My whirlwind summer is winding down! I just returned from hosting another amazing group trip for All Women All Trails, this time to Iceland! Me and 14 other ladies spent 6 days exploring the beauties and wonders that Iceland has to offer, and it did not disappoint! Our local guide was Gisli, a well seasoned outdoorsman and very knowledgeable host who shared local tales, geological information, and insight to all of us.
I traveled this same itinerary in 2022 before I became a host, so I was happy to have the opportunity to once again see these breathtaking landscapes. I was able to provide a heads up on needed info to my travelers as well and pump them up for what they were about to see!
From my previous trip I had gotten a souvenir of Icelandic merino wool in my favorite color with the intention of crocheting an ear warmer. Well of course time got away from me so in the 11th hour I finished this baby 1 hour before leaving for the airport!
Surprisingly with all of the flight issues recently, my travels there went smoothly and I arrived at 930am on Saturday! I met my driver and we were off to Reykjavik and to my hotel for the next 2 nights, Local 101.
This hotel boasts one of the first lifts in Iceland! It's very old fashioned and it was fun to take up to my 4th floor room.
I had a cozy and modern single room where I promptly rested and got refreshed with a much needed nap.
Some of the travelers had arrived early for the trip so I met Maria for dinner and we shared a pizza and chatted. Walking through the city is so colorful and visually appealing!
I had booked myself on an excursion for the next morning since I had some time to kill before the group trip started, and would be missing breakfast. The staff prepared a to go breakfast for me the night before that worked out perfectly! Even with a handwritten note. I headed out early Sunday morning and met my van pickup for my first adventure of the trip...
Snorkeling! In Icleand you say? Yes, it's a thing! There's a very specific place in Thingvellir National Park where you can snorkel in crystal clear water in a fissure between the North American and European tectonic plates. The water is about 35 degrees year round, so you must wear either a wet suit or dry suit. I was the only one in my group to be daring and opt for the wet suit. It is less insulating however was supposed to give me more mobility in the water to dive down and swim vs the dry suit.
As you can see the views were amazing and I was happy to be able to use my new Kodak camera underwater for the first time. Unfortunately my wet suit was still too bouyant to dive down and explore however I definitely was able to move more easily and comfortably than those in the dry suit. However my hands/feet/face were SO COLD by the end I was shivering and numb.
All in all it was a once in a lifetime experience and I'm glad I did it! I highly recommend Adventure Vikings for this excursion. Their organization and service was primo and they also included transportation, free photos, as well as hot chocolate at the end!
After returning from the snorkeling I needed lunch so I ventured out into the city for my absolute favorite--Icelandic hotdogs! IYKYK. They are second to none thusfar and I wish I could recreate them at home. When the line is this long, you know the food is good!
DAY 1: After enjoying my much anticipated hotdog, I relaxed a bit before meeting our local guide Gisli in the hotel lobby and then the rest of our travelers! We all introduced ourselves and reviewed the itinerary for the week before hopping in our private van and heading off to a local restaurant for our welcome dinner!
We had a seawolf fish entree followed by creme brulee for dessert. So good!
That night we all got some much needed rest. The following morning we left Reykjavik to begin our fun!
DAY 2: Our first stop was back to the park where I snorkeled--Thingvellir--where we enjoyed walking the nature trails and seeing the beauty there.
First group shot!
After that we headed a bit further up the road to see the Great Geysir! Fun fact: the word "geyser" is derived from the Icelandic work "geysir" which means "to gush". They named a major geysir here Great Geysir. That one is currently dormant, however there is a "Little Geysir" next to it that erupts every 7-8min!
After the geysir and lunch we headed further up to walk the trail to see the amazing Gullfoss ("Golden waterfall").
To end the day we headed to the Secret Lagoon--the first community thermal pool in Iceland dating back to 1891. A great way to unwind after a busy day!
One last pit stop before getting to our hotel was a grocery store where we all got some snacks. I grabbed this bag of trail mix, and some delicious "paprika" Pringles.
We headed to Hotel Fljotshild in Hvolsvöllur where we had beautiful views of a glacier and a horse farm! I grabbed some much needed coffee in my room before we all enjoyed an included dinner at the guest house.
Views from my room...
Dinner was soup and bread, there were 3 different kinds of soup. There was lamb and veggie soup, tomato soup, and cauliflower soup. All were delicious! The bread was freshly baked.
After dinner some of us walked around to see the animals and the beautiful scenery.
DAY 3: This day we grabbed breakfast then headed out down the road to see the beautiful Seljalandsfoss waterfall ("River waterfall") that has a short trail that takes you behind the falls! The cliff side is just lovely, and there are several other small waterfalls along it.
Next we drove to the iconic Skogafoss waterfall ("Forest waterfall")! This one in itself is a destination, however there is a stairway next too it (500 steps!) leading up to the start of the Skoga trail/Waterfall Way which takes you along the Skoga River and has countless other beautiful falls and scenery along the way for about 5 miles. We only had about 45 minutes here and this is one of my favorite places on the itinerary so I quickly conquered the stairs and headed along the trail about another half mile before I ran out of time and needed to turn back. I'm very happy we had beautiful weather for this day!
After grabbing a quick lunch on the road, we were next headed to the striking Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. Our amazing guide Gisli made a winning recommendation for a stop along the way for a viewing point, and we were all treated to seeing a colony of Puffins! They are the cutest little things.
The viewpoint looking across the bay to the black sand beach where we were headed next.
When we were done there we moved on to the infamous Black Sand Beach! This one is notorious for its "sneaker waves" that have pulled many people out into the cold and dangerous waters. This beach was also used in scenes from several movies and shows, including Game of Thrones season 7!
Our last excursion of the day was to another of my favorites--Fjadrargljufur Canyon. This breathtaking canyon was carved by glaciers thousands of years ago. The dramatic cliffs and colors of nature are awe inspiring and you just can't take a bad picture here! This area has also been used for several films including a music video by Justin Bieber, and Game of Thrones season 8.
On the way to our hotel for the next 2 nights, we made a roadside pit stop to see the Svinafellsjokull section of the Vatnajokull glacier.
First we stopped for dinner at a small local hotel restaurant where we were served roasted lamb and veggies. Then we finally got to Vagnsstadir Guesthouse and ended the day.
View from my window!
This night there was supposed to be a high chance of seeing the aurora due to a solar flare, so I talked some other ladies into meeting me outside at midnight to try and catch it. Unfortunately in Iceland we are so far north that it really wasn't "dark" at all....we stayed out from 12-1am hoping to see some lights but we were sadly disappointed despite the rare clear skies. This picture shows how "dark" it was at 1am!
DAY 4: This was our glacier day! We grabbed breakfast then headed off for our first activity at the Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon for a boat ride around the icebergs. The colors are just amazing! The brighter blue means the iceberg recently flipped.
Our spotter had a 4 legged helper who seemed to be enjoying himself! They pulled a small ice chunk out of the water that we got to pass around the boat.
After the boat ride we walked around the lagoon to see the sights.
We took an unscheduled trip across the road to a must see place in south Iceland--Diamond Beach. It is called this because chunks of icebergs wash back up onto the beach with the tide, and the color contrast between white ice and black sand is very striking!
Before heading to lunch we took another pit stop to a different lagoon from the same huge glacier. This one was less busy and gave us a different view of the colorful icebergs.
We grabbed some lunch from the food trucks at the lagoon, then piled into our 4x4 van for our next fun adventure--a glacier hike! This time we hiked the Breidamerkurjokull section of the huge Vatnajokull glacier. The rocky road to the start was about 30 minutes long off the main road.
In a fun coincidence, we had the very same guide for this hike as my first time to Iceland 2 years ago! His name is Pavel and he is from the Czech Republic. He's very knowledgeable about the glacier and how climate change affects it. We strapped on our microspikes and helmets and began our hike to an awesome ice cave! They are not very common in summer, and this one was fast melting so we were happy to be able to explore it. It will not be there in a couple of weeks.
The black is volcanic ash from the frequent eruptions in Iceland that have settled on the glacier. It accumulates as the ice melts.
Entering the ice cave! See the blues? It is caused by the snow being compacted so densely that the only color reflected is blue. Did you know that glaciers are made of compacted snow, not just ice?
After a very busy and chilly day we finished our activities and headed back to a local guest house restaurant where we were treated to Arctic Char fish with veggies.
DAY 5: This was our last full day in Iceland, so we packed up in the morning and after breakfast we began the long (5hr) drive back west to Reykjavik. Our guide Gisli was great and made several much needed stops along the way to see beautiful sights, get snacks, and stretch our legs.
Our first stop was at the lovely Vatnajokull National Park to take a short hike to see the Svartifoss waterfall ("Black waterfall"). This amazing waterfall is nestled in a cliff of basalt columns that makes for a very dramatic setting! It had been raining, but the weather cleared just in time for us to enjoy this hike rain free.
There are several looping trails at this park but unfortunately our time was limited due to the long drive ahead.
Our next pit stop was to view the Eldhraun lava fields. This huge expanse was created during the 1783 eruption of Laki volcano which lasted for 8 months. This is where the crew for Apollo 11 trained for their moon walk! Here you can see moss and small plants are the only flora so far to emerge.
After this the rain started and we finished our drive to Reykjavik back at the same hotel we started at--Local 101. We had just enough time to freshen up before heading off for our farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
The farewell dinner was a delicious buffet of meats, pastas, veggies, and desserts! I did not get a photo of my plate however it was so good! One trio in the group dressed up in their finest! Everyone enjoyed walking around the city before calling it a night.
DAY 6: Our last day in Iceland started early with a quick breakfast before catching the van to the airport. My flight was at 11:30 so I had time for a quick photo with the local troll...
...and one last hotdog of course!!
My flight to JFK was uneventful and from my window seat I had amazing views of Greenland as we flew over the southern tip. Look at those glaciers and icebergs!
Unfortunately once I arrived to JFK and made my way to the gate for my connecting flight I found out that flight was first delayed then tragically canceled! I believe there was some bad weather around the area as there were several other flights delayed or cancelled. Once I was finally able to speak to an agent I was informed there were NO replacement flights available for TWO days!!! They provided no hotel, no meal vouchers, no compensation, and no flights with other airlines.
After quickly researching all of my options with the help of Nick and my trip sponsor Bunny, I ended up having to book a flight with United later that night. The only caveat was that the flight was out of Newark, NJ and I was in NYC! That meant I had to grab an Uber for a 1+hr drive to NJ.
Once I arrived to Newark and navigated the airport and security to my flight gate, then I found that flight was now delayed!! I ended up getting on it almost 2hr late, but thank God I eventually landed in Rochester, NY and made it home at 2:30am. Whew!
Sometimes traveling can be stressful and crazy, but the memories we hold from these amazing places make it worth it. This group of 14 ladies that I got to revisit Iceland with were all wonderful and everyone got along so well, I'm very blessed that I have the opportunity to host these trips and experience new things.
