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

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.