Iceland on your own, planning a trip. Iceland: Wild Roads F Iceland Ring Road
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Iceland seems to be created for autotourism, and by jeep you can get to any point where a dirt “trail” leads. The most interesting area in terms of driving is the center of the island (Highland). And at the same time, for those who want to practice off-road, there are no restrictions on visiting any part of the island. There are no paid zones, paid attractions, paid parking near attractions, etc. anywhere.
National roads
Roads belonging to the national highway system administered by the Icelandic Road Administration. They are categorized as follows: S - Main roads - road #1, which connects Reykjavik to Reykjavik T - Secondary roads - tengivegi in translation - country roads (usually a two-digit number), usually more than 10 kilometers long H - Local roads, which provide access to private farms and do not correspond to the quality of tengivegi (usually a three-digit number) L – A road that does not belong to any of the above categories In short, there is nothing interesting here (in terms of driving!! don’t get me wrong), except for the contemplation of amazing sights after a comfortable ride in a good sedan.
Other roads
F – unpaved roads on which only 4x4 vehicles are allowed. Many with elements of river crossing ford
F roads with two-digit numbers are better - maybe smooth gravel without extreme conditions (Primary highland road); with three-digit numbers it is much more interesting; dotted line without number "jeep trail". It can be quite unpredictable.
There are more lovers relaxing holiday attract attractions in a relatively comfortable area on Ring Road No. 1 (Primary road). And for lovers of a real jeep trip, the most interesting things begin outside the main road, where the Icelandic Highland is. It's a short drive down a minor road and eventually the F-road begins. But these roads can be as treacherous as they are interesting. So let's be more careful here
Safety
Some statistics: in total, Iceland has 13 thousand kilometers, only 2.5 of which are F-roads. To travel along F-roads, even three-digit ones, no special training is required, but you need to have basic skills confidently. All you need is a good jeep, good tires, an extra can of fuel and you can grab some extra provisions…. If you've been taking photos for a long time, it gets dark, and you're still in the mountains. The worst thing that can happen on these roads is: fords (during the warm season, when glaciers melt, some rivers can be quite deep), sharp stones, lack of gas stations. The ground is stable enough that getting stuck in " quicksand» the probability is low. These are the most terrible fords we came across. But the summer turned out to be cold... 
There is a fairly simple rule for crossing fords according to Alexander www.rusring.net
Rules for safe crossing of a ford (namely, a ford is a specially designated intersection of a road with a water hazard). 1. Wait for another car and check the depth and route of movement. 2. If the depth is great or it’s just scary, wait for a bigger car and ask to be dragged to the other side. 🙂
Estimated opening times for some of the most popular roads
When planning such a trip, you need to check whether the road is open on the resource www.vegagerdin.is or by calling 1777 Lakagígar (F206) – June 12 June Kjölur (Hveravellir) (F35) - June 11 Sprengisandur (F26) - June 27 Askja (F88) - June 20 Kverkfjöll (F902) - June 19 Uxahryggir (F52) - June 5 Kaldidalur (F550) - June 13
The enlargement shows how many “pioneers” there were today, which can give both confidence and make you think. 
It would be good to check the weather so as not to drive in vain Weather condition and forecast Do not neglect road signs! Because in Iceland signs are established by precedent, so if the sign is there... it means it’s on point!! If there is a sign “falling meteorites” in the middle of an Icelandic field, be sure that this happened at least 1 time and the probability is high! 
If something did happen
Siminn.is mobile operator coverage map
smartphone app 112 Iceland
Smartphone owners can feel more secure as the Icelandic Rescue Service (ICE-SAR) announces the launch of a program 112 Iceland(SOS Iceland) for tourists. The program allows you to both report that help is needed and regularly inform about your location, which, if necessary, facilitates the provision of assistance. The program works stably not only in networks with fast connections. A regular GSM connection is quite enough for work. You can download the program both on the website safetravel.is and through the iPhone App Store and Google’s Play Store for Android devices. In addition to the program, on the rescue service website you can (and if you want to go into some hole and are not sure, but “really want to” you need to!!) leave a plan for your trip indicating the target time of return. In case of non-return, rescuers will check to see if anything happened. Also, from the rescue service, for only 25 euros per week, you can get McMurdo FastFind, a satellite rescue “beacon” of the COSPAS-SARSAT system. A very useful and reliable thing, it works everywhere.
Iceland is without a doubt the most unique and exciting place on the planet. This article was written to make your trip to Iceland as interesting and comfortable as possible. It is divided into two parts: tips and routes. In “tips” we have collected special recommendations that are suitable for every traveler...
In the “routes” there is an example of just one travel option with maps, attractions, travel time and other little things. We hope you find all this useful as you explore the most picturesque corners of Iceland by car.
ADVIСE
Before the start. One of the travel route options will be described below, but what do you have to do in Iceland? Mostly driving, walking and taking in the endless variety of stunning scenery. You are not going to Iceland to explore only Reykjavik, to spend your entire vacation in excursion bus and think only about safety, but to experience real adventures and see extraterrestrial landscapes (Iceland is often used as a testing ground for beta testing of various spacecraft).
Icelandic ring road. If you want to see most of the country, you should take the Icelandic Ring Road, which takes about 17 hours in total. It is advisable to allocate 8-10 days for the trip. This will allow you to linger in the most interesting places.
When asked which direction is best to go, we recommend going counterclockwise. This course will give you the opportunity to warm up. First there are entertaining adventures and sights, then more impressive ones, and at the very end of the journey - an epic climax. Be sure to plan your route for the next day and adjust it depending on the weather and how you feel.
When to go? There are several factors that go into deciding when to hit the road. These are the weather, lighting and the influx of tourists. These three things will directly affect whether you enjoy the trip or not. The high season in Iceland lasts from June to August. Also, a fair number of travelers arrive in May and September.
Weather. If you come to Iceland at the height of the season, you will still find fairly comfortable air temperatures. However, you need to remember that the weather on the island is very capricious. Sometimes there are moments here when it’s hot even in a T-shirt, and within five minutes you’re covered in a wave of cold rain.
If you are heading to Iceland for the fantastic snowy landscapes and northern lights, come in winter, but be prepared for the fact that getting around at this time of year will not be easy - some roads become completely impassable.
Road conditions. Icelandic Ring Road is open all year round. Some dirt and country roads are closed during heavy snowfalls or due to volcanic activity. All roads are open during high season. If you want to get to the most hidden attractions, plan your trip for May-August.
Light. Iceland is famous for its magnificent light, delighting tourists both in winter and summer. If in winter travelers try to track down and catch on camera northern lights, then in the summer they will experience an endlessly long sunset, lasting from 9 pm to 3 am.
After reading all of the above, you will probably decide to go to Iceland in the high season - in June-July. The disadvantage of this period is the presence of crowds of tourists occupying all the attractions. You can revel in the sight of one of them, and within a minute you will be accompanied by 30-40 people who arrived at the same place as you during the next bus tour.
You can forget about fully enjoying the view and taking high-quality photographs. Taking this into account, we would advise going to Iceland in August, when the crowds of tourists are thinning, the sun is still shining brightly, and there is no snow yet, as often happens in May.
What to take with you? In Iceland you need to have a few essential things with you. Of course, you need to take clothes, sunglasses, toiletries and other small items with you, but the main thing is items and gadgets that will make your trip easier.
Map/GPS. If you don't really trust GPS navigators, buy an ordinary map, which will be useful for traveling in any direction. The map shows all the roads of the country, including secondary ones, and upon arrival home it will remain as a souvenir. GPS coordinates can be quite useful in some cases, but they often cause confusion when cross-referencing Google place names. At the same time, if you don’t know the exact coordinates, some interesting sights may simply not be found, for example, this one - 63°27.400´N 19°22.130´W.
Google Maps extremely useful for planning your route and calculating the time you will spend on your trip. But there is one caveat. Google Maps shows paved roads very accurately, but almost impassable roads and even trails are only shown on printed maps.
Weather forecast. The weather in Iceland is extremely unpredictable, and there are two things you need to figure out before you go outside - whether it's raining and how cold it is.
Clothing and equipment. What clothes to wear and what to take with you is a personal decision for everyone. You need to remember the main rule: “layers, layers, layers.” You need to dress in such a way as not to freeze in the piercing wind and heavy rain (and this can be done not just with warm, but with multi-layered clothes), and take off excess if it becomes too hot.
Money. Oddly enough, cash is not needed in Iceland. Every gas station, every restaurant and store accepts credit cards for payment. They are preferred even in the most isolated villages. You can easily spend your entire vacation in Iceland without touching any money. Naturally, just in case, it doesn’t hurt to put a couple of bills in your pocket, but not a wad of money.
Suitcase or backpack? The choice depends on how long you are going to Iceland. If you are going to walk a lot, sleep in the car and not in a hotel, then a backpack is just what you need. If you plan to stay in hotels, a suitcase will work better, unless you get tired of carrying it from the hotel to the car in the morning, and repeating the process in reverse in the evening.
Where to stay. In Iceland, especially along the ring road, there are a huge number of hotels and hostels, but in the high season they are all packed, so you need to plan an overnight stay and book a room in advance. You may be stumped by having to make another decision: where to stay - in a hotel or at a campsite. Both the first and second options have advantages. You decide.
Driving in Iceland. To explore Iceland well without getting too attached to bus tours And tourist groups, you will need a car. When choosing a car for a trip, pay attention to data such as capacity, power and fuel consumption. It doesn’t matter what the car looks like, as long as it has all-wheel drive.
Marking and speed. We must admit that driving in Iceland is quite an extreme activity. Even on a flat, sometimes arrow-like, ring road, you will sometimes get nervous. The problem is bandwidth. All Icelandic roads are very narrow, but people drive on them very quickly. You especially need to watch your speed while passing sharp turns on mobile homes and when traveling with buses. The surrounding beauty, which distracts attention, has an important influence on the driver.
Secondary roads. The ring road is always kept in excellent condition, but many other roads have the most unexpected surprises in store for you, from the surface (mostly gravel) to the width - some roads do not exceed 2 meters in width. A considerable number of attractions are located away from the ring road, and they can only be reached along inconvenient and difficult roads.
Broken wheels and others emergencies . Always check the condition of your spare tire and be sure to take it with you, otherwise you risk getting yourself into a lot of trouble. It also doesn’t hurt to stock up on guarantees that the agency providing you with the car will come to the rescue in the event of an emergency. Usually they all promise this. In the worst case scenario, you can stop a passing car and ask for a ride to the nearest settlement. The problem is that there are roads on which cars rarely travel, and the nearest housing is sometimes quite far away.
Drive and transmission. If you're planning to venture deep into the fjords, overcome rough roads, and not have to worry about being stranded for about 4 hours from the nearest town, rent an SUV with all-wheel drive. Get the best car you can afford.
Trunk. It will be better if 1-2 seats remain free in the car. It is better to store suitcases and other things that you are unlikely to need on a trip in the trunk, and those that may be needed at any time, for example, a camera, a windbreaker, food, etc., are stored in the cabin of the car. This way you can quickly get everything you need without wasting precious time.
THINGS TO DO?
There are tons of things to do in Iceland. Most of your time will be spent on things, events and attractions that you come across completely by chance, but most of the entertainment and adventures are best planned in advance with the help of people who know a lot about it.
Helicopter excursion. If you dream of flying in a helicopter at least once in your life, do it in Iceland. The entertainment isn't cheap, but it's worth it.
The most famous company offering this adventure is Norduflug, and its best pilot is Gisli Gislason. Book a tour called “Essential Iceland”, during which you will fly over the Golden Circle, Pinglivir National Park and not only see glaciers, but land on one of them and have a picnic there.
When planning a helicopter tour, weather is key, so allow a window of 1-3 days. It is best to take a flight on the last day of your stay in Iceland - this will be the most impressive and memorable finale of the trip.
If you want to shoot video or take photographs directly from an airplane, you should keep in mind that a good picture will only turn out when you set the shutter speed to maximum, reduce the clarity (about 1/1200), set the aperture to F8 and adjust the ISO correctly to depending on lighting. For video, you need to take with you a lens with stabilization, a camera with autofocus, and ideally, one with built-in ND filters. It is best to have two cameras with you - one for photos, the other for video.
Hiking. Every time you get out of the car in Iceland you're automatically doing a little hiking, but there are a few places where this concept makes more sense. One of them is the Skatfell glacier area, which has several exciting hiking routes. For those who find such a route child's play, we suggest organizing a hike to Hornstrandir - you will definitely never forget this adventure.
In addition to hiking, there are many other activities in Iceland, such as horseback riding, all-terrain vehicle riding, diving and flying. It all depends on what you prefer to do, but we would advise organizing your holiday in such a way that approximately 30% of the total time is spent on planned activities, and the rest of the time on exploration and adventure.
Food in Iceland. Despite the fact that many people whine about the fact that the food in Iceland is simply disgusting, and there is nothing to eat except boring hot dogs, we believe that local kitchen quite good, and most importantly unusual. If you don't eat at gas stations(the food here is exactly the same as at all other gas stations in the world), and if you try local delicacies in restaurants, cafes and hotel snack bars, you will understand that everything is not so shabby. But you must remember that along any route you choose there are unlikely to be a sufficient number of establishments offering quality food. In some places you will have to spend hours looking for not just a restaurant, but even a grocery store.
Hotel restaurants. This is perhaps the best option for timely and high-quality nutrition. Almost every city in the country has at least one hotel with a restaurant. Before your trip, you can find out in which city and which restaurants you will have lunch and dinner. Breakfast is usually served in the hotels where you spent the night.
Grocery stores. The size of grocery stores and the selection of goods directly depend on proximity major cities. In and around Reykjavik or Akureyri, the shops are quite large, but all the rest are more like shops at gas stations. They do not have a huge selection of goods and only sell the most necessary products.
gas station. The cheapest food is sold at gas stations. Naturally, they serve hot dogs here, and they are really tasty, but you shouldn’t limit yourself to just this “dish”, otherwise you will join the clan of those who consider Icelandic cuisine monotonous and disgusting.
ROUTES
In this section we will take you deep into Iceland. No matter which direction you choose to explore the island, you will find incredible things to see along the way, as well as reckless and very positive adventures. Below we will describe a trip along the ring road, designed for 8-10 days. We will tell you what awaits you along the way, and you will have to choose for yourself what you want to see and where to visit.
Day 1: Keflavik-Vik
To get to Vik by nightfall, it is better to start the trip early in the morning. From Keflavik to Vik you can drive in 3 hours, but you will have to make several stops along the way. This is an excellent route to get used to Iceland itself and its pace of life.
Where to sleep: Icelandair Hotel Vik
Where to dine: Eldstó Art Cafe
Attractions: Along south coast is home to some of Iceland's most breathtaking attractions, many of which are close to Iceland's Golden Circle. There are also plenty of opportunities for serious adventure along this stretch of the trail.
Skógafoss waterfall
Seljalandsfoss waterfall
Sólheimasandur plane crash site
Black Beach
Troll's Fingers Rocks
Dyrhoulaey Arch
Swimming pool Seljavallalaug
Day 2: Vik-Höfn
On this day you will have to cover approximately the same distance as on the first day - approximately 3 hours on the road. This will give you plenty of time to explore the area and have at least one adventure. This part of Iceland is located at a considerable distance from Reykjavik and is still classified as inaccessible.
Where to sleep: “Country Hotel Smyrlabjörg” or “Hotel Hofn”. The first one will amaze you with its quaint atmosphere, while the second one is perfect for replenishing supplies, as it is located in a port city.
Attractions: There are a lot of attractions on the way to Höfn, so you need to plan your visit in advance. Must visit National Park Skaftafell. You will spend no more than an hour at places such as the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon or the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon - this will be enough time for a full-fledged photo shoot.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Mossy Lava Rocks
Jokulsarlon Lagoon
Skaftafell National Park
Svartifoss waterfall
Landmannalaugar Valley
Ice caves
Day 3. Höfn Eilsstaðir
If you want, you can drive all the way to Lake Mývatn in just 6 hours on this day, but then you risk missing out on some interesting sights. The speed of travel also depends on how many nights you plan to spend at the lake. If there are two, then it is better to go from Höfn to Mývatn straight away. If only one, then you can stop for the night in Eilsstadir.
Where to sleep: "Hotel Icelandair"
Where to dine: in the village of Djupivogur
Attractions: The route along the southeast coast, through the East Fjords, is perhaps one of the most underrated in Iceland. For some reason, all tourists are fixated on the Western Fjords, although the Eastern ones look no less beautiful, and the weather here is more stable than in the West. Moreover, if you wish, you can go far away from the ring road and drive along the entire coast through almost deserted places.
Seydisfjörður city
Dyrfjoll
Coast Laekjavik
Djupivogur village
Random coastal views
Day 4: Eylsstadir-Myvatn
If you stay overnight in Egilsstaðir, Mývatn is about 2 hours away, meaning there's plenty of time for many stops along the way.
Where to sleep: "Vogafjós Guesthouse". This and other similar hotels are bucolic little farmhouses with a pleasant atmosphere and delicious food.
Attractions: On this part of the route you will find one of the iconic sights of Iceland - Lake Myvatn. The extreme geothermal activity of the region has caused the earth to almost turn inside out, so you should explore not only the lake itself, but also the area around it, believe me, there are a lot of surprises waiting for you here. Mývatn looks especially impressive in the winter months, although the roads are often completely covered up. In any case, visit Dettifoss Waterfall (the filming location of Ridley Scott's Prometheus) and the City of Horses (a natural attraction that became the setting for episodes of Oblivion). Mývatn needs to be explored anyway. Even if you don't have time, it's better to skip the Reykjavik tour and go straight to the lake.
Dettifoss waterfall
Lake Myvatn
Power plant Krafla
Viti Crater
Mývatn nature baths
Geothermal formations of Mount Namafjall
Hrossaborg or City of Horses
Hverfjall cone
Day 5: Myvatn-Hvammstangi
On this day you will have your longest trip, during which you will travel through Northern Iceland and reach the Westfjords. Along the way you will find two excellent hotels, several restaurants and grocery stores, and also visit the island's second largest city, Akureyri.
Where to sleep: "Hvammstangi Cottages" or "Hotel Bjarkalundur". Both hotels have their own characteristics. The first differs from the second in the more modest size of the rooms, but all the cottages are located separately from each other.
Where to dine: Geitafell restaurant in Hvammstangi.
Attractions: If you don't stop at the sights, then you will find typical Iceland with beautiful roads and unexpected scenery. But since the trip promises to be long, you will still want to make a few stops and photograph the beauty around you.
Akureyri
Aldejarfoss waterfall
Godafoss waterfall
Restaurant "Geitafell"
Day 6: Hvammstangi-Westfjords
Which direction you take along the West Fjords depends only on you. The only thing you need to remember during the trip is that the roads are not ideal everywhere, and in order not to get lost, you need to have a map with you. Your goal should be to cover as much area as possible in your fjord exploration, and to do this you need to get a hotel room and have a good rest.
Where to sleep: Country hotel Heydalur is one of the best options for accommodation in the heart of the Westfjords. This cute little hotel is located in a picturesque river valley.
“Hotel Hellnar” is suitable for those who want to see petrels on the rocks of the westernmost point of Iceland and Europe – Lautrabjarg. There is another way to get here - by ferry from the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. While sailing you will see fewer fjords, but you will have the opportunity to explore other interesting places.
Attractions: The main attraction of the region remains the fjords, but which of them you can get to depends on the weather, so check and double-check the weather forecast before going deeper. Looking for real adventure, then take a hike to Hornstrandir. It is not possible to get here by car. Usually you can get to the reserve by ferry or on foot.
Lautrabjarg rocks
Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Museum of Icelandic Magic and Witchcraft in Holmavik
Shipwreck "Gardar Ba 64"
Kirkjufell Mountain Church
Isafjörður
Ferry Baldur
Day 7: Westfjords-Thingvellir
You've almost reached the finish line. This trip will take you to Þingvellir National Park, located as close to Iceland's Golden Circle as possible. Depending on where you will be leaving from (Hellnar or Heidalur), you will spend from 2 to 5 hours on the road.
Where to sleep: “ION” is one of the most best hotels countries. Take some time to relax and look around. Not far from the hotel you will find some great hiking spots and a very photogenic power station.
Attractions: From the ION Hotel you can easily and quickly reach many of the attractions of the Golden Ring, the most the best option inspection of which will be a helicopter flight. As a rule, all the attractions included in the “ring” are crowded with tourists, and since you have already seen a lot, a short flight over them will be quite enough.
Hotel ION
Geyser
Gullfoss
Thingvellir
Day 8: Thingvellir-Reykjavik
Compared to all the ordeals you have endured in recent days, the trip from ION to Reykjavik will seem like a short and pleasant walk, because you will have to drive no more than half an hour.
Where to dine: "Grillmarket"
Night clubs: "Dolly", "Harlem", "b5"
Center Hotel Thingholt – perfect place for the last stop. It is surrounded by all the benefits of civilization: next to the hotel there are 4-5 nightclubs and the Grillmarket restaurant - a great place for a late dinner.
Attractions: In the itinerary described above, we allocated only one night to visit Reykjavik. Many may disagree, but it is quite possible to thoroughly explore the Icelandic capital in just a day. Book a helicopter tour, during which you will see the outskirts of the city, and explore Reykjavik itself on foot.
Helicopter excursion
Hallgrimskirkja Church
Concert hall"Harpa"
Central street Bankastraeti
Restaurant "Grillmarket"
Blue Lagoon
The last thing many people do in Iceland is visit the Blue Lagoon (about 45 minutes from Reykjavik, close to the airport). If you have never been there, do not miss this chance, but be prepared for the fact that there will be no less people there than in any water park in the world.
Olga Efimova, 33 years old, lives in Moscow, works as a legal consultant, and also writes two blogs - about music and travel. In May, I traveled around Iceland in the company of friends and shared my prepared travel plan with 34travel readers.
Why Iceland?
Because at least once in your life you had to look at the place where Björk was born and raised. In addition, from the feeds of friends and acquaintances, Iceland with woolen horses constantly flowed, blue ice And Martian landscapes- and I decided to channel my envy towards them into a productive direction.
How to go?
It’s better to arrange your plane tickets in advance, because Iceland is not the kind of country you rush to a week before your trip. I bought my FinnAir tickets six months in advance, they cost me $400 ( tickets from Vilnius with a transfer will cost about the same amount, however, you can buy a few weeks before the trip - 34travel). We had to fly with a transfer: the road from Moscow to Helsinki took a little over an hour and a half, and the flight from Helsinki to Keflavik (the main airport of Reykjavik) took another 1.5 hours. Such advance planning has only one drawback - flights can be postponed, so my flights have been shifted more than once over the past six months, but not by more than an hour. Please also note that tickets may cost more during the high season, which runs from June to the end of September.
How to get around Iceland?
The best way to get around Iceland in May (and not only) is a rented car: Shuttle Buses They don’t walk long distances yet, hitchhiking is unreliable, and cycling at this time is too cold.
So, we (there were four of us) decided to rent a car. After studying the prices and rental conditions, I chose Autoeurope: we rented a Suzuki Grand Vitara from manual transmission(“mechanics” are traditionally cheaper). Renting a car for 10 days with minimal insurance cost us €689 (about €172 per person). By the way, Iceland is considered the most expensive country in Europe in terms of car rental costs.
You can rent a car directly at the airport. An alternative is to get from the airport to Reykjavik by shuttle and rent a car in the city. Shuttle tickets can be purchased in advance on the Flybus website.
You can save money on a car if you book it at least three weeks before the trip, take your GPS (they charge extra money for it) and don’t drive recklessly on the roads (then you can take the minimum insurance). I also advise you to check that the driver has an international license, at least one year of experience and a backup driver in case of fatigue.
Roads in Iceland
The main thing you need to keep an eye on in Iceland if you decide to drive is the condition of the roads. Moreover, Icelanders have prudently created an entire resource dedicated to roads. Here you can find a complete road map indicating the type of surfaces, find out which roads are closed today, and even look at the roads in real time using webcams.
In May, the weather and road conditions in Iceland are quite unpredictable, and a road that is still open today may turn out to be tightly closed tomorrow, so I highly recommend actively using these services.
As for the quality of the roads, the circular route No. 1 is paved with excellent asphalt (but not illuminated by lanterns: reflective poles along the edges of the road are used as lighting), while gravel roads and lava roads are a little more difficult and unpleasant to drive through, but all these are minor things. Gas stations are found quite often along the entire route; even in the middle of complete nowhere there will definitely be a deserted gas station that accepts bank cards. Because progress!
How to dress and what to take with you to Iceland?
So, in addition to the obvious warm, windproof clothes and comfortable shoes, it is worth taking a swimsuit and swimming trunks with you - in Iceland there are hot pools at every turn, and it would be a sin not to swim in them.
Planning to buy clothes on the spot is quite presumptuous: the dreams of purchasing an Icelandic sweater with deer, which I cherished before arriving in Iceland, were dashed by their prices (about 20,000 ISK, that is, about € 135), so it is also better to knit a sweater with deer in advance and bring it with you.
To further save money, you can take a minimum of bed linen and a towel with you, because you often have to pay extra for them at your accommodation.
Food
Food in Iceland is not very varied: just a lot of fish. Most often, during the trip, we cooked ourselves, using the kitchens of hotels and hostels, and went to cafes and restaurants about once every couple of days, so we spent an average of € 20 per day per person on food.
The most important thing to remember about food and drink in Iceland is that alcohol is quite expensive there, and it is usually sold in separate stores. But the most popular chain of alcohol stores called Vinbudin can be found in almost every town.
Where to live in Iceland?
Two main options for searching budget housing in Iceland (in addition to booking.com):
1. Global network of hostels called HiHostels. Here you can find very cheap places in hostels; the most budget-friendly option is probably to take a room for 3-4 people if you are traveling with a group and are ready to spend the whole night with each other. The price for such a room ranges from €25 to €35 per night per person. In addition, you can buy a membership to the HiHostels club (when booking your first hostel or directly on the spot) and receive a 10% discount on accommodation in all hostels of this network.
2. Several farms, also united in a purely Icelandic network Farmholidays. Almost every such farm has horses grazing, and local livestock products are served for breakfast. Accommodation at farms will be a little more expensive than a hostel, but it is usually worth it.
In most cases, we stayed in hostels of the HiHostels network, a couple of times at Farmholidays farms, and two more places were booked through traditional booking.com based on tips from friends who had traveled to Iceland.
Route
The travel route was repeatedly changed, redrawn several times in opposite directions, so I can safely call it hard-won. Meet: the result of many hours of effort, Iceland travel itinerary for 8 days.
If you doubt your driving skills or don’t want to drive around Iceland at such a fast pace, then the trip to the western fjords can be left for the next trip, driving exclusively along the circular route No. 1, and the trip around the south of Iceland can be divided into 2 days, spending the night in Vik.
The time calculated by Google maps can be safely multiplied by 1.3-1.5, since they do not take into account possible road accidents, weather and other momentary details.
Money and other little things
Since Iceland is a developed and progressive country, you can do without cash here: bank cards are accepted everywhere, from gas stations in the middle of nowhere to tents next to waterfalls. But I recommend changing at least some money to look at the Icelandic change with fish depicted on it.
We did not use any local communication, because two of the company had European SIM cards, but a preliminary survey showed that the cheapest type of communication in Iceland was the Siminn operator.
South of Iceland: what to do there?
Having reached Keflavik, we met a friend who was already waiting for us in a rental car, and went to Reykjavik, stopping along the way at the famous Blue Lagoon. It’s hardly worth swimming in the Blue Lagoon (then you come across much more suitable places for this, with fewer tourists and significantly cheaper), but you definitely need to look at it, because the place is truly beautiful.
Reykjavik, due to its capital city, is full of museums and pubs, which we did not go to, but we walked along the embankment at sunset and visited the main church of the capital, Hallgrimskirkja. Its tower, which can be reached by elevator for 800 kroner (€5.5), offers a classic view of Reykjavik with its colorful roofs.
The south of Iceland is richest in tourist places, so the trip around this part of the country was the most eventful. Here is the so-called Icelandic Golden ring, consisting of Thingvellir National Park, the Valley of Geysers, Gullfoss Waterfall, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall (which can be walked around) and Skogafoss Waterfall (which can be viewed from above by climbing a ladder).
Almost every place that offers an amazing view has benches with tables, so you always have the opportunity to have breakfast or drink something with a view, for example, of the volcano. You can see most of the beauty of Iceland for free, and next to the tourist spots there will definitely be a coffee shop with friendly Icelanders. For example, near the Valley of Geysers there is a cafe Geysir, which sells excellent coffee, and on the walls there are pictures about the national Icelandic wrestling - glima, according to the rules of which wrestlers grab each other by the harnesses and throw them to the floor (extremely educational).
After Skogafoss you can get to the most southern point Iceland - Cape Vik, where tourists usually stop for the first night of their trip and walk along the black sand beach.
We spent the night in Reykjavik in a triple room at the Reykjavik City Hostel (€21 per person), and the next night was at the Hof 1 Hotel, located between the Skaftafell glacier and the Glacier Lagoon (a room for four cost us €46.5 per person). It was from there that on the second morning of the trip we went to explore east coast Iceland.
East of Iceland: everything you wanted to know about glaciers
The eastern part of Iceland is full of glaciers, and you should take advantage of this: for example, you can go on a tour to the famous Skaftafell glacier and look at the places where Interstellar and Game of Thrones were filmed (in winter there are excursions to the blue caves). You can choose a suitable tour and book it, for example, on the website of these guys Mountainguides. We planned this moderately difficult excursion, which started at 9 am and lasted about 4 hours (about €92 per person, including rental of the necessary equipment).
That day we spent the night in the town of Seydisfjörður, which we had to get to in the evening snowstorm through a mountain pass, but it was all worth it to spend the night in the former hospital building. Here we again stayed in a room for four in a hostel called Seydisfjordur (it cost us €25 per person).
North of Iceland: the wonders of Lake Mývatn
You can safely set aside 2-3 days to visit Lake Myvatn and its surroundings, but we didn’t have them, so we explored all the beauties in a day and a half.
On the way to the lake, we stopped at two places: the Detifoss waterfall and the Viti crater, and around Lake Myvatn itself there was a ton of entertainment: the Namafjall fumaroles (one of the most impressive places in Iceland, where the products of volcanoes in the form of gas come out directly from the ground) , the Hverfjall crater, on the edge of which you can stand, looking at the area from above, the Dimmuborgir lava park and hot pools under open air Myvatn Baths, where swimming is more beautiful, less crowded and cheaper than in the Blue Lagoon (about € 25.5 per person).
If you are lucky with the weather, you can fly on an airplane from the local airfield. The views from the plane are stunning, and you can read more about the tour on the website. The price for a 20-minute flight is €105, but judging by the photos, it's worth every minute.
That night we stayed in two rooms, a triple and a double, at the Skutustadir farm, which is a 5-minute drive from Dimmuborgir (and spent €43 each).
The next day we drove through Iceland's second largest city, Akureyri, on the way to one of the country's most impressive waterfalls - Godafoss - in which, according to legend, the Icelanders drowned their pagan gods when they converted to Christianity. A good place chosen.
Our next overnight stop was our favorite: the Hofsstadir farm. Iceland's friendliest horses, homemade yoghurts for breakfast and stunning sunsets are guaranteed. Two rooms for two cost us €53 per person, as they say, shut up and take my money again.
West: seals and fjords
On the way to the western fjords, it is worth visiting Osar, where you can see fur seals (if you are lucky, you can see them very close), the town of Skagastrond, which houses one of the most cosmic churches in Iceland, the town of Broddanes and the witchcraft museum in Holmavik.
The most difficult and picturesque road awaited us in the western fjords: the route to Bildadulur via Isafjörður was closed, so we had to drive along the southern part of the fjords and overcome at least 5 mountain passes in a day. Driving a little further towards Isafjörður the next day, we found a seemingly unattractive (but equipped with a changing room) hot pool, a small waterfall and a herd of shy sheep. And then our path lay to Cape Latrabjarg, which is considered the largest habitat for puffins. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any dead ends, but the road to the cape is worth all the dead ends in the world: an abandoned rusting ship on the shore, a wingless plane that you can climb inside and sit in the pilot’s seat, white sand beaches and a cafe where they serve free coffee.
You can get from the western fjords back to the mainland by ferry; the ferry goes from a place called Brjanslaekur to the town of Stykkisholmur. You can see prices and buy tickets in advance on the website. We spent all three nights in the west of Iceland in hostels of the same chain: a mini-cottage in Saeberg (€ 25 per person), and the main advantage of this hostel is considered to be an open-air hot bath, so don’t forget a hat and beer; room for four in Hostel Bildadulur (€ 37 per person) and Hostel Grundarfjordur (€ 26 per person).
We spent the next day driving to Reykjavik and in Snaefellsnes Park, stopping in towns along the way and gawking at Icelandic churches shaped like (according to the description) salted cod, walking near lighthouses and fooling around in a rugged Icelandic playground. In the park, of course, there was a cafe with excellent coffee and pastries, from which you could look at the ocean and leaf through books about Icelandic horses. Although they say that from the shore of this park you can see puffins and whales (but we were not lucky again).
“Actually, to see all of Iceland, you need 2-3 weeks. Then you will have enough time to travel around the entire western part of the country, famous for its fjords, and walk around the central part, where glaciers and National parks. But if you only have a standard 7-day vacation, then you definitely need to take a car and drive along the Icelandic ring road - this is the most common a tourist route, where you can see a little bit of everything this diverse country has to offer,” Maria Kurganova says especially for.
1. We started in Reykjavik and drove north. The plan was to drive along the ring road, only occasionally leaving it to see pre-planned places. We drove about 300-500 km a day. The ring road is approximately 1,400 km long, most of which is paved and of very good quality. Only in the eastern part and at exits did we have to drive on gravel.
2. The Western Peninsula, or Vestfjordir, is very large and requires several days to be explored. We only got to Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula - this is a small beautiful town where you can easily climb the fjords, look at the lighthouse and the Atlantic Ocean.
3. If you are driving around Iceland and suddenly see some kind of alien structure, then most likely you are looking at a local church. The atmosphere inside, as in most Lutheran churches, looks quite restrained and modest. We found this church in the town of Blönduous.
4. In the “northern capital” of Iceland, the city of Akureyri, the main attraction is also the local church. Her attitude towards religion can only be guessed by the cross towering over the entrance.
5. Landscapes in the north of Iceland resemble paintings by Roerich: mountains and sky in bright pastel colors look like they were painted.
6. Godafoss - first large waterfall, whom we met on the route. “Waterfall of God” does not look as menacing as the Gods from local mythology; on the contrary, there is something peaceful in it, giving the opportunity to experience all the surrounding beauty.
8. Not far from Mývatn there are hot springs and sulfur deposits.
9. Sulfur water has a terrible smell of rotten eggs, but it looks very beautiful due to its soft blue color and the steam that covers it.
10. Krafla Crater: Frozen lava covered in snow is mesmerizing with its radiant turquoise color. However, the knocking wind will not allow you to admire this beauty for long.
12. The most impressive sight is the waterfall. The feeling that you are about to find yourself in a completely different world arises already on the way to it: you drive several kilometers along a road around which there is nothing but gravel, boulders and fog. From the parking lot, you need to walk a kilometer along a marked path before you reach the falls, which are only 9 meters high than Niagara Falls.
13. Literally a kilometer from Dettifoss there is another famous waterfall, Selfoss.
14. Rainbows in Iceland are a completely common phenomenon, which we saw several times a day in different places.
15. In the very west of the country there is a small town called Seydisfjörður. It is located on a bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and is surrounded by mountains. It's hard to imagine what they're doing local residents in a city with 2-3 streets and 1 bar, but for divers there is a real paradise. In 1944, an English tanker sank here, which now lies at a depth of 40 meters in Seydisfjörður Bay. This city is also famous for producing its own beer, which was named after the sunken tanker El Grillo. By the way, the grandson of the founder of this brewery now works as a bartender in a local bar with the same name.
16. The quality of the main road in this country deserves no less attention than the mountains, fields, pastures, etc. that run along it.
17. We rarely tried to read the name of the city we were going to. But, fortunately, we didn’t have to, since all, even small, roads in Iceland have a number, and signs are surprisingly common, so it’s difficult to get lost here. At the same time, there are signs here that you are unlikely to see in Russia and which made us laugh more than once: a low-flying plane, strong wind, slippery road, a horseman, stones falling from the mountains and, of course, all kinds of animals found here.
19. There are no high fences or angry dogs in Iceland. The only fence we came across was low, electrified barbed wire, which should prevent animals from getting out onto the road. But they do it anyway, and more than once we had to stop the car to let a couple of sheep get up from the asphalt and calmly retreat into the ditch. But driving onto private territory to get closer to some waterfall is normal. Sometimes the owners came out to exchange a few words with us, sometimes they simply ignored our presence.
20. Iceland is a great place to master extreme driving. Even despite the quality of the road itself, we had to find ourselves in situations that could have ended very badly. For example, driving through the mountains in the fog, which allows you to see only a meter ahead, or dodging birds as thick as a wineskin unexpectedly flying out of a ditch, and once the car drove so that for 10 seconds we were thrown from side to side, fortunately The roads here are always empty.
21. Iceland is famous for its short horses, which still cannot be considered ponies. Riding them is one of the main tourist attractions, but you won’t be able to do it spontaneously. Horseback riding tours are carried out in groups and for the whole day, so you need to make arrangements in advance.
24. Iceland - wonderful country for hiking. There are campsites everywhere where you can spend the night for free or for a small fee. But even if you plan to limit yourself to walking for a couple of hours, it is better to prepare and wear trekking boots and waterproof clothing - they will definitely come in handy here.
25. Water for the journey was taken from the tap or from springs - in both places it was clean and suitable for drinking.
26. You can also see a deer a couple of meters away from you here. We were lucky - we met a whole herd.
27. Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland.
29. Another one alien landscape with wheel marks on the gravel.
30. In spring, when the snow is actively melting, streams of meltwater fall from the mountains and turn into large and small waterfalls.
31. Cape Hjorleiva is a great place for hiking. The most convenient path is prudently marked with flags, so anyone can climb to the top. At the top is the tomb of one of the first inhabitants of Iceland, according to legend, the half-brother of Ingolf Arnarson, the founder of Reykjavik. And of course, from there there is an unforgettable view of the Atlantic Ocean.
32. This is what Cape Hjorleiva looks like from above. 
35. The largest geyser in Iceland is called Geysir. It can throw water to a height of up to 60 m, which is why it has become the most famous in Europe. However, most of the time it is in hibernation, and tourists crowd around its younger brother, the Strokkur geyser, which throws out water only 20 m, but every 5 minutes.
36. Like most Icelandic cities, Reykjavik's most famous attraction is the main church, Hallgrimskirkja. In front of it stands a monument to the founder of the city, Ingolf Arnarson.
37. View of Reykjavik from the observation deck at Hallgrimskirkja Church.
38. Ingolf Arnarson's boat in Reykjavik.
Ring Road No. 1 in Iceland (from Reykjavik to Akureyri).
The most important road in Iceland is ring road No. 1, or in our language "Ring Road". It goes around the entire island, is entirely paved, is mostly two-lane and is a roundabout. There are almost no cars on it in May. Its length is 1339 km. Secondary paths extend into the interior of the country, which are only occasionally asphalt, more often good primers, less often bad primers. Bad primers sometimes close in the fall, winter, and spring. The ring road is passable and open all year round. Wherever you go in Iceland, part of the route will still go along road number 1 one way or another.
In two days we drove from Reykjavik (number 1) to Egilstadir (number 5) along the northern part of the island.
Road No. 1 itself can be considered as a separate attraction. Due to the fact that we found ourselves within such a tight time frame, we were able to see how different Iceland is at different ends of the island. Literally an hour's drive and green grass turns into black expanses, volcanic fields give way to tall white mountains, red earth becomes poisonous yellow or neutral brown, waterfalls appear instead of snow, and black sand turns into green grass and pastures.
On the first day we drove about 400 km along the ring road from Reykjavik to Akureyri. With all the stops, it took about 6 hours (rides along the Golden Ring, which took place on the same day, are not included here).
The ring road is picturesque, probably at every point. But, in my opinion, one of its most beautiful sections is in the north-west of the island. On the right is a picturesque huge mountain range. And to the left, very close, the waves come in loud bursts Atlantic Ocean! You can hear them even in the car, at full speed! The ocean sometimes turns out to be very, very close to the road.
Road No. 1 is free except for one tunnel, which is also the only one in Iceland.
It passes under the Hvalfjörður fjord. The length of the tunnel is 5 km 770 m. If you go along the fjord, the path will increase by about 50 km; in the tunnel you get a significant time saving, but this pleasure is paid - 1000 ISK (about 240 rubles). The depth of the tunnel is 165 meters below sea level. They write that daily traffic now already exceeds the permissible limit, and a new tunnel is being designed, which will be built in the coming years. What was very surprising was the lack of gas pollution inside, although it was very noisy due to the hum of the fans.
And here is the fjord itself, which we just crossed under water.
Three types of animals graze in Iceland - cute northern horses, no less cute sheep, sheared in the spring and... geese. They also eat them mostly. There is a wire strung along almost the entire road, which, in addition to being barbed, is also energized. This was done not to protect the land from people, but to protect people from walking animals. In Iceland everyone grazes freely, without any supervision.
We cross another fjord, this time from above on a bridge.
If in Norway I didn’t dare call cities villages, then in Iceland the situation is the opposite. The town of Borgarnes is a village by village. :)))
Someone said or wrote that there are few trees in Iceland. Nonsense. They are not cut down there, but planted, so every year the forests grow and take over the island. :) Another thing is that volcanic eruptions very quickly nullify all efforts, turning green forests into black fields.
A very familiar to us, but very rare forest landscape in Iceland.
But just the consequences of a volcanic eruption. And it happened a very long time ago.
Sometimes the road rises high, and then the landscapes outside the window become much whiter and snowier.
The village of Blenduous.
From that moment on, I completely gave up, stupidly put the camera against the car window and filmed, filmed, filmed... sometimes I moved the camera to the opposite window. I didn’t even care about the results of the photographs, I wanted at least something to remain as a memory and allow me to remember, even after a long period of time, what we saw there... By the end of the day, my head was literally exploding from everything around me. :)
A few facts about Iceland.
The time difference with Moscow is 4 hours.
The air temperature on the island in winter rarely drops below 0, and in summer the average temperature is only +10 degrees. During our stay in early May it was about +7, which was very comfortable. The children actually walked around in winter clothes, and we wore a lot of sweaters.
The Arctic Circle is not far away, so the days are very long in spring and summer.
The main monetary unit of Iceland is the Icelandic krona. However, all stores accept euro cash without any problems. You can also pay everywhere with a bank card without any problems, but it is still useful to have a small supply of cash with you. Bank cards are accepted even in taxis.
The country is in a long crisis, but despite this, all possible conditions have been created for tourists. comfortable travel. Many Icelanders live off tourists, but nothing comes out other than words of gratitude for their hard work. :)
In the north of the island, road No. 1 is completely removed from the ocean and winds through a wide valley surrounded by mountains. The closer Akureyri gets, the higher and higher the mountains become.
In the background is a mountain with a characteristic silhouette - Hraundrangar.
Initially, we also planned an evening walk in Akureyri on this day. A very nice city, but we arrived at it only around 8 pm, our strength was already running low. We'll run through it tomorrow, stopping today only to grab a snack. The kind fellow at Subway put on the sweet Vanino “make a sandwich with the filling to your taste” no less sweetly so much hot pepper and hot onions that it was impossible to eat. Poor Temych... how we scolded him and forced him to eat it without trying it ourselves... We can still be evil, children must first be trusted, then checked, and then depending on the circumstances... :)
In total, we spent 15 hours on the road with a short tour of Reykjavik, the Golden Circle and other minor stops that day. Now it’s a little terrifying, but somehow I just kept going and going. Something tells me that we would not have ridden so calmly through our Russian potholes. :) Good roads provide great opportunities for travel! Even Seva was almost not capricious, and this despite the fact that he had a runny nose and a slight fever in the evening. We only felt tired at the hotel. And our dad Vanya, of course, is a hero, yes...! :))) But we couldn’t see Iceland any other way, but we had a great desire! The next day promised to be calmer...
This is not the end of my story about the ring road, because the next day we will continue our journey along it.
To be continued...