Astrovelo

After coming back from a 2-week long vacation, work got really busy. It took me a long time to connect my daily notes from the trip with photos to make these daily posts. I have learned a lot from planning this trip and actually going through with it. If anyone wants tips or ideas for planning an Iceland trip, do reach out. I’ll be happy to share my experience.

Day 1 - Reykjavík

Day 2 - Snæfellsness peninsula

Day 3 - Drive to Northern Iceland through rain

Day 4 - Siglufjordur, Akureyri, Goðafoss and Lake Myvatn

Day 5 - Myvatn lake area

Day 6 - Dettifoss, Sellfoss, Studlagil canyon, Seydisfjordur

Day 7 - Drive through East fjords

Day 8 - Glacier kayaking and the lagoon

Day 9 - Vik, waterfalls and northern lights

Day 10 - Trip to Westman Islands, Aurora in Selfoss

Day 11 - The Golden Circle

Day 12 - Inside the Volcano and Northern Lights

Inside the Volcano - After walking on the rims of a couple of craters so far on this trip, it was time to go inside a crater. For a typical volcano, as it erupts, a cone-shaped mountain forms around the site of eruption. When the eruption ends, that cone collapses and makes a crater at the top of this hill or mountain depending on how big it is. This is one of the rare volcano eruption sites where the cone did not collapse and is still intact after about 4500 years from the time when it erupted. The actual site of this volcano cone is a good 2-mile hike from the meeting place for this attraction. The weather was quite nice and we had a good time doing this flat 2-mile hike. Can’t imagine how miserable it would have been if it was raining and windy. This company has put up an elevator which is basically a cage on cables that is lowered through a hole in the ground. They have some walking trails at the bottom of this cone at about 400 feet below the ground.

Amazing to see how the molten lava was dripping from the walls and cooled down to form structures that looked like stalactites. Over time, a lot of different minerals have seeped in through the cracks and have colored the walls of the volcano with many different colors.

After we got back out to their base camp, they offered us the traditional Icelandic lamb soup. The hot soup hit the spot after all the exertion of the morning. Overall, it was a good experience.

After coming back to Reykjavik, we went out to buy some Icelandic chocolates to take back home. After a longer-than-expected walk, we found the chocolate store but they didn’t have the kind of chocolates we wanted in stock. It was quite disappointing but we got to walk through the harbor area which we wouldn’t have visited otherwise.

We decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant on this last night as we had to pack and be ready to leave early in the morning. As we got back to the room, the Aurora forecast was looking good. Even though I was tired after this long day, I decided to go out and check out the view. Walked out to the waterfront and it was just fantastic. Probably the brightest and most expansive display of the Northern lights of our trip.

The Golden Circle is what tourists visit along with the South Coast when they have limited time in Iceland. These places are nearby from Reykjavik within a 2-hour drive. We decided to tour this area during the last days of our trip as we got back to Reykjavik.

Thingvellir National Park - This place is of significance for 2 reasons - one geological and one historical. The continental rift can be seen here as the two tectonic plates - Eurasian and American - move away from each other at the rate of a few inches every year. This shift of tectonic plates is what’s behind all the volcanic activity and creation of Iceland. This place is of historical importance because this is where the first people who came to Iceland organized as a community/nation. This was the seat of their government. In recognition of that fact, when Iceland became a republic in 1944, those ceremonies were held at this location.

Lunch at Fridheimar tomato farm - When V read about this place, we definitely wanted to eat here. It is a tomato farm where they grow everything in greenhouses. Some of the greenhouses also serve as a restaurant. They have a menu that is heavily based on tomatoes grown at the farm. It was a great experience. We shared a bloody mary and bruschetta and had our own bowls of their famous tomato soup. Delicious food all around. I’d highly recommend anyone who goes to this area to eat here.

Geysir is an area with geothermal activity. Many hot water springs and a couple of geysers like the Old Faithful in Yellowstone. A geyser named Strokkur shoots out steam and boiling water upto 65-130 feet every 4-10 minutes. Other than this geyser, I think the Hverir area near Lake Myvatn was much better.

Gullfoss is another huge and powerful waterfall that tumbles over multiple steps. By this time in the trip we had seen so many waterfalls and this one was great but didn’t really excite us much. I can imagine if the Golden Circle is the only thing that someone does in Iceland, then this would be a fantastic waterfall.

Drove back to Reykjavik from the Golden Circle area and got there before 6 pm. The Iceland Parliament Hotel doesn’t have direct road access and parking. So, we had to park on the street a couple of blocks away and walk there with all the luggage. Inconvenient but not too bad. The hotel is quite nice.

We had a dinner reservation at a different restaurant but decided to try our luck and walk in at ROK. It was our lucky day and we got a table in this busy restaurant right away. The food was great and lived up to the hype of the reviews. We shared baked cheese as an appetizer and then I had cured reindeer and Vaishali had a salad. We both had Plokkfiskur after that. Shared fried camembert with berries and homey as dessert.

We were exhausted from all the travel and had no energy to go out to view the Northern lights. The prediction said there was a good chance but, it looked cloudy and we used that reason to just hit the bed.

Took the 10:45 ferry from Landeyjahöfn to Vestmannaeyjar. The ferry terminal was about a 45-minute drive from Hotel Vos. We made it there after a meager breakfast at the hotel, with time to spare. Thankfully it wasn’t too windy and hence the sea wasn’t too choppy. It was a nice ride to the islands.

The first stop on the island was the aquarium and puffin rescue center run by Sea Life Trust to get some information about puffins. Followed their suggestions and went to a viewpoint at the island’s southern tip. We did spot a few puffins flying around and floating in the sea as their color and wing-flapping pattern are distinct from the seagulls. But didn’t see any puffins from close proximity as one would earlier in the summer months when there are hundreds or thousands of them nesting here. It was disappointing but we at least spotted a few. Drove to another recommended spot for bird watching on the western shore of the island. There was a nice trail to walk along the shore which was enjoyable but didn’t spot any more puffins. While chatting with some other tourists during lunch we learned that the big arches that saw on this hill during the hike are called elephant rock. Looking at the photos, we did see an elephant shape.

All this walking was followed by lunch at Gott - a recommended restaurant from Rick’s book. We shared nachos and a fish stew of halibut and redfish. It was quite good. Nachos had some chopped spicy red chilies as a topping - must be the spiciest thing I ate on this trip and it wasn’t really hot.

After seeing the puffins from a distance we wanted to see them up close. So went to the aquarium and puffin rescue center and got to see them. It is a small aquarium with many displays of fish and invertebrates from the ocean. Well maintained considering it is on a small island and run by a charitable organization. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Chatted with them about puffins and learned a lot.

There was a volcano eruption on the island in 1973 that destroyed about a third of the buildings, covered the island under several feet of ash and pumice and the lava flow extended the island by about a kilometer. The museum tells the story of this event and how the island sprung back afterward. The centerpiece of the museum is a house that was half engulfed by the lava flow. It was excavated about 30 years later and put on display here. The audio tour of the museum nicely uses the house in the narrative about the eruption.

Went on the recommended town walk from Rick’s book. It highlighted some places from the volcano eruption story. Saw the location of the house that is inside the museum. Interestingly the lava flow stopped next to a house leaving it unscathed. The house number was 13. Lucky number!!!

At several places around town, there are “ash pillars” marking how deep the ash and rubble were from the eruption. Mind-blowing to imagine the amount of this stuff they must have moved to clear the town. Also got to walk on this young land that was created only 50 years ago.

The ferry ride back was uneventful and so was the drive to Selfoss. More Icelandic food at dinner. Had salted cod made with a tomato-based sauce with capers and olives. V had cured arctic char appetizer for dinner. Went to an ice cream shop for dessert.

It was great to see Aurora from the dark site last night but tonight it was so bright that we could clearly see with all the city lights. Our hotel room had a whole wall of glass and Vaishali could see the lights from the comfort of the room without going out in the cold.

Fjaðrárgljúfur Gorge was the first stop on this windy and cold day. Walked about half a mile from the parking lot to viewpoint number 2. This is an interesting canyon steep and long with nice vegetation. But the weather didn’t let us enjoy it. We didn’t even think about continuing the walk to the end to view the waterfall.

Yoda cave - In the Viking National Park where there are some ancient burial grounds on a long beach, there is also a cave and its entrance resembles the shape of Yoda. The road going there from the ring road is short but unpaved and in bad condition. The wind was especially fierce and kicked up a lot of sand and pebbles that went into my shoes and jacket pockets. We quickly went around the area, took some photos, and got back to the safety of our car.

Black sand beach - This beach is very close to Vik. There are striking features in the mountain close to it. Many basalt columns and caves. It is interesting to see how these columns go in all directions. The next big landmass south of this beach is Antarctica across the whole North and South Atlantic Ocean. The beach also gets these sneaker waves every few minutes that are very strong and dangerous if one isn’t paying attention to them. We walked around a bit and tried unsuccessfully to find out if there were any puffins.

Dyrhólaey peninsula - Another place along the shore near Vik. It is a hill with some cliffs that birds call home. The second place where we searched for puffins with no luck. There is a lighthouse on the top and there are some great expansive views with two huge black sand beaches on both sides.

Black crust pizza - This place specializes in putting some activated charcoal in the dough to make black crust pizza. The taste was nothing special. Gave me a heartburn later. Could have skipped this. Missed out on going to Mia’s country food truck for fish and chips.

Skogafoss is a spectacular waterfall. It makes a nice wide curtain of water. It can be seen from the ring road. No hike involved.

Seljalandsfoss is another waterfall close by about 25 km away. There is a trail that goes behind the waterfall. Because of the wind the water was flying everywhere and going behind would have meant getting soaked completely. Didn’t want to do that. Took some nice photos and walked to another waterfall that is half a km away. It was interesting to see these waterfalls from their bottom as the viewing areas for other big falls we visited were at the top.

Hôtel Vos turned out to be an interesting place. It is run by a Chinese couple and there were many Chinese guests from tour groups. The dinner was lacking. But all the deficiencies were made up by its remote location in an area with no light pollution. We saw some brilliant northern light displays with the naked eyes. It is going to take a lot of time to process hundreds of photos I have taken.

Glacier kayak - V was unsure about how this would go but we had a good time. The guides gave a safety talk and suited us up in a dry suit at the office of this outfit. Then they took us in a van to the glacier lake Heinabergslon. It is a lake fed by melting glacier and has icebergs breaking from the glacier. The guides warned us about the wind saying that we may have to shorten our trip. After another talk about kayaking and safety, we got into the water. There was ice on the lake near the shore telling us that the water was freezing cold. We had to make sure not to topple over. Even with the dry suit, that would have been bad. After about 30 minutes we stopped behind an iceberg sheltered from the wind. The guide decided to shorten our trip and make us turn back to the shore. We got back safely without any incident. It was fun even though it was shortened and we didn’t get to walk on the glacier. In the end, they refunded our money because of the shortened trip which was quite unnecessary as we did some activity and had fun.

Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach - The glacier lagoon known as Jokullsarlon is much bigger than the lake where we kayaked. It is fed by multiple glaciers and is also connected to the ocean. That makes its water blue compared to other glacier lakes that are milky due to the silt coming from glaciers. Huge icebergs were floating in the lagoon and some were moving and making their way out to the ocean. In the parking lot for Glacier Lagoon, there were food trucks. We had fish and chips and a lobster roll for lunch. After lunch, we drove to the other side of the stream that connected the lagoon to the ocean to walk on Diamond Beach. Pieces of ice get washed up on the beach as the icebergs melt and they look like diamonds on a sunny day. The weather was nice and we had a nice walk on the beach.

After the walk, we drove to Kirkjubaejarklaustur and to our hotel Klaustur for the night. It is a really nice hotel probably the best we stayed at on the Ring Road so far. Went to the happy hour at the bar. Had a gin cocktail with pine needle extract. It was interesting. Planned out our activities for the next two days. Reserved a ferry ride to the Westman Islands. We had dinner at the restaurant here. Arctic char for me and V had cod. The almond cake with ice cream dessert was OK.

Morning in Seyðisfjörður - Decided to take it easy and start late. While Vaishali was getting ready I went for a walk. Found a nice waterfall on the other side of the lagoon. Didn’t hike up to it but was a good walk to get some photos.

Drove to Egilsstaðir and picked up some breakfast at Netto.

Driving through the east fjords - This was my most favorite drive so far. The road hugging the fjords with the mountains meeting the ocean - it was super picturesque. I agree with Vaishali that this area was beautiful but we can see similar views in other places. What we drove through yesterday and the Mývatn volcano geothermal area is something we get to see rarely. Stopped at many places to take pictures. Spotted seals at a couple of places.

Got to Höfn a little later than planned. Ate lunch at Pakkhus. Scallops in garlic butter, caviar, and pancakes were the appetizers, and both of us had langoustine soup. I had an Arctic pale ale.

After lunch, we went for a walk around the harbor area. Interestingly they have a scale model of the Solar system in this area. We walked out to Jupiter. The remaining planets were further out in the town. We didn’t go searching for them. This was the first place where we saw the glaciers in all their enormity. Can’t wait to see one of them up close tomorrow.

Guesthouse Skálafell - This guesthouse is on a functioning sheep farm. Trails start here and go to the Skalafell Glacier. I went on a little 2-mile hike. Didn’t make it to the glacier but will be going there for tomorrow’s kayak activity.

Had dinner at the farm. V had Asparagus soup and I had salmon.

Started driving on route 1 towards Egilsstaðir. Turned off to go towards Dettifoss. A short 20 km drive takes you to the parking lot and the falls are about 15 minute walk from there. Two waterfalls on the longest river in Iceland. Selfoss has a horseshoe shape while Dettifoss just plunges over a straight edge. It has the second highest amount of water flow in Europe. From a closer viewpoint, the immense force of the water can be felt and is quite impressive.

The ring road goes through a desolate desert-like area with little vegetation or anything else. Vast lava fields dot the landscape. It is totally different from what we are used to seeing. As you drive out of the Mývatn area, there is a sign on the road saying ‘no fuel for 132 kms’.

Stuðlagil Canyon - It was a detour from the ring road over roads in mixed conditions. There was a misunderstanding between the information in Rick’s book and the actual road sign and we went to a place that needed a long walk to the canyon but it was a flat well well-maintained path. Canyon with basalt columns on both sides with bluish-green water. Something unusual, never seen before. This was revealed recently when a dam reduced the water level of the river. It is becoming a popular tourist attraction. The authorities are building up the infrastructure to cater to that increase in tourist flow.

We drove into Seyðisfjorður and checked in at the guesthouse. Made a dinner reservation and then walked around town. Nice little small town. It has a ferry terminal for traveling to Denmark. The boat comes in once a week. The fjord here is huge - 10 miles long. At the tip of the fjord it is flanked by mountains that are around 3000 ft tall. 

Dinner at Nordic restaurant in Hotel Aldan. Both of us had the fresh catch of the day which was lemon sole. I had a gin and tonic and a glass of Portuguese white. Vaishali had the same wine and a Chardonnay.

This was the first night to see the northern lights during our trip. The sky stayed clear and the K-p index was higher than 1. Even with bright lights in town, we could capture some northern lights and some shots of star trails.

The first activity of the day was to visit the Dimmuborgir lava fields. Very strange-looking formations and arches and windows in the lava flows.

Hvarfell crater hike - The best activity of the day hands down! Climbed up on the crater and did the whole crater loop. Fantastic hike with great views all around. We were not sure if we would do the whole loop but when went up there and saw the views, we continued walking and did the loop. Paid for parking using the Parka app. This same app works for paying for parking at most locations across the country. It is a great system.

We had lunch at the Vogafjos farm. Traditional Fish stew for me and crepes for V.

Hverir geothermal area - This is one of the most active geothermal areas in Iceland. Gurgling mud pits; blue clay coming out of the ground; steam geysers. The whole area had the stink of sulfurous gasses but was a very striking landscape.



Krafla geothermal power station is a big industrial facility that uses the steam that comes from this geothermal area to make electricity.


Viti crater - Another volcanic crater in the same system. Not much hiking is needed here. One can drive close to the rim and there is a short walk along the rim. This crater is filled with some water and turned into a blue lake.

Mývatn nature bath - This is an open-air hot water pool heated by the geothermal activity in the area. They have a very nice setup even with a swim-up bar. We spent about 1 hour in the bath and it was so relaxing, When we finished and got back to the hotel, it felt like we were floating.

We had dinner at Mylla at the Berjaya Hotel. Arctic char and a gin cocktail for me and Vaishali had soup, beets salad, and lava soda.

It was super windy today as we started from Kolkuos guesthouse after a nice breakfast.


Drove through Hofsos up to Siglufjordur. Passed the northernmost point on this trip or ever. Higher than 66deg North.

Went through some tunnels in the mountain before reaching town. Siglufjordur was a nice little town. Colorful houses and these big metallic fixtures on the mountain prevent avalanches as the town sits at the bottom of this steep mountain.



Akureyri - Drove through Dalvic and a couple more long tunnels on the way. One of them was one-way with pullouts. It was interesting to see how well it works when people are courteous. Akureyri is a big town, a bit artsy. The trashcans around town are covered with these sweaters.

Went to Centrum kitchen for lunch. Had Atlantic ling for the first time. White fish but not as flaky as cod. Vaishali had langoustine soup that was very well spiced.

Godafoss - This is the Niagara Falls of Iceland. It is a huge waterfall. It was so windy there. Got sand/gravel pelted on our faces. Saw the guys who were at the guesthouse last night. Steve and the German guy from Long Island.


Skutustadagigar - Entered the Mývatn area and the first stop was to see these pseudo craters. They are caused by the eruption of steam and not lava. They are smaller than the volcanic craters, but have the same shape and look like real craters. There are many in this area.



Before more exploration, we checked in at our hotel - Hotel Berjaya Myvatn.

Grjótagjá - Cave with hot spring where John Snow gave up on his oath in GoT. It is a small cave and has clear blue water that is too hot for bathing.

Dinner at Vogafjós farm - This is a restaurant at the farm. Organic, farm-to-table etc. It is actually half of the cowshed. They have glass windows through which you can see cows chewing their food and pooping and peeing while you eat dinner.


Gin and tonic for me, a gin cocktail with limoncello for V. We shared mozzarella salad and both had pan-fried arctic char. Oily fish similar to salmon. Tasted good. We shared a cake dessert that came with ice cream - gésir bread ice cream.

After dinner, we stopped by the hotel bar, had a glass of wine, and chatted about what to do tomorrow.

Started out from Hellnar in the rain. Stopped at Bjarnarfoss by the side of the road but could only see half the fall. The top half was in clouds. Also stopped at Arnarstapi harbor. It is supposed to be quite scenic according to the book but couldn’t really see much due to clouds and rain.


Budir black church - It is a striking building. We just took a picture from the car as we didn’t want to get out in the rain.

The whole day turned out to be rainy and windy. Stopped at this hot water spring where boiling water was bubbling out of the ground. So much geothermal energy here.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Bought a sandwich for lunch in Borgarnes. Then picked up frozen pizza and smoked salmon at a grocery store in Sauderkrokur. This guesthouse is totally isolated from everything. Had to drive on a gravel road for 5km to get there. It is a great location, right on the beach. Hoping to see northern lights tonight as the clouds are clearing out here.

We had this whole beach to ourselves!

We started our trip by driving out to Snæfellsness peninsula. It is supposed to be a mini Iceland with its own volcanic crater, a glacier, waterfalls, beaches, lighthouse, and basalt cliff. As we got out of Reykjavik there was a 6 km tunnel on the way to Borgarnes. This was the first of many long tunnels that we would be driving through.

Gerðuberg basalt cliffs - This is a whole cliff made out of basalt columns that can be seen from the main road.

Bjarnarhofn Shark Museum - Tasted fermented shark. It wasn’t as horrible as they made it out to be. That family has been doing this - hunting Greenland sharks - for 4 centuries. The museum was meh. The whole place was gimmicky but the location was fantastic and they had some beautiful horses at the farm.

The lava fields were just so different. Strangely shaped hoodoos and spikes and clumps all over the place. Fjords before Grundarfjorfur was a nice landscape.

Kirkjufell - The famous mountain is quite striking. When pictured along with the waterfalls it is a pretty postcard. Drove through a couple of fishing villages along Route 54. Went to see the murals in Helissandur. Quite artistic.

Snæfellsjökull national park - Stopped at the visitor center at the entrance of this park. There is an incredible restaurant called Matarlist at the visitor center. We had seafood soup and fish of the day. It was just so good. It is gourmet food at a place where you’d expect cafeteria food.

Saxhóll crater - It is a nicely shaped volcanic crater that is dormant. They have put metal steps to help climb up to the rim and a short rim walk. The views of other craters and to the ocean are majestic but it all feels very empty as there is nothing there. Empty lava fields with some roads but no trees or any other human activity.

Djupalonssandur beach - Black sand beach with some trails from the parking lot. The sun was out and it was just nice to be there to watch the waves crashing onto the beach.

Malarif lighthouse - This lighthouse is located right along the coastline. I was able to get a nice photo of the sun shining through the glass of the top room where the light is placed. It was a little windy but nice to walk around with the view of the glacier. Went to see the Londrangar rock formation along the coast. I thought this was the one with an arch but turned out to be incorrect.

Fosshotel Hellnar - Reached the hotel just after 5 pm. Made a reservation for dinner and walked on the trail towards Arnarstapi to view the arch on the beach - Gatklettur. It worked up our appetite for dinner.

We had salad and baked cheese as appetizers followed by cod and lamb as entrees. Italian merlot and Sangiovese blend went well with the food. Had a warm chocolate cake with caramel ice cream for dessert. It was a long day and we did a lot of things, but it didn’t feel that way. I think that not having crazy crowds and lines for everything makes a huge difference.

The flight was on time and we reached Iceland at around 9:30 am. After a quick walk through immigration and a few minutes to pick up our bags, we were on our way to get the rental car. It was an annoying bus ride out to an off-airport location for pickup. The agent at the desk tried to scare us into buying the optional insurance but we didn’t budge. I had reserved a small SUV and they tried to give me a VW ID.5 EV. If we were not planning to go out in the wilderness of the ring road, it’d have been good to test out the VW EV. So, I declined that and we rented a Peugeot 3008 SUV. Per their suggestion, I took a video documenting some minor damage to the car before driving off.

As we started driving towards Reykjavik, we noticed a big plume of smoke towards the horizon. I knew about the volcano that was erupting on Reykjanes peninsula near Grindavik. I was hoping to drive there and try to see it but little did I know that it was not far from the road from the airport to Reykjavik. I took the next possible exit and started driving towards that plume of smoke. Many other people were doing the same thing. Reached a spot where a lot of cars were parked in a lot by the side of the road. We parked, got out, and followed the trail. It wasn’t a well-established trail but we could walk towards the volcano and be at a distance of about a km. Could clearly see the lava spewing out of the volcano cone. Couldn’t believe that it wasn’t even 2 hours since we landed in Iceland and we were seeing this real live volcano erupting. After taking in the awesomeness of the views, we got back to the car and drove to Reykjavik.

Even with the volcano detour, we reached our hotel before noon. Thankfully, our room was ready for check-in. We dropped off our bags, freshened up, and got out to get some lunch. Vaishali had already looked up some possible places. We decided on a highly recommended place called “Sea Baron” as it was not too far to walk. We had the langoustine soup and shared a grilled salmon skewer. The food was excellent just like the reviews said.

Our dinner reservation at Messinn was at 8:30 pm. We just decided to walk around downtown Reykjavik and visiting famous landmarks such as the famous church Hallgrimskirkja, the Harpa Performing Arts Center, Icelandic parliament, Townhall, and the shore walk with sculptures like “The Sun Voyager”.

This is the statue of Leif Eriksson who was the Viking who made the journey to America hundreds of years before Columbus.


It was cloudy and foggy but didn’t rain and wasn’t cold. So, walking around was quite enjoyable and made us hungry for the fish pan dinner at Messinn. We shared a smoked Arctic char appetizer and then had a cod fish pan that was made with a creamy spicy sauce that seemed to be flavored with garam masala.