Adventure Planning – Iceland

A little while back I mentioned that I’m heading to Iceland to complete a 2 marathons in 2 days trek across the Southern part of Iceland in July.  Initially the plan was to head to Iceland on the Friday, complete the 2 day trek and then return on the Monday a short trip which left little else to explore once the trek was completed…although don’t get me wrong I’m sure we will see loads of cool stuff along the 2 day trek!

A friend and I have decided to not head home on the Monday but stay on in Iceland for a further 2 days so we can explore a little more of the island.  I visited Iceland many many years ago I think possibly around 2000/2001 for long weekend and although only a short visit we were able to see quite a few key destinations as The Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle on a bus tour, this was a great way to see these key tourist must-sees and as we were still fairly young it was the sensible thing to do.

This time when visiting Iceland I’m still keen to re-visit all the sights I’ve already seen as I’ll probably appreciate it all a bit better now and my travel companion hasn’t been to Iceland before so I think for any first timer these destinations even though touristy, they are touristy for a reason…they’re great things to see!

Being older and more confident however, I’m keen to explore at our own pace so will be looking to hire a car in Reykjavik or at Keflavík Airport if need be and go on a small road trip.  The areas of which we will be looking at visiting are as already mentioned are:

The Blue Lagoon

I loved spending a morning here, relaxing in the warm waters whilst the outside was still quite chilly and giving ourselves a facial with the mud from the lagoon, I’m keen to see how The Blue Lagoon has changed since I visited 15/16 years ago.

The Golden Circle

Thingvellir National Park. Thingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.  Where you will walk between the two continents of America and Europe.

Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir geothermal area, with its hot pools and the hot springs Geysir and Strokkur.  This was a fascinating stop for me and being able to witness a geyser erupting so frequently was amazing….getting a great photograph back in those days though was tricky with no digital camera to help check your shots!  With a DSLR I hope that I can achieve a great shot this time round.

Heimaey

Additionally, I’m keen to stick around the southern part of Iceland and perhaps getting a boat to Heimaey, a small island (although the largest of the Vestmannaeyjar islands and the only populated one).  On Heimaey you’re likely to see Puffins and something which caught my eye on social media a while back – Elephant Rock, a natural rock formation that looks just like an elephant!  Also, by catching a boat to the island and taking a tour around the island I would hope to see some sea life creatures too.

Waterfalls and Beaches

Back on mainland Iceland, there’s another couple of waterfalls which look particularly nice Seljalandfoss and Skógafoss along with Reynisfjara a black lava beach which looks pretty impressive.

Then really we will just see where we are time wise and make a slow drive back to Keflavík Airport.

If you had a few days to explore Iceland by car where would you recommend?