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9 days in Iceland

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  • 9 days in Iceland

    Without hesitation, our time in Iceland was one of the best holidays of my life. Very different from anything we've ever done! Feel free to ask any questions if you're planning a trip, and I'll try my best to answer them.

    As we don't like driving when we're overseas and have a dreadful sense of direction - would rather let someone else do the hard work of finding places - the itinerary was comprised of a 3 day Golden Circle tour with Arctic Adventures and a one day Lake Myvatn tour up north near Akureyri with Saga Travel. Plus the snorkelling at Thingvellir also took up the better part of a day. We also worked in a fair bit of downtime in between as it can get a bit exhausting with all the physical activity (normally the most we ever do is a bit of snorkelling or multi day shopping sprees which are energising). It all worked a treat as the guides were great at tailoring timings to maximise daylight.

    On the foodie front i chickened out of trying fermented shark which smelt vile (even from afar!) but as I love cute animals i obviously had to try puffin and minke whale (ordered it for the LOLs but ended up really enjoying it and it's something you don't get to eat in most of the world - albeit not the most healthy thing to have so best they're not widely available) which were delicious. Arctic char, despite the way the fish looks, is also really nice (like trout with less fat). I've tried and loved reindeer on a past visit to Sweden so it was nice to be able to eat it again with abandon.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bru7jadAu6g/

    ROK - we really loved this restaurant in Reykjavik that serves Icelandic specialities in a tapas format so you can try as many things as possible.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrnVaF3g..._web_copy_link

    Random tips - probably not news to the seasoned travellers on here but hopefully it'll help someone in future:

    - Even though the nightlife in Reykjavik is vibrant, this isn't a place where you want to go cocktail bar hopping when booze prices are even worse than Singapore or Stockholm. Plus it never is going to compare to any number of cities around the world for the best cocktails because this is not what Iceland is about. By comparison duty free booze was insanely cheap and comparable to SYD duty free (UK-based folks will find it's cheaper yet again at LHR), so we stocked up on 2L of whisky which did the trick for our time there. The duty free store at KEF is open with all flight arrivals and located by the baggage belts. Our bags arrived right after we finished getting our duty free, time well spent! We stuck to house wine with dinner (and the occasional beer) and even then a bottle of wine is sometimes more expensive than the food. Our first proper cocktail of the trip, when we got to Happiness Forgets in Hoxton, tasted all the more amazing!!

    Reykjavik is a really cool, easygoing hipster town with a bit of a whimsical quality - much like most Icelandic people we've met. I can recommend the Alda Hotel which is pretty funky, whilst being incredibly good value and centrally located.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrntuTjj..._web_copy_link

    - The Northern Lights are not to be expected, it's a bonus if you get to see them. We saw them very faintly on our final night when they showed up relatively early (quite apt that we spent that night at the Northern Lights Inn near the Blue Lagoons, located halfway between KEF and the city centre). We'd heard of other people staying up till 2am to catch them which isn't practical when you have a tour or activity commencing at 9am the next day. After we left we learnt that you can pretty much predict when they appear based on solar activity and levels of cloud cover, and set your alarm to wake up at set times - next time!

    - Credit card acceptance is universal, with a decent level of AMEX acceptance. No hassles with min spend or surcharges. Only place we had to use cash was at an unmanned booth selling horse candy in the middle of nowhere which ran on a honour system (to feed a pair of Icelandic horses).

    - Flying domestically within Iceland is pure bliss. Air Iceland Connect will tell you to rock up at check in 45 mins before departure but that's actually the time check in opens (not a cut off time like I thought)! RKV (this is the domestic airport of Reykjavik whereas international flights use KEF) & AEY airports were adorable little tin sheds with no security scans and no liquids restrictions. Both airports are also located within the town centres and take no more than a 5 mins cab ride to get to from a hotel in the city.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2KMPXg..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2ZTzYA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br7ij6JA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2TQXOg..._web_copy_link

    - Definitely do spend some time in the north in Akureyri. The north east of Iceland is stunning. Because of how hassle free domestic flights are you can do a day trip in conjunction with a tour but it's such a cute little spot that's worth at least a night.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br2m-Dyg..._web_copy_link

    - If i had to pick a favourite spot it'd be Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and Diamond Beach adjacent to it, just stunning and mind blowing when you understand how the lagoon was formed.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br0CHm4g..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsOgfSg..._web_copy_link

    - Definitely do snorkel between the tectonic plates of Europe & North America in Thingvellir. It's also something you can do in winter as you get a warm onesie thing and a dry suit. The water in the lake is pristine & delicious.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BryOHWGA..._web_copy_link

    - Yes the Blue Lagoon is touristy but i always believe the path is beaten for a reason. It has a curious geological basis (originally an environmental disaster) but it's just beautiful. Also did Myvatn Nature Baths up north near Akureyri which actually had nicer views but Blue Lagoon itself is definitely bucket list stuff and the lagoon itself is beautiful (great for your skin too!).

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Br8DFatA..._web_copy_link

    A selection of other pics:


    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrpjnwQg..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrpraUgA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrrexcEA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsHAjdA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Brr83LNg..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrxmVyWg..._web_copy_link

    Went ice-caving and glacier hiking (without the aid of a helicopter contrary to popular belief) and survived both. #butchAF

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrsxXOGA..._web_copy_link

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BrurRuJg..._web_copy_link
    Last edited by KeithMEL; 17 January 2019, 05:14 PM.
    All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.

  • #2
    Amazing trip, KeithMEL!

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    • #3
      Looks like you had an amazing trip. Great TR, KeithMEL

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      • #4
        Awesome!!!

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