We took an overnight flight from SFO to Rejkavik and arrived at 11am local time. The flight was more like a party bus, so we arrived a bit sleepy and jetlagged. Thankfully our adventure adrenaline kicked in and carried us through the day.

I usually like to take public transit, but renting a car made more sense for all the hikes on the itinerary. I had to relearn how to drive a manual, but I only stall the car when Aaron is trying to take a sip of water. Or when sheep cross the road unexpectedly 🐏. Gas costs about $8 a gallon.

Our first destination was Glymur falls, the tallest waterfall in Iceland and a tricky hike over slick rocks and steep cliffs. I almost turned back when I saw that the only way to cross a river was to wade halfway than climb on a log for the last five meters. Aaron pointed out a cable stretched across the river so that we could hold on to for balance. I’m glad we kept going. The waterfall was only visible at the end and the terrain was a fun challenge to climb.

There are waterfalls everywhere! This was an unnamed roadside waterfall.

Thingvellir National Park. This is the divide between the North American plate and the Atlantic plate. Also the original location of Icelandic government.

Seljalandsfoss. The waterfall you can walk behind.

Skogafoss. The waterfall by itself wasn’t too interesting, but the hike beyond it was stunning!

Thermal bathing pools. There are a few natural bathing pools that are heated by hot springs, but they cost $30 per person. These were free! We hiked a very scenic 2 miles to get here.

Keriod Crater. This was formed by a collapsed magma chamber. Easy walk.

Geysir. Not too sulphuric and frequent eruptions.
Gulfoss: the river waterfall.

Iceland was beautiful to drive around and extraordinary to hike. However, it was very expensive. We ate ham sandwiches and Cheerios for three days to save money. We thought about getting a beer from the market for our last night, but it was $18 a bottle.