Link to Photogallery at bottom of page.
Leaving Bermuda on Jet Blue to JFK on July 14, we connected with Icelandair and landed at Iceland’s Keflavik airport at 6:00am on July 15th. Masks were mandatory on the flights due to FAA rules, but Iceland lifted all covid-19 restrictions in June and walking off the plane to a mask free society was a breath of fresh air. Having suffered under despotic covid regulations for 18 months it was as if we’d arrived in a parallel universe. Transiting through the airport was a breeze. There were hundreds of people in line for immigration and we were through in 15 minutes. Like other countries Iceland requires visitors to register & complete on online pre-entry form, for which you are issued a barcode to show on arrival. After passing through customs it took 3 minutes for our barcode and vaccination certificates to be checked. After spending some time in duty free, we were through the airport in 45 minutes. The joy of being mask free was blunted somewhat by the weather being cold & rainy.
We pre-booked a car through Blue Car Rentals and unlike some other car rental companies, it was an extremely stress free and altogether pleasant experience. Because we hadn’t planned on transiting the airport so quickly we had to wait 30 mimutes or so for our car to be ready. We had a 3 hour drive to our first hotel and had planned on stopping at a supermarket and shopping centre to buy supplies and a sim card. What we hadn’t planned on was that the shops didn’t open until 11 am. Fortunately there was a bank open so we used the ATM to get Kroner and were offered a cup of coffee which we gladly accepted. At eleven we made our purchases, including a Simmin card with data & 50 free calls and texts, so as not to incur roaming charges. The journey to the Hraunsnef Country Hotel near Bifrost was straightforward and uneventful. Dining options being limited to the hotel, we made a reservation for dinner at 6 o’clock. We both had the 2 course special consisting of warm smoked salmon salad followed by roast lamb @6,500Kr. The hotel is also a working farm, and all produce is locally sourced. The salmon was smoked on site and the lamb was the best I have ever tasted, it literally melted in the mouth. “Entertainment” at dinner consisted of a rather large seagull taking the last duckling from it’s mother & devouring it in one gulp. It was heartbreaking but all part of the circle of life. After dinner we took a walk up the hill behind the hotel.
Day 2 July 16: Local sightseeing. The weather was pretty grim. Windy and showery. No rush to get out. Our first stop was to be Husafell but after stopping at Grabrok crater we decided to head back down Rte 1 to Borgarnes for supplies and commence our day’s activities on the way back. We stopped at Reykholt and Hraunsfoss and tried to get to Langjokull Glacier but road conditions prevented it. As it was getting late & we had a dinner reservation at 7 o’clock, we headed back to the hotel. Burgers (veggie for Gwyn) & chips.
Day 3 July 17: Bifrost to Bildadulur. The sun came out and shone on us all the way to Bildudalur. Our first stop was Glanni waterfall just off Rte 1 at Bifrost. Not tall but a nice falls in a lovely setting. The drive to Bildudalar on Rte 60 was spectacular but not without it‘s challenges. The map shows the road as being all asphalt. It is not. There is one particularly long stretch up and over a mountain between two fjords that is particularly bad and positively scary in places. The scenery is breathtaking but no pull-in places to take pictures so we only have our memories of it. We also made the mistake of taking a shortcut via Rte 63, instead of following Rte 62, which turned out to be 36 km of potholes down the side of the fjord to Bildudalur - it did cut 40km off the journey but saved no time at all and may have even taken longer. The irony is that we had to drive it again in 3 days to get to Isafjordur! We received a warm welcome at the Harbourside Inn and after checking-in, had a short stroll before having a fish & chip dinner at Vegamot - it may be the only restaurant in town but the fish & chips were excellent. The Polish chef came out for a chat - he had worked in England so we found some things in common to chat about. In fact, one of the things we noticed this time around was the number of migrant workers (Poles, Romanians, Philippinos) working in the hospitality & retail industries.
Day 4 July 18: Sightseeing. The weather was windy & wet so we didn’t rush breakfast but decided to stick with our itinerary of Latrabjarg bird cliffs and Raudasandur Beach. As per usual the driving took longer than expected as once the asphalt ended the road was pretty bad. The weather hadn’t improved any so the cliffs, though impressive, were difficult to traverse. The drive to Raudasandur was even more treacherous as visibility was no more than 30 yards in places and the drop-offs were a bit scary. We didn’t stay long at the beach but on a nice day it would be very picturesque. We made a photo stop at the black church but aside from that we didn’t get out of the car. The return journey was equally perilous. Tried to find a grocery store at Patreksfjordhur but everything looked shut so headed back for another meal at Vegamot. Burger & a basket of fries!
Day 5 July 19: Sightseeing. Once again the weather wasn’t great and being tired of driving we decided to stay local, so after breakfast we drove 24 kms along Rte 619 an unpaved road at the southern edge of the fjord. To our surprise the road passed several white sand beaches. The road terminates at the reconstructed cottage home of sculptor Samuel Jonsson where there is a car park and toilets. We parked and hiked a mile or so beyond stopping for a picnic lunch at the edge of the fjord. After a leisurely drive back it was time for another fish & chip supper at Vegamot!
Day 6 July 20: Bildudalur to Isafjordur. The weather had improved dramatically and after saying goodbye to the Harbourside Inn we headed along Rte 63, which didn’t seem quite so bad this time around, to Rte 60, which was also unpaved, on the 160km trip to Isafjordur. After a brief stop at the hot pool on Rte 63 – where there were already 2 couples enjoying the waters - we stopped at Dynjandi waterfall, which was indeed impressive, despite what appeared to be several social media influencers doing yoga poses beneath the falls! It was not until past Dynjandi that the road changed from gravel to asphalt. After a brief stop at Flateyri and the oldest bookstore in Iceland we checked in to our accommodation for the night at Solheimer Apartments in Isafjordur. The apartment was very nice, fully equipped, with a small but nice garden and a view of the mountains across the fjord. It was a real sun trap and as we arrived our neighbours for the night were enjoying the afternoon sun. As we were only staying the one night we headed straight into Isafjordur for a quick look about. To be honest it wasn’t very impressive, although to be fair the scenery is the draw and the town being a base for exploring the region appeared to have all the necessities without many frills. We stocked-up on drink at the Vinbudin and bought groceries at Netto and Bonus. The apartment had an assortment of hand-knitted Icelandic hats and Gwyn bought one as we checked-out.
Day 7 July 21: Isafjordur to Drangsnes. As we would be staying in self-catering accommodation for the next two nights, another brief stop at Bonus was called for before heading out of town along Rte 61 for the 305 km drive to Drangsnes. The weather had turned again, the wind had picked-up and the temperature was a good few degrees colder. After stopping a couple of times for photos and at the Arctic Fox Centre in Sudavik, and Seal Watch, we came upon Litlibaer, a super cute little house/cafe just past Seal Watch, where we had coffee, and shared waffles and “happy marriage cake’’. The house is a time-warp filled with old pictures, curios and a stuffed arctic fox, and all the cakes and preserves are homemade. Warmed and replenished we continued on to Drangsnes. In all honesty the drive was not as picturesque as I had imagined. The road for the most part runs along the edge of the fjords rather than up and over the hills. Having time to kill before checking-in to our accommodation we detoured into Holmavik for a quick look around and were glad that we had decided upon Drangsnes for the next couple of nights. Our accommodation for tonight was a studio with private bathroom at Sunna’s Guesthouse. It was comfortable, fully equipped with a nice bathroom but being on the ground floor beneath the owners residence it had a sort of ‘bunker’ feel to it, with small windows and no view. Not wanting to cook, we quickly discovered that there was only one option for dinner and despite the owner not being very happy that we weren’t staying there, we secured a reservation at Malahorn. Having it in mind that I would have the lamb, we were talked into choosing the fresh Halibut that the chef had just got in. We should of course have known better. It was good, but as expected cost more than anything else on the menu! And, to add insult to injury, the lamb looked delicious!
Day 8 July 22: Drangsnes to Djupavik. We would be staying another night on Drangsnes but at Hvammur Cottages, so we took Rte 643 along the fjord to Djupavik, a small fishing port with an interesting old Herring Factory. The weather was again cold and rainy and the unpaved road made for a difficult drive. In better weather it would have been very picturesque. Arriving in Djupovik we were pleased to see a sign outside the Djupavik Hotel offering free coffee. Clearly everybody else had seen the sign as it was buzzing. They also had a big pot of soup and rustic bread on offer, and so as it turned out 2 free coffees and one bowl of soup ended-up costing $25. Still, we were glad to enjoy the ambiance and be out of the weather for a bit. The Herring Factory was quite interesting and, although the main building housing the old equipment was shuttered, several of the younger visitors found a way to climb inside. We contented ourselves with the art exhibit in the open part and in one of the old tanks. A pretty waterfall cascading down into the fjord and an old wreck provided additional interest. Of course, like most places in Iceland, the draw is the hiking, but sadly not on the day we visited. Our accommodation, Hvammur Cottages #3, a small wooden chalet with a private hot tub, was just off Rte 643. On the way we had passed Holsfjall, a small canyon and waterfall, and so after checking-in we returned for a short hike before settling in for the night and partaking of the hot tub.
Days 9 - 14 July 23 to 28: Drangsnes to Reykjavik. Waking to rain we had a leisurely breakfast before repacking the car and heading to our final destination. We had thought about taking Rte 941 along the fjord and joining Rte1 at Stadur. However, as 941 was mostly unpaved and the weather pretty miserable we opted for the slightly longer but faster asphalt paved Rtes 61 and 60, joining Rte 1 east of Bifrost for the 300+ km drive to Reykjavik. Except for a short detour to Akranes for coffee, it was a straight run to Reykjavik and our accommodation for the next 3 nights, the Hotel Leifur Eirikssen. Our room, in a building across the street from the main hotel, was very basic but large and had a great view of the Hallgrimskirkja. The bathroom, on the other hand, was tiny, barely big enough to fit the toilet, open shower and postage stamp wash basin. After checking-in we returned the car to the Blue Car Rental office in Reykjavik, the walk back taking approx. 30 minutes.
Day 10 July 24 - 29: Reykjavik. The plan was to spend 3 nights in Reykjavik, getting our pre-departure PCR tests on Saturday and flying out on Monday to Boston. What’s the saying about best laid plans? On Saturday morning we discovered that we were not able to fly through the U.S. as Covid regulations prohibited travel from Europe. Panic stations ensued as we would have to re-route through the UK. Luckily we were able to buy one way tickets on Icelandair to London and obtain mileage tickets from London to Bermuda on B.A. Icelandair also gave us a voucher for the unused Keflavik-Boston leg, and we got a voucher on Jet Blue from Boston to Bermuda. The only downside or upside was that we couldn’t fly back to Bermuda until Thursday. Not wanting to spend 3 nights in London, we would have to overnight at Heathrow on Wednesday in any case, we opted to spend another 2 nights in Reykjavik. We were able to defer our PCR tests until Monday which counted for entry to both the UK and Bermuda. Not being able to extend our stay at Leifur Eirikssen allowed us to discover the Kvosin Hotel where we stayed the extra two nights. The contrast between the two hotels was like night and day. We had a ‘bigger’ room in the Kvosin with small kitchenette, Nespresso coffee machine, separate sleeping area and large bathroom. Surprisingly, it wasn’t much more than we had paid at Leifur Eirikssen, although it did include breakfast whereas Kvosin was room only. Reykjavik is an easy city to walk around if a little hilly with many good bars and restaurants. Although they can be expensive most have extended Happy Hours with cut price drinks. On a recommendation we discovered the Bastard Bar, had fish & chips at Reykjavik Fish and discovered a fantastic bakery for breakfast pastries. On the Wednesday we bought a multi ticket for the Culture House, National Museum at Sudurgata and the Sigurjon Olafsson Museum. The Culture House was perhaps the most interesting.
On Wednesday morning we got a pre-arranged taxi to Keflavik (via Booking.com), stayed at Sheraton Skyline near Heathrow and flew to Bermuda the next day.
A note on the covid testing center in Reykjavik. We booked through the travel.covid.is website. The center is a couple of miles from downtown and even though we walked there and back a taxi would be well worth the fare. You need to book and pay for the test online and receive a barcode via email. Even though you have to book a specific time/day, you can turn up on any day and time. You can however only use the barcode once, so if you need a retest you have to book and pay again. When we arrived the line stretched for a good 300 metres around the building, however it moved quite quickly and we were done within an hour. We needed a PCR test which can take up to 36 hours for results but if you only need an antigen test the process is a bit quicker and results are ready in 30-40 minutes. I believe there are now a couple of other options for antigen testing in Reykjavik.
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