The best part about Iceland is that everywhere you look, you’re completely mesmerized by the scenery around you. In Iceland, it’s truly never about your destination, it’s about the incredible scenery you get to take in throughout your entire road trip–from start to finish.
The third day of our trip was quite possibly my favorite because it was packed with so many incredible waterfalls. We continued driving counter-clockwise around Iceland’s ring road, passed by epic green mountain scenes, fields full of baby sheep and we hiked into majestic scenes I’m still dreaming about.
BREAKFAST: We started out our day bright and early with a traditional Icelandic breakfast at our hotel in Litli Geysir. There was a plethora of smoked salmon, eggs, cereal and breads. Many Icelandic people really do live off of the land because there are so many farms and very few grocery stores to be found.
If you’re a pescatarian like me, remember to stop at small grocery stores if you do see them along your journey (some bigger towns do have them!) so that you can pack your car with snacks (we bought tons of rice cakes and peanut butter)! My hubby, Phil, was able to eat tons of meat and loved Icelandic food. It wasn’t as easy for me but I made it work!
HELLA: We set out for Hella, a small town in southern Iceland. There wasn’t too much to do there but there was a gas station we could stop at for snacks and even extra (Icelandic wool) gloves. Gas stations in Iceland are like mini grocery stores so use them to your advantage!
SKOGAFOSS: Next we drove out to Skogafoss, an amazing waterfall you can’t miss! You can see the waterfall from the side of the road and as you get closer, you realize how massive it is. You can park in a lot right off the road and walk right out to it. You can actually hike behind the waterfall, which is pretty incredible. Just make sure you dress appropriately and cover your cameras in plastic because you will definitely get wet.
SELJALANDSFOSS: Next, we headed to Seljalandsfoss, an incredible waterfall that took our breath away. The waterfall itself is enormous and it’s surrounded by beautiful green rolling hills and pastures with the cutest sheep for days. You can climb all the way up to the top of the waterfall in about an hour. The views from the top are incredible but the stairs to get up there are very steep so it’s a definite work out. There’s a great restaurant near the waterfall for you to grab a quick bite at after your hike. It also provides wifi which is a big plus!
GLACIER SNOWMOBILING: From Seljalandsfoss, we drove to one of the highlights of our trip: we went snowmobiling on a glacier. When Phil signed us up through Adventure Snowmobile Tours a few weeks before our trip, I’ll admit I was kind of nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I had never been snowmobiling, let alone on a glacier. I’m so thankful we did this tour because it was hands-down one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
The snowmobiling company provides you with everything you need to stay safe and warm: a very “Orange Is the New Black” snowsuit, boots, a face mask and helmet. They put you on a giant bus with huge wheels and they drive you to the top of a nearby glacier. It’s a bumpy, icy road to the top but it’s beautiful and pretty amazing. The snowmobile ride itself is such a dream. The guide takes you into the clouds and all you can see is the sky and the snow in front of you. After our amazing ride, we drove to Vik, an incredible black sand beach in southern Iceland. We walked around this area and then made sure to drive around to check out all different views as well. These black sand beaches were formed by volcanoes and they’re absolutely exquisite because they’re completely untouched and peaceful.
Thankfully, since it stayed light in Iceland all night, we didn’t have to rush ourselves to leave the beach. We took our time and eventually drove about an hour to Hotel Klaustur. It was in a quaint little town that sort of felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. The hotel was perfect for our purposes–it had a great restaurant which we were happy to see after such a long day of driving and sightseeing. I think we fell asleep minutes after hitting our pillows.