Jay Lohokare | Iceland travel blog

Reshul and I recently returned from a ten-day Iceland trip, and we both agree that this has been our best vacation. Many of our friends reached out to us asking for details on our trip, places to visit, and logistics for the vacation; I thought this was the perfect topic to blog! This blog summarizes our itinerary, presents some important tips/tricks for planning your vacation, provides details on Iceland VISA, and also showcases some pictures/videos from our trip. I hope this blog provides you with the information you need and inspires you to head out to Iceland (I promise that an Iceland trip would be worth it)!

Getting started

We started planning our Iceland trip about three months before we flew from SF. We initially planned a mainland Europe trip, which changed to Iceland due to some last-minute decisions. Like every other trip we plan, we started with Youtube videos and travel vlogs/blogs and decided that we needed at least ten days to do justice to the trip. I will attempt to summarize all information I got from various blogs, but I am also adding a few handy links you could use for reference -

Before planning your vacation, there are a few very important things to remember about Iceland:

VISA

Get your VISA asap - I highly recommend planning your Iceland visit based on VISA availability. As an Indian citizen living in San Francisco, I had to wait a long time to get an Iceland VISA appointment. Though the VISA processing time is 15 days, getting an appointment takes much longer. We planned entry into Iceland on 1st July and started looking for VISA appointments in early May. Unfortunately, for the entire month of May, we did not get any VISA appointments (to the point where we had given up on the vacation plan). Luckily, we got an open date in early June (Given I was checking for appointments every other hour, every day). So I strongly recommend getting a VISA appointment early on. Also, the VFS global appointment booking website is still stuck in the 20th century. So you may have to be very patient with it.

There are 2 VISA forms you need to fill out and take to your VISA appointment (I saw many people lose their appointment slots as they didn't carry one of the forms). The requirements change now and then, so be careful while filling out the forms and bring all documents the website asks for. Documents I carried to my VISA appointment -

• Filled application form(s)
• Passport copies (2 copies)
• VISA / entry documents for your country of residence (USA VISA for my case)
• Photographs (EU standard)
• Proof of funds (Bank statements signed by the bank, Payslips, Job verification letter, Job offer letter)
• Proof of absense from work (PTO requests)
• Iceland Return flight tickets
• Proof of reservations for transport, stay for every day of your itinerary
• Itinerary for your entire trip
• Medical Insurance - We used AXA Schengen
• Cover letter
• Marriage certificate (Few reservations didn't have both of our names)

Making reservations

Remember that you want to fly to KEF (Keflavík) airport, not the domestic airport in Reykjavík city. Afaik KEF is the primary international airport for Iceland. Traveling from the USA (especially from the west coast) to KEF results in a jet lag of 7 hours. Jetlag hits you hard, so plan your 1st day accordingly. We made the mistake of going 'all in' on day 1 of our itinerary; I had a hard time driving after being sleep-deprived. So please plan your 1st day to have limited travel (maybe head to the blue lagoon?); you can thank me later.

Flying to Iceland is costly (Just like everything else about Iceland). So book well in advance to get cheaper seats. We flew United (Mainly due to my status with United & my loyalty towards the Star alliance I developed while working at McKinsey & Co :P). All the major USA airlines fly to Iceland (to a point where KEF airport felt very much like another USA airport).

To save some cost and to avoid an additional PTO, we flew SFO->EWR->KEF and KEF->EWR->SFO (Instead of a direct flight from SFO-KEF). We booked United economy for all flights on our trip, which cost us 3500$ + 45000 united miles. This was on the higher end of the spectrum for flight costs from the USA to Iceland, but we flew on a long weekend (USA Independence day), so the costlier flights were expected. Also, the EWR-KEF overnight flight was harrowing (almost ruined our day 1, more on that later). But we got upgraded to business class on our flight back to the USA (United loyalty & status paying off).

Iceland is a vast country with minimal public transport options. The only public transport you will find in Iceland is in the form of bus services that run in Reykjavík city. Getting a car is your best option!

Iceland has a very well-developed road infrastructure. The roads outside Reykjavík are single-laned but very well maintained. However, most of the interior regions of Iceland can be reached only via unpaved roads (Called the 'F roads'). These roads often are super uneven and need an all-wheel drive (SUV recommended). You can skip getting an AWD, but remember that you will miss out on many must-see spots and also miss out on the fun of driving next to glaciers in the middle of nowhere (the authentic Icelandic experience).

Cars in Iceland are expensive (One of our costliest expenses in Iceland). All major car rental services from the USA have a presence in KEF. But after rigorous research around costs, I would recommend visiting northbound.is before making any reservations. Northbound offers considerably cheaper options (We saved over 1000$!) and is a trusted website in Iceland. We booked a Toyota RAV4 AWD from Lotus car rentals (Next to KEF airport). We got a brand new car, excellent service, and a relatively low price, so I recommend Lotus if that's one of the options you are looking at. Lotus isn't located inside the KEF terminal, but it's ~5mins drive away, and they offer free airport pick-up/drop-off. Our car rental + additional driver cost for ten days was ~2500$ (and another 50$ in tolls).

In theory, you can skip renting a car and go with some guided tour option where you go around Iceland on a bus with a tour guide. However, I strongly feel that such travel by bus won't show you the best of Iceland. The country is all about going off-road, taking random stops in the middle of the road, and going off the planned route.

Another thing you could explore is flying between various cities of Iceland and then renting a car locally. I prefer driving (given the country's beauty), but if you hate driving, you could explore this option!

You can decide between camping, hotels, and guesthouses to spend your nights. We didn’t explore camping as an option, but it seems like Iceland has a pretty good camping community and infrastructure. You can also rent a camper van (not very sure about costs and logistics around what toilets/bathrooms you can use). Guesthouses are like Airbnbs, but you may have to share toilets (check before you book!). Hotels will be your costliest option in Iceland. Here is a quick view of typical costs per night (During peak tourist season):
Camping 50-100$
Guesthouse 100-200$
Hotels 200$+

Consider making reservations early if you plan your Iceland trip during an EU/USA vacation season. We had a hard time finding places to live near Vatnajokull, lake Myvatn and Snæfellsnes (I got the last available room at most of these places).

Here is the list of hotels/guesthouses we lived in -

Itinerary

Our itinerary was heavily inspired by the 10-day itinerary recommended by guidetoiceland. However, we felt that their itinerary did not cover all places we wanted to go to (or found from other itineraries), so we added a lot more stops & activities on the way.

Day 1

• Þingvellir National Park: Öxarárfoss, Rift valley, Hrafnagjá Observation Deck, Þjónustumiðstöð, Silfra

• Activity: Silfra fissure snorkelling. Snorkell in a lake inside the Mid-Atlantic ridge (needs reservation, we skipped this.)

• Geothermal valley of Haukadalur - Geysers Strokkur and Geysir

• Gullfoss

• Kerlingarfjoll

• Hvítárvatn lake (Langjokull glacier)

• Hrunaluag (Secluded hot spring)

• Stay at Hotel Geysir

Day 2

• Activity: Horse riding (In Þingvellir National Park) (needs reservation. We skipped this.)

• Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss

• Eyjafjöll (2010 Volcano)

• Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjara and Reynisdrangar (Check lighthouse & basalt cols), Puffins!

• Sólheimajökull, Þakgil glaciers (Katla Icefields)

• Activity: Glacier hike (needs reservation. We skipped Katla region to go hike Vatnajokull next day.)

• Hjörleifshöfði

• Fjadrargljufur canyon

• Svartifoss

• Stay at Laekjaborgir Guesthouse

Day 3

• Vatnajokull Icefield area: There are many glaciers around the icefield, explore and drive to whatever interests you!

• Activity: Skaftafell Guided Glacier Hike Day Trip (needs reservation)

• Jokulsarlon

• Activity: Jokulsarlon Boat tour (needs reservation)

• Stay at Fosshotel Vatnajokull

Day 4

• Vestrahorn & Stokksnes

• Hengifoss

• Hvalnes Lighthouse

• Studlagil canyon (drive to `Parkplatz Klaustrusel - Stuðlagil` for best views)

• Stay at Hotel Edda Egilsstadir

Day 5

• Hverir (geothermal activity)

• Lake Mývatn area

• Námaskarð hot springs

• Volcano Krafla

• Hverfjall volcano

• Dimmuborgir lava formations

• Skútustaðagígar pseudo-craters

• Activity: Mývatn Nature Baths (needs reservation)

• Stay at Dettifoss Guesthouse

Day 6

• Jökulsárgljúfur area

• Ásbyrgi canyon

• Dettifoss waterfall

• Activity: Whale watching from Husavik https://www.gentlegiants.is/ (needs reservation)

• Activity: GeoSea Baths (needs reservation)

• Stay at Sulur guesthouse

Day 7

• Godafoss

• Tröllaskagi

• Siglufjörður

• Hofsós

• Sauðárkrókur

• Hvitserkur

• Stay at North West Hotel & Restaurant

Day 8

• Vatnsdalshólar

• Longhouse at Eiríksstaðir

• Stykkishólmur

• Súgandisey

• Kolgrafafjörður

• Grundarfoss

• Kirkjufellsfoss

• Snæfellsnes National Park (loop) - Stop along any spot that interests you!

• Stay at Hotel Hellissandur

• Activity: Snæfellsnes glacier hikes, Snowcat ride (needs reservation, we skipped this)

Day 9

• Some more time in the Snæfellsnes National Park

• Activity: Blue lagoon (needs reservation)

• Stay at Hotel Grandi by Center

Day 10

• Activity: Snowmobile to ice cave in Vatnajokull glacier, from klaki (needs reservation)

• Deildartunguhver

• Hraunfossar

• Barnafoss

• Fossatún

• Spend the remaining half of the day in Reykjavík OR Þingvellir National Park OR Rest in hotel

• Stay at Harbour view cottages Grindavik

Other tips / tricks

Driving

Few minor differences from USA driving rules - No right turn on red signals, Always drive with headlights on, Speed guns everywhere (especially near cities), paved road can suddenly turn into unpaved road while you are driving at 90kmph (keep an eye on signs).
Gas is costly in Iceland (~9.5$ per gallon).
Your credit cards may not work at Gas stations. Carry a debit card to be safe.
Always keep an eye on your car's gas levels. Though there are gas stations everywhere, you may often be 50+km away from a gas station.

Food

Like every other thing, food is costly in Iceland. But you get delicious food everywhere!
Fast food chains are non-existent outside Reykjavík. No MacDonalds / Starbucks at all in Iceland.
Try Icelandic Lamb, their fermented shark dish (warning: you may not like it), Fish, and Clams.
Everyone drinks tap water. The receptionist almost laughed at me when I asked for bottled water.
For vegetarian folks - Most restaurants have one vegan meat-based option (or salads at times).
Its very easy to lose a track of time in Iceland. But remember that most restraurents close by 10pm. If you end up not buying your dinner by 10pm, you will very likely have to sleep hungry.

Midges

In summer, Iceland is full of Midges.
They don’t bite (There are a few types that bite, but those are rare).
They are very very annoying (And too many of them).
Carry / Buy an insect repellent!

Weather

Summers are warm, cloudy & rainy
24*7 sun sounds fun, but it makes you life hard. Its very hard to sleep due to the bright light (pray that your hotels have good curtains).

Jet lag

Plan your 1st day to involve minimal/no travel.
You can spend your day at Blue Lagoon or head to Reykjavík for the day. Avoid driving and force yourself to align your sleep with the Icelandic timezone.
With 24 hr sun, it's very easy to ignore the impact of jet lag, something we learned the hard way.

Drones / Photos

Iceland is a paradise for photographers!
You can carry any equipment into Iceland without any special permissions.
Iceland has adopted EU drone rules / laws, so please study the rules and make sure you can fly your drone in Iceland (It will mostly need you to register your drone).
Do not fly drones in National parks, cities, or near airports. Many tourist spots have no drone signs posted very clearly.

What to carry

Warm clothes - One really good jacket, one casual jacket
Converters (for EU plugs)
All documents you presented during VISA interview (incase immigration officers ask for them while entering Iceland)
International enabled card(s)

Iceland travel blog: A 10 days itinerary