Iceland – The South Coast

We began our journey by driving the same route as we did for the Golden Circle tour, passing Hveragerði.  Instead of turning north toward the interior of the island, we continued on the Ring Road staying along the coast.  The land along the south coast is extremely flat because it was carved by a glacier; the south coast is also the warmest part of Iceland.  We ate lunch in Vík (which means bay – Reykjavík means smoky bay).

Iceland – The Golden Circle

Tour books about Iceland state that most roads outside the cities are closed September through May; furthermore, one is taking their life into their own hands if attempting to drive these roads at any time of the year!  They are described as being rough gravel roads; therefore don’t consider renting anything other than a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with high clearance.  It also isn’t uncommon to cross a river by driving through it; it is a river only in the summertime when the snow is melting so no bridge exists.  Moreover, if heading into less-traveled areas, the books suggest notifying those at your destination of the expected arrival time so that if you don’t show up, a search party can be sent out!  I even saw a sign posted at a gas station convenience store:  Register your travel plan at http://www.safetravel.is.  Check it out!

Based on these dire warnings, we thought it prudent to take an organized tour rather than striking out on our own! 🙂  Therefore, we took a guided driving tour of the Golden Circle – sort of an “Iceland in a Nutshell” tour.  

Iceland – Reykjavík

Flying to Reykjavík, Iceland from anywhere outside Iceland means you are actually flying to Keflavík, a 45 minute drive from Reykjavík.  Reykjavík has its own airport but it appears to be used primarily for domestic flights and flights to Greenland – people actually go there!  We had pre-arranged for a driver to meet us at Keflavík and drive us into Reykjavík; he charged 30 Icelandic Kroner per person.

Reykjavík is a very compact city and easily navigated on foot.  In fact, through circumstance a number of days into our visit, we walked from the Reykjavík airport on the western edge of the city to our apartment on the eastern edge of the city in 45 minutes.  (Picture 3 people running full-out to catch a bus that has no intention of waiting!  Admittedly, it is very difficult to run full-out when laughing hysterically!)  But I digress…