Destination: Greenland. [see post: Northern Lights, Icebergs, Dog Sleds: Ilulissat]
All of a sudden, everyone wants to visit Iceland – with me included. Whether as a stopover or a final destination, Iceland has become “the place to visit”. You can thank the country’s strategy to increase tourism over the past few years for that.
Iceland’s marketing sure has paid off. According to the Internet, the number of tourists to Iceland has officially surpassed two million in 2017. That is seven times more tourists visiting the island country than the entire population of Iceland. This is great for the country’s economy, but no so much for the island’s natural wonders. Aside from the damaging effects humans have on nature, crowds of people also take away from the experience itself. Pushing. Screaming. Shoving. You literally struggle to take a picture of anything without capturing hordes of people in the background.
Logistics
Waterfalls. Volcanoes. Geysers. Craters. Beaches. Glaciers. There is so much to do in Iceland; it is not one of those places that you can check off in one day. However, being more interested in “off the beaten path” destinations, my trip to Iceland was just a prelude to the main event – Greenland.
Icelandair and WOW air have made Iceland easily accessible. Both airlines offer ridiculously low airfare from large cities in the United States to Reykjavik as a final destination or to other large cities across Europe, connecting in Reykjavik as a stopover. WOW air was founded in 2011 and has since expanded to large cities all over the United States. In 2016, Icelandair launched a new service between Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to further expansion of its global network. A year later, WOW air added Chicago as its tenth U.S. city.
My mother and I arrived at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik early morning on a Friday. We only had one full day in Reykjavik on each end of our trip. Well, at least that is how much time I had planned for us to have in Iceland – with the keyword being “planned”.
Iceland is expensive – transportation is expensive. Accommodation is expensive. Food is expensive. Keflavik Airport is located about an hour away by road from Reykjavik’s city center. Flybus and Gray Line both offer shuttle services between the airport and the city. Prior to arriving in Iceland, I purchased two one-way airport transfers on Gray Line’s website for about $27 USD each. In comparison, a regular taxi from the airport to the city center costs over $100 USD one way. Also, there are no Uber or Lyft services in the country.
Since I was traveling with my mother, I could not save money by staying at a hostel or guest house. I found it difficult to find a hotel for under $150 USD a night in Reykjavik’s city center. And, I booked four months out! I ended up booking a one-night stay at the 100 Iceland Hotel located in the heart of Reykjavik’s shopping street, and just minutes away by foot from the city’s main attractions.
The Golden Circle
Arriving in Reykjavik that morning, we only had a few minutes to drop off our backpacks at the hotel before leaving for the day. Given the amplitude of things to see and do, we had to be selective with stops on our itinerary. Prior to arriving in Iceland, I booked the “Small Group Golden Circle Plus” full-day tour through Viator with Arctic Adventures for that day.
The Golden Circle is a 300 or so kilometer (or about 186-mile) route in southern Iceland that covers three of the country’s most spectacular natural landmarks. The route included the following stops:
Hellisheidarvirkjun (or Hellisheidi Power Station) – Third largest geothermal power station in the world.
Kerid – Volcanic crater lake formed not by an explosion, but when the magma in the center simply depleted itself, and the empty chamber beneath caved in.
Faxi – Waterfall in the river Tungufljot.
Geysir – Highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers and the lively Strokkur which spouts water 30 meters (or almost 100 feet) into the air every few minutes (as described by Iceland Travel).
Gullfoss – Iconic waterfall of Iceland where inexorable torrents of water plunge 32 meters (or about 105 feet) into deep crevasses.
Efstidalur Farm – Cattle farm with a hotel, café, restaurant, and ice cream.
Thingvellir National Park – Where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates collide.
Reykjavik
After spending the day at some of Iceland’s most famous sites, we had the rest of the evening to explore Reykjavik’s city center.
Hallgrimskirkja – Lutheran church and Reykjavik’s main landmark. Also, the largest church in Iceland and one of the tallest structures in the world.
Solfar (or Sun Voyager) – Steel sculpture by Jon Gunnar Arnason; described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the sun.
The following morning, we departed for Greenland. We were supposed to spend the following two half- and two full-days in Ilulissat, and then return to Reykjavik to finish exploring the city and end our trip at the Blue Lagoon. But instead, we were slapped with the reminder that when traveling one must always expect the unexpected. Our return flight from Ilulissat to Reykjavik was canceled, ultimately leaving us stranded in Greenland for days [see post: Stranded in Greenland].
At the end of the day, I am not sure how I feel about Iceland. It would be unfair to draw conclusions based off one day of driving around the southwest part of the country. But, I was shockingly unimpressed with even just that area. Which is surprising since everyone seems so impressed with the country. Maybe winter was not the best time to go? Maybe the Golden Circle was not enough? I did read that the northern part of the island is supposedly the highlight. Oh well. Next time. I am sure I will be back.
