Comments on: Things to do in Iceland and Reykjavik

By: Ross Travellingforfun

Ross Travellingforfun — Wed, 03 May 2017 12:45:35 +0000

Yes the road conditions should be fine during this time unless there is a very unusual cold snap. I went in November and it was fine. The only part that is high and could be subject to road blocking is on the east of the country when you go from south to north. But as I said, September should be fine.

The other question of 6.5days is a little different. If you have 6.5days in total in Iceland then this is very tight. Very doable (you could do it in 5 days) but just involves a good few hours of driving each day. You should see Reykjavik for a day or so and then the golden circle also takes most of a day (or 3/4 anyway). If you have 6.5days set aside to drive around only then you should be fine. Even though you may spend a lot of time driving and not that much walking etc it is still very spectacular. The scenery and waterfalls are unbelievalbe and sitting in the car is still a joy as the landscape is so good. If you don’t mind being in a car then you should definitely do the round trip. If you are not such a huge fan of the car then maybe you could just do the south coast which involves a little less driving.

Hope this is of help.

By: Joy

Joy — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 16:08:10 +0000

Hi Ross,

Thanks for your informative blog! Much appreciated! My girl friend and I are planning our road trip to Iceland at the last week of September. We are wondering if the road condition is safe enough for the two of us to do a round trip. We have 6.5 days in total. Would it be too tight? Thanks.

By: Ross Travellingforfun

Ross Travellingforfun — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:10:42 +0000

Lisa, my advice would be to rent a car as it would be the best but that will be expensive on your own and do a lap of the island. You could do the island in 5 days if you really wanted to so 2 weeks is plenty. Maybe you could save money by taking a little less time and spending an extra few days in Reykjavik and doing a boat tour, fallic museum, hot baths etc. Do the Golden Circle as it is good and easy and will take about a day. On the south coast you will pass super scenery, waterfalls, black beaches and Jokersarlon which is a mad little spot. If you have your own car then you can just stop anywhere you want which is handy. There are several very long hikes you can do or several times on the south coast we just parked up and walked to a glacier (a bit of a mad concept but really cool). Remember the Ash cloud mountain but I think you need a tour for that and it is fairly expensive.
If you scuba dive you can dive between two techtonic plates not far from Reykjavik with 100mtrs visibility so that would be well worth doing if you dive.
The very north west of Iceland is supposed to be brilliant scenery and good for bird watching. I never made it that far so can’t tell you too much about it unfortunately.
In summary, do a lap of the island. Definitely worth it. You dont need to go anywhere in particular, the scenery is spectacular everywhere. It really is

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 20:39:24 +0000

Hi Ross, great site! i’m planning to spend 2 weeks in Iceland on May and to hire some car (hope 4×4). need your help in planning this trip. sleeping as less as possible and only ride, hike, see the beautiful views and simply travel. sleeping in camping/hostel. pls help me to plan it right. appreciate and thak you very much!

By: Ross Travellingforfun

Ross Travellingforfun — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 14:42:34 +0000

Thanks Pam. Firstly being a solo female traveller shouldn’t impact you at all in Iceland. It is safe and very gender equal.
I dont think May will be as bad as you are making out. If you go in the sumemr the weather is beautiful but you miss the caves and northern lights etc. Of course in the winter it is very cold and raining so not ideal that way either.
My advice would be to do some travelling on the southern side of the island. It is really really beautiful. Renting a car would be the best but that will be expensive on your own but do it if you can afford it. Do the Golden Circle and then seperately try to get a bus along the south coast (if not a car). Maybe go to Hofn. You will pass super scenery, waterfalls, black beaches and Jokersarlon if you go that far. if you had your own car then you can just stop anywhere you want which is handy. You will also pass the Ash cloud mountain on the way. Of course there are tours to that also from Reykjavik. i’m not sure about tours though to places like Jokersarlon but I’m sure any hostel/hotel would know.
I think a week wouldnt be enough to bus around the country but if you did have a car then you could do it. The island is very quite. Once you get onto the coast you could drive for an hour at 100km/hr and not pass another car.

By: Ross Travellingforfun

Ross Travellingforfun — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 14:30:54 +0000

Thanks for that

By: Murali Rao

Murali Rao — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 22:18:02 +0000

We didn’t hire 4X4 as we stuck to main roads and please note the roads are virtually empty and route 1 is the main road that circles the country. You can make all sort of activities and attractions within this route 1.

There are a few attractions that you need to go a little off track but not too much that you needed a 4X4 unless you want to drive yourself to basecamp of tongue of Glacier for snowmobiliing.

By: Murali Rao

Murali Rao — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 22:14:04 +0000

We did 11 days ring road trip of Iceland in Sep 2016 and happy to say that we witnessed the wonder of northern lights just one night!!!

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 16:45:38 +0000

Hi there-great site/post! I’m wondering if you have any advice for things to do the first week in May (Reykjavik or beyond)for a solo female traveler. I didn’t think the dates through and now the more I read, the more it seems it’s a quiet time between the excitement of ice caves and the northern lights and the summer fun of midnight sun and outdoor festivals where not much seems to be going on. I also considered a helicopter trip but from what I’m reading, the unpredictable weather may throw a kink in that plan. Any help would be appreciated!

By: Ross Travellingforfun

Ross Travellingforfun — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 09:28:10 +0000

Hey. Reykjavik is a nice city but small so if you spend 2 nights there that is plenty. The golden circle really only takes one day, it is really good (and touristy) but worth it. If you plan on scuba diving in the tectonic plates this obviously would take an extra day but the golden circle you should plan for just one day. Regarding the rest of your trip. You should definitely do a circle of the island. You have plenty of time as you could do it comfortably in 5 days but you have 7. I think the best part of Iceland is just the general views. The south coast is just spectacular to drive on. The black beaches and all the waterfalls. If you drive as far as Jokulsarlon you will pass plenty of spectacular waterfalls right beside the road. The Laugavegur trail, which runs between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk is very good if you like hiking but of course you can just do the start and not overnights but I think may be closed in March. I did plenty of walks on the beach, near Hof and up to the mouth of a glacier that we saw from the road. The north is a little different, more rugged, but no less spectacular. As I said just driving and looking out the window is worth the visit to Iceland. Near Myvatn lake there is bubbling soil and plenty of seals ups north.
In summary my advice would be to spend 1 day on the golden circle and then do a circuit of the island. The roads are extremely quiet. You actually don’t need a 4 x 4 unless of course you like the space or there is a group of you.
Let me know how you get on if you do.