Explore The Fire And Ice Of Iceland On A Budget

A visit to Iceland to see the Northern Lights, thundering waterfalls and snow-covered mountains can come close to emptying your bank account – this is not a cheap place to travel – but you can do it on a budget if you hire a car and plan your trip right. Take some of our advice, pack your warmest waterproof clothes, your best camera and take in the spectacular, sometimes barren countryside of this interesting destination.

Flights

The airline WOW flying from Gatwick provide some of the cheapest flights to Iceland, but prepare for limited leg room and to purchase food and drinks on board. Flight times on WOW allow you to use the afternoon of your first day and the morning of your last day for other local visits.
Tip: visit the Blue Lagoon geothermal pools on the way from the airport to Reykjavik.

Domestic Transport

Car hire with Cars Iceland is not only convenient with city and airport locations, it’s also relatively cheap. With a range of vehicles to choose from, you can hire a Kia Rio Diesel for five days in December for just £165. For their locations, prices and flexibility, they are one of the highest rated car hire companies in Iceland. Iceland accepts driving licenses with an English translation, and Cars Iceland only require a valid credit card for you to secure your vehicle.

If there’s a large group of you, groups under 16 can hire a minibus for journeys around Iceland providing you got your UK driving licence before 1st January 1997. If you are willing to drive all day (or take turns), this is cheaper than hiring a driver and a whole coach. If you got your driving licence after 1st January 1997, you’ll need to apply for a minibus licence.

Accommodation

For accommodation on a budget that also provides an additional experience to your time in Iceland, the Viking Village in Hafnarfjordur is a steal at £93 per night for a double room. They have wireless internet, free parking and Fjörugarðurinn, the Viking Restaurant open from 6pm for dinner. If you want to head into Reykjavik and leave the car behind, it is 20 minutes by cheap bus to the centre (take the number one from outside the hotel). Buses run until midnight on weekdays. There are supermarkets, thermal baths (very inexpensive) and quiet bars and various pizza places all within easy walking distance of the hotel.

Self-Drive Tours

The Golden Circle Tour
Start with a visit to the main Geothermal Power station powering Reykjavik (Hellisheidrarvirkjun) where you can see fantastic presentations of how Iceland taps into Geothermal Power by drilling thousands of metres down. Next, visit Gullfoss, the Golden waterfall, where thousands of tons of icy glacial water thunder majestically down into a deep canyon. Very close by is Geysir, which has given its name to all the hot springs in the world. There, the Strokkur Geyser erupts every few minutes, spouting up to 30m.

Swimming Pools
Near most hotels in Reykjavik there are thermal baths/swimming pools. Hafnarfjordurhad is local to the Viking Village at just a 10-minute walk away and has a number of pools at different temperatures ranging from 32 – 45C. It is free for hotel guests for one night, but very cheap if you fancy another dip.

Northern Lights

It is possible to join an organised tour to see the Aurora Borealis. You can expect to see the lights on any clear dark night in this year of solar max activity. Elding offer a two-hour Northern Lights Cruise, which at £46 is the best value you’re going to get in Reykjavik. Obviously, if you are driving yourself, just head out into the countryside, away from the light pollution of Reykjavik for a good view. You will need a good SLR camera set on manual, with a tripod and remote control, if you want to capture the beauty of the lights.

The South Shore Tour

Drive from Reykjavik over the Hellisheidi mountain pass which offer a magnificent view of the wide plains formed by glacial rivers, then along the coast to the mountains towering over the coast. Enjoy views of snow-covered mountains including Hekla, the country’s most active volcano and Eyjafjallajokull (the one that grounded all the flights in 2010). Next, stop at the Seljandsfoss and Skogarfoss waterfalls, which fall from high rock escarpments. One even has an opportunity to walk behind the falling water (but wear waterproofs, as the spray coming off will soak you otherwise).

Onwards to the village of Vik, where there are cafés you can stop for lunch. Here, the beach is flanked by 200ft cliffs, with jet black volcanic sand and rocks. There are also massive caves containing hexagonal rock formations and columns. The waves are big and the currents powerful and dangerous, so be careful near the water’s edge.

On the way back to Reykjavik, you should stop off at the Myrdalsjokull glacier, if the weather and road conditions allow. Here you can easily walk on the lower reaches of the glacier (where the moraine give traction) or hire crampons, an ice axe and a guide for more adventurous tours.

The Reykjanes Peninsular
This involves a shorter drive than the other tours. Grindavik town is a beautiful Icelandic fishing town that apparently provides 40% of the salt fish to Iceland. Lake Kleifarvatn is the largest lake on the peninsular and is situated on the fissure of the Mid-Atlantic ridge. You can walk from one continent to another here across the two tectonic plates.

Reykjavik
In Reykjavik itself is the Presidents House (which has no security or fences!). The District Heating Tower, Perlan, is a landmark building in Reykjavík. It is 25.7 metres high and has great views and a reasonably priced restaurant. The house where the Non-Proliferation treaty was signed between Gorbachev and Regan may also be of interest to those passionate about politics. The Lutheran Church, Hallgrímskirkja, is a famous icon at 250ft tall with a colossal organ inside. The town has lovely cafes and bars and the nightlife is famous. The concert hall, Harpa, is also an amazing architectural sight and worth a visit.

There are so many beautiful places to visit and extraordinary natural occurrences to witness, it would be a shame to limit your Iceland travels due to cost, but it can done if you plan it yourself, self-drive, and take to the road.

Here’s to the start of your Iceland adventure…

Information and images courtesy of David Shandley at Newland College