All pictures in gallery above taken by the magnificent Alfonso Terrazas. Others by Kim De Pablo's Instagram.
ICELAND
Trip I made with my friend Alfonso in the month of August of 2014.
A GUIDE TO ICELAND
When I decided to get to Iceland I was a little lost regarding how to prepare my trip, I had to scroll through dozens of blogs, so I hope this guide can help you get there more easily.
- Fast Facts
Capital of Iceland: Reykjavík
Population: 323,000 (2013)
Languages spoken: Icelandic (official), English
Currency: Icelandic Króna
Tip: Most places accept credit cards, but I'd recommend you to take some Icelandic Króna, which you may pre-order at your bank. The bills are very beautiful.
- How to get there:
IcelandAir - With an impeccable marketing and presentation in their airplanes, IcelandAir - The most efficient way to get to Iceland from the American continent is through IcelandAir which has direct flights to the Keflavik airport from cities such as New York and Denver, and unexpectedly Anchorage and Minneapolis. This airline counts with the famous promotion of “Stopover”, making it a stopover place when traveling to Europe.
IcelandAir
WOW air - There’s also low budget airline WOW, which has flights from Boston and Washington.
Tip: There is no check-in online, therefore you must be in the airport 3 hours before departure to make sure to have your booking number either (printed or written down) in order to obtain your airplane ticket.
WOW air
- How to get around:
The Keflavik airport is 40 minutes away from the country’s capital Reykjavik, and there are different companies to transport you there and also count with different packages for making transfers.
BusTravel Iceland - Affordable airport transfer and day trips to navigate through Iceland in mini buses. The great thing about this company is the way they set up packages, not only making them affordable but worth for.
Tip: Icelanders are not known for their punctuality, yet everything always works out. So if you might have to wait a little bit at the airport. The drivers that just get you yo different points may not be the friendliest, but the ones giving the guiding tours are amazing!
GrayLine Iceland - Efficient and basic day tours in coach buses. Easy to navigate through website and easy to make reservations.
Reykjavik Excursions - A wide variety of packages from short day trips to adventurous excursions.
- Where to stay in Reykjavík:
KEX Hostel - A former biscuit factory now transformed in the hip heaven of hostels, Kex offers a unique experience with its eclectic atmosphere and beautifully decorated spaces blending vintage with contemporary.
Hlemmur Square Hostel - Very modern, kid-friendly and has a great location next to Hlemmur Square which is a main bus stop.
Loft Hostel - This would be the best hostel regarding location, in the middle of downtown and where everything’s happening and it has a balcony café and have a view of Laugavegur street. This place is part of Hostelling International.
Reykjavik Backpackers - Another great hostel regarding location and cost and probably the most popular to stay at. It's great if you don't have an itinerary yet since they can arrange packages for you through their own tour booking services, including car rental and flights.
Hostel B47 - A very easy, simple and modern concept of hostel. Cool thing about it is that there's no check-in / check-out process, instead you'll have a pin to access that will work only during your stay.
Bus Hostel - It's not as close to the main happening area in Reykjavik but most likely the most affordable one. Good thing is that they have complimentary bikes during summer. They have a wonderful concept of hosteling, easy-going and trendy. They as well may arrange affordable tours and car rental.
Kex Hostal at 9 pm on an August night.
- What to wear:
Iceland is a little bit unpredictable. Winters are not so harsh as one would imagine, and the summers can be a little cool and chill. Therefore put in your suitcase or backpack:
Layers will be your best friends: basic black leggings (if winter, thermal), sweaters, scarves, hoodies, beanies and socks.
If going outside of Reykjavík, you definitely need waterproof hiking boots.
With tons of thermal pools around the country you won't want to miss packing your swimming suit. Now for people with long hair, I highly recommend taking a swim cap since the water can leave big damage to your hair due to the high levels of silica.
For the city of Reykjavík, if you want to blend with the locals take your most stylish pieces of clothing.
Umbrella-ella-ella.
- What to do outside of Reykjavík -MUST DO'S:
Blue Lagoon - An artificial/natural geothermal spa 20-minute drive from the Keflavik airport and 50 from Reykjavik. Tourist trap or not, it's one of the most enjoyable places in Iceland as a traveler.
Tip: Buy your package online and try to go as soon as they open. Around noon it tends to get overcrowded, and there are two lines: one for the packages already purchased online and the other one to pay on the spot which gets really busy.
Golden Circle – A very complete tour, it covers part of South and Central Iceland, where you'll visit UNESCO's Þingvellir National Park, which is not only beautiful but really important due to its location between plate boundaries, being this is where the plate of the American continent begins. Also, you'll see active geysers exploding between 5 and 10 minutes, and the beautiful waterfalls of Seljalandfoss and Gullfoss, which are a dream.
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon – You'll be riding on a amphibian boat and sail among icebergs. It is very impressive and one of the most different experiences in life. On the boat you will give part of a 1000-year old ice piece! You will literally hold history!
Road trip around Iceland - I hope to do this very soon, and here are some tips I've heard from other travelers while being in Iceland:
- Don't rent cheap cars. Make sure that the vehicle you're renting is in good shape.
Example: I met some Spanish travelers on the last day who did this trip, and had rented a cheap kind of old van. It broke on the second day while hey were in the northern side and it took another two days for the van to be replaced. They advised me for this to be the first rule.
There are dozens of companies to choose from, and I'd recommend:
Nordic Visitor due to their Certificate of Excellence 2015 by Trip Advisor.
Happy Campers is ideal, best equipped and quite customer friendly.
-Make sure your cell-phone plan will work in Iceland. If not, you can buy a prepaid SIM card. Iceland counts with an emergency line: 112. Even if you dial 911 it will redirect it to 112. I suggest to also downloading 112 Iceland App.
First of all you can call for help by pressing the red Emergency button. Your location will be sent by text message to the 112 response center. Remember that even though your phone shows no signal there is a possibility that you can send text message. - 112 Iceland App
- The Expert Vagaband's tips are the best I could find on the web. Matthew Karsten points out that the months of September and October are great to do such trip, due that it isn't high season and there are more probabilities of seeing the Northern Lights.
- What to do in Reykjavík:
Laugavegur – Reykjavik’s main street and where almost everything is happening. From shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
I Heart Reykjavik Walking Tour – A 5 star walking tour with the one and only Aður. You will go through spots you’d have never gone if it wasn't for this tour. Your guide will simply be amazing and will educate you about the Reykjavik way of living. A definite must.
Hallgrimskirkja – The beauty of its design relies that the inspiration comes from lava flows. With this in mind you'll be able to grasp more its meaning. The top of this Lutheran parish church offers the best view of the city. The cost to get up to the tower is around 5 USD.
Solfar (Sun Voyager sculpture) - This aluminium sculpture is an ode to the Viking long-ship Solfara and "evokes an undiscovered territory, a dream of hope , progress and freedom".
Imagine Peace Tower – Located on Viðey Island and exhibited yearly from October 9 (Lennon's birthday) through December 8 (Lennon's death) the "Imagine" ode from Yoko Ono to John Lennon and to the world, makes its way in the form of light which may be seen from Reykjavik. Added dates are December 21-31 (Winter equinox to NYE), February 18 (Yoko's birthday), and March 20-27 (Spring equinox).
12 Tónar – A small record shop/ independent record label responsible to launch some of Iceland's best bands. It's a paradise for music lovers and a wonderful place to hang out listen to some albums while sitting on a grandma-type-of-sofa and drinking free coffee. Some of the albums presented in this place are not available anywhere else (not even iTunes). So make sure to buy something if you really like it.
Árbæjarsafn - An open-air folk museum that is in charge of proviiding visitors an insight of how people lived in Reykjavik in the past. Hop on bus no. 12 from Hlemmur Square to get there
Icelandic Phallogical Museum – The strangest museum you’ll ever been to, it is the only of its kind presenting. It presents phallic specimens from Icelandic mammals, and one of those mammals, my friends, is human. I never thought it'd be so interesting, you'll learn a lot.
Unique events - Some of the best events that Reykjavík has to offer are their Gay Pride Parade, where almost a third pf the population of the country gather together to celebrate in August; to celebrate music their excellent Iceland Airwaves in the month of November, and for the arts and cultural diversity they have Reykjavík Artfest.
Nightlife – OMG, outta this world! Reykjavík's nightlife is vibrant and everyone is really open and welcoming, you won't have a problem making friends. Bars and clubs change their name constantly, but party is easy to find if you stay around Laugavegur street.
Tips: take alcohol from home and drink it at your hotel/hostel since alcohol is extremely expensive (still at airport's Duty Free is still expensive). The party in Reykjavík starts around 11PM and ends quite late.
Visiting Iceland is a perfect example of my nostalgia fixation. It seems so far away, yet its people make you feel at home.
The black rocks covered in moss seemed to be breathing, the waterfalls are majestic and make music with each drop falling, it is all poetry expressed in geography.
Iceland is a dream and there are many ways one can see it and if this guide helped you, I would love to hear about it and what you discovered in the land of ice and fire.