Way back when (2018) I took a last minute trip to Iceland by myself. My friends planned a trip mid September, but plans fell through sometime in the summer. So one week before our cancelled vacation, I realized I had nothing to do for a week. So what any rational person does, I google flights finding the cheapest international flight I could get. There were a few options, but since my friends all bailed, I would be going by myself. For my first international trip by myself I had a few requirements: had to speak English, relatively cheap, and someplace I had never been before. Iceland met all of those requirements, and honestly I knew nothing about it other then it was cold. Anyone who knows me know that I do not do well with the cold. This turned out to be one of my favorite trips that I have been on, mainly because I was blown away by the beauty of it, but also because it was unseasonably warm for that time of year (about 40-50 degrees F in September). Some of the nicest people I met were there, and I never felt unsafe even walking through Reykjavik at night.
Since I was doing this first solo travel with very little time to plan (after I decided on the location about 5 days before I left) I decided to book with a touring company the majority of my time there. I went with Arctic Adventures https://adventures.is/ since they looked legit and the price was right. For the overnight tours they even book hotel rooms. I can not say enough about this incredible company. I landed at the airport really early in the morning in the Keflavik airport, then took the flybus to the bus stop in the city (Reykjavik is 45 minutes from the Keflavik airport). It is much cheaper to book your flybus ticket in advance then at the airport. I only had about an hour at the bus stop before Arctic Adventures picked me up for my three day tour. Probably one of the most nerve wrecking things is trying to make sure when you land in a new place is making sure A. you are at the right place, and B that you don’t miss whatever transportation you are getting next. Luckily many people at the bus station were in the same boat as me, so we all helped each other find the right buses. I did the three day tour https://adventures.is/iceland/multiday-tours/3-day-tours/3-day-golden-circle-secret-lagoon-south-coast-glacier-hike-jokulsarlon/ which took me on most of what I thought the highlights of Iceland would be, plus maybe a little more. I was very thankful the bus that we were on for our three day tour was equip with wifi, as much as I enjoy being unplugged, for my first solo trip it was nice to stay in touch most of the time. We spent the morning look in at different glaciers, doing a small glacier and ice cave hike, and drove from the city to a small city (Vik) on the southern coast. The sights were absoutely breathtaking. Once we made it to Vik, we had dinner, and in the evening we were able to see a bit (not the best view I saw while there) of the Northern Lights.
The next day we drove a little ways to Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. If there is anything you need to see in Iceland it is this place. It was incredible and still one of my favorite places in the entire world. The Blue colors in the icebergs looks like something out of a fairy tale. It is a truly breathtaking place. I am glad that I never saw a picture of it before I went because I was in awe the entire time I was there. Our driver/ tour guide was a huge GOT fan so he took us off itinerary to a few places where the show was filmed, I hadn’t watched the show yet so I didn’t really understand how cool it was until after the fact. Once we got back to Reykjavik I went downtown to some neat bars, and met some people on my tour down there. I have never been to a more friendly city, and felt completely safe walking around downtown at 11 pm, something I would not do here in Orlando.
The next day we did what is called the Golden Circle. This round roads hits the biggest Iceland attractions including Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Strokkur. Þingvellir National Park is where two tectonic plates are separating, and you can even walk between them. They are still moving about 2cm per year. This is also where the first Icelandic governmental parliament met, and it is considered the oldest national government in the world. Gullfoss waterfall has two different viewing areas to see it, one from near the top of the waterfall, and the other lower one near the second fall. Sadly, we didn’t spend as much time here as I would have liked, so I power walked around the walkways to make sure I got plenty of pictures on my camera. Strokkur, the last place, is a thermal geyser that erupts about every 10 minutes. I have seen Old Faithful in Yellowstone national park and this was pretty spectacular. There are also many steaming hot thermal streams flowing around the area to check out as well.
After the Golden Circle we went to what is called the Secret Lagoon. Blue Lagoon is famous for its thermal hot springs, and Secret Lagoon is even better. This lagoon did not have all of the tourist traps that Blue Lagoon has, and the prices were much more reasonable. You can even drink a beer while hanging out in the thermal lagoon. This was one of my favorite days in Iceland, and a great way to relax after running around at the natural attractions all day.
The following day I took a day trip to Snæfellsnes, which is a western peninsula off the western side of Iceland. We saw many seals, some interesting cliffs and a 19th century fishing village. Honestly, although the cliffs were beautiful and the beaches were black like Diamond beach, I enjoyed my trip on the Southern coast much more then the Western side.
That night since I was my last night there, I booked a Northern Lights tour. Just about every night I was there I saw some version of the Northern Lights, but if I flew all the way to Iceland I really wanted to get a good look at them. They took you in a bus way out into the country so you don’t have city light pollution obscuring your view, and tell you folklore about how the Icelandic people thought the Northern Lights came to be. Honestly from hiking around cliffs most of the day, I fell asleep on the bus. When we got there all of the fancy photography people set up tripods and messed with setting on their camera. All I really had was my phone, and trust me the photos I took did not do them justice. If you want decent pictures of the Northern Lights make sure you invest in the right equipment. It took probably close to an hour, and this freezing Florida girl was about to give up when I finally saw them. I can not begin to describe how in awe I was at the sight, and I have never seen mother nature make something so increibly beautiful. It was amazing. If there is one thing you need to see in this lifetime it is to properly see the Northern Lights. We stayed out watching them for close to another half hour, before getting back on the bus and headed back to the hostel I stayed at for my last night. I didn’t get back to my room till close to 2 am, and had to be back up at 7 to leave and head to the bus station.
In the morning I opted to walk to the bus station, it was about an hour from where my hostel was, so I could see Reykjavik in the day time. I had small amounts a free time to wander around,but I hadn’t seen the iconic church Hallgrímskirkja in the day time, so I grabbed some croissants and coffee at a cafe and had breakfast on the benches near the church. It also happened to be on the halfway point between where I stayed and the bus stop, so it was the perfect place for breakfast. Once I made it to the bus stop, it was a quick flybus trip back to the airport and onward!
I highly recommend anyone who is debating on traveling solo and not sure where to go, to go to Iceland. I couldn’t think of a nicer, safe, but still adventurous place to go.
Sauntering Spoonie 