Seems like there are three groups of people in regards to Iceland: 1. Those who just went. 2. Those who talked to someone who just went. 3. Those who have it on their bucket list.
Just went and loved it, with some reservations. First, the crowds can be intense June, July and August if you stick to the Golden Circle and other areas near Reykjavik. We were fortunate only a small portion of the trip was part of that scene, there's so much to see and if you don't have a couple months you're going to miss plenty, might as well be a really crowded spot.
We didn't get a chance to hike in the Central Highlands where the typical backpacking is done, but we got some great hikes both in mountains (often starting at sea level), and along the coast when the mountains were socked in clouds.
In two weeks we stayed in 7 places and drove around, along or by 23 fjords, they can make a ten mile destination a 50 mile drive.
At a farm stay I asked the farmer where we could hike and he pointed to the door and said, "Go out that door." He explained private land is a bit non-existent, then got a little more precise with his directions. We were to go past his excavation for the new hydro system, follow the sheep path and up through the gap before the waterfall (there are waterfalls everywhere). Then we were to pick a spot not too steep to get up to the next level, mark it so we'd know where it was on the way back to avoid walking off a cliff, and up another climb to the top. "Just zip zip zip."
We gave up when we wanted to get to the same point but had to separate because rocks were tumbling as we climbed. Just an unnamed mountain where we started at sea level and gave up at 2000'. Getting up to a plateau on the other side of the gap was easier so we made it there.
Another hike with a marked trail was Mt. Sulur and we got to the lower peak around 3500' on the clearest day imaginable. We did drive to the trail head about a mile from the sea and just under 1000'.
The island's highest peak is 6920' about 10 miles from the ocean. The window to climb that has shrunk due to snow bridges melting sooner every year, the season ends late May now. Glaciers are very accessible, but going on them is done only with guides. Still pretty amazing to stand next to one and sample the ice before it melts.
Wanted to do some biking and kayaking, but rental was just too expensive to add to an already expensive trip. Lots of stuff, particularly restaurant food, is very expensive, but so much is free that I think it balances well enough. Groceries were reasonable, even cheaper than here in some cases. If you plan to backpack, fuel is exorbitant but if you go to the oversized bags check in the airport (you'll have to if you check a backpack) and see if they'll give you one of the many canisters they have confiscated.
Duck hunting is the only type I heard about, there are some reindeer, I don't know if you can hunt them, lots of fishing. No campfires- trees are rare, there is one area where driftwood lands on shore from Siberia.
Plenty of pictures with even more narrative at banjoeblog.blogspot.com
Just went and loved it, with some reservations. First, the crowds can be intense June, July and August if you stick to the Golden Circle and other areas near Reykjavik. We were fortunate only a small portion of the trip was part of that scene, there's so much to see and if you don't have a couple months you're going to miss plenty, might as well be a really crowded spot.
We didn't get a chance to hike in the Central Highlands where the typical backpacking is done, but we got some great hikes both in mountains (often starting at sea level), and along the coast when the mountains were socked in clouds.
In two weeks we stayed in 7 places and drove around, along or by 23 fjords, they can make a ten mile destination a 50 mile drive.
At a farm stay I asked the farmer where we could hike and he pointed to the door and said, "Go out that door." He explained private land is a bit non-existent, then got a little more precise with his directions. We were to go past his excavation for the new hydro system, follow the sheep path and up through the gap before the waterfall (there are waterfalls everywhere). Then we were to pick a spot not too steep to get up to the next level, mark it so we'd know where it was on the way back to avoid walking off a cliff, and up another climb to the top. "Just zip zip zip."
We gave up when we wanted to get to the same point but had to separate because rocks were tumbling as we climbed. Just an unnamed mountain where we started at sea level and gave up at 2000'. Getting up to a plateau on the other side of the gap was easier so we made it there.
Another hike with a marked trail was Mt. Sulur and we got to the lower peak around 3500' on the clearest day imaginable. We did drive to the trail head about a mile from the sea and just under 1000'.
The island's highest peak is 6920' about 10 miles from the ocean. The window to climb that has shrunk due to snow bridges melting sooner every year, the season ends late May now. Glaciers are very accessible, but going on them is done only with guides. Still pretty amazing to stand next to one and sample the ice before it melts.
Wanted to do some biking and kayaking, but rental was just too expensive to add to an already expensive trip. Lots of stuff, particularly restaurant food, is very expensive, but so much is free that I think it balances well enough. Groceries were reasonable, even cheaper than here in some cases. If you plan to backpack, fuel is exorbitant but if you go to the oversized bags check in the airport (you'll have to if you check a backpack) and see if they'll give you one of the many canisters they have confiscated.
Duck hunting is the only type I heard about, there are some reindeer, I don't know if you can hunt them, lots of fishing. No campfires- trees are rare, there is one area where driftwood lands on shore from Siberia.
Plenty of pictures with even more narrative at banjoeblog.blogspot.com
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