Iceland Roadtrip: Tips & Info
Tips & Important Information
Make sure you know the exchange rate well and take out money from the bank rather than the airport. After a long flight, we were exhausted and I decided to take out money when we landed because we were planning on driving straight to the Golden Circle. I assumed 100 000 isk would be reasonable to take out for the week (exhaustion and making quick decisions is not a good mix). Long story short, I ended up taking out $1100 cad (as my rent back home was due that week), freaking out, and driving into Reykjavík to get to a bank - hoping they’d help me return some of it into my account. We slept in a grocery store parking lot across the street to wait for the bank to open, to be told that they can’t put the money back and that it’s better to just keep it. Ultimately, it worked out because we ended up splitting it between us and we budgeted it out so we used cash for most of our purchases, rather than our credit cards. Regardless, it was definitely one of my biggest moments of stupidity and a learning experience to not make rash decisions when half asleep (ha!).
Driving around the entire island is not for the faint hearted. I highly recommend renting a car because having the freedom to wander and make your own schedule lets you truly experience every aspect of the country. However, I don’t say this lightly…if you are not an experienced and confident driver (in various weather conditions), do not attempt to drive the whole trip during the winter. I consider myself a very confident driver, coming from Canada. I have driven in snowstorms, high winds, heavy rains, and so on. And yet, Iceland had some terrifying moments. I had huge panic attacks trying to drive on edges of cliffs heading towards the north, in a few feet of snow, with extremely strong winds and ice pushing our car side to side, with trucks flying down the hill… when an hour prior there was no snow on the ground (a classic scenario in Iceland). You can feel the raw and overwhelming power of nature, the unforgiving terrain around the mountains and ocean. It’s not necessarily always like this but the drive is unpredictable at this time of the year. That said, I don’t want to discourage you from driving, I am just identifying the most extreme parts of the trip. If you’re not comfortable in these conditions, I still recommend driving around the south, the lower part of the east, and the west (closer to Reykjavík). These areas are relatively tame and an easy drive, just make sure you drive carefully or hold off on driving when the wind speed increases, and keep an ear out for weather conditions. There are also many single lane bridges (some with poor visibility) and many narrow roads.
Get a 4x4 if you are planning on driving around the island and doing self tours. Iceland has many F-roads that lead to beautiful locations (roads that can be dangerous: very rocky, steep, and slippery) and these 100% require a 4x4. These roads were closed when we went because the weather was still quite snowy and unpredictable. However, we did get our fair share of difficult driving on the open roads and the highway. Our southern and eastern stretches were pretty smooth (besides the wind), but we did encounter some REALLY rocky roads leading to some of the attractions (e.g. Svínafellsjökull, as mentioned in the previous post). In the north, since we were hit with some bad winter conditions, it was very slippery due to the high amount of snow and steep ridges.
Once again, I would highly recommend Go Iceland Car Rental. They were honest with us on what we needed, and gave us tips on how to have a safe trip. And they were very helpful and accommodating when we ran into our issues. The only problem we had was the fact that the emergency phone number in the car did not work, so hopefully this has been fixed since.
Be extremely careful with the wind. The wind is seriously no joke, especially in the south and on the east coast. We were warned by our car rental company that if we don’t hold onto our car doors, they can fly off (as this is known to happen – yikes). The wind can get so bad that it physically moves your car around. Be cautious and stop somewhere if it is getting too strong – safety is not worth keeping up with a schedule.
Get good car insurance. First, read over all of your car rental information and make sure you are well prepared. We got the standard collision damage waiver that came with the package, which was defined as “lessee is fully responsible for any and all damage to the car with the self-risk 350 000 deductible” (third party coverage and personal accident insurance). We are confident drivers and were not too worried about getting into any accidents. However…
Fun little story for you:
We were extremely careful with our car - holding our doors when opening, staying away from other cars, and staying away from any damaging or potentially dangerous spots. We always parked a significant distance from other cars, but it all caught up to us in the lovely town of Vik (three days into the trip). We stopped at the busy little grocery store/café off the highway. We parked on an entirely empty gravel area, far away from the rest of the parked cars. We went in for some coffee and groceries and when we came back we noticed that the couple that parked beside us happened to be a little too close (even though there were empty spaces along that entire lot). It made us a little uncomfortable but we didn’t think much of it. Fast forward an hour later, we arrived at our hostel and what do we notice upon exiting our car? Two scratches and a small dent from someone who obviously didn’t take the wind warning very seriously.
We had full trust in ourselves (the rest of the trip was safe and sound), but unfortunately we didn’t think of how others might affect us… which was with a nice hefty bill of 61,000 ($800 dollars CAD) - this was only because we were honest and the wonderful guy we dealt with at the rental office tried to help us out by removing the tax. Moral of the story: invest in good insurance ahead of time because in an unpredictable country like Iceland, you don’t want to take a chance.
Bring a CD with your own music and/or bring an aux cord. You lose a lot of radio channels as you travel around the island, due to the range. There are a few channels that do often cut out and come back, but we noticed that there was A LOT of talking. I’m telling you, they would talk for a good 15 minutes straight before playing a song. It was a blessing when a few songs would play in a row. A lot of them didn’t speak much English either (naturally), so at times it essentially just became background noise for us.
Everything actually is very expensive for tourists. Just to put into perspective, on our “budget trip” we spent a combined 100 000 isk (1100 CAD) in cash on our seven day drive (this includes: gas, groceries, a few restaurant meals, and one of our hostels that we still had to pay), and another few hundred on our credit cards (parking costs, groceries, souvenirs, a couple of meals out, and our hostel in Reykjavík for two days).
For Canadians, Visa’s service charge is 2.5%, on top of the conversion (one Canadian dollar was 76 Icelandic krona). If you plan on frequently travelling and using your card, it’s wise to opt into credit cards that have features such as: travel rewards, no foreign exchange fees, and travel insurance (especially in expensive places like Iceland).
Gas cost about 203-210 isk/L for 95-ostane gasoline (about $2.06-2.30 cad). We drove a Suzuki Jimny and it cost us 5000 -10 000 isk per fill up ($55 - $110 cad).
Make sure your gas tank is always full (or at least close). There are times when you are around several gas stations in the same vicinity and then there are times when you leave a town and you are driving hours to your next destination, with literally nothing around you but the land. Something I also noticed that’s good to keep in mind, when you finally reach the entrance to certain attractions, you still have another 25-30 minutes of driving to the actual location you’re looking for (often on bumpy roads).
*I.e. refer back to the Hofsós story from previous post
Almost everywhere has Wi-Fi (even in a camping retreat in what seems like the middle of nowhere and inside a shuttle bus). If you ever get lost or need to find some information, hop into the nearest open facility.
You don’t really need to bring much cash. Every store, restaurant, gas station, parking meter, guesthouse, and small shack takes credit card (literally everywhere, except some gas machines apparently). It’s always good to have some cash just in case though. For example, when we stayed at the horse farm and the family offered us horseback riding and dinner for a great price that we couldn’t pass up. We personally liked having a good amount of cash on us because we didn’t want to rack up our credit cards.
Keep a simple budget written down in your phone. For anyone on a budget, you know how important it is to not overspend - to avoid struggling afterwards. I created a document in my phone and wrote down literally every single expense on a daily basis (including the smallest items, such as coffee). I created an approximate amount that we would need for each item, on each day - such as gas, groceries, leisure, etc., and kept track of exactly how much money we used (and how much was left over). This was extremely helpful because it reminds you that you don’t have an endless supply to spend and a few times when we were tempted to spend money on something we didn’t need, we realized that we could use that money for something more important later.
Download your maps when you have WiFi and make note of any alternate routes you might need to take. This one is kind of a given but don’t forget to download any directions (and any specific details) you might need, when you have internet. Make sure you have an entire map(s) of Iceland on your phone and on paper in your car (a map is usually in the glove compartment your rental). Sometimes, the route you are planning on taking may change because of weather conditions or just simply, a change in plans.
D0’s & Don’ts
DO get gravel insurance as part of your car rental package. We picked the most basic plan when we rented our car online from home. When we landed in Iceland, the guy that greeted us from Go Iceland Car Rental advised us to at least upgrade and purchase gravel insurance because almost always, cars will get damaged by flying gravel. This was the best last minute decision we made because there are some really bad gravel roads in so many places! Our windshield actually chipped twice on the first day when trucks passed us.
DO NOT stop on the side of the road or beside entrances of attractions to take photos. The Ring Road is the long highway that stretches around the entire island, and there are many grooves along the way that allow you to pull in and stop safely. Every corner of this country is breathtaking and it is easy to become enthralled in your surroundings. However, a lot of the time it is hard to see what is in front of you, as the roads wind up and down a lot. Even on the flatter sections, you have to factor in that many cars are driving quite fast (people like to pass each other a lot here), the wind is very powerful, and the highway is not very wide. Many people get injured or killed every year because they park their car and get out to take photos. So, just because it looks quiet and deserted, doesn’t mean a car isn’t coming in hot from behind.
DO stop when you see a safe place to pull over. The best places can be found on a whim! Some of our best photos are from stopping randomly.
DO NOT speed. Make sure you are cautious on the road and staying within the limit; there are hidden cameras all over the roads (even in vast-appearing areas), and you won’t know until your car rental company charges you for a speeding ticket(s) at the end. We met a group of people whose friends experienced this misfortune.
DO stay with the locals when you can. Some of the most genuine moments of our trip were our conversations, experiences, and meals with the kind hearted people that hosted us. We got to know Iceland in a deeper manner and learned about some of the backstories to the land and the lifestyle. The hostels were pretty fun too (and super affordable).
DO NOT test boundaries or climb over restricted areas. Many tourists get injured or die every year because they end up somewhere they shouldn’t be. Most of us adventurers love to occasionally test boundaries to find and explore the best places (I know I do), but this is not the country to do it in. Edges aren’t stable (rock slides and avalanches do occur), the wind has the power to physically move you, ice will break off glaciers and sweep you away with them, and waves will pull you into the rip current.
DO bring LOTS of snacks from home (high in protein), and tea/instant coffee. It will save you some money if you are on a budget. A small cup of coffee seemed to be about 300 - 500 isk ($4-5 cad) everywhere – that’s $45 at the end if you buy just one every day! This will also keep you going while you drive long hours with nothing in sight. Also, buy groceries for the majority of the trip, rather than eating out. Of course, you want to ensure you are buying food that is high in carbs and protein if you are planning on having action packed days like we did.
*Check out the grocery store ‘Bonus’ – it has a quirky little logo and it is an affordable option!
On that note,
DO bring some Tupperware and Ziploc bags with you from home. We made a huge pot of pasta one night, which we were able to use for dinner the next night after our long drive. We had to stuff it in a big Ziploc bag that we reused, since that was all we had (it was quite the sight).
Why Iceland isn’t just for the summer
We heard a few times: “why are you going in March?”, “it’s so cold”, “it’s not green yet”, “there is still snow and ice everywhere”.
Don’t let comments like these discourage you from visiting the country as it is transitioning! It becomes an entirely different world in the summer, but there are many perks to visiting in the colder months - as long as you are prepared. Not to mention, it is much more affordable than the summer months.
Now, why visit in March?
As the country is slowly transitioning into the spring season, it is your last chance to still experience the winter attractions and nature’s breathtaking events.
The Northern lights are still visible if you get lucky with the right conditions. You see many photos floating around the internet of this phenomenon, but nothing truly compares to seeing with your naked eye, the billions of stars and the lights dancing all around you in their prime.
You can still tour the ice caves inside glaciers at this time of the year (we unfortunately did not have the time and budget to do one of these tours but are looking forward to experiencing it in the future).
Everything is absolutely magical when it is covered in ice. We see so many stunning images of Iceland in the summer, but there is also something so serene about the way the ice merges itself so seamlessly into the terrain, creating beautifully glistening earth portraits.
There are many tours provided in Reykjavík, in which they take you out on viewing expeditions (i.e. guided ice cave walks). We can’t vouch for the tours, as we focused on our self-drive experience, but the companies provide a lot of information online and onsite in a building downtown. They are also very accommodating. It is important to keep in mind that when you go out on a Aurora Borealis tour or a whale watching expedition, there is the chance that you will not see anything. The companies understand this and will often reimburse you, or offer you another complimentary time to go out again (noted from experiences of people we met at our hostel in the city). Also, important to note is that if it is too windy on a day you have a tour of the attractions in the South or the Golden Circle, there is a potential of it getting cancelled.
I hope this gives you a little bit of perspective on how to stay safe and get the most of your trip to Iceland - there are certainly tips in here that I wish I knew ahead of time!
Photo by Veronica Racanelli