Reykjavik ; What I did in the capital

1. Visit Harpa , the concert hall. The architecture is so unlike anything I've ever seen. The glass panels sparkle in the sun. There are tours you can take inside of Harpa and a movie on the lower level about Iceland you can watch.  There are also shows during the day and at night that you can purchase tickets and attend. The shows vary from theater to music. 

2.Visit The Sun Voyager sculpture, which is a short walk from Harpa. The sculpture is a dreamboat; a dream of hope, progress and freedom of an undiscovered territory. This is a great place to walk along the shore or just sit amongst the rocks and water. Sit and enjoy the scenery. 

3. Visit Hallgrimskirkja , a Lutheran church. The outside was inspired by shapes made by lava. You can also pay to go up the tower which overlooks the city. 

4 I visited Christ the King Catholic cathedral. They have mass daily and I attended one of the services  during the week. The priest was very nice and emailed me the mass times. 

5. I went to an art museum. There are several museums and different art museums. 

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6. There is a free sculpture park across from Cafe Loki. 

7. Walk around and enjoy the street art. 

Snaefellsnes Peninsula

I booked this mini bus tour through Guide to Iceland and Nice Travel. A mini bus is great because you don't have to wait a long time for bathroom breaks. Guide to Iceland was my favorite tour company. It had both a driver and a tour guide. Our guide, Antonio, was very passionate and enthusiastic about Iceland. Due to his expertise we were able to see seals and avoid the crowds. I know that I could not have rented a car and had the full experience. We had about 7 stops and the tour guide talked about the sites as we were driving and the guide also got out at each stop to point out the sites.  He was very knowledgeable and entertaining.  We also had plenty of time to be on our own.  We were outside a lot on this tour.  It was perfect. Snaefellsnes is paradise for nature lovers. We had lunch at a fishing village and our guide called in our orders to save time. I brought my lunch and sat outside at the harbor soaking in the spectacular scenery. Some of the highlights were: a waterfall that you could walk under ( this was an extra stop); back beach with rock formations jutting out ; seals; birds on cliffs; crater and volcanoes; glacier on a mountain and an area that was the inspiration for Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. The entire drive was picturesque. Iceland is pure raw beauty. You will be breathing in fresh air and every inch of the landscape is pollution free and awe inspiring. I would highly recommend this tour.  The Snaefellsnes was my favorite tour.
Guide to Iceland link

Golden Circle

I went on the Golden Circle Complete tour on a mini bus.  I would recommend a mini bus because you don't have to wait as long at bathroom stops.  The Golden Circle stops can easily be obtained on the web  and I think that one could easily rent a car for a day and do it on their own. One of my favorite stops was Kerio Volcanic Crater, which is one of the extra stops. The water in the crater is such a lovely shade of blue; it's hard to take your eyes off of it!  You get to walk around the top and bottom of the carter, what an experience. The stop at the geysir  was also the lunch stop. I brought my lunch which meant I had extra time to spend outside.  One of the geysers erupts about every 5 to 10 minutes. It's amazing to watch it at different angles. There are 2 geysers and the other one has been dormant for several years.  Another extra stop included the power plant. At the powe plant they explain  how they use their natural geothermal resources. Learning about the land, culture and people of the country I visit heightens my experience. Other stops included; waterfalls, a geothermal area where we saw rye bread baking inside the mud with a brick on top and a farm where you could get ice cream that is made from their cows. Our last stop was Thingvellir National Park. We made different stops here. One stop we got to get water right from the stream. I enjoyed walking where you could see the rocky cliffs from the separation of the tectonic plates. It's amazing the variety of nature you see on this tour in just one day!

                                                     

 

Eldestar Horse Riding Tour

Horse back riding is a fantastic way to get close to Icelandic nature!  I was extremely happy with the Eldhestar riding tour. Eldhestar has a large variety of sceneries to choose from such as lava fields to black volcanic beaches.  I choose meadows and mountains for 2 1/2 hours. The landscape was amazing. We rode on trails along meadows filled with wild flowers and running streams. We passed through the water and then we rode along the slope of a mountain. The horses are very sweet, gentle and hard workers. The guide switched back and forth between having the horses walk and trot. It was amazing and a life time experience. They will lend you heavy duty rain coat, pants and boots. Even though I had my own rain gear, I was glad I wore their gear. I didn't use their boots and that was a mistake. There were areas of mud and water on the ground since it rains a lot in Iceland.  You can also get coffee and sweets afterwards which were delicious.

Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is not a natural hot spring. It is a man made Lagoon surrounded by lava fields. The water comes from the geothermal plant. The lagoon is rich in silica and sulfur.  We went the day we arrived in Iceland and it was a great way to relax. I would recommend going the day you arrive or the day you depart. You will get a bracelet that locks your locker and keeps track of your purchases. After you shut your locker door there is an electronic sensor nearby that you touch the bracelet to and it will display your locker number and lock it. The electronic sensor is not right on the locker door but close by it.  Make sure you put the bracelet on correctly, or it could fall off . You can order drinks right in the water. There is a sauna , steam room, waterfall and masks to apply to your face. Also, there is a relaxation room inside that overlooks the blue lagoon. We spent about two hours there, though once inside you can stay as long as you want. I would also recommend having a place to meet in case you get separated from the people you came with. It is important that you take a shower before you enter the spa. People in Iceland take hygiene very seriously.

Hot Springs and Lava Cave Tour

I booked this tour with Icelandic Mountain Guides. We had a short walk in a lava field to reach the lava cave.  Next, we explored the cave. Our guide informed us how lava caves are formed and gave us a lot of information about the cave and formations. This was truly a National Geographic Moment. We were in the cave for about 1 1/2 hours exploring the cave.  One of the pictures below displays a map found inside of the cave. We had to squeeze through various narrow openings to get further into the cave. We had to crawl on our stomachs and bend down low at times to get through some of the spaces. I felt like I was truly caving. There was a surprise when our guide had us all turn off our lights on our hard hats. I wasn't expecting to travel so far into the cave. It was truly exciting.  I would not recommend this if you are claustrophobic.

The cave opening from inside the cave

Map of the cave; not all of it had been explored 

The opening of the cave from the outside.

GEOTHERMAL AREA HIKE AND HOT SPRINGS

The other part of the tour we were to hike in a geothermal area with bubbling mud pools and steam rising from the ground. The hike would take us to a hot spring where we were to soak in the stream. Due  to bad weather, high winds and vertical rain, they altered the trip. I didn't expect a trip to be altered in the summer time. I think that it was an area that had a high elevation and it can be quite windy. Our guide took us to a local outdoor swimming pool which was very nice. This was a place that the locals go to. Lastly, we went to an area that had bubbling mud pools and steam rising from the ground. Our guide did an excellent job. 

Things to Consider

Picture of bus stop includes a number and name
The tour bus will pick you up at your designated
bus stop. This is Harpa number 3. 

• In the summer you may want a sleep mask
• When you book a tour check to see if there needs to be a minimum number of participants and if you get a full refund if they cancel. We met a couple that booked a 7 day tour and it was canceled just days before they came. 
• Make sure that your tour includes pick up transport.  We met someone that did not add on pick up service for a glacier tour that was hours away from the capital because she assumed it was included. 
• Our hiking tour to a hot spring  was altered in the summer due to weather.   You may want to ask the chance of a tour getting altered. The winds were so strong at the cave that he said he had to open the door himself or the door could rip off  
• You will need to make a dinner reservation for some restaurants. We ended up eating at the bar one night which was fine. 
• I had lamb chops at the restaurant Snaps. It was fantastic. The  sheep run free and eat grass and berries and thus are very tasty.  Also the portion was enough to feed 2 people. We ate at the bar since we couldn't get a table. I also had a great dinner at Sjavargrillio. I had a 3 course meal with 2 types of fish, trout and plaice. It was excellent, but the service was very slow. I had to ask about my meal and then it came right away.  Cafe Loki serves great rye bread ice cream. My favorite desert was kleina which is a fried pastry that resembles a donut. 
• Book your hotel accommodations early. There are not many hotels and they can book up quickly. I checked in December and found 5 hotels I liked. I booked our hotel in February for early July and that was late. Only one hotel of the five that I liked was not full and it was the most expensive. 
• Most tours  will pick you up at a bus stop. The company will inform you which bus stop and the time. Read the time that they pick you up carefully. Usually you need to be at the bus stop 30 minutes ( or it could be more) before the tour starts. The buses are well marked and will stop and wait only a couple of minutes and leave because they have a schedule to follow.  
• We could always use a credit card on tours and in Reykjavik. 
• The people of Iceland are very nice and will help you with directions. They speak English also. 
• Iceland is the leading country in the world for geothermal energy consumption per capia. You will smell sulfur coming from the hot water pipes. Therefore, run the cold water for a while before drinking it. 
• Glacier lagoon tour is one tour I would have done if I had one more day. We were there for 5 nights.  Also our guide recommend going in the highlands on a super jeep tour. He said they are more expensive but worth it. 
• There are buses that will pick you up from the airport and drop you off at a bus stop by your hotel or the bus terminal. It is worth an extra few dollars to be dropped off by the hotel. I bought my ticket for fly bus on the airplane. I noticed grey line also had a bus waiting. I don't think there is a difference. 
• I toured the capital in an afternoon and that was plenty of time for me.  

Clothing to Bring in the Summer

• Bring rain gear because it most likely will rain. If you have the proper gear it will make your day enjoyable. 
• Waterproof jacket with a hood. I have a Columbia rain jacket with a hood. The hood has a visor which gives your face extra protection and hood ties under your chin so it won't fall off. My jacket also has Velcro on the sleeves that you can tighten when it is raining. 
• Rain pants 
• Waterproof hiking shoes
• Gloves and hat
• Hiking pants that dry quickly
• Short sleeve shirt
• 2warm long sleeve shirts :  I brought a tight weave turtle neck top and a flannel shirt that could fit over it 
• Long underwear 
• Wool socks and bring an extra pair with you on tours in case your feet get wet
• Wear layers that you can put on or take off during the day
• Backpack with snacks and water bottle