Iceland in Juni - reservations required?

Martina Diel wrote:

: my boyfriend, two friends and myself plan to go to Iceland for 2 weeks in
: mid-June.
: Our itinerary is as follows:
: We start in Akureyri, take the coastal road to the east fjords, then head
: south and finally end our trip in Reykjavik. (We plan to go with a rental
: car)


: What are your experiences? Do you think it's realistic to go on the trip
: without reservations, or would you recommend making reservations during
: that time of year?


Hallo,

I spent one (gorgeous!) summer/autumn in Iceland in 2001 and travelled
quite much during that time, mostly on weekends. I would say that when you
are travelling in countryside, it is not necessary but it could be a good
idea to book accommodation some hours before sleeping time since even
though there are quite many places to stay there, distances are sometimes
long. I don't remember ever reserved anything but at the same day. On
weekends, of course, there are more Icelanders on the road and it is busier
everywhere. (I only have had difficulties to find a place to sleep when we
were travelling in September, and very many guesthouses had already closed
for the winter season.) There should be coin-operated phone-boxes at gas
stations to call from. In almost all the places I've been, somebody has
spoken English.


When in Akureyri, get a brochyre called 'Accommodation in Iceland' and other
one called something like "Farm accommodation in Iceland", they both should
be available at tourist information. I found both enormously helpful. They
have phone numbers and some information (if there is a kitchen available
etc.) of the places and you can see on the map whereabout they are situated,
which helps quite much to plan your route and timetable.

Buy also a good map there. The one with scale 1: 600 000 is quite okay. It is
very good to know beforehand if you have to drive 50 kilometers of a gravel
surface road.. Some roads are numbered as Fxx. That means they are mountain
roads an can be impassable without a jeep.

Sleeping bag accommodation costs about the same everywhere it is an option
(a symbol used for sleeping bag accommodation in 'Accommodation in Iceland'),
between 1500-2000 ISK I would say.

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to Dettifoss at
least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel surface, consider of renting
some big car which makes that easier to drive and travel.

Of your route. I was not quite sure what you meant by 'coastal road'.
Besides the quite obvious Myvatn area, I warmly recommend, however, Husavik
and Asbyrgi national park. Actually, I recommend whole Jokulsa-river area, even
though I haven't visited it all.. I would like to.

Hope this helps - even though you did not really ask all of this.. I
hope you find Iceland as wonderful I have found it!



r, allu
--

Eila J A Myllyla wrote

Thank you very much for your help.

I spent one (gorgeous!) summer/autumn in Iceland in 2001 and travelled
quite much during that time, mostly on weekends. I would say that when
you are travelling in countryside, it is not necessary but it could be
a good idea to book accommodation some hours before sleeping time since
even though there are quite many places to stay there, distances are
sometimes long. I don't remember ever reserved anything but at the same
day.

That's good news.

On weekends, of course, there are more Icelanders on the road and
it is busier everywhere. (I only have had difficulties to find a place
to sleep when we were travelling in September, and very many
guesthouses had already closed for the winter season.)

I think in mid-June most guesthouses should be open.

There should be
coin-operated phone-boxes at gas stations to call from. In almost all
the places I've been, somebody has spoken English.

That's what I've heard, too.

When in Akureyri, get a brochyre called 'Accommodation in Iceland' and
other one called something like "Farm accommodation in Iceland",

We already have the latter and will get the other one asap.

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to Dettifoss
at least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel surface, consider of
renting some big car which makes that easier to drive and travel.

We plan to drive only on "good" roads with the rented car and take the bus
for day tours, e.g. to Dettifoss.

Of your route. I was not quite sure what you meant by 'coastal road'.

"Coastal road" is not the exact term. I mean the road marked "1" in this
map http://home.kcore.de/~kiza/iceland/i...celand-map.jpg

Besides the quite obvious Myvatn area, I warmly recommend, however,
Husavik and Asbyrgi national park.

We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is right south
of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

Actually, I recommend whole
Jokulsa-river area, even though I haven't visited it all.. I would like
to.

That's what I called "Joekulsargljufur national park", isn't it?

Hope this helps

Enormously. Thanks again for your posting.


- even though you did not really ask all of this.. I
hope you find Iceland as wonderful I have found it!

I'm quite sure we will.

Greetings,

Martina

Martina Diel wrote:

Eila J A Myllyla wrote

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to
Dettifoss at least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel
surface, consider of renting some big car which makes that
easier to drive and travel.

We plan to drive only on "good" roads with the rented car and
take the bus for day tours, e.g. to Dettifoss.

Dettifoss should be reachable on the east site with a normal car
(yes, bad road).
You may decide on the day itself, and by looking to road and
weather conditions if you should take a bustour or your own car.

Besides the quite obvious Myvatn area, I warmly recommend, however,
Husavik and Asbyrgi national park.

We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is
right south of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

Asbyrgi is part of Jokullsargljufur national park. The first time
I was at Asbyrgi I walked to the end of the canyon. It didn't
impress me much. Just an Icelandic wood. The second time I climbed
the "rock island" at the start of the canyon. From there you have
a great view on the shape of the canyon which makes it much
more interesting. Starting at the campsite this hike took me less
than two hours (return).

--
Michiel Erens

Iceland pages at : http://home.wanadoo.nl/erens/iceland.htm
Email address at : http://home.wanadoo.nl/erens/icecontact.htm
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

Martina Diel wrote in message ...
Eila J A Myllyla wrote

Thank you very much for your help.

I spent one (gorgeous!) summer/autumn in Iceland in 2001 and travelled
quite much during that time, mostly on weekends. I would say that when
you are travelling in countryside, it is not necessary but it could be
a good idea to book accommodation some hours before sleeping time since
even though there are quite many places to stay there, distances are
sometimes long. I don't remember ever reserved anything but at the same
day.

That's good news.

On weekends, of course, there are more Icelanders on the road and
it is busier everywhere. (I only have had difficulties to find a place
to sleep when we were travelling in September, and very many
guesthouses had already closed for the winter season.)

I think in mid-June most guesthouses should be open.

All hostels, guesthouses, Edda hostels etc open between mid-may to mid
june, some stay open all year round.

There should be
coin-operated phone-boxes at gas stations to call from. In almost all
the places I've been, somebody has spoken English.

That's what I've heard, too.

When in Akureyri, get a brochyre called 'Accommodation in Iceland' and
other one called something like "Farm accommodation in Iceland",

We already have the latter and will get the other one asap.

Another nice one is "Around Iceland", in addition to listing
accomodation it also has info on what to see and where, telephone
numbers etc.

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to Dettifoss
at least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel surface, consider of
renting some big car which makes that easier to drive and travel.

We plan to drive only on "good" roads with the rented car and take the bus
for day tours, e.g. to Dettifoss.

You can drive on all the roads in Iceland (as long as you are not
going in the interior) on the smallest size cars. The big four-wheel
drive things are no better on the gravel roads and easily become
death-traps to the unwary tourists if something happens.
You just have to slow down in time, do not brake in the loose gravel,
keep to the side of road when meeting another car.

Of your route. I was not quite sure what you meant by 'coastal road'.

"Coastal road" is not the exact term. I mean the road marked "1" in this
map http://home.kcore.de/~kiza/iceland/i...celand-map.jpg

All roads in the normal road system are fit for the any size cars, you
just have to be careful in situations that you are not used to.

Besides the quite obvious Myvatn area, I warmly recommend, however,
Husavik and Asbyrgi national park.

We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is right south
of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

To get to Jökulsárgljúfur the easiest way (and mostly paved one ) goes
thru Húsavík.

Actually, I recommend whole
Jokulsa-river area, even though I haven't visited it all.. I would like
to.

That's what I called "Joekulsargljufur national park", isn't it?

Hope this helps

Enormously. Thanks again for your posting.


- even though you did not really ask all of this.. I
hope you find Iceland as wonderful I have found it!

I'm quite sure we will.

Greetings,

Martina

Have a good time in Iceland.

Michiel Erens wrote

Martina Diel wrote:

Eila J A Myllyla wrote

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to
Dettifoss at least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel
surface, consider of renting some big car which makes that easier
to drive and travel.

We plan to drive only on "good" roads with the rented car and take
the bus for day tours, e.g. to Dettifoss.

Dettifoss should be reachable on the east site with a normal car
(yes, bad road).

That sounds good. :-)

You may decide on the day itself, and by looking to road and
weather conditions if you should take a bustour or your own car.

Yes, that's exactly the flexibility we wanted have when we decided to
spend the money for the car.


We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is
right
south of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

Asbyrgi is part of Jokullsargljufur national park.

Oh, I see.

The first time
I was at Asbyrgi I walked to the end of the canyon. It didn't
impress me much. Just an Icelandic wood. The second time I climbed
the "rock island" at the start of the canyon. From there you have
a great view on the shape of the canyon which makes it much
more interesting. Starting at the campsite this hike took me less
than two hours (return).

Thank you very much - sounds like we will try this.

Greetings,

Martina

(Sigvaldi Eggertsson) wrote

Martina Diel wrote in message
...
Eila J A Myllyla wrote


When in Akureyri, get a brochyre called 'Accommodation in Iceland'
and other one called something like "Farm accommodation in Iceland",

We already have the latter and will get the other one asap.

Another nice one is "Around Iceland", in addition to listing
accomodation it also has info on what to see and where, telephone
numbers etc.

I will try and get it via the internet.


We plan to drive only on "good" roads with the rented car and take the
bus for day tours, e.g. to Dettifoss.

You can drive on all the roads in Iceland (as long as you are not
going in the interior) on the smallest size cars. The big four-wheel
drive things are no better on the gravel roads and easily become
death-traps to the unwary tourists if something happens.
You just have to slow down in time, do not brake in the loose gravel,
keep to the side of road when meeting another car.

We are not in a hurry, so it should be no problem to go slow and enjoy the
landscape.


We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is right
south of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

To get to Jökulsárgljúfur the easiest way (and mostly paved one ) goes
thru Húsavík.

I see - thanks for the information.


Have a good time in Iceland.

Thank you. May I ask you something? Are you an icelander? Your name and tld
sound like it.

Greetings,

Martina

Martina Diel wrote:

(Sigvaldi Eggertsson) wrote

Another nice one is "Around Iceland", in addition to listing
accomodation it also has info on what to see and where, telephone
numbers etc.

I will try and get it via the internet.

Last years edition is in PDF format at :
http://www.heimur.is/world/

--
ME
Posted by news://news.nb.nu

(Sigvaldi Eggertsson) wrote


Another nice one is "Around Iceland", in addition to listing
accomodation it also has info on what to see and where, telephone
numbers etc.

That was an excellent hint, thank you very much.


We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is right
south of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

To get to Jökulsárgljúfur the easiest way (and mostly paved one ) goes
thru Húsavík.

We came up from Grimstadir, where we had our cottage (via Farm Holidays).
It was quite a long way up the gravel road, but also a good introduction to
Iceland.


Have a good time in Iceland.

We had a very good time - I tend to say it was one of the most impressing
holiday I have ever had so far.

Greetings,

Martina

Michiel Erens wrote

Martina Diel wrote:

We considered to go to Joekullsargljufur national park, that is right
south of Asbyrgi. Concerning Husavik, we are not yet sure.

Asbyrgi is part of Jokullsargljufur national park. The first time
I was at Asbyrgi I walked to the end of the canyon. It didn't
impress me much.

We did that, too, but it impressed us quite a bit. ;-)

Just an Icelandic wood.

....as everywhere in Iceland, just a wood? ;-)

The second time I climbed
the "rock island" at the start of the canyon. From there you have
a great view on the shape of the canyon which makes it much
more interesting.

Is that the rock, where they put the rope to climb up with?
We did not go up there, because the rope didn't look too safe too me.

Next time... ;-)

Greetings,

Martina

Eila J A Myllyla wrote

We just returned from our trip to Iceland on Sunday and now I would like to
share my experience with all those who helped me prepare the trip.

I spent one (gorgeous!) summer/autumn in Iceland in 2001 and travelled
quite much during that time, mostly on weekends. I would say that when
you are travelling in countryside, it is not necessary but it could be
a good idea to book accommodation some hours before sleeping time since
even though there are quite many places to stay there, distances are
sometimes long. I don't remember ever reserved anything but at the same
day.

We did that too - one person driving, the other ones scanning through the
various guides and brochures and calling the farms or hostels.
Except for the region around Myvatn, this worked out perfectly well and we
managed to get the rooms we wanted.
When not finding any affordable accommodation in the Myvatn region, we went
to Jökullsargljufur national park instead and found a great cottage in
Grimstadir/Grimstunga right in the middle of nowhere that was really
beautiful and cozy.

On weekends, of course, there are more Icelanders on the road and
it is busier everywhere.

I only had that impression in Reykjavik and the metropolitan area in
general. Maybe a little bit in Skaftafell too.

There should be
coin-operated phone-boxes at gas stations to call from.

We used our cellular phones - and are awaiting horrendous phone bills now
;-)

In almost all
the places I've been, somebody has spoken English.

Yes, that's very comfortable - unlike in Germany, even the elderly were
able and willing to speak English.

When in Akureyri, get a brochyre called 'Accommodation in Iceland'

Do you mean "Around iceland" by heimur.is?
Yes, that's a great brochure, full of details about what to do and where to
stay.

and
other one called something like "Farm accommodation in Iceland", they
both should be available at tourist information. I found both
enormously helpful. They have phone numbers and some information (if
there is a kitchen available etc.) of the places and you can see on the
map whereabout they are situated, which helps quite much to plan your
route and timetable.

The German version of the Farm accomodation brochure didn't have phone
numbers in it for reason unintelligible to me. Unfortunately, we did not
notice that until we were already "on the road".

Buy also a good map there.

I bought an Island Route Map by Landmaelingar - but in some areas, we
bought specialized hiking cards for the region.

The one with scale 1: 600 000 is quite okay.
It is very good to know beforehand if you have to drive 50 kilometers
of a gravel surface road..

That's true. I remember vividly the way from Grimstadir to Asbyrgi ;-)


Sleeping bag accommodation costs about the same everywhere it is an
option (a symbol used for sleeping bag accommodation in 'Accommodation
in Iceland'), between 1500-2000 ISK I would say.

Yes, that was about it.
The cheapest accommodation we had was a gym room in Skogar, it was 1100 ISK
per person IIRC.

When renting a car, remember that some roads are horrible (to Dettifoss
at least..). If you plan to drive much on gravel surface, consider of
renting some big car which makes that easier to drive and travel.

We had a Nissan Almera that served us well - it was just a bit small for 4
persons and luggage and food.
Except for one road between Grindavik and Krysuvik we had no trouble at all
to get where we wanted.

Of your route. I was not quite sure what you meant by 'coastal road'.
Besides the quite obvious Myvatn area, I warmly recommend, however,
Husavik

Next time :-)

and Asbyrgi national park. Actually, I recommend whole
Jokulsa-river area, even though I haven't visited it all.. I would like
to.

That was really beautiful, we were deeply impressed by Dettifoss and the
other waterfalls in that area.

Hope this helps - even though you did not really ask all of this.. I
hope you find Iceland as wonderful I have found it!

Yes, the landscape was absolutely fantastic, and also the fact that it is
really true what they say in the guides: Iceland is mostly uninhabited and
there are regions where you feel like the only person in the whole world
;-)

We plan to launch a homepage with all our pictures, an itinerary and a
short travel report - I will post the URL when it's ready.

Greetings from Germany,

Martina