Iceland has always been on the bucket list after seeing all the breathtaking images of the landscape, waterfalls, glaciers, and so much more. On top of that, there is a high chance of seeing the Northern Lights, which I have never seen yet.
While booking our flights to Zurich, I came across a 24-hour layover in Reykjavik. Even though I wanted to explore various parts of Iceland for longer, I may not be able to go on the trip until much later on. So, while my husband and I are still young, we figured it would be a valuable experience to see what Reykjavik is like and potentially also catch the Northern Lights!
Additionally, I will mention about renting a car and driving around as that seems to be the best way to navigate Iceland, especially with transit and taxis costing quite a bit. We only rented a car to take us around before and after our Golden Circle Day Tour.
Quick tips: Most places in Reykjavik took credit card. You might keep some cash if you want to tip your tour providers.
Driving in Reykjavik:
- Register for an International Driver’s License beforehand
- There are car rentals at the airport. We were actually able to rent a car super last minute!
- Study up on right-of-way rules and roundabouts
Must-eats: Fresh seafood, skyr (creamy yogurt), if you like lamb then lamb soup, cinnamon bun from some bakeries are famous, pylsur (hot dogs)
Here’s a brief summary of my itinerary:
🗓 FIRST STOP – Airport, Downtown Reykjavik & BSI Terminal
We arrived at around 9:30am and there are usually airport buses that take you to downtown Reykjavik. Our tour’s pick-up spots were only in downtown Reykjavik, so we met up at the BSI terminal about 60 minutes away. We weren’t exactly sure how the airport buses worked and didn’t want to miss our tour so we rented a car super last minute.
On top of trying to get to the meeting spot in time, we weren’t planning to book a hotel as we had to get to the airport at 4am and we also wanted to see if there are Northern Lights. Trying to catch the Northern Lights likely would involve driving, as taking a taxi would be very expensive overnight.
When we arrived at BSI Terminal, we had a couple of minutes left to spare so we walked quickly over to Reykjavik downtown. We grabbed some pastries and a coffee from a bakery nearby. The streets and buildings were so colourful and peaceful!
When returning to the bus stop, we were a bit confused on where to wait for our tour guide. Later, they came out to the departure area and said we were supposed to wait at the arrival side of the bus terminal. Luckily we didn’t miss it! Our tour had about 15-20 people in the mini van and it was quite comfortable.
A 6-hour tour can be quite rushed if you want to check out each checkpoint longer. We could have definitely drove instead of doing the tour, but we were very jetlagged and unfamiliar with the roads.
🗓 SECOND STOP – Thingvellar National Park
The first stop was the Thingvellar National Park, where the Atlantic Ridge goes through Iceland. Usually this is only visible underwater, however, we were able to see it so clearly on land!
Apparently, the plates are moving apart about 2 centimeters each year. We were here for about 30 minutes before venturing off to the next destination.
🗓 THIRD STOP – Gullfoss Falls
One of my favourite stops had to be the Gullfoss Falls. It was so breathtakingly beautiful and I even saw a rainbow on my way to the falls! The falls were very powerful and gigantic, and along with the vast backdrop of canyon, it was truly amazing.
You might get a little wet from the heavy mist, but it felt very refreshing since it was about 20 degrees Celcius. I had totally thought it would be very cold and packed extra layers!
🗓 FOURTH STOP – Geysir Geothermal Area
My next favourite stop was Geysir, which is known for its hot springs. I have never seen something like this before, so I was in awe when I saw the Strokkur shoot up boiling water every 5 minutes or so. A lot of people were just waiting around with their phones out and ready to capture the explosive moment.
I also got to walk through steam that came out of the sulphurous mud pots! That was an extraordinary experience on its own.
🗓 FIFTH STOP – Kerid Crater
Lastly, after a total of several hours of riding in the van, we hit our final stop which was the Kerid Crater. Kerid is a volcanic crater lake in south Iceland and it definitely looked very steep from above. You can walk around it or even head down steps towards the center of the crater, which is what I did.
I enjoyed viewing the crater at various angles and every angle was breathtaking. I just felt so small in comparison to the crater, and being surrounded by gigantic walls!
🗓 SIXTH STOP – Northern Lights Chasing
One of our main items on the Iceland bucket list was to see the Northern Lights. Luckily, we were able to catch them on the plane! I kept monitoring the weather forecast and Northern Lights forecasts many days before the trip. Surprisingly, the day we were flying was actually the strongest light measurements at the start of the season! I took a risk and paid for airplane seats beside the window on the left side leaving from Seattle.
As we flew across Greenland about 2 hours later, I saw the lights! At first, they looked like tapering gray clouds along the atmosphere. When I put my camera to the window, I finally saw the bright green colours! It was so beautiful and I was so shocked I got to witness this rare moment. I was able to see it again a few hours later and this time it had even more shapes.
During the night of the 24-hour layover in Reykjavik, it was extra cloudy, so we weren’t able to witness the Northern Lights on land. We drove about an hour east to see if we could catch it but the clouds blocked the sky. Though I did realize if we booked a last minute tour from 10pm to 3am, perhaps we could have caught them much further to the east. We were too jetlagged at the time to drive two hours away from the city centre.
Overall, my experience on the flight and in Reykjavik was eye-opening. I saw new sights and landscapes that I never saw anywhere else. Some parts of Iceland did remind me of the Pacific Northwest, which made me grateful to be living in such a beautiful region. I aspire to explore the rest of Iceland in the near future and witness the other various landscapes and waterfalls the country has to offer.
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