Archives for July 2018 | RauviTravels

2nd Day of Exploring the Natural Beauty of Iceland

Welcome back readers! As promised, here is the second installment of my Iceland exploration. By the way, did I mention what I loved about visiting Iceland during summer time? It never gets dark in Iceland during those times. And that was a huge advantage… or maybe disadvantage if you have severe sleep problem like me. But seriously, you could literally explore Iceland 24/7 non-stop if you want to. The only thing that slowed us down was the rain. As a matter of fact, it rained 4 days out of my 5-day Iceland exploration. My 2nd day of exploring the natural beauty of Iceland was cold, windy and rainy. Oh well, for a wanderlust like me, it was ‘rain or shine’. Without further ado, here’s how I spent my 2nd day in amazing Iceland.

By the way, case you missed how I spent my first day exploring the natural beauty of Iceland, click this link.

Day 2: Where did I go and what did I do?

To begin with, I have to say that it’s so weird to sleep and wake up to the same ‘bright’ sight. Unfortunately, there is no amount of Tylenol and Motrin PM that could put me down to sleep on a ‘bright’ night in Iceland. Consequently, I wasn’t able to go to sleep until 4:00 in the morning on my first night in Iceland. With that being said, it was a late day for me as I woke up 10:00 in the morning.

After walking up to this beautiful sight, who would want to leave? Our loyal Snail van, however, is ready to hit the road again.

1st Stop: Seljalandsfoss

As I’ve said in my previous post, I could never get enough of the beauty of Seljalandsfoss right? Thus, I went back there the next day circling underneath playing with its sparkling mist. You will get wet whether you like it or not by the way, wearing waterproof from head to toe is almost a must. It was windy, wet and cold. Yet, it was so much fun!

2nd Day of Exploring the Natural Beauty of Iceland — Walking behind and underneath Seljalandsfoss

Here I was standing on a rock close to Seljalandsfoss. And about 560 m. towards the direction those people are heading is our 2nd stop for the day, the Gljufrabui.

2nd Stop: Gljufrabui

My 2nd Day of Exploring the Natural Beauty of Iceland — Gljufrabui

Not too far of a walk from Seljalandsfoss is Gljufrafoss or Gljufrabui, as it is more commonly called. Interestingly, some tourists missed this beautiful spot despite the fact that it is right by Seljalandsfoss. Trust me, I almost did myself realizing it on my drive to Skogafoss after visiting Seljalandsfoss. As a result, I had to make a U-turn to check out this beauty.

2nd Day Exploring the Natural Beauty of Iceland

Additionally, Gljufrabui is also known as the ‘hidden waterfall’. Partially hidden by canyon of rocks, hikers have to pass through these canyons to see the waterfall.

Finally, I am here! Oh Gljufrabui, I almost missed you. Although you are cold, wet and slippery, you are so worth to visit any time of the day.

3rd Stop: Skogafoss

Skogafoss is another beautiful waterfall in Southern Iceland. Again, it is one of the most famous stop-offs on the Ring Road. As a matter of fact, it is almost a mandatory stop-off due to the fact that Skogafoss is highly visible as you drive on the ring road. Hence, I don’t think anyone could miss it. Additionally, Skogafoss is so beautiful it is definitely a must-see when you visit the southern part of Iceland.

Alternatively, you can also climb up the mountain to see the waterfall in its entirety. The 370 steps to the top of the mountain will not just give you the amazing view of the waterfall. In addition, you will have the opportunity to see the beauty of southern Iceland’s coast line.

Lastly, what is beauty without story, right? Legend has it that the first settler of the town Skogar, named Thrasi, hid a chest of gold underneath the waterfall. Allegedly, three men attempted and failed to recover the chest of gold. Supposedly, the ring to the handle broke up as they were dragging the disappearing chest on the ground. And apparently, the ring was once used as a door handle at Skogar Church.

The following verse pertaining to the legend has passed from generation to generation can be read below:

“The chest in Thrasi’s secret lair

Under the Skogar waterfall

Rewards the one who venture there

With endless riches, great and small.”

Typically, tourists head next to Plane Wreck in Solheimasandur after visiting Skogafoss. Unfortunately, I had to skip this interesting tourist spot due to fear of exhaustion. Finally, ‘jetlag’ caught up with me coupled with the bad weather. Sadly, my 2nd day of exploring the natural beauty of Iceland was short of sunshine. I could do the 2-hour hike both ways but not when it was windy, cold and rainy. I still regret skipping it, but oh well, there’s always a next time.

4th: Solheimajokull

Our next stop is Solheimajoskull, a glacier in Southern Iceland. Additionally, Solheimajoskull is also known as the ‘Sinking Glacier of the South’. It is easily accessible but dangerous to explore without expert tour guides. Visiting the Solheimajokull is definitely a must-visit in Southern Iceland.

There is NO FEE to walk along the trail to Solheimajokull. It is not advisable to climb the glacier without proper gears and expertise. Parking is free and there is a bathroom on-site.

Tours to trek up the glacier are available for a small fee. I would love to do hours-long exciting Solheimajokull glacier hike someday. Sometime soon, I would like to climb on that greenish-blue colored glacier. But for now, a walk to the sinking glacier is way more than enough for me. By the way, even from a far, it was beautiful!

5th Stop: Black Sand Beach

I always love white sand beaches and think they are the prettiest in the world. However, Iceland’s Black Sand Beach makes me think otherwise. Reynisfjara is a well-known black sand beach located in the south coastal area of Iceland. Undoubtedly, this beautiful black sand beach is one of the most famous stop-offs in southern Iceland. It is definitely a must-see tourist attraction. So far, I have to say that Iceland’s Reynisfjara is the most beautiful black sand beach I have ever seen in my life.

Despite of the cold wind and the rain, there is no way I would pass on taking a beautiful walk along the black sand beach.
Furthermore, it’s not everyday that I get to see a beautiful mountain situated steps away from the ocean.
Reynisfjell is a 360 meter high mountain with basalt columns on its base.

These are the basalt columns at the foot of the Reynisfjell. The seemingly picture perfect hexagonal-shaped columns look almost unreal. It’s so amazing to see such beautiful creation. And if that is not beautiful enough, take few more step and you will arrive to yet another magnificent view. Again, it looks so unreal and outwardly.

Finally, my last stop is Reynisdrangar, an amazing stack of rocks off the shore of Reynisfjara beach. Again, what is beauty without a story, right? Throughout the years, legends are told explaining the eerie and unique formation of Reynisdrangar. Old legend tells of a couple of trolls seeing a ship and dragging it to the shore one night. Unfortunately, dawn broke turning the trolls and the ship into stone. Additionally, modern legend tells of a loving husband turning trolls into stone avenging for the murder of his beloved wife.

There is NO FEE to enter Reynifsjara. Parking is free. There is a restaurant on-site. You may use the restaurant bathroom for free. Alternatively, you may use the bathroom outside the restaurant for 200 ISK. Additionally, wide selections of hotels are available in the area.

Accommodation

On my 2nd day, 2nd night rather, of exploring the natural beauty of Iceland, I decided to get a hotel room. Why? In as much as I love my newly embraced campervanning life, I cannot go another day without taking a good shower. Baby wipes are good but no 5 to 10 packs of baby wipes could ever replace a ‘real shower’, LOL. Again, my decision of booking a hotel room last-minute not only cost me a bit of a fortune bust also most of my time. I scoured more than 5 hotels in the town of Vik and called almost 10 until Hotel Dyrholaey confirmed availability. Click the pictures below to see how does a $323 hotel room in Vik Iceland look like.

Finally, my 2nd day of exploring the natural beauty of Iceland has come to end. In conclusion, my 2nd day of exploring Iceland allowed me to see 5 major tourist attractions. It is important to note that this trip is very chill and laid-back. I made sure to take my sweetest time enjoying each stop-off. While the beauty of the place you visit counts, it is really how you enjoy the places that matters.

5-day Iceland Itinerary: how I spent my first day

Iceland should be in anyone’s bucket list. Why? Read my 5-day Iceland itinerary to the land of fire and ice to know why. This blog will talk on how I spent my first day in Iceland out of five day. I have to do my 5-day Iceland itinerary blog in ‘installments’ since there are lots to talk about and cover. Don’t fret though, this this is a very relaxed and underwhelming 5-day Iceland itinerary. With that being said, this 5-day Iceland itinerary is perfect for first-timers like me.

Iceland has always been a dream destination for me. For months, I have been reading just about anything and everything about Iceland. And when I saw my friend Kat’s Iceland pictures (beautiful pictures by the way), I told myself “forget California/Nevada/Arizona this month and off to the land of ice and fire you go!” You see, I was planning for a West Coast trip for my month of June travel, not Iceland.

To begin with, I have to say that flying to Iceland is one of my ‘spur-of-the-moment” decisions in life. As a result, my plane ticket was definitely not in the $350-$500 range, which by the way is very possible if you just plan an Iceland trip way ahead of time (unlike me). Click here for Iceland adventure deals.

Second, the challenge for me was planning on what am I gonna do and where am I gonna go in Iceland. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I have been reading about Iceland so I should know. Well, that wasn’t quite the case for me. Unfortunately, I had to work straight up until to the very last minute before take-off. Yes, I’m a soldier. LOL.

To see how I spent my first day out of my 5-day Iceland itinerary, read on.

My trip to Iceland began in Dallas, Texas where I am based. UP, UP and AWAY, YAY! I left DFW International to Reykjavik/Keflavik International Airport on June 19, 2018 @ 1630 and landed Reykjavik-Keflavik International Airport on June 20th at 5:30 in the morning.

DAY 1: Where did I go and what did I do on my first day in Iceland?

Finally, I’m in Iceland, yay! After collecting all my luggage, I headed to Flybus kiosk and bought bus tickets for BSI Terminal in downtown Reykjavik. Click here to view bus ticket prices. As soon as you get out of the airport, turn right and you will see the bus stop. There are conflicting stories how long the wait is. In my case, it was less than 5 minutes and the drive to BSI Bus Terminal itself took about 40 – 45 minutes. There, I met the owner of Snail company to pick up our rented camper van. I have always wanted to do ‘campervanning’. And where’s the best place and perfect time to do it? Of course, Iceland!

Please note though that most vehicles in Iceland are operated manually. Trust me, you would not want to be put in the van company’s ‘hall of shame’ and be rescued by ‘Donald the Dumb Truck’. LOL. In Iceland, drive a manually-operated vehicle at your own risk. At least they don’t require you to have an international driver’s license like other European countries.

1st Stop: Thingvellir National Park

Call it a ‘first-timer move’ or ‘doing it by popularity’ but I have decided to start my journey traveling the famous route, the Golden Circle. Aside from its immense beauty, Thingvellir National Park is also a historical site. Declared as UNESCO world heritage in 2004, many of Iceland’s historical moments took place here. Interestingly, Vikings used to hold meetings here too. And if you want to walk, swim and dive between two continents in seconds or in minutes, this is the place to go.

Pictures taken during my visit to Thingvellir National Park.

There is no fee to enter Thingvellir National Park. However, parking is not. And make sure to pay. Someone is going around leaving traffic tickets on windshield wipers. Bathroom is available for 200 ISK. There is an onsite café/restaurant and souvenir shop.

2nd Stop: Geysir Hot Spring

A famous stop along the Golden Circle, the Geysir Hot Spring, is a geothermal field spewing water into the air every 5-10 minutes. It was pretty interesting to see! I love the anticipation from people as they wait for that ‘boiling and gushing’ moment.

Pictures taken during my visit in Geysir Hot Springs.

There is no fee in entering the Geysir Hot spring field. Parking is free. There are hotels, restaurants, café, Icewear store/souvenir shop and gas pump on-site. Bathroom use is free.

3rd Stop: Gullfoss

Considered to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, if not the most, Gullfoss, is our 3rd stop. It is not a far of a drive from the Geysir Hot Spring area. When I first saw the waterfall, I though it was big and mighty. Hence, some people call it the ‘mighty waterfall’ as oppose to ‘golden waterfall’ which is the English translation for Gullfoss. What makes it special is the beautiful bow or arch of colors hovering over the beautiful and mighty Gullfoss waterfall during summer time. A phenomenon we all know as rainbow. Isn’t it beautiful?

No fee to see the Gullfoss waterfall. And parking is free too. There is no bathroom and no restaurant on-site.

4th Stop: Kerid Crater

Kerid Crater is one of two tourist attractions in Iceland that require entrance fee. It is beautiful, unique and charming. Those blue-green waters complement the brown and deep red-orange slopes surrounding it.

It is a good spot to do a short hike in summer time. Apparently, to get married too. See the people down on the left holding an intimate wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful sunny day! By the way, it was the only sunny day I got to enjoy out of my 5-day Iceland itinerary. The rest were all rainy, muddy, windy and cold.
Entrance fee to Kerid Crater is 400 ISK. Parking is free. NO restaurant and NO bathroom on-site.

5th Stop: Urridafoss

Our 5th stop is a lesser known but very beautiful waterfall called Urridafoss. When we went there, there was no one but us. There is a picnic table overlooking the serene Urridafoss waterfall and Pjorsa River, the longest river in Iceland. It is considered to be one of the mighty waterfalls of Iceland. Furthermore, Urridafoss is considered to be Iceland’s most voluminous waterfall.

It very was beautiful and serene. I love the ‘mini’ waterfalls you see on the riverbank. Additionally, I love the wild yellow flowers and the beautiful lupines which make this waterfall more beautiful that it already is. And it was very relaxing too!
Apparently, Urridafoss is also famous for another activity which you might enjoy; fishing for salmon during summer time.

6th Stop: Seljalandsfoss

Finally, our 6th and last stop for the day is Seljalandsfoss. Inarguably, Seljalandsfoss is one of the most beautiful waterfalls and Iceland. Furthermore, it is one of the most visited waterfalls in the land of ice and fire. Located near the Ring Road, this waterfall is very accessible and convenient to visit. It was tall, beautiful and fun! I loved going underneath it and getting wet with its mist. With that being said, prepare to visit in full ‘battle gear”, in your rain pants and jackets. I really had fun going underneath and around Seljalandsfoss.

Thankfully, there is a shop and café on-site. There is a bathroom for 200 ISK. Parking is available for 700 ISK. There is also a camping ground nearby with the beautiful view of Seljalandsfoss. How awesome is that? Camping fee is 1.500 ISK for each person with additional fees on available amenities.

Honestly, I couldn’t get enough of Seljalandsfoss that I actually came back for more fun the next day.