6 days 5 Night Iceland Itinerary - Self drive in Winter + Downloadable PDF

Didn’t managed to witness the beauty of northern light while I was in Finland in 2015, thus H & I decide to add a trip to Iceland and try our luck. After our trip to Switzerland, we flew to Iceland from Basel Euro Airport.

Thankfully we managed to catch one this trip. Out of the 5 nights in Iceland, we managed to see one. I still remember clearly that night was the night before the snow storm. The skies is clear and i could see a million of stars in the sky. The magical light was dancing in the sky. Although it look better in pictures than real life, i thought it was better than nothing. Read tips for self drive in Iceland here

Summary
Day 1: Airpot - The Blue Lagoon - Mar Guesthouse
Day 2: Þingvellir- The Great Geysir- Gullfoss Falls- Welcome holiday home
Day 3: Fjaðrárgljúfur - Jökulsárlón- Pakkhús Restaurant @Hofn -Lilja Guesthouse
Day 4: Skaftafell National Park - Ice cave- Seljalandsfoss-Country Hotel Anna
Day 5: Reykjavik city- Hallgrimskirkja - Bergas Guesthouse


Day 1: The Blue Lagoon

We got our Sim card from the airport and collected our car for the trip. First up, to the Blue Lagoon! Some says the blue lagoon is amazing while some says it is over rated. We got to experience it ourselves. Here are the things you should know before visiting blue lagoon 

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The pretty Blue lagoon is a geothermal spa that is supplied by water used in the nearby geothermal power station. The water are rich in minerals and is said to help nourish the skin. Plus, there are free silica mud mask that helps to exfoliate the skin.

It was freezing while we were there. Thus, it feels shiok good to be in the water. Plus, the warm water definitely help to loosen up our muscle. The only thing that is deterring us from revisiting the Blue Lagoon is definitely the steep price and crowd. Will we be back the next time? Probably, once is enough.

Accommodation: Mar Guesthouse, Grindavik

Day 2: The Golden Circle

The next morning, we set off to the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle is a popular tourist route in southern Iceland that stop at Pingvellir National Park, The Gullfoss waterfall and Geysir can be covered in a day. If you are not planning to drive, there are many day tour available from Reykjavik city.

Þingvellir

Walking along the plates in Pingvellir is one of the thing that impressed me the most. These tectonic plates still move 2.5cm a year. Although earthquake continue every day in Pingvellir, it is too minor to be felt.

The Great Geysir

We set off to Geysir and found ourselves in a small town of south iceland . The Great Geysir would erupt up to 30m high these days. Due to underground plumbing system, the ground water comes into contact with hot bedrock and heats up, building pressure.

Gullfoss Falls

Last of the 3 attraction in the Golden Circle, was Gullfoss fall. The waterfall is multi-tiered and has a tremendous volume of water flowering over it. Among the golden circle attraction, this got to be my favourite. The spectacular sight is memorable.

Accommodation: Welcome holiday home, Evyvindarholar

Day 3: Southeast of Iceland

Fjaðrárgljúfur

Located in the southeast of Iceland, we set off to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. The road to Fjaðrárgljúfur is not easy. I remembered clearly that H had to drive slowly and carefully along the narrow road.

Thankfully the view made up for it. We hike up and had an amazing view from the top. Plus, there were hardly anybody. Trip like this makes me think and reflects.  Justin biber shoot his music video – I’ll show you at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. Yup, another reason for Biber fan to visit.

Jökulsárlón

We set off to Jökulsárló, a lagoon formed from the meltwater of glacier. We walk along the coast and found many ice bergs floating around. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are really huge. Wouldn’t it make a great Ice Ka-chang?  Needless to say, we were mesmerized by the beautiful sight. Especially the shade of blue. Opposite of Jökulsárló, there is a Diamond Beach that one can visit.

Pakkhús Restaurant @Hofn 

Before the sky turn dark, we set off to the dinner place – Pakkhús Restaurant in Hofn. Famous for the fresh catch in the region, We were there for langoustine aka Icelandic Lobster. Unlike the ones we see in Asia (Usually big size), the langoustine we had was small and prawn-look alike that lives in the Atlantic Ocean.

We ordered the Catch of the day & Langoustine to share. Honestly, the Langoustine is really good. & It comes with a generous portion with Langoustine tail baked in cream. The lobster is fresh and taste good on its own. On the other hand, the cream served together did not cover the lobster taste and had a buttery taste. Yums!

H’s Catch of the day did not disappoint too. It comes with a salad at the side, bread and grilled fish. It was fresh and perfectly grilled. The sauce is similar to the Langoustine we had and goes really well with the fish.

Accommodation: Lilja Guesthouse

Day 4: Skaftafell National Park & Ice cave

Skaftafell National Park

We went to Skaftafell National Park in the morning after missing our tour ice cave tour. Spent 1 hour exploring and hiking the park. Unfortunately, there are not much things to see in Winter.

Ice cave

We booked a tour for ice cave and it was one of the highlight of the trip. After equipped with the right gears, we set off to the nature. Our guide shared with us the ice cave they bring visitor to is different every year. Also, they have to keep a look out of caves that is suitable for visit. Although the ice cave tour is 20 mins out of the 4 hour trip, it was worth it! Next, we spent some time out exploring the snow-covered mountain with views of glaciers.

Definitely a lifetime trip to remember. There are many ice cave available in that region. Remember to do your research and find which is the easiest meeting point to go. We didn’t so we end up having to have a long drive.

Seljalandsfoss

Stop by Seljalandsfoss before we called it a day. It is 65 meter tall and beautiful from far. I could feel the drizzle even from far. Honestly speaking, there are many waterfall in Iceland but each is beautiful and unique on its own. One can even visit the path behind the waterfall. Unfortunately, it was close during winter.

Accommodation: Country Hotel Anna

Day 5: Reykjavik city

Our initial plan was to visit Kerið while on our way back to Reykjavik city. Unfortunately, due to snowstorm the night before, we had to leave our accommodation later than planned. On our way to Reykjavik city, it was snowing heavily and the route was closed. We had to take a detour and drive along the coastline for about 5 hours instead of the original 2.5 hours direct route. Nonetheless, we were fortunate to head back to Reykjavik city to catch our flight

Hallgrimskirkja

The largest and tallest church in Iceland, this modern Cathedral church took 41 years to build. It was design in a way to resemble the trap rock formation of mountain and glaciers of Iceland’s landscape. Plus, the church organ has 5275 pipes. Definitely the best place to host an international festival of organ music. Read here to find out more

Accommodation: Bergas Guesthouse, Keflavik

Day 6: Goodbye Iceland

We set off to Amsterdam the next morning. Iceland is well kept in its raw state. Rustic and yet beautiful! Winter in Iceland is definitely an experience and I can’t wait to be back during autumn! Unfortunately, we If time allow, we would add another 2 days to explore more attraction.

Hope it helps!

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You can download the free itinerary here
Read tips for self drive in Iceland here