Day 1:
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Flew into Reykjavik and picked up a rental car.
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I had an overnight flight so I arrived at 5 am and started my road trip right away!
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Stopped to get groceries for the week near Reykjavik.
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Drove the Golden Circle (3 hours 20 min to complete without stops)
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I, of course, stopped a lot!
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Walked around Thingvellir National Park
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Saw the church
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Visited Öxarárfoss Waterfall
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Geysir geothermal area
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Gullfoss waterfall
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Kerid: (Volcanic Crater Lake)
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Park charges a small entrance fee
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Walked around it and down to the water
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Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:
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You can walk behind this tall waterfall!
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We walked around here and found a few other waterfalls and rock climbed to another hidden waterfall- you have to find these yourself (I don’t know exactly where they were).
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Skogarfoss Waterfalls:
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Walked up the stairs to get to the top of it
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Slept in the car at the base of Skogarfoss waterfall!
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Iceland is a very safe country, so there was no problem doing this!
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Iceland
1 Week Road Trip | Total Cost = $724
Day 2:
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Solheimasandur Plane Crash:
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Walked to 2.5 miles each way
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Then to Reynishverfi Rocks and Reynisdrangar Beach:
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A black-pebble beach with towering basalt columns
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We drove near Dyrholaey Arch along the way
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We visited Vik: A pretty church on the hill
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Then drove to the overlook for Laufskalavara Volcanic Rocks
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Fjaroarglijufur Canyon: hiked the cliffs- gorgeous place!
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Went into Skaftafell National Park
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Hiked to see Svartifoss Waterfall and stood at the top!
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Fjallsarlon Glacier Lake and Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon
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Stayed at Vagnsstadir Hostel
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Don't forget to check out the Iceland places tab for more information & tips on this country!
Day 3: A Scenic Driving Day!
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We passed through many beautiful coastal and mountainous areas!
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Drove through Hofn Town
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Pit Stop at Black Pebble Beach then at Fossardalur Waterfall
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We had to hike to the waterfall
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Mountain driving up and down Dyrfjoll Mountain
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Drove to Lagarfljot Lake
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​The drive around the lake is known as “monster worm”
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Then we drove to Borgarfjortur
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This is where all the Puffins nest!
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Drove through the mountains late into the night
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It’s light out most of the day there in the summer!
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The Sunsets as we drove were gorgeous!
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Near Lake Myvatn, we stopped on the side of the road
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We slept in the car in the middle of the mountains
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It was quiet and peaceful
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Day 4:
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First stop was Hrossaborge Horse City
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Horses were everywhere here in the countryside!
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Dettifoss Waterfall
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NOTE: if there is too much snow, the roads in the area will sometimes close
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...Which happened to us, so as much as we wanted to go see Aldeyjarfoss Waterfall next, we couldn't and had to turn around…
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Hverir Geothermal Field (Namafjall): walked around here
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Krafla Crater Lake:
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You have to hike up to it!
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The trail was covered with snow even in summer.
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Myvatn Nature Baths
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We did not do this but it looked cool!
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If you have time and want a break from driving, I'm sure this is a great place to rest!
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We drove around Lake Myvatn
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Hverfjall Cone (Volcano):
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Hiked up and around the whole thing- super cool!
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Dimmuborgir lava fields
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Godafoss Waterfall
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This is right off of Highway 1 as you travel towards Akureyri​
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There are a group of rocks at the overlook which make a perfect perch for photos!
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Drove to Akureyri Town
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Walked around this little city
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Stayed overnight at Akureyri Backpacker Hostel
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Day 7:
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Explored Reykjavik:
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Perlan Building- Went to the top for the overlook!
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Harpa Concert Hall and conference center
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Walked along the cost to see Solfarit (San Voyager)
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Hallgrimskjrkja: famous church- huge and gorgeous!
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Grabbed my last famous hot dog before going back to the airport and dropping off our rental car!
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Flight back to Toronto in afternoon
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Drove 3,207.1km = 2,000 miles in 1 week
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Disclaimer: I took this trip in 2016, so make sure to do your own research, as things may have changed since then.
​Day 6:
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Hiked Latrabjarg:
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This is the westernmost part of all of Europe!
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Also Iceland’s largest bird cliffs, and one of the most magnificent cliffside nesting areas in the world.
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If you are a bird-watcher, this place is a MUST!
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Raudasandur Beach:
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Known for its golden/red sand
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Note: it’s a long walk to the beach
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Kirkjufell: translation “Church Mountain”
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A famous mountain with a waterfall
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Grabrok Volcanic Crater
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Deildartunguhver: largest hot spring in Europe
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NOTE: *I missed Hraunfossaur Waterfall and Barnafoss Waterfall
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The roads were closed due to too much snow.
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But I highly recommend these waterfalls if the road is open!
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Stayed at an Airbnb in Reykjavik
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Day 5: Another Driving Day!
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First, off to the Westfjords!
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To Dunjandi Waterfall (the best waterfall in Iceland),
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There were many tiers, and it was just huge and gorgeous!
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NOTE: It was a LOT of driving just for this one waterfall. I didn't mind driving through the fjords but you might not want to drive this much!
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Reykjafjardarlaug Hot Pool
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​It's very small and in the middle of nowhere
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Along the way....
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Saw the BA64- oldest steel ship in Iceland and
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The US Navy abandoned plane
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And another gorgeous sunset while driving through the fjords!
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At Latrobjarg (A very bad gravel road), we slept in the car.
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Another quiet night​, no one bothered us
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