#32

Any thoughts on paying extra for car insurance/gravel/ash protection stuff? I could swear someone recommended it, but not seeing it here (could’ve been a good friend who has been sharing wisdom in person) - but thought I’d throw that question to the Lines traveling peanut gallery.

All our accommodations are booked, just want to sort out the car now :slight_smile:

C

#33

Between my regular insurance and the travel protection on my cc I never pickup extra coverage on rentals. See what coverage you already have available to you before paying for more.

#34

We were covered by my partner’s normal insurance policy for everything except windows and severe water damage from crossing streams if i remember correctly.

You won’t NEED to cross any streams.

#35

There’s a tour inside a dormant volcano that was fantastic. I forget what it’s called but it shouldn’t be hard to find and I think it’s a real experience.

#36

I went with Blue Car Rental, I believe, who only offered one insurance package as part of their (very reasonable) price: everything. The only thing you won’t get cover for is ash on the south coast, because reasons - you’ll find out more online. Also, I believe that if you damage a tire, it’s up to you to fix the tire, regardless of whether there’s a spare or not. These are just a few Iceland-specific things, but mainly, it’s fine. I just got the lot because even a few yard off Route 1 you get into gravel central. Although yeah, you’re not going to be fording streams or similar.

#37

Icelandair has the best record collection. Just got off a flight that included the complete Björk discography, at least one Sugarcubes record, 4 Ben Frost records, the last ATCQ lp, Ghostface Killa, DM’s Violator, Thelonious, Nina…

Connecting flight included the above, plus a Fela Kuti comp, some Miles, a 5th Ben Frost record, Iggy, and a stack of records by an Icelandic band called Ulfur. Dork that I am, I had to at least give Ulfur a spin after discovering one of their songs was tilted ‘Evoke Ewok’. Band is my sort of jam - think pastoral, late period mum with some of that hecker/frost aggression around the edges. Definitely a find.

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#38

Thanks to everyone for offering their wisdom. We leave on Wednesday for 10 days of fun. No matter what we do and don’t get into, I know it’ll be amazing. :slight_smile:

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#39

Enjoy!!! Whatever you end up doing, it will be beautiful.

#40

I’m back. My biggest advice after going is to get OFF the Ring Road as much as possible. My favorite parts were early in the trip when we were in the Snæfellsnes and Westfjords, both well off the beaten path but still perfectly good roads (generally! :slight_smile: ).

It was quieter and felt generally more scenic than the areas of the south/southwest we made it to.

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#41

so glad you enjoyed it. I loved Snaefellsness.

#42

@sellanraa and @infovore, any specific not to miss things around Snaefellsness? I’ll be stopping there for 3 nights very soon.

#43

We only had a day unfortunately, but I’d definitely do the little day hike from Arnarstapi to Hellnar along the coast. Rauðfeldsgjá is also a cool little stop, a very narrow ravine. Depending on how into rock climbing/tight spaces you’re in you can probably sneak back into the ravine quite far, but I didn’t have good shoes on for dealing with going up the stream too far and I had my camera I didn’t want to risk getting wet.

Both places are sort of heavily trafficked unfortunately, but if your background is dealing with national parks in the western US it really wasn’t all that bad. Apparently when we arrived about 2 weeks ago, peak tourist season hadn’t quite hit though, so maybe there’s been a noticeable increase in just that time (since the window is pretty small it seems).

We stayed in Grundarfjörður, which was near some solitary hill that is in Game of Thrones (according to my wife, who read something about that but hasn’t seen the show). I’ve seen the show and have no recollection of it, but then, I have no recollection of most of the show. If you’re into that, it might be neat though. It was cool to me regardless. There was a nice waterfall nearby too: Kirkjufellsfoss. We lived it up food-wise on the trip and ate at some insane restaurants and while Bjargarsteinn wasn’t the BEST we had there, it was really good. Plus, it was right in the harbor and with a view of Kirkjufell from most seats.

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#44

if you need a break from hiking in Snaefellsness, I really liked the algae hot springs at Lýsuhólslaug (https://www.outdoorproject.com/iceland/western-region/lysuholslaug-geothermal-pool). Chatting with the owner of the bathhouse she said she loved living closer to nature, and was relieved to be away from “Manic Reykjavik”! “Manic Reykjavik” is now my preferred way of referring to it (b/c of course coming from east coast cities in America, Reykjavik is, at its biggest, a small & beautiful coastal town…) :slight_smile:

We didn’t get to hike on Snæfellsjökull, the “Jules Verne” volcano (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/journeying-to-snaefells-iceland-volcano), although I did pick up Haldór Laxness’ “Under the Glacier” to read up on the vibe. Also: if you’re driving up from Reykjavik, a short detour just out of town will bring you to Laxness’ house (now a small museum: https://www.gljufrasteinn.is/en/home) which is well worth the stop.

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#45

been in iceland for a month in 2002, by car from switzerland (well yes).
perused this thread a bit quick and I think every spot/place I remember has already been mentioned, except for some places not on the map and/or which didn’t really had a name. anyway we were pretty much lost most of the time, no compass, no clock - until we arrived to reykjavìk.
but I did not see mentioned here sönghellir, a cave with really nice acoustics, located in snaefellsnes. iirc is on the way up to snaefellsjökull. inside, its shape is almost spherical, maybe it has been formed by a big lava bubble, but i am no geologist/volcanologist.
oh yes, bit of a cliché but hàkarl (rotten shark) is really something, and not just because i am vegetarian.

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#46

Would you say a larger 4WD car is a necessity? We’re going in July, currently have a v/ small car booked (Like VW Golf small – but we’re not used to supersized cars, just want to get around)

#47

Here is a good travel log on Iceland trips. I’m always jealous when I see shows like this but I chose to use much of the money I need beyond basic living and local camping trips to buy conservation land for the benefit of wildlife habitat.

But I get to live vicariously through shows like this.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.pbs.org/video/outside-with-greg-aiello-iceland-vtnssw/&ved=2ahUKEwiNmraF6PPiAhVeFTQIHZa9AEUQwqsBMAB6BAgGEAU&usg=AOvVaw317109jEJPHS3u6hkzejRE

#48

Honestly, we rented a 4wd SUV and it seemed like overkill. We didn’t drive on any F roads though either. The sketchiest driving for us was out to Latrabjarg Bird Cliffs (mainly narrow with RVs and buses barreling by, but also gravel) and from there to Ísafjörður through the sort of ‘highlands’ sort of zones in the central area of the Westfjords. That was basically gravel roads with major elevation changes/switchbacks. But it could’ve been done in a compact car and we certainly saw plenty on the trip. The only other thing worth mentioning is that a lot of the pulloffs can be somewhat steep drops off the side of the road in rough gravel. For someone not used to rougher driving, it’s a big adjustment, but probably no big deal for a smaller car if you’re mindful of clearance and angles.

I just wanted to be on the safe side and not put ourselves in a position to feel limited because of our car. That said, I have no idea how bad some of those roads might get in a rainier stretch, but aside from a bit of drizzle on our last day in Reykjavik, there was NO rain, which was kind of a bummer. A guy at the Eldsto Cafe where we stayed in Hvolsvöllur jokingly said they actually have to water their gardens, which has never been the case.

That seems to be the pickle with renting a car. Roll the dice and be limited if weather gets weird or you want to hit some kookier roads or get an SUV and be safe, but spend a few hundred more (for us).

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#49

I loved Skaftafell - I camped there one night and had a great time hiking the following morning. The drive from Vik to Skaftafell is incredible. Seemed like this part of iceland was far less touristy.

I also enjoyed spending half a day in the westman islands. Good place to see Puffins and a very cool (But steep) hike up on the bluff. Can also hike up one of the volcanoes on the island and feel heat coming out of different pockets.

Get off the beaten path and you’ll amaze yourself. :grinning:

#50

The Hellnar<>Aranastapi walk, Budir’s haunting beach and lava fields, Grundarfjörður, the Berserker lava field, the glacier itself, Roni Horn’s Library of Water in Stykkisholmer, omg there is so much to Snaefelssness.
Also highly recommened Lysuholl, the horse farm and semi-restaurant (call ahead, though they are opening a cafe soon) near the Lysuhollslaug, run by the amazing Johanna - also where I teach a good part of my interdisciplinary arts class every summer.

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#51

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I would also recommend Buðir. My favorite area we visited. The area around the black church was amazingly beautiful.
As for cars, personally I would recommend getting something with 4wd. We rented a Suzuki Jimny which was perfect. It’s probably the smallest 4wd vehicle you can rent. The 4wd saved me on a loose gravel road that I pulled onto that I was not getting out of with 2wd.
We went in late October and hit light rain/snow intermittently but had no trouble getting around.

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