Thanks to Norbert who designed this great interactive map! Click here for a full-screen version with extra features.
Day one (Yellow route) – 104 km
We arrived in Iceland on Friday afternoon and of course our
driver was not at the airport to pick us up as planned. Luckily, we were able
to take the FlyBus from the airport in Keflavik to the bus station in
Reykjavik, a 45 min drive. Our driver was waiting for us there and I was a bit concerned
about the legitimacy of the company when we got to their very sparse office to
sign the contract for our camper van and found piles of kids’ toys and car
seats heaped around, but it turns out that everything was cool and our van was
in perfect condition for our journey -- fully equipped with fold out bed/couch, gas stove, sink, fridge, and most importantly, a heater! (Yeah we bougie now!) So great to have our hotel and transportation rolled into one! Since we had no guide book, we asked the
driver for travel suggestions and he told us that he was from the West Fjords
and we should go there, especially because all the other tourists go
south/east; that was enough information for us. We headed north out of
Reykjavik, exhilarated for our new adventure.
I did a quick Google search for free hot springs in western
Iceland and found one that was less than two hours away. The description read:
“Landbrotalaug - The hidden, tiny and romantic
one.” We popped the GPS coordinates in and we
were on our way!
Driving along the coast, we got a sense for the wildness
that awaited us.
It didn’t take long for us to spot our first flock of Icelandic
sheep – with tons of adorable sweet lambs dotting the hills!
Stopping for a
coffee at a gas station on the side of the road, we were also introduced to
Icelandic prices: $10 for a cup of coffee and a cup of hot water! The Icelandic Króna is very strong! 100 Króna
is equal to $1, and something like a small pizza at Pizza Hut could set you
back $35!
As per the directions, we turned off the main highway and headed west on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
I believe at this point the road was unpaved, and remained so for much of our trip. We drove past the Eldborg crater and found the little side road with a sign announcing “Heitt bað,” Icelandic for hot bath. Unfortunately, the parking lot was more occupied than we had imagined and there was a line of people waiting to soak in the “tiny romantic” hot spring. But we did some exploring around the area and found another hot spring/glorified puddle, and that did just the trick—especially in the freezing cold rain! We spent the night at
Landbrotalaug and in the morning we hot the tiny romantic hot spring all to ourselves—and yes, the websites aren’t lying when they say it only fits 2 people!
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| N enjoys post-dip breakfast in the van! |
Day 2 (pink route) – 301 km
On Saturday, after our dip, we continued
westward on Snæfellsnes
Peninsula towards
the
Snæfellsjökull volcano, the setting of Jules Verne’s novel, Journey to the Center of the Earth. We were desperately in need of a bathroom when we passed a parking lot on the side of the road filled with tourists
milling about so I insisted that Norbert pull over so we could find out what all the fuss was about. We followed the crowds up a short path that led into a crevice in the mountainside and discovered an awesome cave that is the site of an Icelandic mythical tale about two brothers. We learned about quite a few Icelandic “sagas”
along our journey; it seems as if every rock and river has an ancient story
behind it, much like with other indigenous peoples.
We
entered into the Snæfellsjökull National Park,
the first national park established in Iceland, and checked out the great
visitor’s center with tons of historical info about the ancient fishing culture
in this area. We even tried several different kinds of seaweed from the area! The park ranger gave us lots of good advice and a map of hikes
throughout the park. Since the weather was clearing up a bit (the morning had
been dreary thus far), we turned off the main road and headed up into the
mountains. With the clouds parting, we got great views of the glacier and the
surrounding landscape, with the ocean at our feet. We were even so blessed as
to be able to take a nap in the sun beside a rushing river on some soft moss.
It was splendid!
On the way back down the mountain, we did a few hikes—one around a crater and two to beautiful and powerful waterfalls.
Back down at sea
level, we headed for the tip of the peninsula, Öndverðarnes, an area with
interesting lava formations leftover from Snæfellsjökull’s
long ago volcanic eruption. On the way there, Norbert spotted several killer
whales off the coast so we jumped out of the car and raced towards the cliffs
to see them but they were gone by the time we made it to the edge.
Down the
road a bit farther, we parked the car by a funky lighthouse and walked down to the sea. With our beloved ocean as our witness, Norbert got down on both knees
and asked me a very important question—and I said yes!
Giddy
with love, we ventured onward. Although it was late afternoon by then, we still
had enough light to keep on adventuring. This is the land of the midnight sun,
after all! Driving along the northern edge of the peninsula, we wove in and out
of fjords, each one offering a more spectacular view than the last. A rainbow
kept us company for much of the drive.
As the sun was dimming, on a very
deserted part of the road, an arctic fox darted across the road. We stopped and
watched it scamper up the hillside. It then stopped to glare at us and give
several warning sounds (hoots? Screeches?) to scare us off, but wow, what an
amazing encounter!
Around midnight, we pulled off on a spit of land surrounded
by the sea to rest for the night.
Day 3 (lime green) – 444 km
We
reached our destination around 10 in the morning, another hot spring—this one
beside the ocean in the Vatnsfjörður fjord. But the day was turning out to be very
rainy so we continued westward towards Latrabjarg, where we had been told we
could see puffins! It is also the westernmost point of Europe, not counting the
Azores. Well, let me tell you. We were certainly off the beaten track. We drove
through tiny villages with a few deserted farmhouses scattered on the hillsides
and an old fishing trawler parked on the beach, looking like it was ready to go.
As always, the ocean was our constant companion as we went alongside the edge
of the fjord, often with beaches that looked like they were straight out of the
Caribbean! (Although we weren’t foolish enough to jump into the freezing cold
north Atlantic!) We rose up into the mountains and back down again on winding,
windy, foggy, heart-stoppingly treacherous gravel roads that nearly gave me
(Carmella) a heart attack!
After what felt like Forever (I couldn’t stop singing this song to ease my mind), we
finally arrived at Latrabjarg! Off we went up the enormous, grassy cliffs to
check out the flocks of busy seabirds. We hiked up and up and up and it seems
like every time we thought we had reached the top, we’d find another peak. We
kept at it for a while, checking out the seabirds nesting on the sides of the
cliffs along the way (again, Carmella nearly had several more heart attacks
when Norbert stood so damn close to the edge!).
The hike back down seemed even
longer and never ending than the hike up and we wondered if maybe we’d missed a
turn. But finally, we were back in our warm car, and boy am I super glad
Norbert splurged on the heater—and remembered to turn it on every time we left
on a hike so the van was always nice and toasty when we returned soggy and
cold!
The drive back down:
Back at Hellulaug, the hot spring next to the sea, we had a good time jumping into
the freezing cold ocean and back into the spring for the thrill. After a while,
the hot spring filled up with tourists from a nearby inn—all of them North
Americans—and we realized it was our first encounter with tourists all trip. We’d
seen some on the roads and at the sights but hadn’t spoken to anyone yet. We’d
barely spoken/seen anyone but each other in 2 delightful days!
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| right before sleep, this is Iceland after midnight! |
Back on the road, we retraced our steps part of the way and chose a resting place on
a mountain top with an amazing view of the fjords beneath our feet. For dinner,
delicious ramen and red wine—our first hot meal in 3 days!
Day 4 (purple route) – 257 km
Monday,
we crossed over the mountains on more scary gravel roads with more epic scenery.
There is water everywhere in this country– rain, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers,
ocean.
Our last stop of the trip was Glymur falls, a great tip from the Denver
folks we’d met the day before. The hike to the falls was very rugged, complete
with an intense river crossing and steep uphill climbs with steel cables for
support. SO worth it.
We were on a bit of a tight schedule to return our camper to the rental company in
Reykjavik but we did so without a hitch. (Iceland is so much better organized
than our last vacation destination…. I won’t name any names ;)) It
was sad to say goodbye to our dear friend, the love bus!
Total Mileage: 1106 km!
For our last night together, we stayed at an airbnb in the same town as the
airport, Keflavik. Upon arriving, we rushed over to the local pool to soak in
their hot baths and enjoy the steam room and the ice plunge as well. It was
right before they closed and the place was still packed with locals getting in a
last soak of the day. We really loved this aspect of Icelandic culture. Every
town has a bath house/pool complex and every schoolchild learns to swim as part
of their curriculum!
After the “hot pot”, as they call it here in Iceland, we headed over to Keflavik’s harbor
and enjoyed dinner at Kaffi Duus, a restaurant overlooking the floating docks
at the old small-craft harbor. We shared two Icelandic delicacies: lamb and
minke whale – both delicious – as well as micro brewed beer from
Einstök and a traditional Icelandic dessert, Skyr, which is a bit like yogurt/cheese.
Norbert left to the airport very early on Tuesday morning while I caught
up on some beauty sleep. Now he’s back at work in Germany and I’m hanging out
in Reykjavik, waiting for my conference to kick off on Thursday. I love this
town, and I’ll be sure to post pictures of the colorful houses and amazing
street art very soon! Meanwhile, I still can’t get used to the
never-ending sunlight!
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| View from my window at 12:30 AM - or Sunset, you could say! |
For more videos of our time, click here or watch below!
Have a comment for Norbert and Carmella? Please send it to carmella dot guiol at gmail dot com
