We just came back from a visit to another world, or how other humans call it, Iceland.

I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect about this trip. I am not the usual nature adventures girl and so I was a bit skeptical at first. But boy, was I wrong.

Iceland surpassed all my expectations. In fact, I am in love! In love with a country that has everchanging landscapes, other worldly scenery and yet, very empty cities. Full waterfalls and many glaciars still thriving. High winds and colourful rainbows. How could one expect to see so much in such little time? We had planned 5 nights and 6 days in Iceland, and we would do it all over again.

Come with me on this itinerary through the South of Iceland, and replicate it whenever are ready. Shall we?

DAY 1 - THE THINGVELLIR RING ROAD

‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise’ , said Benjamin Franklin once upon a time. He was right.

To enjoy these holidays the most, an early start is recommended. There will be a fair bit of driving everyday to get from one location to another, and so we suggest starting your day a bit earlier than your usual holiday to ensure you can pack in as much as you can.

07:30AM: A good injection of caffeine (or tea!) at Reykjavik Roasters and pair your hot drink with a pastry from Bread & Co is highly recommended before you are set to start your drive.

First stop: Thingvellir National Park (~50min drive from Reykjavik). After a very windy roadtrip to the start of the so-called ‘Ring Road’, you’ll land yourself at the national park. In here you can take the Almannagja walk through continental plates, where North American and Eurasian plates are actively moving apart. There are a few walks you can take from the visitor center, we took the footpath to the waterfall Oxararfoss (~45min roundtrip) and it was lovely.

After this we drive to Strokkur and the Gullfoss Falls (~50min drive). Walk around this active geothermal area and wait for the geysers to erupt. You’ll likely see Strokkur (the Churn) erupt but might have to wait some time to see Geysir (the Gusher) spit its load. Worry not, these tends to take place every 10 minutes, so it is not much of a wait!

From there you can take a short drive (~10) to Gulfoss Falls, or ‘Golden Falls’. You get quite an impressive and up-close view to this waterfall, and on a rainy day, you will see a rainbow! The view is quite breathtaking as the waterfall has a 21 meter drop.

It is now time for lunch time and we suggest the famous tomato greenhouse Friedmar as our preferred choice. This is a lovely family run restaurant inside the greenhouse that produces ~40% of iceland’s tomatoes. Needless to say the whole menu is inspired in tomatoes: tomato beer, tomato cocktails, tomato soup and tomato mains. All paired with free flowing excellent bread. You are in for a treat! Pro-tip: book your slot before hand to ensure you have a table ready for you. It’s quite a famous spot. We booked the 3pm slot which was perfect to give us enough time to sightsee before eating.

After lunch, you can drive to the Kerid Crater before your last and most exciting stop of the day. A hike to the natural hot springs of Reykjadalur. Note that this hike takes 2 hours roundtrip so plan your time accordingly. It’s worth the walk, don’t miss it.

It’s now time to head home for the day. Our recommendation is to stay in Selfoss, and if you are looking for where to stay, we highly recommend SKOLO apartment. There’s a lovely bakery nearby (GK Bakery) where you can buy bread and pastries in the morning and a great restaurant if you want to go out for dinner called Tryggvaskáli

DAY 2: WATERFALLS DAY

Start your day by driving to Urridafoss (~15min) before you get to Seljalandafoss (~45min), a waterfall of 60meters drop that you can walk through. Gljufrabui is also a 10 minute walk away and it is fun if you want to get yourself into the canyon to see it at its full glory.

A short 25-min drive will then land you on Skogafoss, my favorite waterfall of the day and the entire trip. I really hope you go on a sunny day as the rainbow that can see whilst taking in the view is otherworldly. Climb up the starts to see the drop from a different angle and endure in a hike through the canyon. Even if you don’t want to walk too much, we encourage you to take a few steps away from the waterfall as the views from the canyon itself are quite breathtaking.

Recommended spot for lunch (next to the Skogafoss): Mia’s Country Van Fish & Chips was probably the most incredible fish & chips I’ve ever tried. That good.

We are now on the road again on the way to Vik. It’s coffee time at the SKool Bus Café, which we recommend you stopping by even if you don’t drink coffee. They have other drinks and this spot is very original.

We spend the sunset at Sand Beach, a black beach with basalt columns and cliffs that oversee the Hálsanefshellir Cave. If you pay enough attention to the water you may even see some seals saying hi to you.

Time to head back home for dinner & sleep: Our recommendation either of these two lovely cottages in Kirkjubajarklaustur (this one and this one). These are a bit secluded but nevertheless magic and on the way to Skaftafell. Pro-tip: these home have a BBQ so make sure you buy some food (and everything you need in general) in Vik (that’s the closest supermarket, ~50min) before driving to the house.

DAY 3 - GLACIER TOURING, HIKING AND CLIMBING

You’ll have to wake up early to make everything happen, but we recommend that you try to do it all.

07:00AM Drive to Jokulsarlon Glacier (~2h). Whilst this may sound like a boring drive, we loved it. The landscape changed at least 3 times whilst we were driving so we were certainly entertained as we listened to tunes along the way.

First stop: Diamond Beach, a black sand beach that has the remainders of some of the icebergs from Jokulsarlon glacier. Given the clarity of the ice, they resemble diamonds.

After a leisure walk in the beach, see the glacier up close with a zodiac boat tour. Whilst amphibious boat tours are also good, the zodiac is the only tour that will get up close to the glacier and icebergs and you’ll be pretty much alone during the trip. We used Arctive Adventures and loved it. Pricey ($95) but worth it. Also this experience must be booked few weeks in advance or else it will be fully sold out.

Following the boat tour we drove for ~30min to meet the guys from Troll Expeditions, which took us on a 4h journey through the Vatnajokull glacier, which sits on top of a volcano. We decided to take the hiking and climbing tour and it was one of the most memorable activities from the trip. Even if you don’t climb, this is highly recommended (and must be booked in advance as well!).

If you still have energy for more, then we suggest a 2hr hike to Svartifoss, an spectacular waterfall with basalt columns.

Recommended dinner spot: Systrakaffi

We came back to our lovely secluded cottage to sleep (same as the night before).

Pro-tip: If you have extra time, you can extend this journey into two days. There are a few canyons and waterfalls along the way that we missed. And quite a few trails on the Svartifoss area.

DAY 4: RELAX AND UNWIND

We had heard about the abandoned plane and after many friends visits and disappointments, we decided to skip it. Instead, we spend our morning searching for hot springs and yummy food. We drove back to the ring road and visited Hrunalaug Hot Spring ($10 entry), the cheapest and most local Hot Spring. It use to be an old barn to wash sheeps. Now people get bath in it instead.

Whilst this place is super cute and worth seeing, we felt the water wasn’t as warm as our previous hot springs in Reykjadalur. Nearby there is also Secret Lagoon ($30 entry), one of the oldest geothermal pools with a spouting geyser. This place also has showers and a bar, so depending on what you fancy may be better suited.

If you want a fancier experience, then you also have Laugarvatn Fontana with a spa, though feels more like something you could get anywhere else. We nevertheless visited this spot and ended up going on a small visit tour of the facilities where they show you how they make Rye bread from the hot volcano soil. This is not a must, but if you are nearby is a cute experience.

Our last stop before we went back to Reykjavik was the hike to Bruarfoss. There are two ways to get there: the official is a 3hr hike that goes from the official bruarfoss parking through several waterfalls until you get to bruarfoss. The unofficial goes from a residential area and takes ~30min road trip. In order to do the lazy route we took you just need to type “bruarfoss” on google and it will drive you to a residential area. You will have to park your car unofficially and just start walking. It probably is less pretty than the official route but if you are pressed for time it will get you to the waterfall quickly.

Dinner time was served at Rok back in Reykjavik. However, Kol also had great following whilst we were there.

Celebrate the beautiful days in nature with a Rye bread icecream from Café Loki and a nightcap at Vedur. Live music and whiskeys are also served at Dillon.

DAY 5: CULTURE DAY IN REYKJAVIK

Another leisure day with an infusion of entertainment included. Our top picks:

Breakfast at Sandholt. You will literally want to eat everything on the menu (and on show at the bakery!)
Walk through the hip streets of the city center, stopping by Hallgrimskirkja (the striking concrete church) and walking through rainbow street Skólavörðustígur
Take in the latest exhibition at Reykjavik Art Museum (Hafnarhus, modern/ contemporary art) and stop by Fischersund, an scent shop set up by artist and musician Sigur Ros.
Lunch at Mat Bar for a change in cuisine (it’s Middle Eastern!)
Drive your way out of the city for some furry fun at Höfuðstöðin, where you can see Shoplifter’s installation that debut at the Venice Biennale in 2019. You can also have drinks after the exhibition in their little café.
Treatyourself for dinner at Tides at The Edition Hotel or alternatively BRUT, a wine bar cum restaurant also worth stopping at.