Driving in Iceland and insurance muddle
Make sure that you spend money and take adequate insurance for cars. I think we had super collision damage waiver (SCDW) or Grand collision damage waiver (GCDW) along with basic insurance. This restricted the liability to around Euros 300 to 500. We also had windshield protection insurance . Study the terms of insurance carefully and see if you require gravel and ash insurance or not. If you want to cross rivers or Fjords or go to highlands then only certain vehicles are allowed there and you need special insurance. A map is useful to know which are prohibited roads for your kind of cars.
GPS of course is a must. Set it to Icelandic keyboard and try to type in names of places as written in guide books the Icelandic way.
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| GPS was extremely helpful |
We were warned that winds could be a major factor and on opening the vehicle door on some days could be dangerous if the car was not facing the wind. The wind in that case could blow away the door and that is not covered in insurance. It could cause serious injury as well. Each morning go to website vedur.is and study wind patterns and speed of the area you plan to visit. This is best website for weather conditions in Iceland.
Each morning do study the road conditions on Vegagerdin website. This is important for winter months.
India driving license in English is valid in Iceland and it should be issued at least 12 months prior to driving date in Iceland.
The ring road or Road no. 1 is in good condition and you can easily drive at 90 km/hr (the allowed speed limit). There are not too many cars on road so this 2 lane road appears sufficient as of now. As you reach a town the speed limit becomes 45-50 km/hr so be very careful as cameras are installed there.
As toilets are mainly found at gas stations, make sure you use them when required otherwise you may not get a place to go for a long time.
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| The Ring road is a basic 2 lane road but in good condition. There are a few narrow bridges on the way meant for a single vehicle so the other side has to stop. |
Though it is tempting to stop everywhere and anywhere when you see a spectacular view, it is advisable to stop only at designated areas. There are quite a few such areas.
A couple of days at Reykjavik is more than enough. It's a charming city but the charm of the country is when you get out and travel all around.
We did Golden circle on the day we went out of Reykjavik and then went upto Skogar on the same day thus taking an anti clockwise route on ring road. This is a good decision as you get the real taste of natural beauty on the first 3 days of the drive itself. Please prefer to my earlier blogs on this.
Drinks and Food
The tap water is perfectly safe everywhere in Iceland. Even the streams, lakes and waterfalls have excellent drinking water. Carry empty bottles and fill them up with water wherever you go. No need to buy expensive water.
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| Great fun drinking pure water from streams |
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| Even glaciers have great water |
There are portions on ring road when you don't find a restaurant or a gas station for almost 100 km's. There are probably more active Volcanoes than restaurants in certain areas. Make sure car is tanked up and you have enough snacks in the car.
In places like Hofn and Akureyri we were staying 8-10 km's from main towns. Restaurants shut by 9-9.30 PM and also we did not want to drink and drive. The apartments we stayed in had full kitchens and barbecues. We bought stuff from supermarkets and cooked at apartment in these places. Barbecue used to be great fun after the day's driving. Supermarkets had good marinated lamb, pork, chicken and potatoes for us to cook. You could also buy vegetables there.
Many of us Indians like our food to have some chilies and spice. I carried chili sauce and chili flakes in my bag pack all the time. This made steaks and fish more interesting in restaurants.
Icelandic food is mainly lamb, fish & all sorts of seafood . Their traditional lamb meat soup is very popular. Fast food places are mainly in towns. But cafes in small places did serve hamburgers.
Liquor is expensive in Iceland so it's best to carry from duty free. In Akureyri we were told that bottled liquor is Govt controlled and available in just a couple of places.
For my Indian friends who like Indian food or vegetarian food- please be prepared to cook so carry some spices etc. Other than Reykjavik and perhaps Akureyri - Indian food would be hard to find. Packet food could be carried from India. Hire apartments with kitchens and buy grocery from supermarkets on the way. Lazing around in apartment and getting food of your choice at the end of the day is the ultimate luxury.
Photography
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| My DSLR camera was with me all the time. Waterproof clothing was very important. |
Iceland is a photographer's delight. The summer is not the time for Northern lights as it doesn't get dark but still I would love to take full equipment like tripod and different lenses the next time I travel to Iceland as each place is unique and scenic. There are many strong waterfalls and each one has a distinct characteristic. I never thought that we will be touching Glaciers and lazing around them as if were an exclusive picnic spot for us.
Make sure you have extra battery for camera and enough high speed memory cards.
Cover your camera well when going on hi speed boat rides to Glacier lagoon or whale watching as water can destroy the lens and sensors. Even near the waterfalls the sprays are so strong that it is important to cover cameras. Simple formula is to keep some plastic in your camera bag.
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| As we walked behind this waterfall we were totally drenched and so were the cameras. |
Don't get too excited at the sight of sheep or horses on the first day itself and start clicking hundreds of pictures. You will find them plenty everywhere. Sheep outnumber humans in Iceland three to four times over so you may be deprived of human company at times but you will find plenty of sheep everywhere.
Clothing
Dress in layers as it gets warm inside the car but could get very windy and cold as soon as you come out. An effective wind breaker is required before you get out of car.
If you are going to snow areas or for a glacier walk, carry shades as the snow and ice can get very bright in sunshine.
Shoes should be sturdy as you will walk a lot and in different terrains. For glacier walk they provide you with crampons but that is over some nice sturdy shoes which you should be wearing.
Currency and credit cards
You can either covert Euros and Dollars into ISK (Icelandic Kroner) in Reykjavik or some other big town. We exchanged some money at airport and some at Reykjavik. Other than that we didn't see any facility for money change anywhere. ATM's are available in quite a few places.
It is better to use ISK's for sundry purchases as Indian credit card companies charge high commissions on foreign transactions. I used to take out ISK's from ATM's using my debit card.
Many gas stations are unmanned so one has to use credit cards with PIN. Make sure you remember your PIN. Otherwise in some places pre-paid cards for gas stations are available.
I got very confused initially when I put in my debit card at gas station for full tank. They immediately debited me 25000 ISK even though I filled petrol for 8000 ISK. The SMS message I got was for 25K and I could not talk to anyone to get explanation. This was worrying. Later I checked my account and my bank had credited me the balance. What a relief !
Other comments
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| Teenagers got a taste of Glaciers, icebergs,hot pools, waterfalls and black sand. |
We traveled with teenagers and they enjoyed themselves. They got Wi fi in all places we stayed in so they were happy in the evenings after full day of sightseeing. They did a lot of things which they don't get a chance here. Examples : hiking to top of waterfalls and behind waterfalls; hiking on glaciers; touching Icebergs; daily barbecue party and counting sheep !
Reaching Keflavik (airport) is not too tough from Europe. Many countries like Germany, Finland, UK etc have direct Iceland air flights. Keflavik is 45 minutes away from Reykjavik.
Taxis charge around ISK 12000 one way for upto 4 passengers from Airport to city centre. This is expensive as it is almost $ 100.00. Buses are convenient but they charge ISK 2700 per person. So, if it is just one or two people then it's best to take this bus. There is a discount on bus if you take it for return journey. Tickets can be bought from there itself.
Reaching Keflavik (airport) is not too tough from Europe. Many countries like Germany, Finland, UK etc have direct Iceland air flights. Keflavik is 45 minutes away from Reykjavik.
Taxis charge around ISK 12000 one way for upto 4 passengers from Airport to city centre. This is expensive as it is almost $ 100.00. Buses are convenient but they charge ISK 2700 per person. So, if it is just one or two people then it's best to take this bus. There is a discount on bus if you take it for return journey. Tickets can be bought from there itself.
Even though Icelanders drive on right side of the road ( We, in India drive on left side) , driving was not stressful and we got used to it pretty quickly.
Iceland has just 3,20,000 people in the country. They are not very equipped for mega tourism and can only handle certain amount of people. Do book accommodation well in advance especially for summer months. Even excursions like Zodiac boat tours get sold out much in advance.
The 2 pin plug works so no problem about charging of gadgets and batteries.
Iceland has just 3,20,000 people in the country. They are not very equipped for mega tourism and can only handle certain amount of people. Do book accommodation well in advance especially for summer months. Even excursions like Zodiac boat tours get sold out much in advance.
The 2 pin plug works so no problem about charging of gadgets and batteries.
Make sure data roaming on your mobile is off. Mine was on for just 5 minutes as we landed and it cost in Rs 1100.00 ($ 20) due to incoming whats app and email messages.
I decided to take a siminn SIM card for use in Iceland. It was for 2990 ISK and promised a lot of free calls and data. But it just did not work. I got a call from India which I did not even receive and I was asked to recharge the card. I recharged the card and barely used data and again the balance finished. Maybe I used it incorrectly or maybe did not understand the concept.
You can see glaciers, Icebergs and many other things for no cost at all. But we spent money for Glacier walk and Zodiac boat ride for Icebergs. These were 2 most thrilling things we did. You could also add whale watching if you go north. Many people go for super jeep rides on glacier and these jeeps are awesome with huge tires.
We did Blue Lagoon at an exorbitant cost. Was it worth it or should we have done Myvatn hot bath ? Will write about it soon. Hope you read that as well.
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