Here are some of the places that I have been to in Iceland. The first 3 places are part of the Golden Circle. The 4th one is in the southeast coast. I will be posting more photos of places I´ve been to in Iceland.
The best way to get around Iceland would be to hire a car. I recommend Wheels and Tours for travel advice on car rentals and day tours. With the cars rental, taxes and insurance are included in the price. You get unlimited mileage too. The convenience is the most important part though, they bring the car to the airport and they will meet you at the airport when you are returning the car. You may drop it off in reykjavik also. They have two offices, one near the airport and the other in reykjavik.
I suggest going on the Golden Circle tour. You can start in Reykjavik or from the airport and go around the golden circle. With a rented car, you may go on the ring road, a road that runs all around Iceland along the edge of the country. This may take at least two weeks on a tight schedule with very little time for stops. If you want to enjoy the sceneries a bit more and if you don´t want to be in a hurry all the time, I would suggest spending at least 18 days to go all around Iceland.
Here is Strokkur. A geyser in Iceland that erupts frequently (every 10-15 minutes). One of the must sees in Iceland. This is one of the sights that visitors can see when doing the Golden Circle Tour.
Still part of the Golden Circle. Þingvellir (Thingvellir) is a natural phenomenon that is to me both amazing and strange. The European plate and the North american plate meet at this point in Iceland and are actually pulling away from each other. In a few thousand years from now, Iceland will be halfed into two parts. One belonging to Europe and the other one to North America.
The most amazing stop of the Golden Circle tour is the Gulfoss. A huge waterfall that looks very powerful and overwhelming. A story goes that an Icelandic woman, threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if the government (or some private company) would continue with their plans to make a hydroplant at Gulfoss. A discussion started about whether it was worth it to turn something so beautiful and grand into a dam and destroy all that beauty. Luckily the dam project never pushed through and we were able to see this beautiful rough nature.
A gem in the southeast coast of Iceland. It is about 3 hours away from Reykjavik. A wonderful sight to behold. This would really give you the Arctic feel.
Some photos of other places:
Svartifoss - very beautiful
Camping in Skaftafell
*tip: you can camp anywhere in Iceland for one night for free. But of course, if you want the convenience of fresh water and toilets, there are plenty of camping sights all over the country for a minimal fee.
Need to shower? go to a local swimming pool!
On top of Stóri Dimon, we camped at the foot of this hill.
Our campsite at the foot of Stóri Dimon. All we needed was a car and our tent. Check out Wheels and Tours for great value for your money. The owners are very accommodating and friendly.
Icelandic horse. A tough breed.
Kvonn. A summer bloom in Iceland.
The midnight sun over Reykjavík.
Seljalandsfoss...you can walk around and under this waterfall. When you walk down you will get a bit wet from the mist so cover up if you don´t want a shower.
The countryside in the summer.
Svinafellsjökull. If you have seen the move Interstellar...Matt Damon was on this glacier! This is in Snæfellsness.
This is a viking house preserved and is now a museum. Þjórsársdalur.
Skogarfoss: warning! lots of tourists here! Sometimes it is hard to get a photo without all the other tourists in it. This is one of the famous waterfalls in Iceland. Another must see.
Wild mushrooms. I would´t eat this but I have heard that you cannot find anything that´s poisonous in Iceland. I am not suggesting that you eat the mushrooms.
I´ll post more photos later on.
*These are photos taken by me, except for þingvellir which was taken from the internet.
