Iceland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the blue cave closed in the summer though? Any chance of seeing Northern lights in August?

PP's who have been, did you fly Icelandair? If yes, how was it?

And what was your favorite thing to do in Iceland.

I'm not sure whether to just go up to see the glacier lagoon, do the tours and drive back or continue the entire ring road.

How many days is ideal for the entire ring road vs just up to the Diamond beach area and back?

You mean Katla ice cave? Yes, tours are available year-round. You have a chance of seeing the lights in late August, but it’s of course not a guarantee and a much smaller chance than the winter months.

I loved driving the entire Ring Road, but the South Coast alone is still a great trip. Just look at the options, find your must-do sights/activities and decide from there. For example, the best whale watching is in the North, so do the Ring Road for that. My favorite landscapes were in the East Fjords, so that meant going beyond the South Coast.

Here is an example South Coast itinerary: https://www.therestlessworker.com/5-days-south-iceland/

Here is an example Ring Road itinerary: https://www.dangerous-business.com/10-day-iceland-ring-road-itinerary/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the blue cave closed in the summer though? Any chance of seeing Northern lights in August?

PP's who have been, did you fly Icelandair? If yes, how was it?

And what was your favorite thing to do in Iceland.

I'm not sure whether to just go up to see the glacier lagoon, do the tours and drive back or continue the entire ring road.

How many days is ideal for the entire ring road vs just up to the Diamond beach area and back?

Not sure about Northern Lights in August. We saw them late September from just north of Golden Circle.

Yes, we flew Iceland Air out of IAD. Very nice. Plane was newer. Be mindful of your carryon size as they sometimes check.

We enjoyed the outdoors. 🙂

We had a ring road trip planned but that was canceled by Covid. Went recently for four nights, concentrating on south east. Rented a car for this. We skipped Glacier Lagoon as it’s not really our thing.

The ring road itinerary takes at least 8 days, longer if you want a more leisurely pace and if you want to branch out a bit.

We saw Diamond Beach on our four night trip. We’ve seen a lot of beautiful places in the world and this was one of them. It’s popular but we found it stunning. The Foss Hotel west of it gets a thumbs up from us. Book early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We visited in September for a quick trip. Loved it and can’t wait to go back. Being from DMV we didn’t find prices too high but certainly higher than other destinations.

One tip, if you are renting car for visit to southeast coast get FULL insurance. Wind and dust can be brutal.

CANNOT let this get lost. If you rent a care PAY the FULL insurance. Many roads in Iceland are gravel. When you return the car to the airport, the inspection if you didn't pay the insurance will take a long time - they go over the car with a fine tooth comb and you will be liable for the smallest of scratches + they won't care if you didn't leave enough time to get to your flight. If you get the insurance, you hand of the keys and move along.

[Anonymous]

Thank you PP's.

I meant the Crystal cave(Blue ice cave) on Vatna glacier. Seems like it is open October to March, sometimes until April.

If you've been to both caves, which is the easier hike and more nicer?

I checked Arctic adventures and looks like they offer multi day trips so that will take the stress out of driving in winter. A bit expensive but so is everything in Iceland.

[Anonymous]

Iceland Air charges $260 for a checked bag. Other airlines charge $160.

[Anonymous]

Our favorite thing for each of us (family of 4, older teens) was snowmobiling on a Glacier with an ice cave tour.

We also went snorkeling at Silfra, cool, but not worth it in my opinion.

The lava tube tour was just a couple hours and everyone enjoyed, also hiking around all the waterfalls (free) and exploring Diamond Beach (free, no tour needed, esp winter - in summer, do a boat tour).

I wouldn't eat at Froheimar house- it's cool to see the green houses and tomatoes and all, but the food isn't that good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our favorite thing for each of us (family of 4, older teens) was snowmobiling on a Glacier with an ice cave tour.

We also went snorkeling at Silfra, cool, but not worth it in my opinion.

The lava tube tour was just a couple hours and everyone enjoyed, also hiking around all the waterfalls (free) and exploring Diamond Beach (free, no tour needed, esp winter - in summer, do a boat tour).

I wouldn't eat at Froheimar house- it's cool to see the green houses and tomatoes and all, but the food isn't that good

We just got soup and bread, which I thought was worth it for lunch. The bread was so good.