u/Kamilny

Hello

I'll be visiting Iceland next week for a solo trip and I'm finalizing all of the details of my trip in the meantime. I wanted to double check on a couple of things that I wasn't sure about and possibly some recommendations for any better options than what I've presented. I plan on renting an EV. I'm not an overly experienced hiker but I am relatively fit and have gone hiking before in places like Colorado so I can maintain a decent pace. I have apps downloaded for ON, Isorka, N1, and Tesla for charging, but let me know if I need anything else (I've heard about a paid parking app but not sure what it's called).

I think I can fit in the 22 lb limit for carryons for Icelandair but how strict are they on keeping that weight? And does anyone have a recommendation on where to get cash while I'm in Reykjavik (I know 99% of things can be paid for with card but the horse tour on Day 8 wants cash so I'll just grab that while I'm in Reykjavik).

For food, I'm currently planning on eating one full meal a day (on some 2, can be seen on the itinerary) and making up any extra need from eating snacks/protein-granola bars that I get at some market on day 1 in Reykjavik (if anyone has a recommendation for this I'm interested, I've heard of a few like Bonus and Kronan so not sure what's best).

Packing:

For 11 days I'll be bringing (I don't expect to do laundry during the trip):

• One of these two jackets. The first is more heavy duty, with a hood and probably more appropriate, but it is a bit large on me so it fits awkwardly. The 2nd fits much better, no hood but is able to stand the collar up and seal it. If I take the 2nd one, I'd be bringing a poncho that my friend will let me borrow if I need a hood.

• Two of these pairs of shoes. Going left to right; Black boots are waterproof with a good sole for terrain travel, but they are not laced. Brown boots are solid hiking boots, but not waterproof. 3rd trainers are waterproof, with a decent sole, but they are just trainers. 4th shoes are fully waterproof with a good sole and high top. Right now my expectation is 2nd and 4th but let me know if there's a better set.

• 14 T-shirts (3 spare), 14 underwear (3 spare), 14 pairs of wool socks, separate sleeping shirt/pants (longsleeve)

• Rainproof hiking pants, Comfortable wool walking trousers for non-rainy/hiking days, A pair of shorts if it ends up being warm on a day (I don't know if I need this)

• Wool Beanie and Scarf, 2 pairs of gloves

• 2 pairs of base layer leggings

• 2 wool sweaters and 1 cotton sweatshirt (for lighter days)

• Backpack with separate waterproof covering, Flashlight (I don't know if it'll ever be dark enough to need this), Phone tripod/selfie stick, Reusable water bottle

• Headphones, sleep mask, a book, very small board game if I do anything with people at any hostel

• Swim pants and a towel (for both baths and for showering at hostels to avoid needing to rent a towel)

• Things I am unsure about: I've heard bringing an umbrella is not the best vs just a proper jacket/poncho, but I have one that I can bring if it's worth it. I also don't have a lock for any lockers at baths that I'll be visiting, is it worth buying one to bring with me?

Itinerary:

As mentioned I plan on renting an EV, and so I've been planning around charging stops on my itinerary as well. Right now the booking is for a Volkswagen ID3 (or similar, whatever that means) so I don't have a great idea of expected range, so right now I'm trying to limit any given distance between charges to about 200 km.

Here is a screenshot of the driving path between stays

Here are two screenshots of my Itinerary and here's a link to the spreadsheet for convenience.

Some days are not filled out yet, I'll mention that in the next section.

For the overall plan:

• Day 1: I fly in to Reykjavik at 9 am, I plan on sleeping on the plane on my way in. I'll be picking up the rental car around 10, and from there I'll need to see how much time I have for things. I'll likely map out some of the things on the peninsula I'm interested in but also some things in the city itself that I'd want to see. I'll need to charge sometime on this day after finishing my driving to be ready for Day 2.

• Day 2: Hitting a lot of the Golden Circle hotspots, with a few extras that seemed interesting. The Laugarvatn rye bread showcase is scheduled for 2:30, and then Secret Lagoon is scheduled for 5:00. Otherwise the rest is freeform, and just driving from hostel to hostel.

• Day 3: I want to hit some of the attractions on road 249 with fewer crowds so I'll try to wake up early that day to head out. The rest of the day is driving along the southern road between hostels, but I was very interested in hiking the Þakgil yellow trail. I saw that people said they completed it in about 5 hours, so I'm allocating about 6 just to take it at a more relaxed pace. Otherwise hitting landmarks on the way.

• Day 4: Pretty packed day, I think the longest individual drive I have to make on the trip (though 9 is also long). Pretty much just trying to hit as many landmarks on the way between hostels as I can. Fjallsarlon has a booked boat tour to the glacier at 3:30 (3:15 checkin) but otherwise the rest is freeform. Some things I've marked as skippable in case I need to make up time.

• Day 5: There were two options for me on this day, I decided on a more hiking heavy day going a bit further inland to be able to hike Hengifoss and Laugarfell as those seemed interesting to me, but I also could have taken a trip along the coastline and seen a lot of attractions there. I am staying in Seydisfjordur this night, the final goal at Skalanes is very up in the air, I'm not 100% sure I'll want to take the trip there. I can drive up to the river crossing and then I was thinking about walking that all the way to the end, but the alternative is skipping this and doing Mjóifjörður in the morning on the next day much earlier to beat crowds in Egilsstadir.

• Day 6: I was really interested in the route to Mjóifjörður and I wanted to at least see Klifbrekku and the WW2 shipwreck while I was in the area, though I know that this road is pretty unwieldy. I wanted some opinions on the feasibility of this or whether another option might be better. Otherwise the day is driving between hostels, with a detour to Studlagil Canyon and a hike there. The hostel there is right at the north of lake Myvatn but I'll be exploring that the next day. I saw Earth Lagoon was currently closed for construction, but I was interested in possibly seeing it if they happen to open by the time I'll be in the area. If I do that I'd probably skip Vesturdalur.

• Day 7: The early part of the day I was very indecisive. I saw that the hostel offers bike rentals that I'd be able to use to ride around the lake and check out the area around the lake. 5 hours seemed like it'd be enough to cover everything in the area on bike, based off assuming a pace of 2.5 hours of just biking around the perimeter. I've heard complaints about midges during July in the past though and that biking is not going to be as enjoyable as it sounds, so I could instead use a car and get up early to do a lot of stuff before other tourists wake up. I'm very interested in the Husavik Mountain Trail and wanted to hike that on this day, and the Geothermal Sea Bath nearby (not booked yet, as I wasn't 100% sure what time I'd be there). I'm also unconfident about Aldeyjarfoss and especially Hrafnabjargafoss. They're literally on the road just south of the hostel I'm staying at that night, but the road seems a bit sketchy.

• Day 8: Pretty reasonably set day. It's a bit tight driving from the hostel to the horse tour in the north of Skagafjordur but I should be able to make it with some time spare. I reached out to the hostel to see if an early checkout is available which would let the morning be a bit less rushed. Otherwise it's pretty set in stone though, but let me know if anything seems out of place or a bad idea. The horse tour is booked to start at 11:00 and is expected to last 4.5 hours or so.

• Day 9: A ton of driving on this day on the way to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, so mostly just stopping to see things on the way to there. The only thing I really in particular want to see this day 100% is Berserkjahraun and the detour route through the lava fields nearby it as those seem very cool, but otherwise there might be more interesting things if you have any recommendations vs what's written. I am reaching out to a snowmobile tour group for Snaefellsjökull Glacier which says that they do sunset tours as well, and so that might be an option in the afternoon on this day if I don't end up doing it on Day 10 as normally planned.

• Day 10: Unplanned, but currently just wanting to do things on the Snæfellsnes peninsula as I'm in that area, so I'll try to hit maybe Saxholl, Djupalonssandur, the glacier tour if that ends up being this day instead of Day 9, and a hike between Hellnar and Arnarstapi. Otherwise just seeing things on the road as I drive towards Reykjavik. Let me know if you have any suggestions for this day. I know Kirkjufell is highly recommended so I might do this either on my way in on Day 9 or try to do it early in the day on Day 10, as I want to avoid tourists (though I think I can manage the climb up the mountain where most might avoid it).

• Day 11: Limited since I'm flying out (flight at 5). I plan to drop off the rental car around 3, and I have an EU citizenship/passport so hopefully I can pass through security quickly. Let me know if I should plan to arrive earlier (like 2 instead). Otherwise just spending the morning in Reykjavik and seeing anything I didn't see on Day 1.

Thank you! I know this is a lot but I wanted to be thorough about my trip details to make sure I have everything planned out.