3 days in Iceland

A Last Minute Trip- *map included

Iceland wasn't our first pick. In fact, it wasn't in our minds at all, until a week beforehand when we found out our road trip plans would be interrupted by a string of storms strong enough to deter our hiking hopes in the western part of Norway. Having come to the conclusion we wouldn't put to waste our time off and needing to exist in some form of nature or another, we began to brainstorm. When comparing the cost of our current road trips to the prospect of a quick Iceland excursion.. it didn't seem such a terrible plan.

Priorities

We only had 3 full days. This meant we had to be focused and intentional with our plans, and given our already massive amount of impulsiveness, we agreed to keep it as frugal as possible. This meant we would take advantage of Iceland's cheapest form of accommodation, camping. With goals set we rented a car with the help of northbound

Seeing an active volcano has been a dream of mine since childhood, and as luck would have it about three weeks prior to this trip, a new volcano had begun erupting only half an hour from the airport. So goal number 1 was already set for us.

After some research Elise found goal #2: Fimmvörðuháls, a mighty ambitious hike to which we gave no hesitation.. though maybe we should have.

Length: 26km

Elevation gain: 1400m

I won't go into detail, but you can read more here. Other than that?? stopping at whatever piqued our fancy along the way.

Day 1:

Upon arrival our first goal was to get our car, a simple matter of finding a shuttle provided by the car rental company. If you arrive and expect the driver of your shuttle to be waiting at the designated meeting point, you may be disappointed when you find out that they may not arrive for a while because they have been picking up less patient and more resourceful travelers who have found where the shuttle arrives. I recommend you do the same to save yourself some time and frustration.

Vehicle acquired, food and snacks were next on the menu. Kronan and Bonus will be your friends when it comes to a cheap and of everything you might need.

The Active Site

This was our first destination and the most exciting for me. Molten rock and a little bit of danger? Yes, please, and thank you. This was the newest eruption site in the world, it had just begun around three weeks before we arrived.

The site was a part of the Fagradalsfjall Volcano in Reykjanes, southern Iceland. Two places I had never heard of until approximately 4 days before we arrived.

Now, you might get overwhelmed by the myriad of trails and parking lots to pick from if you're scouting out this area, as I did. It get's even more confusing since the region is constantly changing. The best thing you can do for yourself is to check Safetravel beforehand as they are updated daily. Trails might be closed, changed, etc.

We opted for Trail E as it was the closest you could get to the current eruption site.


Distance: 18km

The trek was long, dry and dusty, but well worth the dirty coating. We were able to approach within reach of the active lava flow. The landscape was scorched. Whirlwinds emanated from the molten flow thanks to the difference in temperature between the lava flow and surrounding air.

This was a life goal of mine, to witness a live eruption. The sound and smells of shattering earth and liquid rock are unforgettable. 10/10 would risk suffocation by various gases again.

Hrunulaug Hot Spring

Next up was the Hrunalaug Hot spring. I had researched beforehand how this was a secluded, family owned hot spring, only requesting cleanliness and a kind donation for your visit.

This is no longer the case. As it seems the 'secluded' destination is that no longer. You're now met with a $20 fee to enter. While they have added a surprisingly luxurious set of changing rooms, the semi-crowded nature and cooler temperatures of this pool mean that I wouldn't recommend the visit and detour.

Camping at Skogafoss

Conveniently enough, the starting point for our next day hike would also double as our rest stop for the night. Skogafoss has an impressively large campground attached. We arrived late, but that was no problem as they allow paying in the morning. Someone will walk around and collect payment. It was sometime around 8:00 to 9:00 am.

Day 2:

The first morning was already off to a horrible start. My sleeping map and pillow failed overnight, both deflated, waking me up on and off the last 4 hours of the night. My night totaling around 4 hours of sleep. I was not ready for the 26km hike ahead of us. A camping reservation was awaiting us in Thorsmork.

Though we woke up early, we didn't start our ascent until around 10:30.

The hike begins at the steps overlooking Skogafoss. From there you'll pass 25 more waterfalls. Each more beautiful than the last. I'm convinced I'll never see a more beautiful waterfall in my life. After this you'll come to a flat, and desolate volcanic landscape. A small triangular white hut will be your only oasis. Located at the midway point of this trek, you can purchase snacks and water while you rest in preparation for the more dramatic portion of the hike.

For us, the white hut was a turning point. We had originally planned to hike back the next day. It was quickly becoming apparent that there was no way in hell we could brave this hike 2 days in a row. We decided a 4x4 bus would be our fallback.

anyway...

Phase 2 will take you between two sand and ash covered glaciers, and a lava field before coming to the most amazing viewpoint. As it turns out this lava field was related to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull back in 2010.

Since we had left later in the morning, we were treated to the sunset as we made our way down into the river valley.


The Campsite

Our first goal and only goal was to locate the campsite we had made our reservation with. Which, as it turns out was a further 6km beyond the end of the trail. At this point the sun had set, we were well and far beyond the line of exhausted and decided to forego our reserved campsite. Any piece of flat ground would do.
And it did.

Day 3:

Upon waking up we checked the availability of the buses leaving Thorsmork. According to all of these sites. (such as Southcoast Adventure) Fully. Booked. We had no backup. The camp reception was not set to reopen for another 2 hours. We sent emails to all of the bus companies that we could. Then, waited.

While starting breakfast, the email arrived. The next bus had space.. leaving in 1.5 hours, 6km away.

Camp was still set up. so we had to move fast to pack up and find out where to go.

It was a blur, hectic, asking directions, keeping a brisk pace over the temporary bridges spanning the river, through the forest.

WE MADE IT.
Just enough seats, we bought our way on. The bus couldn't take us all the way, but it would get us out of the middle of nowhere and allow us to catch a public bus back to our car in Skogar.

Now with a half a day more than we anticipated, we decided to see one more sight, the black sand beach.

The night ended with dinner in Reykjavik and a nap in a gas station parking lot before catching the early flight home. On about an hour sleep it would be a long trip.
Worth every lost second of sleep.