2017 Iceland Tour Overall Itinerary

Fei and I signed up for a Gate1's 11 Day Kaleidoscope of Iceland tour to visit Iceland in September 2017. It is a land tour circling Iceland.  Unfortunately, the rain hit the eastern part of Iceland pretty hard, some roads at east side were washed away and made it impassible to pass.  Gate1 had to make changes to our route. The original itinerary was as the following:

With route changes, our actual itinerary was as the following:

The detailed itinerary was as the following:

• September 21, 2017 - Traveled to Reykjavik, Iceland
• September 22, 2017 - Arrive Reykjavik, City Sight Seeing
• September 23, 2017 - Bessastaðir; Hafnarfjörður; Grindavik; Blue Lagoon
• September 24, 2017 - Arnarstapi; Breidafjördur Fjord Boat Tour
• September 25, 2017 - Drove to Akureyri, Botanical Gardens (Lystigardur Akureyrar)
• September 26, 2017 - Herring Era Museum, Explore Siglufjörður
• September 27, 2017 - Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss Waterfall, Dimmuborgir, Natural Baths, Dettifoss Waterfall
• September 28, 2017 - Drove back to Reykjavik; Glaumbaer Turf House
• September 29, 2017 - Hellisheiði Power Plant, Þingvellir National Park, Geysir, Gullfoss Waterfall (Golden Falls), Friðheimar Tomato and Horse Farm
• September 30, 2017 - Vatnajökull Glacier, Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon
• October 1, 2017 - Flew back to the US

We were planning to try our luck to see if we can witness northern lights and puffins.  We were lucky that we saw northern lights in Reykjavik, however, all puffins already migrated to Greenland during August.  

September 21, 2017 - Travel to Reykjavik, Iceland

Gate1 offered this tour with starting point at JFK, therefore we had to book our own flights to JFK to catch up with the tour group.  From JFK to Reykjavik was only 5 1/2 hours.  We got to Iceland in the morning of September 22.  

September 22, 2017 - City Sightseeing

After having breakfast at the hotel, we started our City Tour by visiting Perlan. Perlan has been a hot water towers in Reykjavik for decades.  Recently it has been rebuilt to become a museum.  One of the water towers has become the Wonders of Iceland opened in July 2017.  It has a man made ice cave showing Iceland's Glaciers.  Perlan is located on the Öskjuhlid Hill, which is very close to our hotel.  On the fourth floor of Perlan, it has a large observation deck and encircles the entire dome to give an amazing 360° view of Reykjavík and surrounding areas.

Then, we went to downtown, the first stop was the Höfdi House, site of the 1986 Iceland Summit where Reagan and Gorbachev met.  

We went to visit Hallgrimskirkja (Reykjavik Catheral) which is one of the most famous building in Iceland. Whenever you see the travel info of Iceland, you will spot the picture of  Hallgrimskirkja, Unfortunately, it was raining and it was just impossible to take good photos of this famous building.  

We visited the Sega Museum where one can learn about Iceland’s history through exhibits based on legends of Icelandic Sagas.

We had a welcome drink in the hotel to meet other tour group members.  Our tour guide also passed out name tags with first name and middle name only (without our last name).  It caused some confusion about recognizing which tag is for whom.  Later, we learned that Icelanders don't use their last name and they are recognized by their first name only.  Interesting!

September 23, 2017 - Bessastaðir; Hafnarfjörður; Grindavik; Blue Lagoon

Our first stop was Bessastaðir, the residence of Icelandic President; it is very plain looking without any special constructions.  The only thing was that there was a police car parking nearby.  It was raining, so we just stopped and took photos.

We drove to Hafnarfjörður and Grindavik and traveled toward Blue Lagoon.  

Blue Lagoon is the number 1 attraction in Iceland.  It's geothermal water originates 2000 meters below the surface, where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures.  On its way to the surface, the water picks up silica and minerals. It has a unique composition, featuring three active ingredients - Silica, Algae and Minerals.   

They provided white Silica Mud Mask via their Silica Bar and you can apply as much as you want to your face and body.  You suppose to leave it on for at least 5 minutes, then wash it off to have a significant difference in the softness of your skin.

Then, we wondered around the Blue Lagoon for some photos. 

We spotted Silica Mud Mask tube for sale in their gift shop for $95.  We felt that it was too expensive and did not buy any.  When we got back to the US, we found it for sale on Amazon for $115.  Well, next time, we will get some over there.

After we got back to Reykjavik, we had more free time.  Therefore, we want to downtown to visit the Harpa Concert Hall, The Sun Voyager, and the Hallgrímskirkja.  We did visit Hallgrímskirkja yesterday as part of the city tour, however, it was raining and we did not have a chance to take good pictures, therefore we want to try it again.  This time, the weather helped and we did much better on picture taking.

Later, we walked from downtown back to our hotel and had dinner at the hotel restaurant.

September 24, 2017 - Arnarstapi; Breidafjördur Fjord Boat Tour

We started the day by driving along Snæfellsnes Peninsula to Arnarstapi which is a village in the southern part of the peninsula.  The first stop was the huge statue of Bárður Snæfellsás made by Ragnar Kjartansson, one of Iceland's most renowned sculptures.  The statue is his interpretation of the giant character that dominates the area around Snæfellsjökull glacier. Bárður is an extraordinary being from the time of settlement in Iceland.  His story was written in Medieval times in the fifteenth century and is part of the Icelandic Sagas. Bárður Snæfellsás became known as the Guardian Spirit of Snæfell as the locals worshiped him and looked at him as their savior. For centuries, they would call upon him in times of hardship and trouble.

Then, we saw the Gatklettur (Arch Rock - is a cliff with a circular arch). Gatklettur shows how distinctive wave action has eroded the rocks into arches and beautiful swirled patterns.

Afterwards, we drove to Hellnar which is an old fishing village on the western most part of the Snaefellsnes peninsula. It used to be one of the largest fishing stations of the peninsula, the oldest record of seafaring there being from 1560.

We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch.  However, there was only one waiter and service was too slow.  Therefore, we decided to skip lunch and walked down to Badstofa Caves to view the wonderful sceneries there.

Later, we drove to Stykkishólmur harbor to join our optional Breidafjördur Fjord Boat Tour. The boat took us onto a two hours trip to Breiðafjörður Bay with its wonderful countless islands. The islands are actually on the list of 3 countless things in Iceland.

Three crew members threw out a net and had quite impressive catch including  scallops, sea-urchins, starfish, and all kinds of shells (fruit of the ocean). The crew opened up clams and offered fresh scallops for free.  They also provided knifes for us to open up clams ourselves. It was a delicious Viking Sushi treat.

After dinner at the Fosshotel, we were informed that there were northern lights just outside of the hotel.  We dashed out with our cameras and spotted some activities.  However, we did not setup our cameras properly to take northern lights photo.  But it was exciting of seeing it the first time in our life.

September 25, 2017 - Drove to Akureyri, Botanical Gardens (Lystigardur Akureyrar)

We continued our journey driving toward northeast of Iceland to Akureyri.  On the way, we stoped by Kolugljúfur Falls in Húnaþing vestra region.  First, we saw water flow peacefully downwards to purge into the deep rugged gorge called Kolugljúfur.  In the peaceful walk along the canyon, we saw the water cascading over many waterfalls which bear the name Kolufossar Falls in honor of the legend giantess, Kola.

On the way to Akureyri, we had a photo stop near Akrahreppur for the beautiful canyon.  It was just 10 minutes stop, however, the view was breathtaking.  

We got in to Akureyri around 2pm.  First, our tour guide asked our driver driving around  Akureyri to familiarize us with the city.  It is the home of our tour bus driver and he is quite familiar with the city.  Then, we stopped by the Lystigardur (Botanical Gardens) and walked through the garden. Then, went to the Kea Hotel near the town center.  

We had free time to walk around the town and had dinner on our own. Before dinner, we ventured out to see this beautiful town. 

After dinner, we all walked to the boardwalk along the water trying to spot northern lights.  However, the cloud was too thick to allow us to have any chance of seeing northern lights.

September 26, 2017 - Herring Era Museum, Explore Siglufjörður

We traveled north to Siglufjörður to visit the town and their Herring Era Museum.  It is the nearest town to the Arctic Circle on this tour.  The town grew up around the herring industry that was in much bloom in the 1940s and 1950s, but the herring are gone now. Today the town remains dependent on fishing industries although the herring are gone. The government of Iceland is attempting to reverse the population shrinking in the area by improving land transportation. Iceland government built the Héðinsfjörður Tunnel with a lot of controversy. However, it does provide an easy path to the northern part of this peninsula.

The Herring Era Museum is officially recognized as specializing in the history of the herring industry in Iceland. It is likely the only museum of its kind in the world. There are 3 parts, the Salting Station, the Grána fish meal and oil factory, and the Boathouse.  The Salting Station provides a fascinating insight into what life in rural Iceland was like during this prosperous era. The Grána fish meal and oil factory is a unique exhibition about an important chapter in the economic and social history of Siglufjörður and Iceland. The exhibition in the Boathouse provides an impression of a typical North Iceland herring port during the period from 1938-1954. Eleven boats of various types and sizes lie at the dock, and audio/visual material about the herring fisheries from 1938 is shown.

After the museum visit, we had free time for lunch and wondering around this beautiful and peaceful little town.  Some of us had Fish and Chip from one of the local shop for lunch.  It was cod fish and was very delicious.  We just ordered and ate on the park bench in the center of the town.  

After lunch, we walked around the town to see their church and fishing docks.  Had wonderful and relaxing time with clear fresh air in this little harbor town.

After we got back to Akureyri, we had more free time.  We walked to the famous Brynja ice cream shop for their ice cream as recommended by our tour guide.  Then we strode back to the hotel via the botanical garden again.  It was a relaxing walk with a lot of fresh air.