Our trip to Iceland was a dream come true. This is, of course, largely due to the country itself. Beautiful nature and tranquility go hand in hand in the island state. This article is about 4 recommendations from us that will make your holiday in Iceland extra special! Our Highlights of Iceland or: Our Iceland insider tips.
Before our Iceland trip we, of course, did an extensive research about countless places and events on our route. In this article we gathered our 4 major highlights of Iceland (apart from the obvious), which you can integrate easily in your round trip:
Iceland Insider Tips: 1 – Idyllic Hotpot For Two [Landbrotalaug]
Maybe you’ve heard about hotpots in Iceland. They are naturally occurring “swimming pools” (hot springs), where everyone can simply jump in. Is this true? They do exist – you just have to find them!
This special hot pot has made it easy for us: It’s secluded in nature and quite relaxing because of its maximum capacity of two. It’s situated on the peninsula Snæfellsness. If you are driving from the South on the 54, then the Skjálg Farm is just after the crossroads to the left. Take the fork to the farm and continue for about 1km. From the small parking lot you have to walk down the narrow path directly to the spring. (GPS: N64 ° 49.933 W22 ° 19.110)
We were there in September and therefore can’t say if the hot pot is accessible and safe during winter. So watch out for yourself!
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Iceland Insider Tips: 2 – Waking up in paradise [Höfn]
On our round trip the campsite in Höfn (pronounced hœpn) has been especially memorable. The campsite is directly to the left at the village entrance, when you come from Route 1 to Höfn. We arrived in the dark and parked our car – in which we slept – directly at the edge of the cordoned off lake.
When we woke up and opened the trunk, we could not get enough of the beautiful sight: the lake, the birds and the mountains in the background. See for yourself:
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-version=”7″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”><div style=”padding:8px;”> <div style=” background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;”> <div style=” background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;”></div></div><p style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BKB-B0QgPk5/” style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;” target=”_blank”>Ein Beitrag geteilt von Highlights of the World (@jenny.na)</a> am <time style=” font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;” datetime=”2016-09-06T22:11:26+00:00″>6. Sep 2016 um 15:11 Uhr</time></p></div></blockquote>
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Iceland Insider Tips: 3 – Northern lights at Lake Mývatn [Hlíð Camping]
Northern lights have their own special charm. With some luck you can spot them in the dark. Especially near Lake Mývatn you can observe them very well. Have a look at this map beforehand and check if the sky at your place is cloudless (white spots on the map mean that northern lights can be seen!).
We spent the evening with a mug of warm soup at the Hlíð Camping with our camera propped up as high as possible and had a beautiful view of the lake (and some Northern Lights).
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Iceland Insider Tips: 4 – Glacier Walk [Skaftafell]
At first we weren’t sure if we wanted to experience one of the (quite expensive) glacier tours. In hindsight we are very glad that we took the chance!
For a trip like this you need to detour to the Skaftafell National Park. We booked our tour on site in one of the cabins and spent the night at the campsite.
For the tour we were equipped with an ice pick, helmet and spikes. Our guide told us a lot about the glacier, the volcano and Iceland in general. We hiked for about 4 hours and even got the chance to see an ice cave.
This must be said: There are tours with guaranteed access to ice caves. These caves, however, are usually created by human hand. It was important for us to get to know nature. Therefore, we have chosen the only tour that does not guarantee the visit of the ice cave.
We were lucky and got to see one of the few natural ice caves on our hike. These are milled into the ice by the condensation water. Some of these caves are no longer accessible after only a couple of days, as the glacier is always in motion.
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” data-instgrm-version=”7″ style=” background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% – 2px); width:calc(100% – 2px);”><div style=”padding:8px;”> <div style=” background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;”> <div style=” background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;”></div></div><p style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;”><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ3RNgLAlv_/” style=” color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;” target=”_blank”>Ein Beitrag geteilt von Highlights of the World (@jenny.na)</a> am <time style=” font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;” datetime=”2016-09-02T18:27:25+00:00″>2. Sep 2016 um 11:27 Uhr</time></p></div></blockquote>
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What are your Highlights of Iceland? Do you have additional Iceland insider tips? Tell us in the comments!
Yours
Jenny & Marco
