Astrovelo

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”.