Trails 2 Travel

Iceland 9 Day Itinerary  I'm writing this post for planners and non-planners alike! Since it took Katie and I months to fully develop our Iceland itenerary, I'll offer you the short cut of all the things you can do with a 9 day road trip of the ring road in Iceland including how much you can expect to spend, how long some activities will take you, and a map for each day. Let this blog post be your guide and enjoy one fabulous trip to one of the most beautiful and epic countries I've had the pleasure of visiting.

Day 9: Last day of our trip! so we had to make it EPIC. Thankfully the weather held out for us today as well so we got to do an actual legit hike to Iceland's tallest waterfall GLYMUR

Day 8: Our journey to the center of the Earth  Just kidding, but also not really because those of you who know your Jules Verne, know that one of the supposed lava tubes that gain access to the center of the Earth is actually located in a volcano on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.   So that is what today is about! Discovering waterfalls (surprised?) volcanoes!, oh and some incredible fjords along out drive! 

Day 7: Again breakfast was excellent and included and we had quite the day planned (one where maybe, just maybe- we would get a glimmer of sunshine on the activities of the day including Godafoss waterfall, Akureyri, Galumber farm, and ending at the beautiful Gauksymri lodge on the coast.  We just had a short 20 minute drive to our first stop: Goðafoss

Welcome to the North! Day 6 started out strong with our first included breakfast of the trip. (So long yogurts that have been riding around in the trunk for a day or 2...) HELLOOOO Smörgåsbord! There were some fruits, various breads, crackers, cold meats and cheeses, yogurts (skyr) with cereal toppings, juices, teas, coffees, and the truly interesting breakfast option of SMOKED TROUT. (good but for me... just not a breakfast food)

Day 5: Our longest and SCARIEST drive of the trip: Höfn to Mývatn. We knew the weather was going to be crummy... but we didn't realize just HOW crummy it would be. We headed N following the ring road around some of the Eastern fjords where the waterfalls continued to be a plenty but the road was beginning to wash out. A couple times the drain from the falls on the inland side of the road was overflowing the road and on the right was a drop off into the ocean.

Day 4: Vik to Höfn and everywhere in between Starting with  Fjaðrárgljúfur (Troll land) Try pronouncing that one Fjaðrárgljúfur is a short canyon about 2 km long and 100 m deep but stunning all around. There are 3 viewing areas with the last being the largest and also the BEST as you can see this near waterfall and have the "iconic" shot of the canyon.

Day 3: The epicness that is Southern Iceland: 2 spectacular and unique waterfalls, an old hot pool in the mountains, rugged cliffs, basalt columns, and black sand. This drive is a MUST when visiting Iceland. First stop: Seljalandsfoss .  Best known as the waterfall you can walk behind.

Day 2: Waterfalls and rainbows as we drove the famous Golden Circle .  Up and early we had breakfast and were out by 8 with our first stop: Þingvellir (Thingvellir in English) National Park, just a short drive away.

Ok so here we go with Iceland blog posts! One trip directly to another, but I promise I will do a few summary posts from previous trips one of these days so the actual itinerary is easier to see. But for now, I can't wait to share our amazing experience in Iceland! We met up with our 2 friends Katie and Thatcher at a bright and early 6:45 AM (12:45 our time) and hit the ground running exploring Iceland's capital city Reykjavik.  First stop: The Harpa Concert Hall.