My family and I spent some time in Iceland recently, and we had the time of our lives! We only stayed for about 5 days, so we made the most of the time that we had.
Our experience on a glacier, click the link to watch… trim_C26412F3-9269-47AA-BB57-D8AF498919A3
There are many blog posts about Iceland, where travelers have listed their tips and tricks on seeing the country on a budget, where to eat and all things “Golden Circle”. Those posts are great and will definitely contribute to your itinerary.
My recommendation is that you save a little extra and enjoy the thrill of snowmobiling on a glacier. For many people (including me) this can be a once in a lifetime experience. I researched this excursion for months before we took our trip. I read reviews and even contacted the company with my questions. We used Mountaineers of Iceland and they walked me through this activity and answered every question that I had, very quickly before we booked. For me, using a company with a quick response time is a priority and it puts me at ease when it comes to spending my money.
This is a 10 hour tour (yes 10 hours) that includes seeing the Golden circle. Be sure that you are visiting the country during the right time of year, so that you can have enough daylight to get to everything. The sun rose at about 10:30am each day we were there and set at 5:00pm. There are a couple of months during the year where Iceland only has 4 hours of daylight.
We chose the “Pearl Tour” that included hotel pickup and drop off from Reykjavik, a one hour snowmobile tour and appropriate equipment. The tour also included stops at Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of Iceland’s first parliament and the oldest extant parliamentary institution in the world. From Þingvellir, we headed inland toward the highly active Geysir Hot Spring area with its boiling mud pits and spouting hot springs. After that, we continued on to Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most powerful waterfalls and we ended the tour at the Glacier.
We booked through Viator on TripAdvisor and we were able to save a couple hundred bucks. The whole day will set you back about $224 and its is worth it. Read more about the company at http://mountaineers.is
One things that I have read in many blog posts, is that the food is expensive. I agree and will drive that point home here as well. Choose a hotel or hostel that includes breakfast, bring your own snacks and share meals when possible. Two personal sized pizza’s cost us over $40.
Getting to Iceland now is easier and cheaper than it has ever been before. With careful planning, you can have a great time and have a trip that you will never forget.
Live, Love, Travel
xoxo, Alisha