Iceland (July 2023)
I’m not even sure where to start with this travel adventure. I’m fairly certain I could write about Iceland for days, but I want to be sure you make it to the end without falling asleep so I will stick to our highlights…………………..and a few lowlights.
I will say that for us, this was not a restful vacation, but it was not meant to be. To me, Iceland is all about adventure and it didn’t disappoint!!!! I started researching for our trip about a year before we left and booked all of out activities about 6 months ahead of our stay.
A few days ahead of our trip we ordered Icelandic currency (Kroner) and exchanged a few hundred dollars. Two Girls Travel Tip:..…. It’s actually not worth the money exchange. Using a debit or credit card is the way to go, and most merchants actually don’t expect visitors to have Kroner.
Ok… enough of that… time to get to the good stuff!!
We flew into Keflavik International airport on Iceland Air out of Boston. I surprised Jessica and upgraded to first class!! It was a first for both of us and it was well worth it!!! The seats were very spacious, we had plenty of the legroom and the food was fantastic!!
After a quick 4 hour and 45 minute flight as we were landing I looked out the window and thought we were landing on Mars!! What an odd landscape!
We opted to rent a car and we suggest you do as well if you want to see a good amount of the island. If driving in an another country is intimating, you can get around the more populated areas on public transportation. There are also a number of tour busses that go to the more remote areas of the island, but I prefer to drive. In my opinion, driving gives you more opportunity to make unexpected, fun stops along the way. To me, it adds to the adventure! 🙂
There are many cities in Iceland, but the most popular is Reykjavik. For our trip, we spent very little time in the city because the things we wanted to do were more toward the “rural” part of the Island.
We stayed at an Airbnb about 10 minutes outside of Reykjavik as we found it to be significantly cheaper than most of the hotels. If you follow our travel adventures you know that we have become very fond of staying at Airbnb’s. Hotels, especially those close to Reykjavik, are very expensive. Below is the view from the bedroom at 2:00am.
Two Girls Fun Fact: 95% of Iceland’s water is directly sourced through geothermal springs underground. The older buildings are not equipped with filtration systems so the smell of sulfur is immediately evident when turning on the water. It was like taking a shower in an egg salad sandwich!!! EWWW!! What’s most ironic is that Iceland has the purest water in the world for drinking!
We spent the first full day trying to shake off the jet lag ( Iceland is 4 hours ahead with 22 hours of daylight) and it gave me a chance to drive a bit while we scoped out the general area, and I’m glad I did!!!
I knew that we would be driving on the right side of the road but what I, actually we, expected to see were more English translations. Also, driving is measured in kilometers so I had to make the conversions in my head. I was NOT pleased that I had to think on my vacation!! LOL!
Anyway…. after two days we figured out most of them ( with a little help from google) and we were good to go. Two Girls Travel Tip: Uber and Lyft do not exist in Iceland so a cab or bus would be your only other option.
My plan was to keep the first day light so we caught The Lava Show ( $44 per person) and went to the Omnom Chocolate Factory. The Lava show was a great way to start our week. We learned a great deal about the island, the volcanic activity, and we were able to see and feel the heat of flowing Lava. The science lover in me was fascinated by all the geological information we took from the show. Well worth the price but I will say that most of it is speaking so young get kids may be bored. Just my opinion.
The Omnom chocolate factory is a very quick drive or even a quick 5 minute walk away. They serve ice cream made from all natural ingredients and of course, their chocolate. The ice cream looked good but we passed and just grabbed some chocolate bars to take back home.
At this point we were a day and a half into our trip and we’re were completely exhausted. The time change was hard enough but having almost 24 hours of sunlight was what made sleeping very difficult; even with a sleep mask. I purposely gave us one full day before doing any excursions due to the time change and lack of sleep.
For our first adventure I booked a 2 hour Twin Peaks ATV tour through Viator. For $340 you can choose a one person or two person ATV. We chose a 2 person because Jessica gets nervous when having to drive any vehicle other than a car. For this excursion you are given warm, protective jump suits as well as helmets and warm gloves. These ATV’s were no joke! They had some serious power and went up to 60 mph. If you’re not confident driving on rough terrain for several hours I would suggest having someone else drive. We divided into our small groups ( with our guide) and we were off to travel throughout the land of Fire and Ice. During several points of the ride the guide stopped to provide the group with information and the ability to take pictures. Adventure one…CHECK! AWESOME!
After the ATV tour I had planned taking a rest break at the Airbnb before heading off to find the Gulfoss Waterfall and Strokkur Geyser. Two Girls Fun Fact: Iceland is home to over 10,000 waterfalls and Foss is the Icelandic word for waterfalls. My plan was to find the bigger waterfalls, but little did I know that as we were driving they were everywhere!!! Both the Gulfoss waterfall and Strokkur Geyser have visitors centers where you can grab a bite to eat, take a bathroom break and buy some souvenirs. The pictures of the waterfalls simply don’t convey the beauty they add to the landscape.
On to day 3…. from the power of the waterfalls of the great outdoors to the complete opposite as we took the 45 minute drive to the serenity of The Blue Lagoon. Two Girls Fun Fact: The Blue Lagoon is considered one of the 25 Wonders of the World!!!
The Lagoon has very offering at various price points depending on how much privacy and pampering you would like to have.
We opted to do the 5 hour Retreat Spa Option( $340 for 2 people). Amenities for this option included a private changing room, as many towels and bathrobes as needed, entrance to the private lagoon and one free drink. The experience also includes the 4 Step Blue Lagoon Retreat skin ritual. The ritual is a series of all natural scrubs and exfoliants from the earth to nourish the skin. Within the spa there are several rooms designed to put your mind and body into complete relation. During your 5 hour time slot we were able to use any of the geothermal pools or relaxation rooms. I’m pretty sure we tried them all!!
Cell phones are not allowed in the spa as the ultimate goal is for you to relax and completely immerse yourself in the experience. The retreat also has several other options to elevate the experience including in water massage and float therapy.
I absolutely love getting massages so I scheduled a 30 minute in water massage ( $139) I did it as a means of research for our readers. 😉 After all…. inquiring minds want to know 😉 It wasn’t your typical massage. This massage was all about achieving complete relation while floating in the warmth of water coming in directly from underground. It almost didn’t seem real but this experience was simply amazing!!
Normally, I wouldn’t pay that much for a 30 minute massage but it was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m glad I did. Little did I know that during my massage Jessica grabbed her phone and was on a stealth mission to grab as many pictures as possible. Again, for our readers. 🙂
Day 4….. We began our day with. 45 minute drive East to our next adventure: The Lava Cave. This adventure took us down into the belly of one of over 30 caves in Iceland.
We arrived at the meeting point and were provided with a helmet with light attached by our cave guide. Jessica and I were a bit disappointed that we were not told ahead of time to wear a warm jacket. When you book the tour they only mention wearing shoes that tie and the need for each participant be able to walk on unsteady surfaces.
After a quick briefing we were off into the belly of the beast. We were immediately greeted by a temperature of about 32 degrees! I assumed it would be cold because we were going underground but had no idea it would be freezing!!!!! Thankfully we had worn long pants and long sleeves so we managed, but a thicker coat would have made the experience more pleasurable. By the end of the hour we felt like walking popsicles.
Aside from being cold the tour was fantastic!!!! To know that you’re walking into a cave that’s over 200 year old is mind boggling. The cave does have some lighting that has been placed strategically to make waking paths stand out. It also has several series of stairs take you deeper into the cave so you are waking through treacherous terrain. The pictures really don’t do the cave justice. Having a front row seat to witness the power of what Mother Nature has created is simply mind blowing!!! On our way down into the cave we stopped a few times so our guide could provide us with information and to take questions from the group.
After the Lava Cave we decided to take the 2 1/2 hour car ride east to the famous black sand beach. Driving around the Golden Circle ( a tourist route in Southern Iceland) is a sight to be seen. Horses and lamb can be seen for miles and miles with the occasional home seemingly out in the middle of nowhere was like nothing I have seen before.
Day 6: our final adventure and my absolute favorite…. Although I loved all of them…. was Snorkeling in Silfra! For $350 you get to snorkel in the clearest and cleanest water in the world! When we arrived at the site we were greeted by the staff and introduced to Kevin who would be our guide.
We were fitted for our warm under suit, dry suit, booties, gloves, head and neck gear, as well as our snorkel and flippers. The water was a chilly 32 degrees Fahrenheit so having all that gear was critical in keeping us warm.
Along with Jessica and myself we snorkeled with a father and daughter from Denmark so we had a nice small group and plenty of one on one attention from our guide.
After a short walk to the waters entrance, we waited about 25 minutes before Kevin said it was our turn to get in. As we walked down the stairs Kevin told us to be sure we took a nice drink from the water. He said it was some of the cleanest water in the world and he wasn’t kidding! I can begin to describe how good that water tasted….especially after being in the dry suit waiting in the sun!! Honestly, the pictures don’t showcase the clarity of the water, and they have not been photoshopped in any way. If I remember correctly, I got in the water, put my face in and said “Holy Sh*T!!! AMAZING!
The entire swim in about 45 minutes and although my lips were numb, I didn’t care! I was ready to go back and do it all again!!! We walked back to the changing area and Kevin had hot chocolate and a snack bar as a nice finish to a great last adventure!!!
Two Girls Fun fact: The snorkeling site and Silfra is right where Eurasia and North America meet and drift apart by 2cm per year. Silfra is the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel and touch two tectonic plates simultaniously. ( Shown in the pictures)
After a quick stop at the Airbnb we took the 15 minute drive to downtown Reykjavik to finish off our trip. If you like the action and go go go of a city, downtown is where you want to stay. There are a myriad of restaurants, bars and shops, as well as the famous Rainbow Street that marks the heart of downtown Reykjavik. We walked around for a bit, grabbed some souvenirs, and made sure we went into the famous Church of Hallgrimur. For $8 per person you can take an elevator to the Bell Tower where, on a clear day, you get a 360 degree view of Iceland. This was the perfect last day before getting ready to head back home.
- If you’ve stayed with me this long and you’re still awake you may have noticed that I haven’t talked about the food in Iceland. Well, for us, other than the sulfur smell in our water, food was a lowlight. Icelandic food is very different and as much as Jessica and I love food we just weren’t adventurous enough for Iceland. Horse, fermented fish, pickled herring and a lot of lamb are very prominent in the Icelandic diet. We did try the famous Icelandic hotdog which is a mixture of pork, and lamb but after the first bite we knew it wasn’t for us.
- This trip was all about the adventures!!!!
We absolutely both agree that Iceland was our favorite trip to date! If Iceland isn’t on your bucket list, we think it should be. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, Iceland is a must do destination!! Iceland is a pricey place to visit but we feel it’s well worth the cost. If you want to see the Northern Lights you will need to visit in the Winter but there are plenty of states in the US where they can be seen. The best weather in Iceland comes in July and even at that temperatures don’t go much about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The long days and relatively mild temperatures are perfect combination needed to explore this amazing Island.
Oh…..and F.Y.I……….Jess and I would be happy to accompany you on your trip as tour guides or even your Uber driver. We can pack quickly! 🙂
Happy Spooning !
Sara and Jess
The following links will take you to Youtube so you can view some of our videos.https://youtu.be/EzaCbtXEmVU
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My friend, there is a lot to write … but so !!! High five!
Thank you! We loved Iceland.