Iceland, who's been?

[Ch00]

I have been but it was on a cruise ship.

Two main places we went to were Reykjavik and Akureyri.

We had a day coach trip from Reykjavik and the Golden Circle Tour along the lines of http://daytours.nordicvisitor.com/ic...e-classic/219/

Geysir about to blow



Overlooking Reykjavik at night




We also went whale watching which I wouldn't bother with. Iceland hunt whales and funny enough they don't like boats and give them a wide berth. There are better places in the world to see them.

If your going to drive around the island be aware that a lot of their roads are gravel even the main roads once out of the towns. Due to the extra tourism they are slowly tarmacking the main ring road. 4x4 is a must and stone chips would be a nightmare make sure your have taken out the extra cover if hiring.

Its not the cheapest place to visit but it is very pretty. People were nice and happy to speak try there English on you.

Northern lights happen all year round but as they have midnight sun in the summer you can see them!

We went June 2013.

[shiftin_gear98]

Always wanted to go to Iceland, looking for top tips.


With regard to whale watching, having done this off the coast of New Zealand I wouldn't bother again.
Yes whales are amazing, but they also hold their breath for about 45 mins!
Which when you are bobbing up and down on a stationary boat with the engine off so as not to bother them.
Get's quite nauseous.
When they do finally surface the boats all rush as near as they are allowed, which in my case was about 100 metres away. So you get to see a black log floating on the water for 2 mins. A quick tail shot which is great if your boat is situated at the right angle, and you have a £5000 image stabilizing zoom lens.
And then more bobbing, for another 45 mins wait. Out for 4 hours saw 3 logs. Felt quite sick.


Ramble over.

[Essex of Essex]

I spent a few weeks one winter, very cold and very expensive, lovely people and I'd love to go back and spend some time away from the airport.

[Mark_h]

Didn't Jammy go last year? He'll tell you all the best bars to pick up sailors.

[Winder]

Originally Posted by Amadeus

Their forest is **** - it's a load of bushes.

Is that in Reykjavik? She is wanting to go to some forest or nature reserve.

Thanks for the other tips. Never thought about road conditions (gravel) as mentioned so maybe the Google maps timings for the road trips are a bit optimistic. That could SERIOUSLY mess up the trip.

Whale watching seems like hit and miss from the research I've done so far.
I fancy glacier walks and ice climbing if anyone has any experience of those?

To those also thinking of going from the few days research I have done I can tell you it is shockingly expensive!

Any other experiences and good to know info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Our friends live there, basic rules are :
1) never ever insult Iceland
2) never ever insult Iceland
Stick by this and you will enjoy the most beautiful place on earth with the best people ever!
Take a day out kayaking too👍


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think it was some way from Reykjavik. The bushes were about chest height, not tree like. I'm a nature fan but there wasn't much there - much more in other areas (bird life on coasts). Oh I picked up a load of skulls in Iceland, herring gull, razorbill and something else. When a bird died near cliffs, it seems that ther are very few predators or scavengers. Something your other half may like.

[NTECUK]

The scouts had allot of organised trips. Big 4x4 one of which broke a steering arm.
So it can be expensive

[Ch00]

I priced up a 4 day weekend and I couldn't get it under £1000 for the Mrs and me.

[keith_d]

Iceland is on my list of places to visit in the summer. High on my list of things to do is diving in Þingvellir, the lake on a tectonic plate boundary.

A few years back one of my friends went, she took a decent amount of money with her and came back with a large credit card bill. Just about everything except fish is imported so it's jolly expensive there.

If you go I'd be interested to hear how you get on,

Keith.