedication of those people, we stare at them as we pass by. They must have spent the night somewhere in this deserted place as it's impossible to travel by bike across in less than a day.

    It's hard to find a reference point to locate where we are exactly on the map. Every time we do, we're surprised by how little we have advanced. River crossings are generally marked on the map, so we carefully follow up where we are to the first crossing. By the time we arrive at the first crossing, we have crossed one car (and the bikes). It gives us confidence that the crossing must be do-able as the other car must have made it across. We stop the car before the river and get out to inspect. Because of yesterday's failure we're determined to do everything thoroughly today. The information we read about river crossings said that the one driving should inspect the river by foot, even if the river seemed shallow and easy. I zip off my trousers and chance shoes. Grateful for the sun today and prepared for the bitter cold I step into the water. It's indeed freezing cold! Walking one way in the left tire track, and back in the right tire track I've found my route. Switching shoes again, prepping the car, and off we go! Everything goes smoothly this time. No remarks! Satisfied we continue our trip through no man's land.

    Between this and the next river crossing we cross one more vehicle that is clearly adapted for this type of road and travel. No further confirmation or boost of confidence about what's coming next as this car could have made it across anything. When we arrive at the second crossing, we do the same: get out and inspect. This river is way wider and has small banks in between. When we're out exploring our possibilities, another car arrives to the crossing. I head back to the car to ask if I should move the car aside in case they want to go first. Of course they're happy to wait and also get out to inspect. The first section of the river is easy and I already advance the car through this part. For the second part, we still need to do some more exploring and I'm thinking of getting back in my wet shoes to do another walk through the river. The other car has seen enough though and sets off. We carefully watch how it goes and decide to follow the same track. This crossing also passes well. Only one more to go today! But the last one is the most dangerous with a wide riverbed and strong current. Advise says to drive from bank to bank and not stop. Curious what we'll find we continue.

    About 3 quarters in our trip, we arrive at the last river crossing. The car that crossed the previous river before us, is here as well. At the time we arrive they seemed to have figured it out and tell us their approach. Again, we wait and see. Because the entry to the riverbed was too deep and the current too strong, he drove off a bit upstream to find better ground. There he crossed the first streams for riverbank to riverbank. One section in particular didn’t really look that convincing to me. His car sank deeper in the river than he anticipated and therefore we go and have another look at that section. After a couple of minutes we decide to try a similar approach. Fortunately, with success! Just as we reach the other side another car arrives at the crossing. A shame they couldn’t see how we made it across.

    With the river crossings behind us we can somewhat relax for the rest of today’s trip. Towards the end there are some minor flooded areas of the road where we would have stopped yesterday or the day before. In comparison to what we did today we don’t even bother configuring the car and just drive straight through. Funny how our driving style changed already so much compared to the last few days or certainly on our very first gravel road. A few days back we drove at max. 40 km/h on these roads, now we are more confident and if the conditions allow, we can speed it up to 70 or 80 km/h. Things you wouldn’t consider in Belgium on a gravel road.

    Towards the end of the Sprengisandur we arrive at the first stop of the day: Aldeyjarfoss. A waterfall that is also surrounded with basalt columns, but unlike the Svartifoss we saw earlier these ones aren’t black. The powerful waterfall lies in a beige, brown landscape in the evening sun. There aren’t many tourists as this is a more inaccessible area to get. We take our pictures and drive further north to meet the ring road again.

    We feel the end of our shaky trip is coming to an end as the roads gradually improve. From loose rocks to smaller rocks and sand. Until we finally meet an ordinary gravel road where we advance way faster compared to the last couple of hours. Where the gravel road ends, and we meet the ring road, there’s another famous stop: Goðafoss or waterfall of the gods. The sun is almost setting and in the last light of the day we discover this wonderful waterfall. The sun is directly above the waterfall, making pictures hard. But the evening light gives great reflections on the water!

    Glad that we’ve made it across this highland route in one piece we continue our road to Mývatn. We quickly check-in and are immediately welcomed by Mývatn most (in)famous trait: midgets. Unlike their Scottish counterparts, these luckily don’t bite, but they are extremely annoying. They love to investigate your eyes, ears and nose. Having dropped off our bags we jump back in the car to see the sunset at Mývatn Nature Baths. A famous wellness like the Blue Lagoon in the Reykjavik area. On the way to the Nature Baths, we notice a not disturbing weird noise when making end range turns to the right. Not really worried we ignore it and drive on. Must be some dust that gathered somewhere under the car.

    During our stay in Iceland we wanted to experience bathing in a natural bath, but not the touristic Blue Lagoon. We enjoy our time in the baths and the unique experience, but it remains very touristic and actually rather pricey (€70 for two).
    After our relaxing time we go back to the hotel and have dinner. Funny, on the way back the weird noise is also present when taking sharp left hand turns. At the hotel they have an extensive pizza menu, and we decide to take two pizzas. I think this was the cheesiest pizza I’ve ever eaten!

    Tomorrow we’ll discover the whole area of Mývatn where there is plenty to see. Another busy day ahead of us, but afterwards things seem to ease down a bit.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 7

    Mývatn area

    September 10, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    Having finished an extensive breakfast with waffles and croissants, we start our last highly filled day for a while. We decide to kick start it with Dettifoss. Yet another waterfall, but one that holds high expectations as it's the most powerful in Iceland. To get there, we have to pass the Mývatn Nature Baths again. In this area there are various landmarks to see and from the car we can clearly see the white steam from Hverir. An area that we will visit later today. During the first couple of minutes into our drive, the car continued to make some weird noises, but by the time we arrive at the Dettifoss parking lot, all seems to have stopped.

    The parking lot isn't yet crowded and we quickly jump out of the car to enjoy this waterfall without too many tourists. To get to the waterfall we need to take a short walk of about 500m that leads us into a grey and deserted landscape. We can hear the waterfall from far away, but it's only when we climb over the last little hill that we can see it. Once again, it does not disappoint! Dettifoss is only 45m high but is fed by a 100m wide river with a strong current. The grey/brown water carved its way into the rock and made like a little canyon. When standing next to the edge of the waterfall we can't even see the bottom. The mist of the crashing water is too thick and makes you immediately realize the power of this massive spectacle.
    The mist carries back up in the air and floats further down the canyon. There are various danger signs here to warn tourists in winter times of extremely slippery trails and danger of falling into the canyon.

    From Dettifoss we walk another 500m upstream to another waterfall: Selfoss. Much like Goðafoss, this one has different falls spread out over the width of the river. With more people slowly arriving to this stop we take our pictures and decide to move on. According to the guidebooks there's another waterfall a bit further downstream the river. However, this one we can't reach by foot. So, we get back in the car and find an off-road track that takes us to a viewpoint. Not far in the off-road track the car suddenly decides to start making a lot of noise. And not the most healthy sounds... Like a piece of metal that is scratching constantly against another piece of metal. At the parking lot we carefully inspect the vehicle but can't see anything suspicious. On the other hand, I really don't know that much about cars.
    We're alone at the viewpoint and although the waterfall is quite far away down in the canyon, we soak in the magnitude of the landscape around us. Without too much exaggeration, this country has reminded me many times of places in the U.S. that I've visited. Places that are many miles away, whilst this is only three hours flight time from Brussels.

    We drive back the off-road track to the main road and continuously wish for the, now very worrisome, sound to stop. Asphalt roads don't make the car feel any better. Every turn makes a death-screaming sound that makes us wonder if the car is going to fall apart within the next couple of meters. As we arrive at the camping and parking area of Ásbyrgi we consider our options whether or not to call our car rental company. If they have to come over to check the car or bring a new one, we lose a lot of time in our schedule. Also, they will most likely blame everything on yesterday's river crossings which are never insured. So... we decide to wait and see. If the car breaks down, then we can call them.
    Ásbyrgi, or burrow of the gods, is a canyon with a dead end and a little pool. Down in the canyon there are many trees, which is a rarity in Iceland because of the climate. According to legend the gods had their meetings at the end of this canyon.
    Our plan takes us on top of the canyon to "Klappir", a viewpoint at the end of the canyon. In my opinion this would be way more rewarding than walking down inside. Just after we set off, we hear an airplane right overhead us, but because of the clouds we didn't see anything. Not much later the sky is filled with parachutes. Someone must have marked the canyon as today's drop zone.
    When we arrive to the canyon wall there is a steep climb to the top. Luckily there are ropes and stairs to help you. Quite and adventurous start of the walk!
    We continue over the side of the canyon and start to see various autumn colours in the vegetation. The view is spectacular but doesn't change that much during our walk. Every now and then we have to walk whilst waving our hands before our faces because of those annoying midgets. After about 3,5km we arrive at Klappir and have a beautiful sight on the pool below us, right at the end of the canyon. We can see some tourists walking near the pool. We're happy that we did this walk, it gives a better perspective. After a short drink and cookie, we head back the same way that we came. It's hard to take pictures with those midgets constantly flying in front of your lens or buzzing around your ears. Neither does it make drinking or eating any easier.

    Next on our planning is Hverir where we passed by in the morning. It's quite a drive back to the Mývatn area now and we're baffled to discover that our car has decided to no longer scare us. All weird and scary sounds seem to have disappeared. The best hypothesis I can come up with, is that whatever was stuck and scratching came loose when I reversed the car at the parking lot. For now, we cross our fingers that it stays this way.

    When we open the door at Hverir we get hit by the strong smell of sulphur. Hverir is a not incredibly big area of high geothermal activity. Very similar to some parts of Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.
    We walk between various boiling mud pools and smoking cracks. The ground is a palette of different colours. It's weird how nature can be so brutal and unforgiving but also can create these immensely beautiful landscapes.

    On the other side of the road, there's a path that leads to an old geothermal power plant. The many pipelines and industrial look make it a somewhat unique sight. Unfortunately, the plant is already closed in September for visitors but we decide to have a quick look at the crater lake that is just above the plant: Víti.
    The walk on the edge of the crater gives us a nice view over the power plant and Hverir in the distance. In the crater there is dark blue water.

    With the start of the evening light, we continue our trip to Hverfell. This is another explosion crater with a diameter of 1km. The climb to the top of the crater and walk around it provides beautiful views on the surroundings and the Mývatn lake. It's only now that we actually spot the black sanded crater. We've passed by this road already two times by now and it just didn't catch our eye. That by itself has to say something about the many things one can look at travelling through this amazing landscape.
    Having arrived at the top of the crater we can understand why NASA did various moon exercises in this (and another nearby) crater. When you're down in the crater there's nothing but black and grey around you. Nothing that grows, nothing but sand. From the edge the view is indeed spectacular. Especially with the almost setting sun over the lake. We walk around the crater and head back to the car to go to our last stop of the day before daylight leaves us.

    Most of the tourists have left when we arrive at Dimmuborgir, a maze of lava formed structures. There are various walks throughout the area, but with time upon us, we decide to take a route that leads us past the most famous structures: a hole and a church. I can't say this was a disappointment because it is something that's worth seeing. After all, you don't see lava every day. Also, we're maybe already too spoiled with all the other gems we've seen. We found it was a nice walk but didn't stand out as much as all the other things we've seen so far. Nevertheless, happy that we can check this one of our list we take some last photos of the sunset and go back to the hotel.

    During our dinner in the hotel, we admire the different glass printed photos of volcanic eruptions. Turns out these were all taken during the biggest eruption in Iceland. According to the waitress it was huge. She said that the current volcanic eruption in the Reykjavik area is a joke in comparison to the one on the pictures. The total amount of lava that has been spit out by the volcano today was ejected in a single day back then. Also, turned out geologists predicted another volcanic eruption today at Askja. A volcano not too far from where we are today and that was originally on the planning but didn't make it. Amazed by how the Icelandic people can live with this dormant but unforgiving fireball below them, we go to bed. Tomorrow is the start of our first less busy day, phieuw!    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 8

    Mist, city life, fish

    September 11, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    It's Saturday again. Exactly one week ago our adventure in Iceland began. We're both a bit surprised that we're only halfway now. Judging by the number of things we've seen so far, or the pictures on our camera's, it could already have been a whole trip. At the same time, we feel a bit sad too. The fact that we're over the halfway mark means that the end will now rapidly start to come closer and closer.

    We have another breakfast with pancakes and waffles at the hotel. After checking out and loading the car we leave Mývatn and its annoying midgets behind us. Because today's planning is a bit more flexible, we decide to take a walk on the Vindbelgjarfjall. A mountain to the west of the Mývatn lake that gives a great panoramic view on a clear day. As of this morning, the sunny days have left us and clouds with sometimes rain are forecasted for the next couple of days. Because the weather is so dynamic here, we decided to make the walk to the top. We might be in luck... or at least we've had a good exercise walking up!

    As we park the car on the nearby parking lot and quickly gear up for the walk, the top of the mountain is still out of the clouds. We immediately put our hoods on and zip our jackets to our noses because of swarms of midgets. Apart from the occasional waving to clear the insects in front of our faces, it's a nice and relaxing walk through really prominent autumn colours. When we start the climb on the mountain, most of the midgets seem too have stayed in the vegetation. As we slowly get higher and higher up the hillside, we can see numerous lakes behind us. The water is filled with waterbirds and migrating birds taking a rest on the water.
    The closer we get to the top, the colder it gets and more and more clouds have gathered. The top of the mountain is now in the clouds.
    When we arrive to the top, there not much to be seen. Sometimes we can see the car parked below, but the view doesn't allow much more than that. We wait for about 5 minutes in the hope that the clouds would disperse, but no luck. We head back down the same way we came and enjoy the view on the colourful vegetation below us and the lakes. When we're back on level ground, we cross other tourists that just started their hike. They ask us if we did see something at the top. Luckily, they share the same spirit and decide to continue their walk. By the time we arrive back at the car the top is shortly back out of the clouds. One needs to have a bit of luck in his/her life.

    Akureyri
    Once we've made it back in the car and killed or chased away as many midgets as we can, it's time to drive to Akureyri: the biggest city in the north of Iceland! Total number of inhabitants equals roughly that of Stabroek (Belgian commune). Funny how this can be the second biggest city. Nevertheless, it will feel weird to be in a city again!

    As we see the city for the first time in the distance, it doesn't seem that big (maybe because it just isn't). But as we approach the centre, things do feel a bit strange. Traffic lights, and more cars. Even an airport on a peninsula just outside the city. Fun fact about the traffic lights: the red light is not a red ball like in most other European countries. Here, it's a red heart. A smile is in the smallest of things.
    We park the car somewhere in the centre and plan for our midday city trip. There's a church that is situated slightly higher than the main streets. Lots of colourful houses, souvenir shops and cosy bars. We take a stroll down the shopping street and have a coffee and hot chocolate in one of the oldest bars in town. The city isn't that big and after about 1 hour we've seen most of the highlights. We visit the botanical garden near the university and are pleasantly surprised by the beauty of it. There's a huge variety of plants and the park by itself is very cosy. A modern tea- and coffee house and lots of lights in the trees make it a nice environment and must be extremely cosy in wintertime.

    As we walk back to the centre where our car is parked, we have lunch at Subway. For once we don't have to eat in the trunk of our car and make our own sandwiches. After lunch we continue the short drive to Dalvik, a tiny town where we'll do a whale sighting tour the next morning. The city has literally nothing else to offer apart from the whale tours. There's one hotel, where we'll be staying. In summer I can image this can be a bit touristic because of the whale tours. In winter there are some ski stations nearby that might draw some people in too. However, in September... there's hardly any touristic activity. Because we arrived before check-in time, we decided to take a quick walk near the town harbour and beach. The weather has changed from cloudy but dry to a constant light drizzle. Not the most pleasant to make long walks in. As soon as we open the door of the car, a pertinent fish odour attacks our noses. Just like we're in the middle of a fish market! We realise it's a town that thrives on fishery, but it's strange how this can remain this prominent throughout the town. Maybe there was an event before we arrived...

    After our short walk in the rain, we enter the hotel to check-in. The parking lot has just our car. As we approach the reception desk a woman arrives and introduces herself as the hotel owner. She has just arrived and left a paper on the reception desk with our name and room key in case she didn't make it back on time. This weekend, a major event takes place all over Iceland: farmers gather their sheep from the fields and take them back to their farm for the winter. It's a big family thing here and our host was helping out her brother. On the desk there's one more paper and key. Turns out there are only two guests in this whole hotel for the night. The room is basic but has everything that's needed. Because this hotel doesn't have a restaurant, we have to go out for dinner. From our travel agency we got a recommendation for a restaurant, so we decide to go there. After looking on Google Maps we're not sure if there are more than 3 restaurants in this town. We make our evening walk to the restaurant and notice that most people here own, next to a car, also a snow scooter or quad. Because of the rain, the smell of fish and the little daylight left, the town fails to enchant us for now.

    We arrive at the restaurant and take our places at a small table. It's not so big and in the back, we can see another couple that are probably tourists too. All the others are locals and everyone seems to know each other. A larger group in front of us seems to be celebrating something. After a nice meal we go back to the hotel where everything is completely deserted. The reception is closed and there's no trace of anyone. We go to bed and wonder if breakfast will be served, and if so, at what time? Troubles for tomorrow!
    Excited about the whale watching tomorrow, and also wondering how many tourists will show up, we go to bed.    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 9

    The North Coast

    September 12, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    We wake up after a very quiet night. It's not every day that you have an entire hotel to yourselves. We figure out what the maximum number of layers of clothes is that we can comfortably wear. Temperatures are dropping as of today to a chillier 5 to 7 degrees Celsius whereas we previously had a gentler 10+ degrees. Especially on the open water it might be cold, so preparation is everything.

    We leave our hotel room in search of breakfast. When we pass by the reception desk (that is still closed) we see the key for the other guest(s) is still there. In the hotel lobby there is a tea kettle and some instant coffee. The door to the breakfast area is locked with a paper that breakfast starts at 8AM. We decide to wait a couple of more minutes. In the meantime, we put all our bags already back in the car. After breakfast we won't have much time left because the whale watching tour starts at 9AM and they asked to arrive at least 15 minutes prior. Luckily, we saw the location already and it's not that far.
    When at 8 o'clock nothing happens, as we actually already expected. We take out our backpacks and start making our own breakfast. Bread with chocolate paste, some cookies and an instant coffee. Whatever starts your day. As we're about to finish and check ourselves out, the hotel owner arrives. After a friendly morning chat, she opens up the door to the breakfast area and starts preparing coffee and other stuff. We have a nice conversation about Dalvik as a town and the whale watching tours where her son is one of the boat captains. She also re-ensures us that we don't need to be that early there and encourages us to have something for breakfast or take it at least with us. I take one cup of her freshly brewed coffee and open the fridge to find some milk. There are many bottles and Skyr-yogurt. We take two yogurts for later and I pour a bit of oat milk in my cup to reduce chances of it being spoiled. However, when taking a sip of my coffee, it's immediately clear that it was spoiled. I casually leave the cup on the table and after a few more minutes we really have to leave for the whale watching tour.
    Although the tour office isn't far, we decide to take the car. In case we're all wet and cold when we return from the trip, at least we have a warm car nearby and we don't have to walk back to the hotel. In the lobby of the touring office there are already some people. All gathering around the coffee machine.
    After redeeming our voucher at the desk, they start handing out thick clothes to everyone. Everyone looks ready to go on an Arctic expedition! We walk to the boats and to our surprise a lot of people booked a quicker, shorter, more expensive RIB-experience. We're happy, because that means that we have the whole ship to share with only 10 people. As we leave the harbour, we get some information about the different species living in the fjord. Our main target today: humpback whales. They are frequent guests in the fjord and beautifully show their tail before taking another dive.
    Not long after we've left the harbour, we get onto the forecastle of the ship to see the most around us. It's actually a beautiful morning. It's not raining and there's a light cloud cover that doesn't block all the sun light. During the night the very first snow has fallen on the mountains providing a majestic view.
    About 10 minutes in the tour, we spot some harbour porpoises or white sided dolphins. We're the only ones who saw them apparently.
    After a longer period of nothing our guide spots the spout of a humpback whale. We set course and everyone stares in the distance to catch a glimpse of the whale. By the time we arrive some other boats from neighbouring towns have gathered here as well. A cat and mouse game begins. By the time we arrived at the spot where the whale was last sighted, it has moved on and we need to start searching again for the whale to surface. When we do, all boats immediately set full power to the new location to get closer before the whale dives again. We're able to see the whale a couple of times rather close before diving again into the depths. After 4 or 5 times, it's time to return to the harbour. Satisfied, but silently hoping to spot something else on the way back, we return to Dalvik.
    Ann didn't cope too well with the floating and wiggling of the ship in between the sightings and is feeling nauseous. She gets back down and sits on the main deck. I stay at the forecastle in search of some more wildlife and to enjoy the beautiful landscape around us.

    Unfortunately, no other wildlife was to been seen that morning and the ship docks again in the harbour around noon. After giving back our borrowed warm clothes, it's time to drive on to Ólafsfjörður and Siglufjörður. Two towns further north that, like everything else here, thrive on fishing. Siglufjörður was in the first part of the 20th century the most important city for herring. However, after the 1960's the herring left and the once glorious city with more than 10.000 fishermen now only has 1.000 residents left. There's a famous herring museum, but we didn't take the time to pay a visit. We drive further, around the top of the peninsula, and back south to Hofsós. This is another tiny village where fishery is the main activity, but also renowned for its most beautiful swimming pool in Iceland. Just next to the swimming pool, there are basalt cliffs. Worth a stop and find a place to have lunch!
    We park the car next to the swimming pool. The sky has darkened, and it started raining a little bit. After a few minutes staring through the window, we get out and walk down a staircase to the basalt columns below us. It feels weird to walk on these (mostly) hexagonal structures and see the water crash into them. In front of us lies another fjord but because of the clouds we don't see that much of it. When going back up the stairs we pay attention to the swimming pool. Like in a lot of Scandinavian countries, swimming is a sport Icelandic people love. In almost every town or city you can find a swimming pool. The outdoor pool, the one with the beautiful view, has two people in it. We hope the water is nice and warm! On a clear day this probably is a great place to swim. Today, we just want to get out of the rain.

    In the same village we find a gas station. Usually, you can also eat something there or at least we can ask if we can sit there to eat. As expected, there's a little area with tables and chairs. After looking around what we can eat here, a young girl arrives behind the counter. She asks if she can help us and takes our order. The older woman who was there before must be shy or unable to speak English. Everything feels a bit...funny as we take place at a table. We ordered two hot dogs a coffee and hot chocolate. The coffee I had to take from a percolator, only to find out later that if you want milk, you can take it from the fridge where you can usually buy soda bottles. After a while the girl arrives at the table with a little bag of chocolate powder which she got from the gas station's store. When we ask her for some hot water, she turns on the kettle behind the counter. After about 5 minutes we go check on the hot water, and when she happily takes it to the counter, realises that there isn't enough in it. So, she needs to refill, and put it on again.
    After a while, we enjoy our drinks and hot dogs and drive off. We'll drive passed the town where the hotel is, because we want to see some cliffs that are further down the road.

    Not long after we've passed the town where our hotel is, we have to leave the main road for another gravel/dirt road. Because it's been raining the whole afternoon it's a mixture of dirt, sand and small rocks. There's quite a distance to travel, and the road conditions are generally okay-ish. We speed up and cruise towards our destination. When we arrive there's no parking, no sign, nothing. In fact, based on the maps on our phones we decide that it should be somewhere here. We park the car in the entrance of a field and go further by foot. At the end of the field, we can see the cliffs and a waterfall. This is the only waterfall that crashes directly into the see (or on the beach). Because we're at the end of the field, and there's no way to cross the wire, our framing or composition is limited. We make a short walk in the other direction and decide to go back. Once more 25km of dirt road in the opposite direction. The things we do far a waterfall...

    There's still some time left before going to the hotel. We read about a little natural hot spring in this area as well. Worth paying a visit as we still want to experience that "real" natural pool feeling. That, however, means that as soon as we get back to the asphalt road, we will need to leave it again and drive another 12km off-road to the hot pool. By the time we arrive at Grettislaug (the hot spring) our car is covered in mud. We pay a very small fee compared to the Mývatn Nature Baths to the owner and can enter the pools in his yard. Turns out there are actually two pools: one smaller that is slightly less hot than the biggest one. There's a container that serves as a changing room with a shower. Because it's still raining, we quickly make it from the container to the pools. It's nice and warm!

    With the green mountains before us, the waves crashing ashore behind us and some rain droplets on our heads we relax. This is a natural hot spring!
    We hop from pool to pool and every now and then some other people arrive. There's plenty of room for everyone. After our relaxing time here, we shower, change and go back to meet our hotel for the night.

    We're spending the night in Skagafjörður, a tiny village at the end of a fjord. When we enter the hotel it's immediately clear that we're in a very old building. Full of wooden structures and a cosy atmosphere. We need to make it through some halls before we arrive at the reception desk where a friendly man is awaiting us. Because we're so amazed by the old architecture of the house, the man gives us an upgrade from our standard room. Normally we would be staying in an addendum building that is more modern, but today we can stay at the attic of the old building in a very spacious room.
    Turns out the hotel has its own natural hot spring...
    Tomorrow we head back into the highlands to start our trip back south. Let's hope our car survives another highland trip!    Read more

  • TravelerIJsland
    Day 10

    Unforgiving highlands

    September 13, 2021 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    The breakfast in this old hotel is served in the basement. Various wooden tables and old artifacts create a perfect atmosphere for this place. The stone benches are covered with deer or sheep fur. A group of Italians arrive and fill up the room. Apparently, we're not the only tourists after all.

    After breakfast we start looking for a gas station to fill up the car before heading back into the highlands. According to Google Maps, there should be one not far from the hotel. However, when we arrive it's just an empty open area. Luckily, we'll pass by another one before we go inland. We're relieved that the car didn't make any more terrifying noises, but the true test will be today. We plan to drive the F35, also known as the Kjölur route. It was used in the oldest days as a critical trading route for horses. However, after some merchants died during a snowstorm the route has been abandoned until the 19th century. Nowadays, there is even a bus that drives this route in summer.

    We set off and once more trade asphalt for gravel. As we drive further inland, we admire the beautiful autumn colours in the vegetation around us. In the distance we can see thunderclouds and showers of rain. Our first stop is Hveravellir, a nature reserve with geothermal activity.
    As we progress, the road starts to get worse and worse. More potholes appear and slow us down.
    When we arrive at Hveravellir, there are approximately 4 other cars and a (off-road adapted) bus that overtook us on the way here. As soon as we stop the car, we notice the fierce wind shaking the car all about. The flag near the outpost is also going absolutely crazy. It's hard to open the door and get out of the car. We put on our jackets and after a quick visit to the toilets, we face the wind to the steaming fields in front of us. Some signs remind us to remain on the track and be cautious about the water temperature that can reach temperatures up to 100 degrees Celsius. Lean into the wind, put your feet far apart and try to take some pictures, that's the motto we're going for in this place. It's actually funny to see all the other tourists struggle with the same common issue. The boardwalk in between the fumaroles provides a good view on the various colours of the earth. In a tiny stream of water, algae flourish and in sulphuric areas the yellow deposit has the upper hand.

    After our visit to this section of the park, we decide to take another short walk to Eyvindarrétt. This is a tiny hill in a lava field. The best way I can describe it is a cracked dome of lava. As we walk through the lava fields, we can't really enjoy the scenery as we have to fight the wind to put every next step. Covered in our hoods we mainly face the ground to protect our eyes from the wind. I think we were the only ones to even consider a walk in this area. Not much later we arrive at Eyvindarrétt. We can find some shelter in between the cracked lava and have a proper look around us. We're a bit surprised that this short track costs us this much energy. No surprise really that the way back to the parking lot went super fast. At some points it was easier to run than to use your energy not to fall forward.

    We get back in the car and look at the map for our next stop of the day. There's a 10km side road of the F35 that will take us to Kerlingarfjöll, a very colourful landscape with also steaming fumaroles in between. The pictures do remind us of the magnificent Landmannalaugar earlier this trip. We quickly check the Icelandic road service website to see the weather there. As we will be walking on hills and mountains, it might just be that it's closed or not recommended to go there. Surprisingly the measured wind is lower at Kerlingarfjöll compared to Hveravellir. Another issue might be the shower of rain. As we saw so many on our way here, it's hard to tell if it will be dry or not. Because they're mostly showers and therefore don't last that long, we decide to make the sidestep and drive further to our next stop.
    After a few relaxing days at the coast, today is again a bit more time sensitive. Because we still have a lot to see today, and the off-road part is particularly difficult to judge, we can't afford very long walks at our stops. The walk we plan to do starts from a smaller parking in the mountains. To get there, we follow a description that advises us to follow the jeep track to the left of the huts to the top where the track ends.
    As we approach Kerlingarfjöll the weather is turning darker, and rain starts to fall. When we arrive at the huts, we make a stop to check our maps. The last part of the road was already pretty bad forcing us to drive at max 15 km/h. We verify our location and realise that continuing further on the jeep track is our only option. We can do a walk from here as well, but that adds another 10 km to the walk. We don't have that amount of time. A car that we overtook drives up the jeep track and leads the way. A bit hesitant, we follow in their tracks. It would be stupid to just drive back for this. In the meantime, we hope that the weather will improve.
    The jeep track is steep and on loose rocks. The car in front advances very slowly and after a while stops over on the side to "take a picture" or maybe to just let us pass again. Despite our car being more of a true 4-wheel drive compared to theirs, I'm not too confident about the conditions. We put the car in full 4-wheel drive mode with rocky surface and continue. As we drive on the ridge of the mountains, the wind and rain are getting more intense. Every now and then we stop to evaluate a section of road ahead of us and/or to see how long this track continues. In the distance we can see a red jeep that has stopped on a steep uphill part and gets out of his vehicle. Afraid that he might have gotten stuck we wait before starting the next section. As he gets back in his car and continues, we start the steepest part with big stones, and streams of water in between. This is real off-road driving! Although, at this very moment I'm not enjoying it to the fullest.
    Finally, we arrive at the small parking lot where our trail starts. To our big surprise at least one other car has made it here too! By now we're in the clouds and it's raining heavily. The car gets shaken around from side to side by the wind. Desperate about the weather, we park and decide to have lunch in the car. The people from the car next to us are clearly doing the same or are waiting for the weather to improve. We can literally see about 100m onto the trail at this point. After a while some other cars arrive to the parking, including the one that we followed in the beginning. However, most of them stop, and 2 minutes later reverse again to drive back down. The longer we sit in the car, the more convinced we are we should do the same. It's no use risking our lives out here to probably not even see the colourful mountains or steaming holes. After we've finished our lunch, we start the engine again to drive back. A long drive to the F35, all for nothing but the adventure.

    The way down takes equally long as the way up but after a long while we arrive back at the F35. We're now about halfway this highland road and our next stop is back on hardened roads. Actually, we notice that the car didn't make any strange sounds anymore. That's a big relief!
    When we hit asphalt surface again, we can advance more quickly to our next stop: Gullfoss. As of now, we've arrived in "the golden circle" of Iceland. It's an area in the south-west of the island that is very popular for tourists that don't have the time to visit the entire country. In this area you can find a mixture of all elements that Iceland has to offer. Because we do have the time to visit other places, we're a bit afraid these highlights might be less spectacular in comparison to the other things we've seen so far. Also, we've just left the northern part of the island where we didn't see many tourists at all. This could be something entirely different.
    When we park the car at the huge parking lot, we quickly realise we're in the touristic area. There's a big gift store, nice pavements, and all wheel chair accessible. Some benches where people can rest on the 300m walk to the waterfall... a different environment. It's funny how we cross people that are very ill-equipped for this country's weather. Thick fur coats and shoes where one would go out with. Even some people on high heels!
    The waterfall itself is nice but at the same time a bit disappointing as well. Maybe it's because of the many tourists or we're already too spoiled lately. For us, this waterfall has a bit too much of a "look at me, I'm gorgeous"-level whilst there is so much more out there that is equally beautiful. The waterfall comes from a wide riverbed that has various little falls that all come together again to form one big waterfall at the bottom. It's called gullfoss (golden waterfall) because on a sunny day you can often see rainbows over the waterfall. Today is a not sunny day, so no rainbow. We take some pictures and decide to move on to our next stop.

    Our next stop is Geysir, the famous geyser. Actually, it's another geyser in the same area that is the most photographed: strokkur. Geysir became a dormant geyser a couple of years ago and now only very irregularly erupts about once a day. You need to be very lucky to witness that. Stokkur on the other hand erupts in intervals between 4 and 8 minutes making it way more interesting for tourists.

    After having left our car at yet another big parking lot, we walk to the area of interest. There are similar signs here as in Hveravellir earlier today warning people about the hot temperatures of the water. On our way to the geyser, we see some little pools of boiling or steaming water. Some colourful palettes, but not a as strong as we've seen before. When we arrive to strokkur some people have already gather around. It's quite easy to spot where the main event is here. After a couple of minutes, the geyser erupts and throws the water about 20m high in the air. It's spectacular to see and you can't get enough of it. We stay for about 5 eruptions before we move on, trying to make some pictures of the unannounced blasts.

    It's already evening when we leave from Geysir and drive on. Normally we planned another hike to Brúarfoss today but the hike takes about 2h and can be very muddy. We quickly stop at the parking to the start of the trail but decide to not do this anymore. We continue to our chalet for the night and check-in. It's a good thing we didn't do the hike because we can't eat in the hotel/chalet. There's a restaurant in a wellness spa in the town nearby or a hostel. The town restaurant is closed on Mondays. We get back in the car and decide to go to the hostel. The outside of the building is very nice and actually looks like a very fancy hotel. It's an old school that has been renovated and adapted. When we arrive, we have to take our shoes off. There's no one at the reception, so guided by our ears, we make our way to the restaurant. It's super cosy and relaxed here. The menu is limited, but there's definitely something on there that we like. We take some water and pick a table. It's been a busy and long day and we talk about the adventures we've been through. After a nice meal, we drink a hot chocolate milk as dessert and go back to our chalet. Tomorrow brings more of Iceland's golden circle highlights so we quickly go to bed.    Read more

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