Iceland in Winter
Back in August, I got a tip that Icelandair Vacations was having a sale, with nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham to Reykjavik, with five nights hotel, three excursions and airport transfers for $1200.
I never get deals living in a smaller market, so I jumped on it. Turns out the only time I could travel was in December, two weeks before Christmas, not an opportune time, but wintertime offers the best possibility of seeing the Northern Lights, a bucket list item, so I booked the trip.
Iceland is called the land of fire and ice. And the ice was icing. The temperature was below freezing for the whole trip. I was prepared for the cold with fleece-lined pants, lots of layers, gloves and hats, but I wasn’t prepared for four hours of daylight, with sunrise at 11:15 am and sunset at 3:30 pm. Four. Hours.
Iceland is geological paradise with beaches, caves,geysers, glaciers, hot springs, waterfalls, and volcanoes. The country is inhabited by only 380,000 people, with 250,000 living in the capital city of Reykjavík and the surrounding area. I'm not usually a group tour type of person, but there's always a first time and I appreciated the seamless way that Icelandair handled all aspects of the vacation. When I travel, I try to visit least two countries however with the holidays so close I reluctantly passed on Icelandair's Stopover program.
Tip for Roaming
If you have flexibility, take advantage of airlines' promotions and specials even if they require visiting during a less-than-perfect time. More than likely you'll encounter less crowds at the sites and have a chance to explore beyond the expected spots.
After the overnight flight, the first tour went straight from the airport to the Blue Lagoon. At 9 am it was pitch black. The Lagoon was great after the long flight because it was so relaxing. It was almost empty when we arrived so that made it more magical. I had a floating massage- a sublimely senuous experience. At $123 for 30 minutes, pricey but worth every penny.
By the time we left the Lagoon and I got to the Klettur Hotel at 3:15 pm, it was dark. I forced myself to stay up until 7:30 pm to diminish the jet lag. The hotel was included in the package price, but I could have upgraded hotels as part of the package.
Day 2 was a boat ride to see the Northern Lights and I was super excited. The tour didn’t start until 9 pm, so I had the day to explore Reykjavik, a cute small city with lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. I walked everywhere although it was cold. The main shopping street is heated by underground geothermal energy so that made exploring the city more pleasant. Although expensive,the food was fresh and delicious- lots of fish and lamb on the menus but I also saw vegan restaurants and many Vietnamese restaurants. I found out that Vietnamese people came to Iceland to work in the fishing industry. One surprise to me was the number of Black and Brown people I saw working and living in the city. I really didn’t expect to see people of color besides other tourists.
Going out on the water at night meant some serious layering to stay warm. Luckily, the boat provided jumpsuits to help with the cold. The boat tour allowed us to get away from the light pollution of the city for better visibility. The Northern Lights are not static - they can change shape, move location, appear and disappear in a short period of time. Also you can’t see them if it’s cloudy. We got lucky!
Day 3: Golden Circle -Pingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss
Today we did the tour that took us to the rift in the North American and European tectonic plates, to Geysir where several geysers erupt every 7 to 15 minutes and to Gullfoss waterfalls. On the way we drove through the countryside. Turns out Iceland actually has an agricultural infrastructure where they grow
vegetables in greenhouses, raise cattle and sheep, plus breed the adorable Icelandic horses for export. Once those horses leave they can never come back so they can’t bring disease into the country and infect the other horses. Interestingly, Iceland exports grass to Greenland where they have more cows than grass.
Iceland has really harnessed geothermal energy for cheap electricity and heat.
Most native Icelanders are descendants of immigrants from Norway, Scotland and Ireland. The language is derived from a mix of Norse? and Gaelic.
My absolute favorite site was Geysir since I’ve never seen a geyser before. What a spectacular event to witness. We didn’t get to Gullfoss until 3 pm so we had to race to see the waterfalls before sunset!
Day 4: Southern coast
This morning it was 10 degrees F. I joined a 12- hour long tour of the southern coast with Arctic Adventures. An hour and a half into the trip, the driver noticed that the van had one tire that was low on air so he dropped us at a rest stop to get it fixed. He returned an hour later, so I asked him what we would have to miss to make up the time. He assured me that we wouldn’t miss anything, we would just get back to Reykjavík later. I was a bit skeptical because it gets dark so early, but he told me not to worry. When the weather changed and we were suddenly driving in a snowstorm, the skepticism ratcheted up a notch. It was actually beautiful - I mean what’s a winter visit to Iceland without experiencing snow, right?
We passed several volcanoes during the journey. According to the driver, one of the volcanoes, Hekla I think, was due to blow any time based on its history of erupting every hundred years or so. With no emotion, he basically said when it blows, it will be Armageddon for Iceland. If you are a GoT fan, do you remember the scene where the Night King and White Walkers shot down the dragon? That was filmed in the area where we were. The Wall was also close by. Iceland is a highly desirable location for the film industry.
In spite of the snowstorm we visited Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach and the Basalt stacks on the shore. By this time, the snow was falling sideways and the wind was fierce, but even with the extreme weather, it was stunning- maybe because of it. We also visited Sólheimajökull Glacier where you could do a glacier hike. I had flashbacks to my trip to Patagonia so that was a hard pass for me.
Instead I chose to visit the DC-3 Plane Wreck in Sólheimasandur (I can’t even begin to pronounce the names of these places). The crash site was desolate and surreal. While we waited for the glacier hikers to get back to the bus, I asked the driver about trolls and the mythology around them and elves. He looked at me quizzically and proceeded to share the history of the Viking gods: Odin, Thor, etc. and how Christianity was reluctantly adopted, and many of the people continued to worship the old gods on the down low. It reminded me of Cuba where Santeria is practiced in the shadow of Catholicism. I do love to get beyond the regular tourist stuff.
The sun was setting fast, so we rushed to get to the magnificent Skógafoss Waterfalls and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls. Stunning!
Iceland is naturally spectacular. There’s HUGE respect for the land and it’s natural resources. The food is delicious and fresh, the water is crystal clear and so pure, it’s almost sweet. Reykjavik is a small, walkable city with a hip vibe and a strong coffee and beer culture.
I’m really impressed with this country. I definitely want to visit during warmer months on a stopover to Europe, but I’m absolutely glad that I went to this winter wonderland.
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