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iceland.md

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Iceland
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Reykjavik

  • Hotel Kvosin: super cool apartment style hotels with a mini fridge/kitchen. Very new/clean and in the center of Rekjavik.

  • Hallgrímskirkja church. Super cool architecture. If you want pictures, get there early in the day and you'll have it all to yourself.

  • Harpa Concert Hall: beautiful architecture. Walk inside - there are also tours and a restaurant inside.

  • Icelandic Penis Museum: This exists and is hilarious/bizarre. It's a quick trip but pretty interesting.

  • Hot dogs (the perfect follow up to penis museum) at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur are tasty

  • Reykjavik Art Museum - there are three of these scattered across the city. One ticket gets you into all three on the same day. Really nice to walk the city and see the art!

  • Bergsson Mathus: awesome breakfast place. We went there every single morning in Reykjavik.

  • Saegreifinn - The Sea Baron -- super legit, super delicious, make sure you try the bisque, you can't really go wrong with anything. We didn't go - but friends have been

  • Noodle Station & Ramen Momo if you're looking for ramen/noodles.

  • Don's Donuts: late night donut cart. Perfect for the 1am hot donuts.

  • Icelandic Fish and Chips - delicious fish and chips. Pick a ton of different dipping sauces and fresh fish varies daily. Highly recommended.

  • Fiskfelagid Fish Company

Golden Circle & Surrounding Area

  • Gullfoss - Big waterfall. The first of MANY.

  • Geysir - A natural geysir that shoots water from the ground every 10 mins

  • Bruarfoss waterfall - Awesome looking waterfall with electric blue water

  • Laugarvatn Fontana Natural steam rooms and geothermal baths. $25 entry

  • UNESCO Þingvellir National Park (“Thingvellir”): Continental plates of Europe and America meet here.

  • Hike Reykjadalur (45mins) and find some hot pools to swim in – one of the few and may not be technically open to the public. Many blog posts on how to get here. An unmanaged hotsprings, you can swim wherever you want. Find where the hot water meets the cold water, this is the best temperature.

  • UNESCO Þingvellir National Park

  • Háifoss Waterfall

  • Hekla Volcano - spent some time 4-wheeling off road trying to get near Hekla & Landmannalaugar. Tough to get to, so maybe take a guide or an even bigger 4WD (capable of crossing rivers).

  • Landmannalaugar - hard to get to but apparently beautiful. We got 90% of the way there before turning back. :(

Between Reykjavik & Vik

  • Hotel: Frost and Fire Guesthouse, [Thorsmork Volcano Huts (didn't go but would love to)](Thorsmork Volcanco Huts: http://www.volcanohuts.com/check-availability/)

  • Dyrholaey - lots of birds, can see Reynisdrangar from here.

  • Reynisdrangar - giant rock structures in the ocean, and very cool natural perfect cubic rock formations in the cliff side near Vik

  • Reynisfjara: Black sand beach near Vik with some crazy geometric cliffs and big jagged rock formations offshore

  • Seljalandsfoss: A beautiful waterfall that you can see from the ring road but is actually a 100 metres off the ring road. It's possible to walk around the waterfall

  • Skogafoss Waterfall Right next to Seljalandsfoss

  • Lunch: Mia's Country Grill - Local Fish And Chips truck on the way into Skogafoss. EXCELLENT.

  • Thórsmörk (requires 4WD): Good long hike: Fimmvörðuháls Pass from Thorsmork to Skógafoss

  • Sólheimasandur Beaches w/ abandoned plane: between Skógafoss waterfall and the town of Vik.

Between Vik & Hofn

  • Fjadrargljufur Canyon: short hike and really scenic canyon. About a 20 minute detour off highway 1 on the way to Skaftafell from Vik. Hike is only an hour or two.

  • Skaftafell National Park (and Islands)

  • Glacier walk – Skaftafell (http://www.glacierguides.is/equipment-list)

  • Eldhraun Lava Field in Skftafell park (didn't make it but would love to go back/have heard it's awesome)

  • Svartifoss waterfall (or the black waterfall) - easy to get to off of highway 1 (approx 200 meters away). Hike up to the falls can be extended to see views of surrounding glaciers, etc. Good half-day hike.

  • Food: Shell FreysnesGas station right outside Skaftafell has tasty burgers. Trust me on this one.

  • Vatnajökull National Park (Vatnajokulsthjodgardur)

  • Jokulsaron Glacier lagoon - THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST. Incredibly gorgeous. Come back again if you don't see the icebergs floating out to sea the first time.

  • Fosshotel Vatnajokull: newly renovated. Funky service but great location if you're going to explore Vatnajokull area. Close to Hofn.

  • Dinner: Humarhofnin - hope you like lobster. Theirs is excellent.

Akureyri & North (Diamond Circle)

  • Dettifoss: Massive waterfall. Where the beginning of Prometheus was filmed. Be prepared for cold, wind, and snow. But it's awesome.

  • Hverir Thermal Fields

  • Myvatn Baths: Better than the Blue Lagoon, even on a cold day.

  • Dimmuborgir: Right next to Mývatn, Dimmuborgir is an area filled with dramatic rock formations and caves and often referred to as a gateway to Hell.

  • Dinner: Vogafjos Cowshed Cafe in Myvatn.

  • Goðafoss Falls at sunset is beautiful

  • In Akureyri: Akureyrarkirkja: (A landmark church)

More Stuff: Maybe next time?

  • Thrihnukagigur - volcano you can go inside of. Also sort of looks like a tourist trap.

  • Crystal Caves at Vatnajökull: in the winter you can go caving in the glacier. Sounds and looks beautiful, but dangerous in the summer months.

  • UNESCO Site: Surtsey Island

Other Links That Might Be Helpful