Iceland Grand Circle Road Trip Discussion

[HostDave]

It is like that everywhere in Iceland. There are barely any trails at all. You sort of point yourself in the right direction (hopefully) and start walking. The Dettifoss trail starts in a parking lot that is completely flooded, so that's why it was moved to where the boards are at the moment. The semi-saving grace is that the water is rarely dirty anywhere. What was scary is where a waterfall just disappears into the snow and comes out 30' away. So is there are bridge under there or just ice holding up the trail on the snow??? We amused ourselves talking like a group of Crystal passengers dumped off here. It is 1km over rocks and in the snow to the main waterfall. It isn't easy even without the snow. On the way back during the instant blizzard we could barely tell where the trail was, which was really interesting! Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger

[YFlower]

OK, I take comfort that it would've been just icy, CLEAN water to step into.

[HostDave]

That's why I brought waterproof hiking boots

[YFlower]

Wow, the photos of the glacial lagoon are amazing!!! I might have to re-think my plans even though it's a long day and will be overrun by tourists in July. I'm a sucker for floating ice ever since my Antarctica trip. I'll be interested to know your opinion of Golden Circle vs. the lagoon.

[HostDave]

It is a LONG drive from Reykjavik to the glacier lagoon, but I heard someone say he was on a 3.5 hour bus tour. I don't know where else they could have come from unless it was one-way. Thingvellir is part of the Golden Circle and while it was nice to see it I wouldn't classify it as a must. I'm going out on a limb, but I think the glacier lagoon, especially the icebergs on the beach (across the highway, but there is a path from the lagoon under the highway bridge) is one of the most unique things we have seen. You can walk about 200' and get away from the crowds. Most people got out of a bus and stood right at the edge. A tour probably includes the boat trips that weren't running when we were there. I'm not sure we would have done that anyway, but its probably worth doing if it is included in a tour package. I believe they go right up to the glacier. There are Zodiac tours also, but those looked a bit too energetic to me. Everything on the Golden Circle circuit is bound to be overrun with tourists. We're starting to see that already at the places we've been the past couple of days. I know my photos look like there's nobody else there, but that's just because I'm good at avoiding them

[YFlower]

Thanks very much for the insight! FYI, it's about a 3.5-4 hour drive one-way according to google maps; Greyline runs a 14-hour tour that stops for lunch and dinner and other sights. The reviews are stellar, but still, it's 14 hours! I'm going to email the concierge to see about a private tour that might shave off some time and be worth the extra price (The bus tour, doesn't seem outrageous to me considering the length...less than $250 including the boat, but not meals). I don't know when I'll get back to Iceland, so feel the need to cram in what I can.

[HostDave]

If the private tour isn't too outrageous, I'd go for that. There are lots of smaller things to see that the buses can't get to, although I've been surprised when they show up at something off a dirt road! Some of the sites you can just get out of the car, take a picture and be on your way, but you'll want to spend some time exploring the lagoon area. I think I heard someone on the Grayline tour say they had 30 minutes there (boats weren't running that day). Like I said above, the icebergs on the beach are the most unique part of it and shouldn't be missed IMHO.

We can see the lunch/dinner stop for the bus tours from our room here. There are usually two buses there at a time, so it doesn't look like much fun being crammed into a tiny restaurant. But, if that's the only affordable way to do it I'd say go for it. Can't be worse than the 14 hour tours to Florence we did years ago and that turned out OK.

[YFlower]

Thanks for the info; the private tour is about 8X the Greyline, but those icebergs on the beach are sooooo enticing and they still quote 14 hours, though granted it would be a private tour so when I'm ready to leave some place, we leave!

Sorry to keep peppering you with questions. How long a walk (distance, time or both) is it down to the beach? I've contacted Greyline to see how long they spend there...if it's 30 minutes+another 30 for the boat ride (which I'm ambivalent about anyway), then maybe I skip that and still get to see the beach and not fork over the bigger bucks.

[HostDave]

No problem, ask whatever you want. I'd guess it takes about 15 minutes to walk to the beach. Do a search on Googlemaps for "glacier lagoon" and you can see the area where the parking is by the lagoon. You walk from there along the outlet river and under the highway bridge. It is a normal gravel path that ends at the sand. It is all flat until you get to the beach itself. If I had to choose between the boat or the beach, I'd choose the beach. You can see the lagoon part from the shore just fine (you are up on a hill overlooking it). I'm sure the boat adds another dimension, but I'd still choose the beach. You'll never see anything like it elsewhere. I assume the ice is on the beach in the summer, too, since it never gets particularly warm.

[YFlower]

Greyline stunningly returned my email in 18 minutes and said the stop at the lagoon is 90 minutes, including the boat ride. Taking them at their word, this seems like it should give me plenty of time (and save >$1200) to head down to the beach and eschew the whole loading/unloading etc of the boat and the water time. I'll think about how much comfort I want in the next few days and also follow your blog to see if there's anything you're heading toward that I need to consider customizing into a private tour.

BTW, thanks for the google map tip to visualize the whole set up; looks to be about 1500-2000 feet. I use the map all the time, but it never occurred to me the lagoon boat and eating franchises would be marked and such and it'd be easy to see the bridge etc, but it's totally clear.

First your Yellowstone/Teton photos and blog helped me tremendously with a trip last year and now this! Where are you going next so I can plan to follow behind and learn what to see.