Day 1: Arrive in Revjkavik
Day 2: Picked up car proceeded for horse riding
Day 3: Golden Circle tour
Day 4: South Coast and Vik
Day 5: Reykjanes + Blue Lagoon
Day 6: City tour
Day 7: Depart for London
What I realized when I was in Iceland (2015)
1. It is almost a cash-less society. You can use credit cares for all(almost?) purchases.
Even the small mobile food stand near Seljalandsfoss Waterfall has a credit card machine.
2. The aurora will appear most of the night. It is the aurora activity that determines the brightness.
Since there's no evening activities, we drove to the lighthouse(at Seltjarnares?) every night to try to catch the aurora.
We surfed the net and watched TV shows to keep ourselves entertained, while looking out for the lights.
The faint aurora can be seen by the naked eye but cannot be captured by the iPhone.
3. Since public transport is very limited, the car rental company provides transport to customers/car to the car rental premise
What we did in Iceland
1. Seljialandfoss Waterfall - Skogafoss Waterfall - Skaftafell - Vik - Reynisdrangar
<< South Coast (6+am - 8pm+ arriving back at Reykjavik)>>
We set off at about 6am for our first stop - Seljalandsfoss.
Although we were early, there were others who were earlier but it was not crowded.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
A short walk from Seljalandsfoss is another waterfall : Glgufrabui. It was a scenic walk.
After leaving Seljalandsfoss, we continued our drive to Skogafoss.
Skogafoss Fall
It was easy to spot our destination as Skogafoss Fall can be seen from the road.
We climbed to the top of the fall via a stairway.
Skaftafell
A 4-wheel drive is required to go to the Skaftafell. We did not plan to go Skaftafell.
The weather was so sunny and good that we decided to drive there to take a look. Many travelers do the glacial walk here.
<<Path leading to the Svinafellsjokull glacia/>>
Vik is a very small town. There is a petrol station cum small cafe.
We parked our car near the petrol station, had a very late lunch/tea break, and then walked to the beach.
The Church and the Rest Stop
Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village Vík
It is 'along' the same stretch as the Vik beach (as can be been by the rock formations out at the sea).
It is separated by the basalt sea stack. The sands are mainly in the form of small 'granite' - 'not fine sand’.
They were friendly.
2. Early start to tour the Golden Circle(6+am till 6+pm)
Most travelers start driving very early to the Golden Circle before the tour buses arrived.
Gullfoss Fall
It was cold as expected. Furthermore, the strong winds created biting cold wind chills.
So, be well insulated, and bring gear to cover your face and ears as well.
Geysir
You know when you are near because of the steam and the smell.
The landscape is postcard-like.
Þingvellir
We arrived at Pingvellir just before the sun set.
3. Reykjanes (7am - 2 pm) + Blue Lagoon in the afternoon
Reykjanes
There were relatively fewer people here compared to the previous locations.
Perhaps Reykjanes peninsula is not as well-visited as the Golden Circle/Vik route.
There were practically no vehicles on the roads in Reykjanes.
Bridge between the Continents
We missed the turning into the carpark for the "Bridge Between the Continents'.
As we drove on, we realised a small sign-post that we passed probably indicated the turn
into "Bridge Between the Continents" car park.
We turned back and reached the carpark.
The "Bridge Between the Continents" connects the American and the Eurasian tectonic plates.
There were no one in sight. We were the only visitors
Gunnuhver
Our next stop is the Gunnuhver geothermal area.
There is a small signpost along the road that indicates the turning into the carpark.
It is crowded even in winter.
The entrance/exit to the blue lagoon from the building
Hang the bathrobe/towel by the rack, and walk into the blue lagoon.
The cold will only hit you momentarily as you can immediately immerse yourself in the hot spring.
Stairway into the blue lagoon
It was too crowded for swimming and the water is murky and hot.
Free mineral-salt for facial and gentle body scrub
Instructions are provided for users to do DIY facial and gentle body scrubs.
Be sure to bring along a waterproof casing for your phone/camera!
There was a snowstorm on the designated 'city-tour' day.
<<Surprisingly, despite not switching on the heater during our stay in the the apartment, it was relatively warm and cozy>>
We had a walk in the town centre after the heavy snowstorm.
As the rental apartment was in the town centre itself, it was very convenient for us to tour the city.
Church of Hallgrímur
View from the Church
Laugavegur
We also did Icelandic horse riding on the second day of arrival, after picking up the car.
It was a worthwhile experience.
Choosing an Icelandic horse
Others
We checked the weather forecast before when we planned our day driving.
For the 'good day' weather, we drove the South Coast route since it was the longest and farthest away from Reykjavik.
<<Be flexible with your schedule and check the weather forecast>>
http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/areas/
We could actually have picked up the rental car from the airport on the first day. We picked it up in town on the second day instead.
What I like to do when I visit Iceland in winter again
1. Stay 1 night in Vik or a smaller, more remote town to catch the aurora
2. Drive round the island
3. Do a proper city tour of Reykjavik since we were snowed in by a snowstorm on our city-tour day.