Iceland

Iceland by bus in five days

No other destination has aroused tourist interest in recent years as much as Iceland. And, why not? This small Nordic nation of 335,000 is stunningly beautiful and offers everything from Northern Lights to glacier hiking; from waterfalls to whale watching. While many countries in mainland Europe are in turmoil, Iceland has been consistently ranked as one of the safest countries for tourists. So when my family and I were looking for a short (less than a week) summer trip to a European destination, Iceland immediately jumped to mind. I was sure the place would appeal to my 12-year old daughter and 8-year old son. It also filled another pre-requisite viz., I should not have to drive a rental. Iceland has plenty of bus tour operators which cover every possible tourist attraction. Iceland has something for every age group. I could imagine my kids getting fascinated by volcanic caves, black beaches, and seals popping up on the shores.

The bus tour company that I selected was Gray Line Iceland because of the following reasons:

• • Their prices are reasonable. Kids 0-11 are free on most tours.

  • Their reviews are decent. They have a rating of 4 in over 3000 reviews on tripadvisor.com.

  • They provide good connectivity to most tourist places and to the Keflavik international airport.

  • They have free pickup and drop to most hotels/apartments in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

  • If you don’t see Northern Lights or Whales on your first tour, they will book you on another Northern Lights or Whale Watching tour free of charge.

  • You can buy Blue Lagoon tickets through Gray Line Iceland.

  • Not only the tickets can be purchased online, they have a 24-hour call center – In fact, I called them a number of times from US before purchasing the tickets. They also can be easily contacted via email.

  • Gray Line has lockers at their main terminal Holtagarðar, Reykjavik. The price for each locker is about $10 and it holds two suitcases.

  • All tours are guided with the guides speaking decent English.

Apartment in Reykjavik    Before I go on to the itinerary that we followed, I would like to talk about accommodation and flight. Hotels are pricey in Reykjavik. Hence, we chose to stay in an apartment in downtown. We used Booking.com to book multiple apartments at various locations and for different dates. While booking we made sure that we chose the option which provided free cancellation. As our plans firmed up, we cancelled all bookings except the one where we decided to stay. The apartment we chose was Central Marina Apartment for the following reasons:

• It is located in the heart of Reykjavik at Ægisgata 5, Vesturbær, 101 Reykjavík. Bars, harbor, eateries, etc. are all within walking distance.

• Its reviews are very good and the owner, David, is very helpful. In fact, I emailed and called him multiple times from US to seek more information about the Apartment, its location and a host of other topics.

• Gray Line has a pick up and drop off point at the Apartment – The Apartment itself is not listed as a Gray Line pick up location but one can select IcelandAir Hotel Marina, which is opposite the Apartment.

• You are given the code for the lockbox (which holds the Apartment key) few days before your booking starts.

• Free Wi-Fi and parking are available.

• The Apartment has ample kitchenware, stove, microwave, and a refrigerator; things which were important for us as we were going with kids.

• It is walking distance from the Reykjavik Harbor from where whale watching tours start.

• The famous burger joint, Bullan, is across from the Apartment. It serves, among other things, delicious veggie burgers.

Flight    If you are taking Icelandair, take note of the following:

1. Nothing complimentary is served on the flight other than soda and coffee. One exception is free meal served to kids below 12 years. It is a good idea to have your meal before the flight or buy food at the departing Airport and then eat during the flight. You can also buy food on the flight though options are limited especially for vegetarians.

2. Headphones are provided only to those below 12 years. Others have to purchase them.

Day 1 – Arrival and Golden Circle Classic Tour (8 hours)

Our flight landed at Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport at around 6:20 AM. We changed into warmer clothes and headed to the Gray Line Iceland booth located right outside the terminal building door. We showed our booking printout and received the bus tickets. The bus took us to the main Gray Line terminal located at Holtagarðar, Reykjavik in about 45 minutes. On the way to the terminal, we marveled at the black rugged terrain that is ubiquitous in Iceland.

Wandering Rawat Tip: Iceland can be really cold even during summer. Hence, packing coats, gloves, and hats is a very good idea.

We stored our luggage in the lockers at the terminal and embarked upon our first tour – the Golden Circle Classic Tour. The places covered by the tour are some of the most visited sites in Iceland:

Þingvellir National Park    A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Park is the location of Iceland’s parliament from 10th to 18th centuries and is the place where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates split. You can actually walk through the gap between the two plates! At numerous places in the Park, you can see steam coming out of ground due to volcanic activity down below.

Alma

Gullfoss Waterfall    This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. You can walk down a pathway to get close to the waterfall, which is made by the Hvítá River. Up close, you can feel the power of the waterfall as it goes down the narrow Hvítárgljúfur Canyon. It is recommended that you walk quickly to the waterfall so that you have enough time before the bus departs to the next destination. The site boasts of stunning scenery and, if you are lucky, you can see a rainbow over the falls. There is a café near the parking lot which serves variety of soups and snacks. They provide free refills of soup.

Geysir Geothermal Area    This area has hot water springs and steam emanating from all over the ground. The highlight of the area is the Strokkur geyser, which blasts hot water every 4 to 8 minutes.

Faxi Waterfall   The bus makes a brief stop at a vantage point from which you can look at the beautiful Faxi Waterfall which is on the Tungufljót River.

Skálholt Church    This beautiful church boasts of exquisite stained glass windows. You can view vast expanses of landscape outside the church.

Pony Farm    The last stop on the itinerary is a brief stop at a pony farm where you can pet the ponies.

Wandering Rawat Tip: We later realized that we could have loaded our luggage directly on to the tour bus as the tour buses generally drop passengers directly to their hotels/apartments at the end of the tours. This way we could have saved money spent on storing the luggage at the bus terminal.

Day 2 – Reykjavik Sightseeing Tour, Whale Watching and Northern Lights

We divided our second day in Iceland into three small tours – Reykjavik City Sightseeing, Whale Watching and Northern Lights Mystery Tour.

Reykjavik City Sightseeing (2.5 hours)   Reykjavik is a beautiful city with its unique history, culture, and plenty of places to visit. We started the tour from Holtagarðar Gray Line terminal. The tour covered many important sites in Reykjavik:

Höfði    The historic Höfði House was built in 1909 and was the location of the 1986 summit between Mikhail Gorbachev of USSR and Ronald Reagan of US. The summit was a historic event which could be said to mark the end of the Cold War.

President’s Residence at Bessastaðir    Iceland is probably one of very few countries where you can walk right up to the front door of the President’s residence. In fact, the Guide requested us not to knock on the front door!

Perlan Dome    The Dome’s viewing deck allows you to have 360-degree view of Reykjavik. There are shops from which you can buy souvenirs.

Hallgrímskirkja Church    This Lutheran church is the largest in Iceland and is named after Icelandic poet, Hallgrímur Pétursson. It is one of Reykjavik’s most well-known landmarks and has the statue of the famous explorer Leif Eriksson in front of it.

We also passed by Harpa concert hall, Parliament House, and the City Hall. At the end of the tour, we got down at the Bus terminal at Holtagarðar where we quickly ate our snacks and were picked by a Elding Whale Watching driver, who took us to Reykjavik Harbor, which was very near the Apartment we were staying in.

Whale Watching (3 hours) The tour starts and ends at Reykjavik Harbor and takes you to Faxaflói Bay. We were able to spot quite a few Minke whales. If you are lucky, you can also get a glimpse of dolphins, other types of whales, and sea birds. At the start of the tour we were given orange colored overalls which help in not only keeping you warm but also aid in floatation in case of an accident. A guide provided interesting information throughout the tour and also helped us spot the whales by telling us where to look. At the end of the tour, you can visit the Whale Exhibition Centre.

Wandering Rawat Tip: No matter how nice the weather, I strongly recommend wearing the orange overalls as it can get very cold and breezy in the Bay. Also, if you don’t spot any whales, you can request Gray Line to put you on another Whale Watching tour at no extra cost to you.

Northern Lights Mystery Tour (3-5 hours) The tour starts from Gray Line Sales Office in downtown Reykjavik. The bus takes you outside the city limits where the darkness of the surroundings improves the chances of seeing Northern Lights. At the end of the tour, we were dropped off at the Sales Office from where we walked to our Apartment.

Wandering Rawat Tip: Download an app on your phone which allows you to take better Northern Light pictures. Do so prior to your trip. Further, downtown Reykjavik can get pretty rowdy at night time with all the young folks flocking the bars. Attention to surroundings is strongly recommended. If you are not able to see Northern Lights, you can request Gray Line to put you on another Northern Lights tour for free.

Day 3 – South Coast and Waterfalls (9 hours)

This tour, which starts at Gray Line Terminal at Holtagarðar, takes you to some of the best locations Iceland has to offer. It offers countless waterfalls, volcanoes, and streams against the backdrop of sheer stunning scenery.

Skógafoss    Skógafoss, located on the Skóga river, is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. It drops about 60m and often produces a rainbow on a sunny day. The site makes for a great photography location. You can take a path to go near the top of the waterfall.       

Reynisfjara Volcanic Pebble Beach    It’s a beautiful black beach from which the basalt rock stacks called Reynisdrangar can be seen rising from the sea. You can also see a cliff of hexagonal basalt columns on the beach as well as a shallow cave. Ideal for postcard pictures, the beach is teeming with birds. The tour makes two separate stops on the beach.

Wandering Rawat Tip:   The sea at the beach is very choppy; so care must be taken. Also, injuries may occur while climbing the basalt columns.

Sólheimajökull Glacier    The bus makes a brief stop at a location where you can clearly see the distance retreated by the Sólheimajökull glacier due to global warming. The viewing point for the glacier is a 5-10 minute walk from where the bus offloads the passengers.

Þorvaldseyri Farm    Next up is a farm at the foot of a glacier-topped volcano called Eyjafjallajökull. The farm was completely covered by the ash emitted in 2010 by the volcano, which can be seen from where the bus stops. The ash has since been cleared and the land is covered with dense green grass. It was because of this volcano’s 2010 eruption that flights between Europe and America were disrupted for days altogether.

Seljalandsfoss    You can walk behind this 60m-high waterfall on the Seljalands River. Use caution while taking the pathway behind the waterfall as it is slippery.

Day 4 – Snaefellsnes Peninsula and Cave Exploration (11 hours)

The tour takes you across the beautiful landscapes of Snaefellsnes peninsula to Borgarfjörður and offers striking scenery. Stops include:

Ytri-Tunga    The Ytri-Tunga beach is famous for spotting seals and sea birds. The area is very breezy and cold even during summer; hence, bundling up is advised.

Arnarstapi    A stop at Arnarstapi village allows you to take a walk along the shoreline which is stunning with its cliffs. Folks are expected to walk along the shoreline and meet the bus at a location which is different from the one where you are dropped. We did not pay attention to this fact and had to call Gray Line call center to find the location of the bus. Not surprisingly, we were not the only ones lost.

Vatnshellir Cave    This lava tube cave is about 8000 years old. Everyone is provided a helmet and a flashlight before entering the cave. A flight of stairs takes you down about 35m to the floor of the cave where myriad formations provide a feast to eyes. It is a wise idea to go first into the stairs and keep your children behind you. That way you are there to halt their fall in case they do fall.

Kirkjufell    Kirkjufell is a famous symmetrical mountain that rises about the 1500 ft. Near the mountain, is the picturesque Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Day 5 – Blue Lagoon and Departure (Flexible hours)

We vacated our Apartment very early in the morning and took the complimentary shuttle to Holtagarðar Gray Line Terminal. From there, we took a bus to the famed Blue Lagoon. We had purchased our Reykjavik à Blue Lagoon à Keflavik Airport ticket from Gray Line website. Standard Admission to Blue Lagoon is free for ages 2-13 years. We deposited our luggage at the Blue Lagoon front desk after paying a fee of about $5 per piece. We took a small bag with our clothes inside the Lagoon. My bag was too big to fit in the locker; hence, I left the locker open. However, when I returned to the locker room, I was informed that the bag had been kept by the staff for safe keeping.

Blue Lagoon, which is Iceland’s best known tourist attraction, was created in 1976. The 9 million liters of water in the Lagoon is usually around 100°F. One can easily spend 2-3 hours in the Lagoon. Containers of free silica mud are located around the Lagoon. I was able to book a surprise massage for my wife by calling Blue Lagoon from the US!

You have to keep in mind the schedule of Gray Line bus going from the Lagoon to Keflavik Airport. After spending about 3 hours in the Lagoon, we showered, had lunch in the cafeteria, and took the bus to Keflavik Airport for onward journey to the United States.

Wandering Rawat Tip:   When you shower before entering the Lagoon, apply lots of conditioner to your hair and leave it there. This way the mineral-rich water of the Lagoon will not dry your hair. Also, use of sunglasses to stop the glare is recommended.

Folks, this is how we were able to visit many of the popular tourist sites in Iceland in 5 days by bus. Here are some random clicks from our Iceland trip: