Iceland

Introduction & COVID facts:

Iceland was a unique country I visited about 2 years ago just after COVID-19 started to die down and traveling was now a safe and ok option. Iceland was the perfect first place for me to go to after COVID-19 since most of the activities that you would do were outdoors which made it a bit safer. 

A bit of History & pre-safety:

This little island was formed about 20 million years ago by volcanic eruptions and a fact still to this day is that Iceland has many volcanoes on the island. There’s even one that’s erupting right now so make sure to keep that in mind since some of these places I am recommending to go to might have been or are being affected by the volcano. Another pre-recommendation is to not currently go to Iceland because of the dangers of the volcano.

Attractions:

Iceland is a fun-filled island with many more focused adventurous outdoor activities such as glacier climbing, and pools that are heated from the volcanos. My recommendation for which pools to go to would be not to go to the local ones. Trust me you don’t want to be a local in this case. The 2 that I tried were the Blue Lagoon which if you get into the pool as quickly as you can you’ll be able to have the whole pool to yourself. The other pool would be the Sky Lagoon which I found to be a lot more peaceful and less busy. If you want to see a fantastic view I would recommend you go to the Jökulsarlon lagoon that has big beautiful glaciers floating in it. Something to keep in mind too is to go to as many “Fosses” (waterfalls) as you want and can since they're very pretty and each is unique my 2 favorites were the Sogo Foss which had a lovely rainbow showing while I was there and Gull Foss was the biggest one that had seen there and the cool thing about were it is situated is that it was near geysers that were in the area called Strokkur. Another great outdoor activity was going on an Ice cave tour. I loved this since they load you up in a “Super Jeep” and take you on bumpy roads and icy roads. Then you finally get to the Ice caves and explore them with your guide. (Tip: Make sure that you rent or buy crampons in advance because even when you’re visiting a Foss it will be slippery and icy so the crampons will be a great purchase since they’ll keep you safe and you’ll use them a lot).

Indoor activities were fun as well such as Fly over Iceland which was very enjoyable. If you enjoy the ride “Soaring” at Disney you will love this. I also ended up going to a Lava show that was very informative and entertaining, the company I used to see this show is called Live Lava Show. That was all the activities that I did indoors other than going to the Museum of the History and Environment of Iceland.

Food:

The food in Iceland is straightforward fish, other types of meat, and soup. Because of this, I wasn’t able to eat out since I was a little picky. Now I did go to this Viking restaurant that was unique but not very lively since I did not go in the right season for the liveliness which is in summer and spring when they offer archery and ax throwing. So for food, I mainly eat at my hotels. But one night I ended up going to this fancy food court “The Old Dairy Food Hall” set up in this large building in Selfoss and the restaurant was located in the old dairy mill. This was a great dinner since it had something for everyone. So if you find yourself looking for a restaurant in Selfoss this place is amazing and lively.

Hotels: 

I stayed in 3 different hotels and 1 Airbnb. The hotel was The Blue Lagoon which was very fancy and I would recommend it if you are looking for something fancy and relaxing but if this is too out of your price range The Frost & Fire Hotel was amazing which was actually where I was able to see the Northern lights one night. The last hotel I stayed at was called The Foss Hotel Glacier Lagoon which was very relaxing as well and some other guests had told us to look at night because they had seen the Northern lights the night before. All 3 of the hotels were calming, efficient, and enjoyable to be in and I highly recommend each for your travels. 

The Airbnb I stayed in was great but could have been better. The location was great in Reykjavik. But my recommendation in Reykjavik would be to find your own perfect Airbnb that accommodates your family or group best.

Perfect time to visit:

Even though there is never a perfect time to go, I do know that you won’t want to visit right now because of the volcanic eruptions that are happening. But if there were not the current circumstances the perfect time would be probably the winter since it does look magical with all the snow. This way you will be able to see the Iceland that you’ve seen in photos and the one you want to see.

Why Iceland?:

Iceland is a truly magical place with all the attractions and “unique” food options. This is the perfect place to visit in the winter if you're looking for an adventurous and relaxing vacation.   

Safety:

Iceland I found was such a safe country I wasn’t concerned at all. But a safety tip for driving safety would be to use the road.is app because of the harsh weather conditions in Iceland. Sometimes it is too dangerous to drive so this app will tell you all you need to know about the roads (if they are closed) and the weather. So if you are going to drive that day make sure that you check the app. But besides the weather and road conditions, Iceland is a great and safe country.

General tip:

In Iceland, you have to do a lot of driving so you must rent a vehicle and while you are there I would make sure that you tell them where you’re planning on going so you get suited with the perfect vehicle for what you’re doing. And also if there’s an insurance option get it because there are no avoiding scratches because of the many pebbles on the road.

Environment:

In regards to the environment since we only have one, make sure when you're traveling to be conscious about the environment since we still need it to last us many more decades so think green.