Iceland: Don't Believe the Hype

"Maybe we're travel weary...perhaps our expectations are too high...possibly we've simply seen too many beautiful places in our travels."

These were the sorts of things we said to ourselves and each other as we traveled around Iceland, especially after week two. We were disillusioned and disappointed because our opinions of Iceland just didn't match all of the glowing words used to describe the country in travel magazines, guide books and personal accounts. Writers gush about the incredible scenery and unspoiled nature and how hip the capital city, Reykjavik, is. Yet...the truth is that our trip was too long, the scenery was not as varied as we had hoped, the people were not very hospitable, customer oriented or friendly and, perhaps most importantly, our vacation was too early in the summer to permit us to do any of the long distance hikes that are the highlights for many tourists.

Godafoss Waterfall

Zvartifoss - (Skaftafell National Park) and Skogafoss Waterfalls




Icelandic Design in the bathrooms and on the waterfront in Reykjavik


Views along the south coast: village and lake and moss-covered lava field



Churches in Reykjavik - Approximately 80% of the population belongs to the national Lutheran church. Incidentally, approximately 80% of the population believe in the existence of elves, trolls and other "hidden folk". Coincidence?


Fish drying rack near the Blue Lagoon and Jokulsarlon lagoon

Stykkisholmur - Modern church, old boats Icelandic sheep

Skaftafell National Park - Lupine is beautiful and omnipresent but an invasive species (first used to stop erosion, now overtaking all native plants)

It wasn't all bad, though. There are some incredibly beautiful spots and we found enormous pleasure in the sheer numbers of birds and the nearly constant companionship of snipes, which have a haunting warble with a sort of kazoo tone. (you can hear it here) We had pretty good weather, which enabled us to save lots of money by camping almost every night at the generally clean campsites with hot showers. Nearly every town has a swimming pool and often the best thing to do in town was to sit in one of the geothermally warmed hot pots at the local pool (ranging from 100F/38C to 111F/44C). Speaking of geothermal activity, one of the highlights of our trip was a tour of the geothermal power plant that provides electricity (using steam) and hot water to Reykjavik.

Geothermal area Namafjall near Lake Myvatn

Volcanic area at Jokulsargljufur NP and geothermal area at Krysuvik

Something like 85% (or more) of the country uses hot water from the earth in their home and greenhouse (where they exist) heating systems and for normal (untreated) hot water. This means that the hot water in the showers smells like sulphur (rotten eggs) and is full of minerals. When you take a hot shower (and they can be VERY hot!), you often feel like you aren't getting clean because the water leaves a slimy feel on your skin. It takes a while to get used to.

We visited all of the geothermal areas we could find and always enjoyed the gurgling mud pots, steamy pools and mutli-colored soils in the land surrounding these features. We were enormously disappointed with the overly-touristy Geysir area - not because it was touristy (we expected that), but because it was so small. The original geyser, Geysir (for which geysers have been named) is no longer active. There is a smaller, but very regular geyser there so at least they don't have to rename the area!

Hverfell Crater

Hiking the rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and Europe's most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss

As for other tourist attractions, we tried to stay clear of them. Iceland tourism is set up in two sectors, independent travellers with rental cars and bus tours. At big attractions, like Geysir and the Blue Lagoon Thermal Spa (which is on everyone's "MUST DO" list), busloads of tourists are regularly disgorged and herded around. With a price tag of nearly $30 (22 euro), we decided that all the other hot pots in Icelandic swimming pool complexes had satisfied us enough to skip this most famous one. And this is the crux of tourism in Iceland for non-wealthy people - making choices. The hype was correct about one thing - the prices. Iceland is incredibly expensive, especially for people traveling on the US dollar (fortunately, we were not). In order to stay for three weeks, we limited ourselves to camping, preparing all of our own meals and making enough coffee to fill a thermos to last throughout the day. What we didn't skimp on were museum and swimming pool entry fees.

The fantastic chef likes to be comfy while cooking

Here are some sample prices:

• Camping: $8 to $13 (6 to 9,50 euro) per person, per night
  


• Hostels (the cheapest lodging option): $29 to $32 (21 to 24 euro) for a dorm bed using your own sleeping bag
  

This swarm of midges typical for the area around Lake Myvatn (which means "Midge Lake") was the reason for our guesthouse expenditure.

• $96 (72,70 euro) for a double room for 2 people in a guesthouse or hostel - NOT a hotel!
  


• Swimming pools: $5.60 to $10 (4 to 7,70 euro) per person
  


• Fish dinner for two with soup, one beer and a glass of wine in a moderately priced restaurant: $85 (63 euro)
  


• Whale watching - 3.5 hours: $63 (46,50 euro) per person

Minke whale in the fjord near Husavik

• Museum entry: $8 to $10 (6 to 7 euro)

Hraunfossar

Despite the high prices, the less than hospitable people working in the tourism sector and the constant wind (not too many guide books point out this fact of Icelandic life), I must admit that when I look at many of the photos that Michiel took, I have to say "Wow, that is beautiful!". Indeed, if you are a waterfall fanatic, a bird lover, an Icelandic/Scandinavian design buff or a geothermal guru and you don't mind a little "chilliness" from the locals, perhaps we CAN recommend Iceland to you :)

I think I should rename this post, "Iceland, believe the hype, but only with caveats". Doesn't make for a very good tourism marketing slogan, does it?