South Iceland -- Best Place on Earth

The South Of Iceland, Or, Visiting Mars And The Moon And Antarctica

Back in April 2017, we visited Iceland for the first time and my life changed. That may be a bit dramatic, but I fell in love with Iceland and I am not sure why it left me so obsessed. Like, the type of place that I thought about every day for months on end. The ironic thing is I despise cold, rain, snow, gloomy weather, and ESPECIALLY wind, but somehow nothing mattered except the cool stuff we saw. So when I saw nonstop flights from San Francisco to Reykjavik for $220, I practically set my computer ablaze with how fast I bought the tickets.

WHY ICELAND…AGAIN?

When we went last April (linked above), Caitlin and I went with our friend Loinz and we did Reykjavik, the Golden Circle, then we headed north and did Akureyri, while our friends Babwe and Amber headed south. We all had a phenomenal time, but after falling in love with the place combined with Babwe’s photos and description of what he saw down south, I knew I would be going back. It became a weird obsession where anytime people asked me the best or favorite place I’d been, Iceland was the only choice.

And, as mentioned, I found the sweet flight deal on Secret Flying and that was it. Did I blackmail my wife into coming? Yes, yes I did. Well not really blackmail, it just went something like this: “Caity, I found cheap flights. I need to go back. It calls me like a siren song, and I will be taking this trip with or without you.” Caitlin: “Ok, I’m in.” And thus it was, amen.

THE FLIGHT

For $220 does it really matter? Actually yes. We have an AMAZING American Express Gold card which gives us 3x points on shipping, which our business does a lot of. So I bought the San Fran to Iceland flights with cash, then used Amex points as SkyMiles to book SLC to SFO nonstop both ways. Yes, I wish SLC had a direct to Reykjavik, but if they did I would probably be broke, single, and homeless.

One more credit card rave: Our Chase Sapphire Reserve card rules hard. Not only do you get a ton of bonus points to sign up, the points are worth 50% more if you redeem them for travel. (Just booked a car in Switzerland and flights to Spain with points, but that’s a different post). The best part though, in my opinion, is the Priority Pass lounges. (Oh, and global entry, which probably saved us at least 1.5 hours upon returning to SFO). But the lounges are great, so we landed in SFO, went straight to the lounge, and gorged ourselves on food, fast(er) Wi-Fi, Sportscenter, and not-so-gross-as-public bathroom breaks. Traveling becomes SO much more bearable with lounges, because even delays or early arrivals etc. aren’t so bad if there’s a lounge to chill at. We’ve been to some killer lounges (Cambodia is the best by far), and SFO was decent, not great, not terrible, but MUCH better than sitting in a terminal for 2 hours. And just like that, it was off to Iceland.

Once again, we took WOW air to Reykjavik. Here’s what I posted in my last Iceland post about WOW:

“A note about WOW air: You get what you pay for. They only allow one (tiny) bag for free, so you’ll be paying for your luggage unless you can pack super light (which we did, see the GEAR section for more info). The seats aren’t bad, but you’ll pay for EVERYTHING. Want entertainment? Pay. Food? Pay. Water? Pay. Air, luckily, was free, but I’m guessing there will be a surcharge for that soon. The good thing, though, is you can take food and drinks onboard.”

I stand by that statement, but this time, knowing what was ahead, we were smart. Very smart. Caitlin and I brought a plastic grocery bag overflowing with sustenance. Protein bars, chips, candy, WATER (nice to take a sleeping pill), and lots of other good stuff got us through the flight with no issues. The attendants were nice, the seats were uncomfortable, but visions of sugarplums and Icelandic waterfalls danced in my head and I was nearly crying anticipation tears as we arrived.

DAY 1: DEAD ON ARRIVAL

I ain’t gonna lie, I wish we had some super secret place to get sweet travel deals. I get asked almost daily how I find good flights, etc., and the answer is just waiting and searching until the right deal comes along. For cars, we usually just use Kayak, and our experience this time was…eh.

The place we ended up booking was called Green Motion. Like most in Iceland, it was a few miles from the terminal so they shuttled us over. Their building was PACKED. It was also a bit tense because some rude Americans were in some sort of argument with an employee there, and we ended up waiting maybe 30 minutes to get our car.

The problem with the car was…everything. Ok that’s a bit dramatic, but we paid for a compact and wanted a compact (gas mileage, seeing how fuel in Iceland is obscene) but somehow ended up with an SUV-type car. Not bad, but not needed for only 2 people with only backpacks. It was much more of a gas hog than we wanted, but whatever. The real problem is the transmission was horrifically bad. Like, jerky, non-shifting, staying in certain gears for dangerous amounts of time, skipping gears, etc. But alas, we made it home safe so whatever.

The good thing about the car is it was big enough in the back to nap. You see, Caitlin didn’t sleep a wink on the flight over. Sleep deprived Caitlin is an angry Caitlin. Angry Caitlin is a dangerous Caitlin. Dangerous Caitlin is not something I wanted any part of. So at Nautholsvík beach (see below), we parked the car and had an amazing hourlong nap. It goes against my travel rules of fighting through tiredness, but it was only an hour and it changed our day. We were now ready to rock.

BONUS AND NAUTHOLSVÍK

Right when you leave the airport, there’s a Bonus grocery store. If you’re cheap like us, it’s a great place to stop and get the essentials. We got a bunch of noodle cups that you heat in the microwave, bread, cheese, Milka bars, and a ton of Nocco, the best Icelandic drink known to Icelanders (and now me). Bonus, we found, is usually the cheapest. Hagkaup is a bit more upscale, and thus more expensive, and Kronan is cheap but not as common. Just hit the Bonus and be on your way.

From there, we headed straight to Nautholsvík beach. (By the way, it was so bloody cold this day. A high of like 45 degrees Fahrenheit and so windy and rainy…I thought August was supposed to be DECENT weather?!)

Nautholsvík is a cool beach where they pump hot geothermal water into the bay, making Icelandic ocean water bearable. Or at least that’s what we heard. What I didn’t realize is that only happens at certain times, and right when we arrived was not one of those times. There’s a giant metal hot tub (see below for my post about it, we went back when it was actually open) and a sauna, so if you can catch this place while it’s open, it’s 100% worth it. Alas, on our first day, we got there just as the hot tub was being drained, so the trip I planned so faithfully was off to a bad start. After a nice nap in the car, we were off to see the wizard.

SELJALANDSFOSS… AGAIN

I wrote about this life-changing waterfall in my last Iceland trip post, and since Caitlin and I (and the Ukrainian hitchhiker Artem who we picked up and hung out with for 2 days) were driving right past Seljalandsfoss, we couldn’t say no and off we pulled to see this beast for the second time. As I wrote last time:

Seljalandsfoss is the first falls, right off the road. It’s easy to pull right up to, and there’s a massive staircase going right up to the falls. We climbed up and went behind the falls. It’s just one of those amazing moments, looking around at such a stunning landscape, standing behind a waterfall, being soaked by the mist…just incredible. It was the perfect “Welcome to Iceland, this place is gonna be rad” moment…even the second time.

Once again, my post from last time is below. Just don’t miss this one. Really, don’t. We had picked up Artem in the pouring rain and invited him to come with us here, and when we saw him the next day (randomly picked up another hitchhiker, which happened to be him again), he was still saying how amazing this was. Just go and thank me later.

Glúfrabúi is another waterfall, but it’s mostly hidden. To get to it, you walk in the stream (again, waterproof boots are the ONLY way to go in Iceland, see my GEAR section for info). There are rocks to step on, but one of my feet went completely underwater. I don’t know if it’s because it’s kinda secret and hidden or if it’s because I was in this little cavern alone watching this massive waterfall, but it was a really cool moment for me. You know, one of those movie scene moments, where Explosions in the Sky should be playing…that’s what I experienced at Glúfrabúi.

If There’s A Sign Pointing Something Out in Iceland, it’s Usually Worth SeeingInside the Cavern Looking Up At Glufrabui.

STAYING ON THE FARM

As I mentioned, I pretty much booked this trip on a whim and by the time we started looking for lodging, there was not much left. Since we were going to be doing the south coast, we tried to stay in Vik but there was nothing there. Fortunately, we ended up staying on this rad Holmur farm, which was so much fun. We booked in on Airbnb, and if you use this link, you will get $40 and I will get $20 to stay somewhere rad.

The farm has an apartment below the main house, and the apartment we stayed in has 2 different rooms which share a kitchen and bathroom. We got lucky because we only had another person there in 1 night of 3, and we didn’t see him/her/them. The farm is just incredibly beautiful (like everything else in Iceland) and has 70 milk cows. The owners were nice enough to let me follow them around twice and watch how the cows are milked, which was fascinating. Even better, there were a bunch of baby cows, including one that had been born just hours before we arrived, and we got to hang out with them. Oh, and the farm dog Donna is amazing.

The location is great too. It was maybe 20-30 minutes to Vik and was really close to Seljalandsfoss. When we eventually hit Nauthúsagil (keep reading), that was super close too. Plus, when it was time to head back towards Reykjavik, that was only about an hour away. We loved our time on Holmur and would 100% go back and recommend to anyone. Go!

DAY 2: MY OWN SOUTHERN CIRCLE DRIVE STARTING AT DRANGURINN ROCK

Pretty much this whole blog is set up for me to repeat myself and ramble, but I’m going to say it again: For me, the journey IS the destination. (Yes, I know, this should be cut in vinyl in a cursive font and surrounded with feathers and a dreamcatcher and stuck on an SUV window/tattooed on someone’s wrist). When we set out, I had some stops planned along the way, with the final destination being Jökulsárlón, the Glacier Lagoon. But I’m always down to stop for anything cool (and the occasional hitchhiker), and when we drove past Drangurinn Rock I practically skidded to a stop because it’s rad. Rumor has it, this rock was torn from the mountains behind it and now elves live there. I didn’t see any elves, but my wife and I are pretty small so maybe other people say they did. There are some cool turf houses, possibly the oldest in Iceland, and the scenery is unbelievable. Plus, it’s literally on the road so it’s a super fast stop. Get a quick pic and be on your way.

SKOGAFOSS

Our last time in Iceland back in April 2017, as we left Seljalandsfoss for Vik, we drove past a wicked-looking falls pretty close to the road, but we wanted to hit Vik before sundown and try to see the Northern Lights (spoiler, we didn’t see them). We said we’d see the falls the next time, but sadly, there was no next time. I had no idea what it was called until this trip when I realized it was Skogafoss and that we couldn’t miss it. And seriously, don’t miss it.

Skogafoss is like many other things in Iceland. It’s a) a waterfall, b) large, c) pretty, and d) a large pretty waterfall. Even better, it has a cool viewpoint you can climb up a bunch of stairs to get to. It’s not like Egypt pyramid level steep, but it will take a toll on your legs, either day-of or day after. Nonetheless, it’s incredibly worth it. I have run out of adjectives like 8 times already, but the scenery around and on top of Skogafoss is life-changing. Some might also call it (and all of Iceland) attractive, pretty, handsome, good-looking, nice-looking, pleasing, alluring, prepossessing, as pretty as a picture lovely, charming, delightful, appealing, engaging, winsome ravishing, gorgeous, heavenly, stunning, arresting, glamorous, irresistible, bewitching, beguiling graceful, elegant, exquisite, aesthetic, artistic, decorative, magnificent. Alas, language fails to describe how rad and awesome and cool and pretty and good Iceland is, so use one of those words in your head from now on when I try and describe things.

Side note: I believe from the viewpoint above Skogafoss is where a super famous Iceland hike called Fimmvorduhals begins. It’s supposed to be crazy rad, but we didn’t have time, so instead of continuing on at the viewpoint, we went back down and started for our next destination.

FJAÐRÁRGLJÚFUR CANYON

A big reason I started this site, besides because I like rambling and besides wanting to preserve memories is that I HATE trip planning. Our first Iceland trip took hours and hours and hours because I was going between like 15 sites trying to find out what might be cool and what looked lame, etc. Well, hopefully you beautiful readers (hi mom) can use this post as an itinerary and hit the road. If you do, you’ll definitely want to hit Fjaðrárgljúfur.

In Utah, we have canyons and we have cool canyons, but we ain’t got Fjaðrárgljúfur canyons. This place is straight from a movie. Once again, it’s a little walk up a decent trail, but nothing too strenuous. When you get to the top of the canyon and look down? Wow. It’s very…New Zealandish. Meaning, indescribably beautiful (like me). The river down below combined with the landscape surrounding the canyon and the viewpoint from up there is just bloody amazing. We probably only stayed like 45 minutes total, but it was a nice walk and some great photos. 13/10 would recommend.

KIRKJUBÆJARKLAUSTUR AND SYSTRAFOSS

Our next stop was one of those hidden gems in my opinion: Not incredibly life-changing, but cool enough that I would do it again and recommend it to people. In the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur, where apparently like 100 people live, there’s a waterfall. Systrafoss, as the locals call it. And as all people call it. You can see Systrafoss from a couple places as you drive in, but we really enjoyed parking at the base and walking up. The weather was perfect, and there was literally NOBODY at Systrafoss, so it was fun just lounging and slowly walking up the trail. The trail was really mellow and even though we didn’t go super far up, it was enough to get some great views and amazing photos. It’s just a cool tiny town and it was nice because it broke up the drive, since the drive from the farm to Jökulsárlón pushes 4 hours. I loved Systrafoss.

THE REASON WE CAME: JÖKULSÁRLÓN (THE GLACIER LAGOON) AND DIAMOND BEACH

As soon as you start to get close to Jökulsárlón, you know it must be good. Like most things in Iceland, if there’s a bunch of people around it, it might be a tourist spot. And if it’s a tourist spot, it’s probably worth seeing. After driving through really remote parts of south Iceland, you suddenly come upon civilization. Not shops and hotels, just lots of cars, and you know your destination is close. And then…boom. One of the most incredible sights of my life.

As a side note: The night we got home from this drive, I texted my friend Babwe, who we had met up with in 2017 and who had driven south while we went north. I told him that if he didn’t tell me how amazing this place was, I might not have believed it because, really, it’s just ocean with icebergs. But if you only take one thing from this blog, let it be this: DO NOT MISS JÖKULSÁRLÓN!

Is it the still water? The from-a-movie-looking icebergs? The seals hanging out in the water? The insane mountains behind the lake? The big chunks of ice floating in and out of the lagoon? I have no idea. I can’t really describe why I loved Jökulsárlón so much, but I did and Caitlin did and Artem did. I heard one woman say, “I just drove 5 hours for this,” and I am not sure if she was saying that in a good or bad way, but I was speechless at the sight. I guess it’s as close to the north pole or south pole or Antarctica or whatever the heck this looks like as I will ever get. It’s completely, absolutely stunning.

Then, as if the lagoon isn’t enough, you cross the road to a sight which may even surpass Jökulsárlón in coolness: Diamond Beach.

Look, man, I’m a spoiled bugger. I lived in New Zealand for 2 years. I’ve seen lots of cool places and scenery in my life. But Diamond Beach is certainly among the greatest. It’s got the beautiful fine black sand that is so famous and common from Iceland, but it’s also got a million big icebergs in the water and all along the beach. Yes, if you look down the coastline, it looks like a ton of massive diamonds everywhere. The waves break off these massive glaciers and you can pick the little pieces up. It’s phenomenal. Incredible. Spiritual. I don’t know how to describe it except to say you need to go. I would not want to drive from Reykjavik and back in a day, but if that’s all the time you have it might be worth it. Just look at the pics and videos below and you tell me.

FJALLSÁRLÓN

On our drive to Jökulsárlón, we passed a little road that said something about another glacier or something, so we made mental note, and as we left the amazing glacier lagoon, we headed back to this road, which turned out to be Fjallsárlón. It’s basically just a smaller version of the glacier lagoon. It’s a lake with a whole bunch of really still water absolutely packed with icebergs. It looked like a drink with ice cubes to me, but really all I could think about was Modest Mouse’s song Gray Ice Water…don’t know why. It’s literally a 10-minute drive from Jökulsárlón, so I would say definitely go. It’s a bit of a long-ish walk (maybe 15 minutes?) but there was almost nobody there and it was really calm and serene, much less chaotic than Jökulsárlón because of the lack of tourists.

SKAFTAFELL AT VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK

As a side note, if you get even the slightest hint of carsickness in your life, I would highly suggest bringing Dramamine (another Modest Mouse reference, yes) or something for motion sickness. I am usually pretty good but after 4+ hours in the car I reckon anyone would feel a bit queasy.

By this point we had already driven many hours and had seen so many cool things. We were certainly getting tired, but we also figured we might as well hit anything else we could along the way home since we weren’t going to drive this far again. Plus, it was nice to stop every 45 minutes or so to stretch and realize we were in paradise.

Our next stop was at Vatnajökull National Park. I had read about a killer waterfall here, and was stoked to see it, but by the time we got there, it was getting slightly late and much colder and we were absolutely knackered. So we basically just walked around the park, used their public toilets, looked at their outrageously expensive market, and set on our way. I really wanted to see the amazing Svartifoss waterfall, which has black basalt surrounding it, but alas, ‘twasn’t to be. Maybe someday.

THE DRIVE BACK TO THE FARM

From there, our day was over. We dropped Artem at some tiny town he knew had a good campground, grabbed some food at the local Bonus, and headed back to the farm. The drive was about 1.5 hours, and still beautiful but we were happy to get home. I am the type of person who complains through life and then only appreciates good times in retrospect, so this time I made sure to tell Caitlin every 6 minutes, “This rules. That day was awesome. That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” and so forth. Ask her, she’ll tell you. It was an exhausting day but among the best of my life.

DAY 3: WATERFALLS AND GLACIERS GALORE

Up to this point, I had meticulously planned every detail. Aside from a slight mixup (OK, I’m dumb, I mistook the TOWN Selfoss for the WATERFALL Selfoss and got us to this town while looking for a waterfall that is on the other side of the country), the trip had been perfect. We had seen and done everything, and I told Caitlin that if we had to leave after that last day, I would be satisfied. But luckily we had a few more days, and we were gonna make the most of them.

So day 3 was pretty much wide open. We had cut a couple things from the previous day’s drive that we knew were close to the farm, so out we went. First destination: Nauthúsagil…AKA my favorite thing we did.

NAUTHÚSAGIL: ANOTHER HIDDEN WATERFALL

A more prepared person would know exactly what was happening at each stop. They might give a little context, tell the other person in the car what we would be seeing or doing at the next stop, etc.…I am not that person. I frantically scribbled notes over about 2 days and crammed those notes into my backpack, then pulled them out and tried to decipher them as we drove. And thus, our adventure to Nauthúsagil had begun.

What I’m getting at is this: As we pulled up to what we thought was Nauthúsagil, we had no idea what it was except that I’d written waterfall. And the problem was, we didn’t see a waterfall. We also only saw 1 other car, and it was 3 guys who were leaving as we showed up. So I was already preparing my apology to Caitlin for leading us 15 minutes astray for nothing, but we both figured we might as well see if there was anything cool.

Nauthúsagil parking is pretty much right off the road, and we pulled up right next to the little stream but didn’t dare to drive over it for fear of car damage. So we walked over the river, said hi to the sheep grazing, and started following the river a bit. I knew I’d read there was a waterfall, but wasn’t sure where, so we just walked to see what we would see.

Spoiler alert: It ruled. As you follow the river, suddenly it becomes a high-walled canyon and gets pretty dark. Water is dripping from every rock face and it feels like it’s raining and mixed with the mist from the river it gets a bit cold. From here, we just continued up the river, using random rocks as stepping stones and wondering if anything cool was ahead. Spoiler alert: Yes.

Right before the payoff (the river and canyon is a bit twisty so you can’t see too far ahead, and the river is loud enough that you can’t really tell if a waterfall is ahead or not), you’re no longer able to cross the river on rocks because there’s a ledge that almost seems like a staircase. At this point, there are ropes and a chain on the left side of the rock wall, and it’s not dangerous at all but we stopped and wondered if it was worth scaling this small wall to see what was on the other side.

We were completely alone in a pretty dark and damp canyon, so it was exciting and maybe a tiny bit nerve-wracking, knowing if we got hurt or something we’d be screwed. But, as I said, it wasn’t dangerous in the least, just a bit slippery, so we grabbed the ropes and pulled ourselves up. And then…wow!

Nauthúsagil is amazing. The falls themselves are great, beautiful, yeah whatever. But the experience where you pull yourself up this ledge and suddenly you’re at a hidden waterfall? Yeah, it’s awesome. We felt like explorers discovering something for the first time, because we literally had no idea what to look for or expect. Of everything we did in Iceland, this was my favorite because it mixed adventure and hiking and beauty and waterfalls. Plus, using the ropes against the canyon wall makes you feel pretty cool.

Nauthúsagil was about 15 minutes from the farm, very close to Seljalandsfoss, so if you’re going to do one, you might as well do both. Seriously, do it, it is bloody awesome!

SÓLHEIMAJÖKULL

From here, my plans were basically done. We had seen everything down south I had planned to see except the plane wreck (see below), and I was so incredibly satisfied that I would have been happy doing almost anything that didn’t involve being stuck behind a road painting truck (more to come on that later). On our drive the day before, we’d seen signs for a glacier tour and walk, so we figured we would head there since it was only an hour away. Bloody good thing we did mate!

Sólheimajökull is another one of those “only in Iceland” type things. We pulled into the parking lot and there were a TON of cars…a good sign. We started walking down the path and couldn’t really see much, but when in doubt, follow the herd, right? Then, as you come around this bend, you see a big lake with some dirty looking ice in it…cool, but not as cool as the Glacier Lagoon…so I was then wondering if it was worth being here. Luckily, Caitlin persisted, because as you get a bit farther around the bend, you see a MASSIVE glacier way far in the distance. It’s not pretty and pristine like the Glacier Lagoon ones, but it’s huge and dirty and black and white and looks like a mountain. Even better, you can hike all over it, so on we went.

There are signs before you even get close to the glacier saying essentially that you’ll die if you walk any farther. Caitlin, being a sweet and innocent conformist (and tired with a bad back), suggested maybe we shouldn’t go on. The thousands of people swarming all over the glacier suggested otherwise, and since I missed my chance to walk on a glacier in Alaska in 2008, I wasn’t going to blow it again, so down we went.

Walking across Sólheimajökull isn’t as picturesque as you might imagine a glacier to be. Like I said, it’s super dirty (dirt and sediment, apparently), and almost looks like asphalt on much of it. But beneath the black there’s all this pure white ice, which makes for a cool Oreo-looking texture across most of it. And to be honest, it’s just cool to be walking across a giant ice mountain.

There was even this big ice cave, and as I was in it watching the waters swirl below, a huge chunk of ice fell from the berg and made a massive splash…pretty cool. What wasn’t cool is the fact that the noise got the attention of a guide who then yelled at me for being in the ice cave…my bad! I am pretty sure I heard Caitlin (she denies this) say something along the lines of, “Did you see the idiot in the ice cave? The guide guy said it is going to collapse,” to which I replied that I WAS the idiot in the ice cave. Oh well, got a sweet pic bro.

Speaking of guides, there are a million places in the world in which a guided tour might be worthwhile and worth the cost. In my opinion, Sólheimajökull, and Iceland in general, is not one of those places. There are signs all around Sólheimajökull saying you need a guide to walk on the glacier, etc., but if you just want to walk across it, it’s much like walking on a hill or small mountain. Nothing dangerous or sketchy at all, at least in decent weather. We saw the tour groups with ice picks and helmets and I’m sure they do cool stuff, it just didn’t seem that different than what we did for free. And being Iceland, I am guessing it’s super expensive. Whatever, your call.

THE PLANE WRECK AT SÓLHEIMASANDUR (NAH)

Once again, me, being the awful planner I am, knew nothing about Sólheimasandur except that there was an old US plane ditched on the beach there. When I was talking to our host family at the farm, they said it was not worth seeing. Apparently, as I came to find out, Justin Bieber posted a bunch of photos around Iceland and made these semi-famous places even more famous, and the host family said they hated him for doing it. Whatever, I said, I still want to see a creepy old abandoned plane. What I didn’t plan on, however, was the fact that it’s a 7 kilometer walk from the parking to the plane and back. I am all about cool stuff like plane wrecks, but after all our adventures, was I really up for that kind of a trek to see it? Meh. I would have preferred to walk that far for something more Icelandy like a waterfall or an elf or a good hot dog, so we decided to pass. But man, the parking lot was PACKED, so maybe it is pretty cool…or maybe there were just a lot of Bieber fans?

VIK

Our last time in Iceland, the only time we spent in Vik was asking an old lady where the cool beach was, going to said black sand beach, and parking on the side of the road looking for the Northern Lights that never came. So this time, Caitlin and I were looking forward to spending a bit of time here.

Now, that being said, Vik is a town of…small proportions. We got fuel, bought some overpriced groceries…and that was pretty much it. There is an Ice Wear factory/store, and since that’s an Iceland brand, Caitlin wanted to grab an ornament. (Yes, I promised to post a photo of our travel tree, since we buy ornaments from each place we visit, but I haven’t done that yet…maybe this Christmas). The Ice Wear place is cool but it’s really just a big touristy store, nothing worth going crazy for. We bought a couple things, did some relaxing, and decided to head to Reynisfjara.

REYNISFJARA

The last time we were at Reynisfjara, it was getting dark-ish, so we just ran around the black sand and checked out the sheer cliff walls. But, in the time since then, I realized there were some sweet basalt sea stacks we didn’t see last time. The reason? There are 2 sides to the beach, and we had only been to one side.

Strangely, despite it being the most sun we’d ever had in Iceland, it was bloody freakin cold at Reynisfjara. It was so windy that the world-famous black sand was filling up my eyes, and we had taken food to picnic on the beach but ended up huddled behind rocks trying to keep it all from blowing away. Needless to say, we weren’t gonna spend the hours here that we had hoped.

It was actually surprisingly crowded at Reynisfjara, so we parked along the road into the beach and walked down. The basalt pillars are pretty dang cool, so we got some nice pics and then walked around the big cave there. I know I’ve made this point a million times before, but it’s kinda sad how once you’ve seen so many cool and beautiful things, other cool and beautiful things start to be less cool and beautiful. By this point, we had seen so many unbelievable things that I was kinda over the black sand beach thing. Yeah, I know how spoiled and bratty and entitled that sounds, I knew it then and I knew it now. But when we headed back to the car I was OK with it.

CHECKING OUT THE WESTMAN ISLANDS FERRY HARBOR

Last time, we watched a sweet movie at the Volcano House that told about the 1973 volcano that decimated the Westman Islands, so when I realized how close we were to the islands, I thought maybe we should go. Then our host family said how amazing they are and that we absolutely HAD to go and that settled it…kinda. We actually had no idea why we should actually go (again, my lack of planning), and what was out there, but we figured the harbor wasn’t too far away and it was on our way back to the farm so why not have a look. And so came the dreaded paint truck.

The ring road in Iceland is a lot like Oahu’s Kamehameha Highway…meaning it’s a road that goes along the whole island, it’s got a slow speed limit, and in a lot of places, it’s the only road in town. So if something is blocking the way, you’re screwed. And by the way my last name means bad luck…just so you know.

As we were pulling out of Vik, a construction zone worker let all the cars in front of us go but then stepped in front of me as we were about to drive. Whatever. Then a truck pulled out in front of us. Whatever. Except the truck was driving like 10 mph…and was painting the road…and spraying white clouds of paint all over the road and presumably us, and our car was black…and a rental…and the rental company was notorious for charging for any and all damage.

So as Caitlin is laughing like a lunatic and filming me, I’m freaking out about the car, about going so slow, about everything. I have no idea how long we’re going to be behind this paint, but I’m certain at this point that our car is now white and we will never arrive at our destination. We were behind this truck for about 20 minutes, and by the time we finally got crazy, there was a MASSIVE line of cars behind us.

I kept expecting the truck to pull over or waive us on or something or maybe one of the cars behind us to get crazy and pass both of us. But nah. And even though you can sometimes pass on the ring road (it’s usually one lane both directions), I didn’t want to drive over the freshly painted stripes on the road nor did I want to drive through the massive cloud of white paint. But finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and off I sped. There’s really no great end to that story but it was funny if you were there…I guess.

And since I wasted so much time on that story, let me tell you the Westman ferry harbor is not very cool, and we were 2 hours before the last ferry, which would have given us 1 hour on the island and then we would have had to return…and it would have cost something like $70+ USD…for 1 hour. Nah. I thought at least going to the harbor would be pretty, and it really wasn’t. Whatever, we’d had a killer day and I was happy. Plus, since we went back to the farm fairly early, I got to go hang out and watch them milk the cows again, which was freakin awesome. A good and great and grand day indeed.

DAY 4: HEADING BACK TO REYKJAVIK

We were sad to leave the farm and to leave south Iceland, because unlike last time we were in Iceland, this time I wasn’t sure if we would be back. (We do have 1.5 days in Iceland in November on our way to/from London, but we will probably just stay near Keflavik). I was bummed as we drove away because I love this place so much, but at least we had a couple more days. Plus, I was giddy with excitement about our next stop: the Secret Lagoon

SECRET LAGOON

Once again, I owe this portion of our trip to Babwe, who told me Secret Lagoon is a sweet thermal bath in the middle of nowhere. He had me sold at the word thermal, honestly. So after leaving the far, it was about an hour drive to what felt like the middle of nowhere. We had prepaid for Secret Lagoon tickets online, but that was unnecessary since so few people were there. As we drove, Caitlin and I kept asking each other, “Are you sure this is the right way? This is too remote, this can’t be it.” And then, Secret Lagoon. Just as Babwe said, middle of nowhere.

Is it as famous as Blue Lagoon? Not even close (it’s also like 1/3 the cost). Is it as beautiful as Myvatn Baths? Nah. In fact, it’s really not aesthetically appealing, it’s kind of a dirt looking outdoor hot tub. But the feels? Oh the feels.

As noted in the GEAR section, we took our own portable towels last time and we did it again. It’s not the most important thing, but at Secret Lagoon it saved us about $10 USD and it saved us the same amount at Nautholsvík the next day. So right there, we saved $20, which is more than the towels cost us. Plus, they pack super small so it’s not an issue bringing it.

So yeah, we went in, showered in the buff as Iceland requires (seriously, people get told they need to strip if they try and shower with the swimming suit on, so just do it au natural), and went straight to paradise. It was a gloomy, cold, windy, rainy day (aka every day in Iceland), making the Secret Lagoon absolutely perfect.

Your entry fee covers a floating noodle (or 10), which Caitlin loved. It was amazingly not-crowded, and it was fun to walk around the walkway surrounding the pool. There are a bunch of tiny thermal pools to watch boil, and in the back left corner, there’s a little geyser that goes off every few minutes. It is such a relaxing place and I say if you’re anywhere near you might as well go.

Side note: It’s pretty remote, and there’s no signage or anything. As we were leaving, a car of hippie dudes pulled up and asked us where the campground was. We told them we had no idea, that we had just come from Secret Lagoon, and they were incredulous. “Here? Seriously? Way out here? Sweet!”

BACK TO GULFOSS

Last April, Gulfoss was covered in snow and the viewpoint that takes you down to the falls was closed by a gate. I said to Loinz, “I can’t wait to come back and do this part,” and even though I wanted it to be true, it was pretty surreal standing there and realizing how quickly it had come true. It seemed like just a few weeks ago we were here, and now we were back and headed down.

I don’t need to say a lot since I’ve already blabbed about Gulfoss, but it’s impressive. Like, really impressive. The landscape, the canyon, the falls, the greenery…everything just combines to make for an incredible scene. And this time, going down the trail to the viewpoint right at the falls was really rad. It was nice because we weren’t in any sort of rush, so we just meandered this way and that and got all the photos we could have wanted. We then went back to the top and went to another high viewpoint, which was also super cool to get a new perspective. It was hard to believe we were back, and I kept telling Caitlin that Iceland is my happy place and I’m never leaving.

ÞINGVELLIR AND OXARFOSS

In my last blog, I called this place “Thingvellir,” but now I realize people call it “Pingvellir,” so that’s how I’ll refer to it now. Once again, it’s not something I need to write another 10,000 words on since I did last time, but oh my is it worth visiting again and again and again.

One of the parking lots (P2 maybe?) is super close to the falls but super far from the top-of-the-cliffs viewpoint. We parked closest to the viewpoint and hiked up since we hadn’t seen the birds eye view last time. It was awesome, cool, incredible, yada yada yada. I can’t describe it. But the scene from above is one you don’t want to miss, and the walk up isn’t bad. I think you can drive up too, since there was a million cars and tour buses there, but I couldn’t be bothered figuring it out.

The walk from the viewpoint to Oxarfoss is probably 30 minutes or so. It was windy and cold and rainy, but whatever, it was Iceland so I dealt with it. Once again, we stopped to read the signs, marveled that their whole civilization (and supposedly the world’s first democracy) started here and stopped and got creeped out at the portion of the river where they used to drown people. We were almost completely alone and it was a fun experience. Plus, so pretty walking by the river, the famous church, etc.

Oxarfoss is worth seeing too. It’s yet another beautiful waterfall that I can’t adequately describe or explain. We tried to mimic some of the same photos we’d gotten a year and a half before, and we loved Pingvellir just as much this time as last time. As we walked back to the car, we were both amazed at how similar the weather was in late April and mid-August…I guess Icelandic weather, outside of deep winter, is pretty similar year round.

Oh yeah, we also found our exact same little creek that we had seen last time that I had obsessed over. I don’t know why I loved it so much but I did, so sue me.

By this time, we were exhausted, cold, wet, but so satisfied. It seemed like every day was go go go nonstop but so worth it. We headed to a HUGE Bonus in the city and stocked up on bad things like chocolate and Nocco and slept really well that night.

This time, our flat was in Reykjavik and was absolutely perfect. It was a little apartment behind the house, and the family was way cool, the cat Lady Bella was probably the fluffiest I’ve ever seen, the apartment was quiet, warm, and comfortable. In fact, we are going back for a day in November and methinks we will stay here again, it’s by far the best value we have found in Reykjavik.

DAY 5: CHILLIN’ OUT MAXIN’ RELAXIN’ ALL COOL

When I say I didn’t plan past day 3, I mean I REALLY didn’t plan day 5. I thought we’d just mosey around Reykjavik, pack, and probably find some awesome adventure along the way. Surprisingly, we kinda did, although it wasn’t super crazy adventure, just moderate and medium adventure.

It was another windy and rainy and cold day, plus a Saturday, which meant half the population of Iceland was crammed into the metal trough at Nauthólsvík. Naturally, I wanted in too, so we paid the $7 each and showered (yes, nude) and jumped right in.

This time, we actually got to enjoy Nauthólsvík and it was sweet. The metal hot tub/pool is massive, but it’s also pretty gross. There was lots of dead skin floating around, and somehow it all floated towards me which was less than enjoyable. But sitting there in the cold, feeling awesome, looking at the ocean…it’s rad. Also, they pump hot water into the bay, so it was fun to go splash around like children before running back to the giant hot tub…also like children. There’s a big round hot tub in the bay that apparently gets hot at high tide when the water fills it, but sadly we didn’t get to see or use it because of the low ocean levels. We did use the sauna, however, and like I mentioned, we brought towels so we saved another $10. After a good hour and a half soak, we were back on the road, this time heading to Reykjavik with absolutely no plans…just the way I like things.

BACK TO NAUTHÓLSVÍK WHEN IT’S ACTUALLY OPEN

I can’t get enough hot tubbing in my life. Someone asked me the other day why I love Iceland like I do, and I was like “Uh…I like hot tubs and waterfalls…?” But that pretty much sums up my life. So I was surprised and stoked when Caitlin said she wanted to go back to Nauthólsvík, mostly because we had no plans for the day, but also because I like sitting in large hot bodies of water surrounded by strangers.

Remember the Radiohead song Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box? No? Well I love the Amnesiac record and you’ll never convince me that it’s not almost, not quite but allllllllllmost as good as Kid A. Anyways, that’s how the actual hot tub was at Nauthólsvík. 

It was another windy and rainy and cold day, plus a Saturday, which meant half the population of Iceland was crammed into the metal trough at Nauthólsvík. Naturally, I wanted in too, so we paid the $7 each and showered (yes, nude) and jumped right in.

This time, we actually got to enjoy Nauthólsvík and it was sweet. The metal hot tub/pool is massive, but it’s also pretty gross. There was lots of dead skin floating around, and somehow it all floated towards me which was less than enjoyable. But sitting there in the cold, feeling awesome, looking at the ocean…it’s rad. Also, they pump hot water into the bay, so it was fun to go splash around like children before running back to the giant hot tub…also like children. There’s a big round hot tub in the bay that apparently gets hot at high tide when the water fills it, but sadly we didn’t get to see or use it because of the low ocean levels. We did use the sauna, however, and like I mentioned, we brought towels so we saved another $10. After a good hour and a half soak, we were back on the road, this time heading to Reykjavik with absolutely no plans…just the way I like things.

BÆJARINS BEZTU PYLSUR (HOT DOGS) ONCE AGAIN

We figured we would just head downtown and see what happened. We found a sweet parking spot ($5 for 2 hours, so we had to head back and pay a second time to get us to 6pm at which time it became free) and just so happened to be right next to the Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur wiener stand, so for the second time in our lives, we got to experience the second most delicious hot dog in Iceland (Akureyri wiener wagon being the first).

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is just a small stand in some remote street corner, but man do they make a mean dog. It’s pretty much the only affordable “restaurant” (if you want to call it that) in Iceland too, so that’s a plus. And yeah, it’s super famous and popular. Within a few minutes of us finishing our food there (outdoor tables, usually soaked from previous rain), there was probably a good 20 people in line. The sauce, the onions, whatever it is makes it amazing and you should definitely try one. One random kid was yelling “Best hot dog I’ve ever had!” multiple times, so there’s that.

WANDERING THE CITY

Downtown Reykjavik is surprisingly small and it was super trippy reliving the same thing we had done 1.5 years ago. We went into an all-Christmas store and after being in there for a second I realized we had tried to go in back in April but it was closed…now, here we were. We also passed Icelandic Fish and Chips and Volcano House and it was funny sending Loinz photos of places we’d already been.

I don’t think Reykjavik is super amazing as a city center, but it’s fun to spend a couple hours going into shops and random art galleries and just watching people.

REYKJAVIK CATHEDRAL

The statue of Leif Ericsson is pretty dope. And the cathedral isn’t ancient or anything but it’s very interesting architecture. Plus, as you walk towards it, you can get some sweet photos of the cathedral looming above the streets. This time, we actually went inside and saw the massive pipe organ. I mean, it’s no Salt Lake Tabernacle, but it was OK. (Joking, it’s awesome). Reykjavik is very walkable and even though we saw a free city tour starting (like we did in Jerusalem where you just tip at the end) but we figured we’d just do it ourselves. Iceland is one place, both the city and the rural attractions, where I feel like doing self-guided stuff is easy and probably better than paying some obscene price.

THE FISH AND CHIPS WAGNINN

I don’t like seafood. Sue me. One of the reasons Thailand was so great for both Caitlin and me is that I ate copious amounts of pad Thai while Caitlin ate copious amounts of crustaceans and such. It was a win win since we don’t eat seafood back home. But, being a kiwi at heart, I do love a good fish and chip shop, and Caitlin had found the Fish and Chips Vagninn which was supposedly amazing. And it was.

It was like $32 for two fish and chips (and Caitlin got mushy peas, for some reason) and a Coke Zero, but holy X it was good. I’m talking like greasy New Zealand corner fish shop good. I drenched the chips in malt vinegar (and they had FREE ketchup, which is crazy!) and salt and it was phenomenal. Once again, by the time we were leaving, there was a decent sized line. I would say among the best 2-3 fish and chips I’ve ever had, and it was nice to have something warm and delicious among the freezing Reykjavik summer.

READING SHIP SIGNS

As we finished our meal, I was bummed because I knew that was it. I once quoted a Raiders kicker who was quoting Aristotle or something who said, “Anticipation is the greatest form of pleasure,” or something along those lines. I had looked forward to this trip for a year and a half, then really really excitedly for the month between booking and actually going, and now it was over. Only the miserable stuff (packing, sitting in an airport, sitting on a plane, laying over in San Francisco) lay ahead and it made me sad. So as we walked to the car, I was happy to find a final distraction, which came in the form of a whole bunch of giant signs that tell about the history of Icelandic shipping. I know that sounds boring but it was rad seeing all these old boats and ships, and one of them from the sign was docked right next to us which was cool. It’s a stupid thing to note I know but I somehow really enjoyed seeing it.

And that was the end of the Iceland adventure. We went and wasted more money on candy to bring home, made a bunch of PB&J’s to eat on the plane since WOW doesn’t give you any food, packed, and I silently wept (not really, but almost) as we went to bed knowing the adventure was over.

By the way, eat lots of Milka bars. I know they’re European, not specifically Icelandic, but man they’re amazing. Also their sour candy rules. And Nocco drinks, especially peach and pear and tropical. Sigh. I emailed Nocco, seriously, and asked when they’re coming to America. Sigh. They’re not.

THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO FOOD DEBACLE

Alas, now comes my greatest shame. (Who am I kidding, my whole life to this point has been a shame). Thanks to our freakin amazing credit card we have access to the Priority Pass lounges, which we loved on our way out of SFO. This time, it took a minute to find the available lounges since the app no longer updates on my phone…yes, I use an iPhone 5 and no, I’m not ashamed of it. So the app didn’t have the latest lounges and I knew there had to be a million in San Francisco so I called and they told me yes, there are a million in San Francisco.

Keep in mind Caitlin and I had just wasted $15 on a somehow worse and more disgusting version of Panda Express, a sick excuse for food at some gross joint I’ve luckily forgotten the name of. So when I heard the Priority Pass agent’s words, I nearly wept: “Having a Priority Pass card gets you $26 at the San Francisco Giants restaurant. If you have a companion, you get $52 free.”

Read that again. Seriously. “Having a Priority Pass card gets you $26 at the San Francisco Giants restaurant. If you have a companion, you get $52 free.”

Even though I had just eaten a gelatinous mass barely qualifying as food, I was stoked for this free food, especially because the restaurant he spoke of was within my line of sight. (He said there’s also a Yankees one with the same deal). I asked the host just to be sure, and yes, he said, we got nearly $60 of free grub, just pay the tip and you’re golden. And here begins the tragedy.

Naturally, Caitlin and I order the most expensive thing on the menu that we think will save well, an AMAZING (looking) steak sandwich. Like, this thing had me salivating as soon as it arrived. I even had mine brought to me all separated out so it would save better and I daydreamed about eating it in bed that night or tomorrow morning. We ate our fries, I had a tiny piece of the steak, and we set off to our gate.

You know what? I don’t want to talk about it…so I’ll type about it. Last April, I left all my candy I brought home on the plane. So I kept asking Caitlin to help me remember my bag of candy this time. And she did! Unfortunately, I did NOT remember the bag of steak sandwiches. Halfway through the flight to SLC I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she had brought the bag onboard. Sadly, the trip of a lifetime ended in disaster.

FINAL REFLECTIONS/FINAL COSTS

Iceland rules. Just go. Between our flights from SFO à KEF (granted, we used Sky Miles to get from SLC à SFO), our car rental, our flats, our gasoline, our groceries, and our gasoline, the trip amounted to just under $1500 total. If I hadn’t wasted like $50 on candy and drinks it would have been less. Gasoline was about $200, but everything else felt pretty reasonable. If you avoid going out to eat and stick to cheap groceries, Iceland is a place that can be done for a reasonable price. Just go. It rules. I think it was my favorite trip of all time, and we’ve been on some doozies.

GEAR

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I kinda repeat this section on every blog post, but seriously, this is all stuff we have and use, nothing filler. Below are some of the items we took:

Amazon Prime: C’mon, it’s 2018. Get free 2-day shipping (which was necessary since we always found something we needed at the last minute) and lots of good music and TV/movies which make road trips more enjoyable. Try it free and you won’t be disappointed. Plus, pretty much everything below will ship to you free in 2 days in the USA.

AUKEY Powerbank External Portable Charger: This thing has saved us many times. It’s nice to have around the house, but it’s nicer to have during a long flight or a 12 hour day in Paris. It has 2 USB inputs and charges our iPhones really fast. It’s a bit bulky, but we get 2-3 charges from it each time. SO worth having.

Anker External Portable Charger: Yes, we take 2 portable chargers on our trip. This one isn’t as long-lasting, but it’s much smaller and lighter. It’s a bit annoying charging 2 every night, but really worth it to have charged phones the entire day.

My Boots: I didn’t take these this time and I regretted it. August was just as cold and rainy as April. Warm, comfortable to walk in, and extremely waterproof. Not even my entire foot submerged walking to Glúfrabúi resulted in wet feet.

Caitlin Boots: Caitlin’s feet stayed dry, she had no discomfort walking, and she says she looked cute. Win win win.

My Pants: Ever since my days braving the brutal Wellington rain in a suit, I HATE having wet pants. These Columbia pants were perfect to put on over my jeans each day. Never got even a drop under them. Well worth it.

My Bag: As I said above, we travel LIGHT. Especially with Wow Air, where things are expensive, having a versatile bag is a must. This bag is not incredibly nice, but it has a lifetime warranty and it can cinch down to unbelievably small sizes. It’s made it through Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Iceland with no problems yet.

Ponchos: Another must for Iceland. Just get something waterproof that won’t blow off immediately.

Gloves: Just get something warm and waterproof. Mine were Gore Tex and were great.

Towels: These are another must. If you end up renting a towel at Myvatn or Blue Lagoon, I think it sets you back about $12 or so, so spend the dough up front and take your own if you’re able. These ones are awesome because they fold up small and dry incredibly quick. One of my favorite things we took! We got an off brand, Loinz has an original Packtowl which he raves about. Your call.

Space Saver Bags: These have proved invaluable on our travels, particularly with Wow Air’s tiny baggage limit. It’s amazing how small clothing can shrink down to in one of these! Highly recommended.

Outlet Plugs: Of course, when traveling overseas you need a plug
adapter. We’ve had these exact ones for at least 5 years. We’ve taken them to 4 continents and they’re still going strong. And, they’re super cheap and have everything you need all in one, so you don’t have to bring a bunch of different parts. Highly recommended.

Aux Cable: You probably already have a million of these. Our car had a USB that connected directly to the music, so we could charge our phones and blast tunes at the same time. The longer cable is nice so if someone is in the backseat they can still charge and control the music or navigate or browse Instagram or whatever)

MacBook Air: OK this is probably pushing it for necessities, but I do have to work on the road and it’s perfect to take with us. Small, lightweight, powerful, and mine has a pink cover for good measure.

PLACES WE STAYED

As usual, we rented both places we stayed in from Airbnb. It saved us about 30% or more from hotels I was finding, and all 3 places were perfect. If you use my Airbnb referral code, you will get $40 credit to spend towards your booking. (Disclosure: I will get travel credit as well).

Flat #1: The Farm: I just loved this place. The family is so nice, the cows are fun to hangout with, Donna the dog is a gem (she loves to pick up rocks for you to throw), and the location was great for seeing the whole south. Just do it man. It is shared, meaning there’s another apartment room down there, but that wasn’t an issue for us.

Flat #2: Reykjavik: Once again, very good place. Great family, private and quiet apartment, and really close to everything near the city. By far the best value we could find and it had a kitchen, stove, etc. so we saved heaps by buying our own food and not eating out much.

MISCELLANEOUS

Caitlin and I are on T-Mobile, which is awesome because we can text and use data for free. This meant navigation was all free (didn’t have to rent a GPS) and we could find attractions on the go, as well as me managing the business from afar without searching for Wi-Fi. So good!

Get a fuel-efficient car. We spent about $200 on gas this time and our car was not great. The good thing is you can go anywhere you want because the roads are not snowy or anything. We could not drive on the highlands, but there wasn’t anything we wanted to see that required that. In fact, we didn’t even see an F road on the trip.

If you don’t have TSA Global Entry, I highly recommend it. Not only do you get through TSA lines quickly and without removing shoes, belts, and liquids, but you also get to come back through customs much faster. It probably saved us at least 1-2 hours this trip. Once again, the credit card saves our lives. Customs coming into San Francisco was NUTS and it was so beautiful the skip the line. That alone is worth the annual fee.

One of the best travel tips I’ve ever had is to save clothes you’re going to throw away or donate and wear them on trips. Along the way, toss or donate them. Not only does it feel amazing having an empty pack on the way home, but on a strict airline like WOW Air, you’ll avoid heavy baggage fees on the way home. I ditched everything I took to Iceland except what I wore home and it was awesome.