24 DAYS IN ICELAND
In May 2015, I took my parents on a self-guided tour around Iceland for 24 days. This is a photographic blog of a journey that starts and ends in Reykjavík, traveling counter-clockwise around the country, with over 5000km of natural and man-made sights. Expect weather, epic landscapes, horses, street art and very very few photographs of food. No selfies allowed.
- THE ITINERARY -
Day 2 / Reykjavík
An acclimation day of sorts, romping around Reykjavík and getting our bearings. Architecture, shops, churches and hot dogs.
Day 3 / The Golden Circle
Geysers, craters, fissures, boiling streams and horses! Oh my!
Day 4 / Reykjavík to Vík
Waterfalls, emergency vehicles, gravel roads, crashed planes and black sand beaches.
Day 5 / Vík to Höfn
Glaciers, moonscapes, frozen lagoons, a polar bear club and icebergs.
Day 6 / Höfn & Stokksnes
A day off from driving to explore locally, relax, and listen to records.
Day 7 / Höfn to Eskifjörður
Progressively snowier landscapes as we head north, with street art, a massive geology exhibit and a chocolate lab to round out the day.
Day 8 / Snow day in Eskifjörður
A winter (summer?) storm makes us stay put.
Day 9 / Eskifjörður to Akureyri
An icy drive with waterfalls, an open-air shower in the middle of nowhere, and a dog sled.
Day 10 / Mývatn & Hvirir
A real forest, spooky water filled caves, boiling mud, and the mighty Dettifoss.
Day 11 / Húsavík
Relaxing day learning about whales and then having a soak in the Mývatn Nature baths.
Day 12 / Akureyri
Halfway through the trip and we take a vacation from the vacation.
Day 13 / Akureyri to Ólafsfjörður
A museum of things, a cow cafe, motorcycles, a gorgeous valley and a town tucked away at the end of the earth.
Day 14 / Ólafsfjörður to Varmahlið
Windswept day of stormy skies through the Northwest.
Day 15 / Varmahlið to Ísafjörður
Long day of driving from the relative flatness of Northwest Iceland into the majestic and isolated Westfjörds.
Day 16 / Ísafjörður
Exploring around the northern reaches of the Westfjörds, via a three-way tunnel.
Day 17 / Ísafjörður to Patreksfjörður
A snowy, wet drive through the highlands of the Westfjörds to get to a massive waterfall.
Day 18 / Látrabjarg
Bird cliffs, red sand beaches, and wrecks from air and sea. No puffins.
Day 19 / Patreksfjörður to Hellisandur
A long days driving from the Westfjörds to West Iceland and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. The day starts with snow filled passes and ends with alien fields of sharp rock and blobby moss.
Day 20 / Snæfellsnes
Caves, cliffs, craters, and a story about a small church in basic black along the shores of West Iceland.
Day 21 / Hellisandur to Borgarnes
Big surf, a very narrow canyon, and another story.
Day 22 / Borgarnes
The penultimate stop on the tour brings a unique waterfall, horses, and a beautiful sunset.
Day 23 / Borgarnes to Reykjavík
Our last fjord & last waterfall in a short drive back into the capital city.
