From Myvatn …
Breakfast is at the Lamb Inn at 7:30a and we’re back on the road at 9:00a. Our first stop is an overlook above the fjord for a scenic view of the town of Akureyri.
After a 45-minute drive we’re at the Goðafoss waterfall. Here the Skjálfandafljót River plunges from 39 feet high and nearly 100 feet wide into a pool of turquoise water. Legend has it that lawspeaker Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi tossed Norse idols into the waterfall after deciding Iceland’s religion should be Christianity.
After Goðafoss we’re back on the bus for the quick drive to the seaside town of Húsavík. We pickup some lunch supplies to eat on the bus while we’re driving. On the way to the Dettifoss waterfall we stop at an overlook at Kópasker above the fjord with birds nesting in the cliffside. We’re here to see Atlantic Puffins. And we’re in luck! They’ve just arrived up north for the breeding season before heading south again in September.
About an hour drive inland and we reach the Dettifoss waterfall. The water flows from the Vatna Glacier via the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river. This one is big! The waterfall is 330 feet wide and drops down 144 feet. And it’s powerful! The water flows over the falls at an average of over 250 cubic yards per second.
About 30 minutes down the road we reach the Lake Myvatn region. The lake was created by a volcanic eruption 2300 years ago, however, it’s a shallow lake averaging less than 10 feet of depth. During the winter months the lake freezes solid, but we visit the nearby high-temperature geothermal area called Námafjall. Sulfur fills the air.
We end the sightseeing portion of the day with a visit the Myvatn Nature Baths for a healing dip in geothermal waters heated 8,000 feet below the surface … and there is a swim up bar!
Tomorrow is whale watching!
From the restaurant and lounge of the Lambs Inn in Akureyri …
Breakfast is at Hotel Laugarbakki and at 9a we’re on the bus and leaving Hvammstangi. We’ve got a long drive to Akureyri in the northeast of the island. Much of the drive is the scenic route along fjords and the Iceland Sea. After the blur of the past few days it’s good to settle in on the bus and enjoy a few relaxing hours of the scenery rolling by.
Around 10:30a we stop at the Bakari in Sauðárkrókur for a mid-morning pastry and then drive to an overlook above the town for a view of the Skagafjörður fjord.
The road is mostly empty. We don’t pass many other vehicles. We do pass many fields with sheep, cattle, and Icelandic horses grazing. The fields have ditches dug through them for drainage so the land is dry enough for haymaking and grazing. As we travel along the northern-most shore of the island we pass about 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Around lunchtime we arrive in Siglufjörður. We visit The Herring Era Museum, the island’s largest maritime museum. Here the story of Iceland’s herring fisheries and processing industry is told. But this museum is different from a traditional museum, the exhibits are housed in the actual buildings that were part of the herring industry, including the dorm where herring girls lived while working to process the fish. But the herring were overfished and in 1969 they did not return marking the end of the fishing industry here.
Then we’re back on the bus and through several long tunnels for the rest of the drive to Akureyri. As the Capital of the North, Akureyri is Iceland’s second-largest urban area and the cultural hub in the north of the island. It’s known for its beautiful fjord setting, and proximity to Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss waterfall, and whale watching in nearby Eyjafjördur fjord. We’re here to see all of that!
Dinner is appropriately lamb served in the restaurant of our hotel for the next several nights, the Lambs Inn!
From Hvammstangi …
We arrived in Reykjavik just after sunrise. Finally here after our 36-hour adventure with flight delays, missed flights, and rebooked flights. But that’s all behind now!
Our driver meets us at the airport for the 45-minute drive from KEF to our hotel.
The first impression of Iceland as we leave the airport is the barren landscape. No trees and lots of volcanic lava fields. We pass the most recent lava flow from a volcanic eruption and see the steam emerging from the ground.
After a quick breakfast at Hotel Cabin and a chance to freshen up we board the bus and begin our tour of the northern part of Iceland.
About 120 km from Reykjavik we visit the Hraunfossar waterfall formed by streams flowing out the Hallmundarhraun lava field.
Víðgelmir Cave is the largest in Iceland and one of the largest lava caves in the world with lava stalactites and stalagmites found deep inside. Viking archaeological artifacts were found here in 1993. Water flowing through the cave eventually reaches Hraunfossar Waterfall, but it takes a few years to make the of trip of about 11 miles (16.5km) from the cave to the waterfall!
The Deildartunguhver Hot Spring is hot at 200°F (97°C) and the most powerful in Europe with a flow rate of 50 gallons (180 liters) per second! This hot spring provides heat for homes in two nearby towns.
It’s been a long first day of travel and touring! We’re checking in tonight at Hotel Laugarbakki in Hvammstangi. A chance to rest and do some much needed travel organization!
From Dulles … again!
Yesterday was a bit of a dress rehearsal. You know … drag the luggage down the steps, take an Uber to the airport, check the bag, go through TSA, have a glass of wine and catch up with Sue and Don, find out your flight is delayed, find out the delay means you will miss the connection at JFK to Reykjavik, book another flight connecting through London, wait to get checked bags back, miss the rebooking because it took so long to get the bags back, start making calls for a new flight, and finally take an Uber home.
But today we are booked on an Icelandair flight direct to Reykjavik, arriving early tomorrow morning. We will met up with the group then begin touring on the way to Hvammstangi. The group departing from Boston arrived in Reykjavik earlier this morning. They spent the day in Reykjavik seeing the city …
The shops and cafes of Laugavegur street
Bessastaðir the official residence of the President of Iceland
Hofdi House where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met for their 1986 Reykjavik Summit.
The Hallgrimskirkja Church observation tower viewing deck to see the city and surrounding mountains. Hallgrímsjirkja’s 73-meter height towers over Reykjavik. Dedicated to the Icelandic poet, Hallgrímur Pétrusson, the church is home to a 25 ton mechanical action organ.
Icelandic Saga Museum for a journey through key moments in Icelandic history.
As the capitol of Iceland, Reykjavík is the gateway to the island’s natural wonders, volcanic landscapes, geothermal pools, and coastal vistas. With our delayed flight Sue, Don, and I are missing this first day, but hopefully at the end of the trip we will have some time to get to know Reykjavik and its blend of vibrant cultural life, colorful architecture, street art, music, food, and small-town charm.
From Dulles as we work our way through flight delays and arranging new flights to Reykjavik …
UPDATE: Sometimes things don’t go according to the plan. Our flight to JFK was delayed so much that we wouldn’t make the connection to Reykjavik. Rebooked through London, but missed that when we didn’t get our luggage back in time. Now departing on day 2. Flexibility is key!
Iceland … The origins for this trip may go back almost 30 years ago to our 1997 trip to Alaska. While we didn’t plan this trip way back then, it was the first time that Mickey, Donna, Patty, Sue, and me traveled together. Since then most of my international travel has been with Mickey and Donna, and Patty has been on several trips as well. But this time Sue is coming with Don and we’re heading to another cold weather destination … although it was very warm on our July trip to Alaska!
I’ve always been interested in traveling to Iceland with its unique climate and landscape, and because it’s not very far from my home in the DC suburbs. I’m looking forward to seeing the volcanic terrain and lava fields, glaciers, waterfalls, geothermal hot springs, and hopefully the northern lights. And maybe there will be some interesting foods to sample along the way!
Here is the itinerary …
| April 26, Day 1 DC | Flight to New York City delayed |
| April 27, Day 2 DC to Reykjavik | Fly to Reykjavik. The group departing from Boston arrives Reykjavik and explores Laugavegur Street, Bessastaðir, Höfði House, Hallgrímskirkja Church, and the Icelandic Saga Museum |
| April 28, Day 3 Reykjavik to Hvammstangi | Travel to Hvammstangi via Borgannes. Hraunfossar Waterfall, Deildartunguhver Hot Springs, Vidgelmir Cave |
| April 29, Day 4 Hvammstangi to Akureyri | Travel to Akureyri. The Herring Era Museum |
| April 30, Day 5 Akureyri | Travel to Lake Myvatn via Godafoss. Godafoss Waterfall, Myvatn Nature Baths, Lake Myvatn |
| May 1, Day 6 Akureyri | Travel to Akureyri via Dettifoss and Eyjafjördur. Dettifoss Waterfall, Eyjafjördur Fjord whale watching, Akureyri thermal pool |
| May 2, Day 7 Akureyri to Reykjavik | Grábrók Lava Field and Volcano. Travel to Reykjavik |
| May 3, Day 8 The Golden Circle | Thingvellir National Park, Great Geysir Strokkur, Gullfoss Waterfall, Strokkur Hot Springs, Efstidalur farm, Fridheimar Tomato farm |
| May 4, Day 9 Reykjavik to NYC to DC | Fly to NYC and DC |
And here is what I’m packing …
This is a shorter trip compared to some of my more recent international travel, but with waterfalls, northern lights, and colder/wetter weather this trip still requires careful consideration of what to pack to capture the best photos and video of a bucket list trip! I’m bringing the Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera with the Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR zoom lens but also the Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 lens. For a faster ultra-wide option I’m bringing the Nikkor Z 20mm f1.8 S prime lens for landscapes, astrophotography, and the northern lights. I’ll need a tripod in those situations, so I’m also packing the Peak Design Travel Tripod. And also in the bag is the DJI OSMO Pocket 3 for timelapse video and situations that might benefit from a gimbal camera. I’ll bring the Apple iPhone 16 for GPS location tracking through the SnapBridge app. For backup I’m bringing the Clouzen Tainer with 2TB of M.2 SSD capacity. Although I’ve traveled with the Vanguard Kinray Lite camera backpack for many years, for Italy and Greece I carried the Gura Gear Kiboko City Commuter 18L+ but I found the roll top access really inconvenient, so for this trip I’m bringing the Shimoda Designs Urban Explore 25. I usually pack an assortment of shorts, t-shirts, and pullovers for travel, but with daily temps ranging from 35°F (1.7°C) to 44°F (6.7°C) and expected wet weather conditions, my clothing pack is very different. I’m bringing a lightweight base layer for each day, a fleece assortment for mid-layers, and a waterproof/windproof jacket and pants for the outer layer. Also a couple of pairs and gloves and a couple of hats.
A note about spelling …
Iceland has one of the most unique spelling structures using a latin alphabet that I have encountered. The Icelandic alphabet has 32 characters compared to the 26 characters found in the English alphabet. The Icelandic language is derived from Old Norse. For spelling on this trip I’m sometimes using Old Norse and sometimes Modern Icelandic.
While I’m traveling I will post daily updates here on the blog. If you want to get an email when I post an update subscribe by entering your email address in the subscription box. I’m looking forward to sharing these updates with you!
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Michael S. Liberman