Like molle on June 28, I like to post stuff back to the boards after our trip, sharing the little thing you encounter, that may not be mentioned in the LP. Here goes:
Car rental
No need for a 4WD, unless you’re planning for many excursions into the interior. You can reach most of the sites you want along the ring road with a 2WD (waterfalls, geysers, glaciers, mountains, lava fields…). Any serious offroading (ASKYA, glaciers huts), you should go with a tour company
Do a thorough inspection before you leave the lot.
We went with ATAK, and had no problems.
Clean the car before you return (free water-brooms at many gas stations). The cleaner it looks, the less likely they’ll think you’ve been rough-roading it.
The gravel road to Dettifoss from #1 is awful. Plan an average speed of 40km/h.
Whale watching
You will get wet. If they offer you coveralls/waterproof suit, take it. Don’t wait until you’re wet. Your camera will get wet. Take a cloth/paper to wipe the lens. It will get wet. You will get wet.
General
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of broken glass on the streets in Reykjavik. Don’t go barefoot !
Food
Love the Pilsur. Also, try puffin & foal. Very nice. Don’t eat whale – it’s endangered!
Try the fermented shark. Hakari. Ensure you have booze handy.
Make sure you buy all your booze at the duty-free in the airport when you land. Much, much cheaper.
Money
Use credit cards for everything. In 14 days, we came across one museum (penis museum in Husavik), and one hostel (Laungarvatn) , that asked for cash. Cards are even preferred vs. cash on the plane (IcelandAir provides no free food! )
Make sure your PIN on your credit card is not longer than 4 digits – if you need a cash advance at an ATM, or to use at a gas station, you need a PIN, and they generally can’t be longer than 4 digits.
Clothes
It’s chilly. Take more than one pair of long pants. In 14 days, I wore shorts once. Similarly, I didn’t wear my sandals once.
Accomodations
We found that calling ahead a day was sufficient. We used the LP guide, and never was shut out of any village. We stayed in hostels & hotel Edda (stay 4 nights, and the 5th is free!!!!) mostly. Having a GSM cellphone was the perfect thing, to reserve ahead – for events as well (whale watching, glacier walks, WhiteWater rafting ).
Hostels have their downsides. Don’t be a jerk – keep the noise down, and wash your friggin dishes. Some people are real slobs.
HotPots (hottubs)
Take advantage of these everywhere, not just the Blue Lagoon. For US$3 , you can go to a public swimming pool, which typically has a large, heated pool, water slides, and a couple of HotPots. Temperatures were a relaxing 40C.
We went to, or stayed in Reykjavik, Hofn, Vik, Myvatn, Edilstaddir, Husavik, Akureyi, Laugerbakki, Hella, Hveragerdi. Send me a pm if you’ve got specific questions.
