Iceland: What You Can Do Yourself
I wrote a post about all the wintery excursions you should book before your trip, but there are plenty of things you can do in Iceland at the last minute. These are great to keep in mind if you have weather surprises, don’t want to plan too far in advance, or just have a change of plans.
The first and probably the most obvious is the Golden Circle. The first thing you’ll see when you Google what to do in Iceland is this. It’s a loop that starts and ends in Reykjavik and is the fastest and easiest way to see some incredible Icelandic sights. It takes about 3 hours to drive the whole thing, but you should factor in time for the different spots - it took us a whole day.
I’ll preface by saying ‘foss’ means waterfall so that’s how you’ll know what I’m talking about. The circle consists of the Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss and the Geysir geothermal area. The national park features Silfra, which is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates split after an earthquake in the 18th century and formed a fissure filled with glacial water. It’s also said to be the purest water in the entire world; having tried it, I can attest that it’s the best water I’ve ever drank. Close to the national park is Þórufoss - you might recognize it from Game of Thrones, if you’ve ever watched it. It’s in the middle of nowhere and the indicators are not great, but if you follow your map and intuition you can find it! (This also applies to Bruarfoss.)
All of these sites are amazing and I highly recommend them to anyone visiting for the first time. AND a great place for lunch is the Friðheimar restaurant. They’re most known for the Friðheimar Tomato Soup, which is served with sour cream, home baked bread, cucumber salsa, butter and fresh herbs. There are plenty of other offerings as well! I recommend making reservations in advance, especially if you’re visiting in the summer.
In addition to the three things listed above, you can add on to your Golden Circle adventure by visiting the Kerið volcanic crater, the Secret Lagoon or Bruarfoss (my personal favorite). I haven’t been to the Secret Lagoon, but it’s on my list for next time!
Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss, Geysir geothermal area & Bruarfoss
I did the Golden Circle in the summer, hence the lack of snow.
Þingvellir National Park, Silfra & Þórufoss
Another option is to head east along the coastal highway. You’ll see several amazing waterfalls, the famous Sólheimasandur plane wreck and the cute town of Vik that has several amazing black sand beaches.
First up is Seljalandsfoss. It’s one of the most impressive waterfalls I saw because it’s so powerful. The main drop is 65 meters high and if the weather is good (usually only in the summer), you can walk behind the waterfall. Wear a rain coat and waterproof boots or you’ll get soaked! Unfortunately, it’s not allowed to go behind it in the winter due to icy conditions and the occasional falling icicle, but the waterfall is still just as spectacular!
Just a few minutes walk from Seljalandsfoss is the Gljúfrabúi (Gljúfrafoss). This waterfall is truly spectacular because it’s hidden away from view and not many people know to keep walking to see it and it’s hidden behind some massive boulders so you have two options to see it: 1) wade through the water to get inside to see the waterfall or 2) climb up the path to the right of the waterfall and look at it from above (this path is blocked in the winter due to icy conditions).
Next, is the very famous Skogafoss. This is the waterfall that many tourists visit, so expect it to be crowded, especially in the summer. It’s a massive waterfall that you can stand right under as water falls ~62 meters down. It’s extremely humbling to stand so close to something so powerful. Again, bring a raincoat and waterproof shoes since the spray from the waterfall will soak you. There’s also a staircase to view the waterfall from the top. Be prepared for quite the trip up and perhaps some breaks on the way. There are approximately 500 steps and it’s a straight up climb. I’m personally scared of heights and preferred the view from the bottom, but the top is cool because you can walk a little over the waterfall and look through grates to the bottom. After a trek to the top, it makes sense to stay for a bit and explore the trail that heads back to the river that feeds into Skogafoss. Just a short 5-10 minutes walk later, you’ll see another amazing waterfall called Hestavaðafoss. This waterfall isn’t labeled on Google Maps, but I took a picture of the sign to remember it because it was so beautiful! The trail ended right after Hestavaðafoss in the winter due to icy conditions, but in the summer it continues for quite awhile and I’m positive it’s worth exploring.
Approximately a 10 minute drive from Skogafoss, you can visit the Sólheimasandur plane wreck. In 1973 a US Navy DC plane was forced to crash land on a beach in Iceland. Everyone survived, but the plane wreck was never removed and has since become the site of many spectacular photographs. The parking lot is right next to the road, but from there you will need to walk approximately 1 mile to the wreck. There is also an option to pay $20 round trip and take a shuttle bus. The ground is very rough in this area and cars are no longer permitted to drive to the beach where the wreck is located. In the dead of winter, I highly don’t recommend walking unless you happen to have amazing weather and plenty of daylight. We opted for the shuttle and it was totally worth it because the wind was crazy cold this close to the ocean. Once there we had about 45 minutes to explore, which was the perfect amount to look at the wreck, take some cool photographs and even visit the beach. This stop isn’t essential, but it is super cool, especially for a photographer. I’d also never seen a black sand beach so that was amazing! The wind and waves are crazy and it’s not recommended to get close to the water because super high waves can come out of nowhere and drag you into the ocean.
Vik is the final stop on this journey and if you’re like us and decide to venture out in the middle of a snow storm, this trip will take you at least 6-7 hours. I’m sure it’s much more efficient in the summer, especially since there’s more daylight hours. We were forced to stop in Vik overnight due to road closures on our way from our ice cave tour (you can read about that here!), but we were glad to see some of the beauty this tiny town has to offer. The beach goes without saying - it’s spectacular and in better weather you can go horseback riding, which I’m really sad we missed out on. Reynisdrangar is supposed to be an amazing site to see! It’s several rock formations that jut out of the ocean and has spectacular basalt rock formations. Due to weather we were unable to see these.
As you drive, you will pass lots of horse farms. Iceland is known for their Icelandic horses (they’re pony sized!) and you likely won’t see much of any other kind of livestock. The horses here are hardy and built to withstand the crazy Icelandic winters. Due to the lack of native diseases, other animals are not allowed to be imported into the country and those that are exported aren’t allowed to return. Unlike other horses who only have 3 gaits, Icelandic horses have 5. If you have the chance to book an Icelandic horseback riding adventure, I highly recommend it! There are several fairly close to Reykjavik and a cool black sand beach ride in Vik. We stopped on the side of the road and pet the horses several times and it’s by far one of my favorite moments. They’re friendly and super furry and cute!
These are just some ideas of things you can see in Iceland without a tour guide. There is tons of information available for free online that you can use to plan your own Icelandic adventure. My two favorite sites for planning are Guide to Iceland and Iceland Advice. I also actively follow both accounts on Instagram for ideas! Last but not least, phone service is pretty reliable in Iceland, but it’s a great idea to create a Google Map with all the places you want to see before you get there so you don’t forget anything and always know where to go. I didn’t think to do this until after I got home haha.
Happy adventuring!
