Today we explored Reykjavik. We were surprised by how small it is given it is the capital city. We started with the obligatory pic on the Rainbow Road, and then picked up a couple of cinnamon buns from the famous Braun and Co, and OMG it did not disappoint. It was fresh, hot and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! We stood there in the street and devoured those babies in about 5 minutes flat. We are already plotting a return visit tomorrow before we leave on our road trip.
We also checked out the Saga museum which gave us a bit of the Icelandic history, visited the Hallgrímskirkja church and checked out some local shops. Leigh bought a beanie made by a local Icelander.
The rest of the day was prepping for our 2 week drive of the Ring Road.
Sunday, 11th October 2026
Today we drove the "Golden Circle" route and were so lucky to have beautiful weather the entire day.
First stop was Thingvellir National Park which is a culturally significant site for Icelanders.
It has the oldest parliamentary structure in Europe, dated 930 where leaders of the various clans met to discuss political key issues and resolve disputes. It is also known for being located on the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Each year, the tectonic plates grow apart by 2 to 3 cm. We also did a walk to the Oxararfoss waterfall.
Our second stop was Bruarfoss which was one of the most beautiful waterfalls we have ever seen in real life. The water has the most amazing aqua blue colour due to the microscopic glacial particles.
Our third stop was at Strokkur Geyser which is a famous fountain-type geyser which erupts every 3-5 mins. We weren't sure what to expect but it was a pretty amazing sight. We saw a couple of huge eruptions and some other smaller geysers and it all looked so beautiful against the afternoon sky. The last eruption was especially huge and completely drneched all of us standing in front.
Our next stop was Gullfoss, a thundering two-tiered waterfall.
The final stop of the day was the Kerid Crater which is a 6,500-year-old volcanic caldera featuring an aquamarine lake surrounded by steep, red rock slopes. We walked around the outside of the rim and noticed how the colours changed depending on the sun's position.
What a great first day on the road!
Wednesday, 14th October 2026
We are holed up in our little apartment in Hofn waiting out the weather, so here is an update of our last two days.
12th October - Selfoss to Vik
Today was ‘foss day ie waterfalls!
First stop today was Seljalandsfoss which is a beautiful big waterfall that you can walk behind. About 10 mins along a path from here was another ‘hidden’ waterfall called Gljufrabul - not so hidden anymore given the long line waiting to get in! The waterfall is inside a canyon so only a small group at a time can enter via the narrow opening which then opens up into the canyon. Both were beautiful!
Next up was the Skogafoss waterfall which was used in the filming of Game of Thrones. We got right up close and personal and played with it like the kids at heart we are! We left completely drenched and happy!
We dried off, had some lunch and then headed to the Skogar museum which was really interesting and then headed off to another waterfall, the Kvernufoss, which felt like we stepped into lord of the rings land. It was another one where we could walk behind the waterfall but we managed to stay pretty dry this time.
Our final stop today was at the glacier Sólheimajökull, which again was something completely different and unexpected.
We also managed to get pretty lucky again with the weather today but we’ve been told that really bad weather may be coming in 2 days - possibly the worst in 60 years! So that’s a worry. We will see what forecast says tomorrow and decide whether we need to change our plans.
13th October - Vik to Hofn
We went for an early morning walk to the black beach Reynisfjara as soon as it was light. It had a very moody feel about it with the black sand and grey sky and ocean. It was very different to the beaches we have in Australia!
We then stopped in to the crepe hut in Vik for one of their famous crepes - nutella, banana and chocolate wafer biscuits. It was a very rich and decadent brekkie but we thoroughly enjoyed it!
Given the weather forecast, we decided to leave Vik a day early and head to Hofn to avoid having to travel on the bad weather day or get trapped in Vik. We stopped to check out some moss heath then continued on to the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon which was formed over thousands of years by erosion from glacial melt. We hiked up to the top to see a gorgeous waterfall with views that looked as though they came from a fairytale.
It was a beautiful drive to Hofn with multiple waterfalls thundering down cliffs and massive glaciers along side of road as we drove.
Our final stop for day was at Diamond Beach. It was mind blowing how beautiful it was. We had a gorgeous sky and the rain stopped for us to enjoy a stroll along this gorgeous beach.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before!’
Thursday, 15th October 2026
Today we did a five hour glacial hike and ice cave tour. This was one of Leigh’s choices. It was very tough hiking over the ice but I’m glad I did it as likely never will again! We saw the most beautiful blue ice caves. The pics don’t do them justice.
Saturday, 17th October 2026
We had an early start this morning and drove to the Studlagil Canyon. This was one of Leigh’s bucket list things she wanted to see and we were lucky to have it pretty much to ourselves. The canyon is made up of hexagonal basalt columns formed by the slow cooling and contraction of thick lava flows during volcanic activity. The water wasn’t the vivid blue that you see in summer months but it was still a beautiful sight.
We continued driving towards the north west and the landscape started changing again - we were surrounded by snow capped mountains. We stopped to do the one km hike in snow and ice to see Dettifoss. We were worried we might miss out on seeing this one as the track and road are not always accessible at this time of year. Thankfully Lani thought to bring crampons with her so off we trotted through the snow and ice to see the beautiful waterfall.
We then stopped at Hverir which is Iceland’s most active geothermal area and is described by some as like being on Mars. It definitely looked very different to the snowy place we had left half an hour before and was extremely stinky from the sulphur steaming up from the ground.
We arrived at our cabin accommodation on a farm beside Lake Myvatn and enjoyed a nice aperitif before checking in. There was a hot tub right outside so we had a little dip - it’s so nice being in hot water when it’s cold outside.
We had a look at the dinner menu on site but a starter soup was $46 and main meals were $80-100. Like everywhere in Iceland, food is so exy! So we went to the supermarket and bought stuff to have a girl dinner. Perfect! 😊
Sunday, 18th October 2026
First stop today was a brief one at Grjotagja which is the cave where Ygritte and Jon Snow hooked up on game of thrones. Unfortunately rocks have fallen to block the entrance so we could only have a squiz from outside and then looking down from above.
Next up we climbed the Hverfjall volcano in 66km per hour wind. That was an adventure! Leigh almost got blown off the top but Lani and I managed to rescue her and our weights combined kept us on the top rather than toppling into the crater! Unfortunately the beanie Michael recently bought for Leigh and her hair band were sacrificed to the volcano goddesses but we figure that was a fair exchange for our survival! Fun times 😳
Our next stop was the Dimmuborgir lava fields. We did a one hour walk around the lava formations to the one called ‘the church’ which was pretty cool. We also had a soup lunch there. The soup was unlimited and since 3 serves cost over $100 we decided to get our fill. Leigh and I managed 3 bowls and 4 slices of bread (we got to try the underground baked rye bread which was something different).
We had planned to go to the earth lagoon for some geothermal bathing but unfortunately the winds had cooled the usual 36 degree lagoon to a rather chilly 24 and it was looking very unpleasant outside so we decided to give it a miss and will look at alternative options over the coming days.
Monday, 19th October 2026
Today was a travel day to Blonduos. First stop was at Godafoss which was a magnificent waterfall which reminded me of a smaller Niagara Falls.
We then stopped in at the northern town of Akureyri for lunch and a wander. The red stop lights at all traffic lights here are in the shape of love hearts which we all thought were very cute! Leigh and Lani played the tourist and stood in the middle island to get a photo while I pretended not to know them. 😜
The rest of the drive was spent admiring the 360 degree view of snow capped mountains.
Wednesday, 21st October 2026
Yesterday was a travel day for us, with just the one stop at Kolugljufur Canyon with a run of waterfalls known as Kolufossar, before arriving in Stykkisholmur and settling into our accommodation for the night.
I had seen on my Aurora app (that I have been checking daily since we arrived) that Tuesday night would be a very good chance of seeing Auroras at our location so once it was dark enough I was constantly checking out the window and we were not disappointed. It was quite the amazing show, we were mesmerised. 😍
We decided to drive a loop of the peninsula today - the drive along the western coast was just gorgeous with ocean views and snow capped mountains in the background. It was a sunny day so we decided to make the most of the good weather by seeing as much as we could before it got dark.
Our first stop was Kirkjufell which was a beautiful waterfall with background mountain views. Next stop was Djúpalónssandur, which is a black pebble beach featuring historic shipwreck remains and lifting stones. Next up we stopped at the Lóndrangar basalt plugs and Anarstapi for some views of cliffs and sea caves.
We then climbed the Helgafell mountain. Legend has it that if you climb the mountain in complete silence and without looking back, the mountain will grant you three wishes. So we had to give it a go! We weren’t sure Lani would be able to get up the mountain in silence but she surprised us - the will for wishes was strong enough to override any instinct to chat! 😜
Our final stop for day was a walk to Súgandisey Island which is up a basalt cliff right by the harbour and had beautiful views looking back to the town of Stykkisholmur.
Friday, 23rd October 2026
Yesterday we checked out the local pool which is part of the daily lives of Icelanders. There was an indoor and outdoor heated pool, two hot tubs of different temperatures both geothermal heated and two saunas. Very relaxing morning and we had the entire place mostly to ourselves.
And the Auroras were out again last night, lots of nice swirly lights!
Today was our final travel day to complete the Ring Road loop and it was a beautiful sunny day. We stopped at Porufoss which was our final ‘foss’ or waterfall for the trip.
We arrived in Keflavik and went for a walk along the water and around the harbour before enjoying some classic Icelandic food - a hot dog for me and fish and chips for Lani and Leigh.
Saturday, 24th October 2026
Today we went to the Blue Lagoon, which is a famous geothermal spa located in a lava field. The water is a light milky blue colour and stays at a temp of around 38 degrees year round. It includes a swim-up bar, silica and algae mud mask area, saunas and steam rooms within caves. We spent a few hours enjoying the spa, it’s so massive that it was easy to find our own quiet spots to relax. It was a beautiful day for it too with a gorgeous sunset as we were heading off.
Tomorrow Leigh and I say goodbye to Lani, who is going back home to Canada, and head to Norway! (click the flag below)
