Exploring Iceland
Visiting Iceland for the first time is how the explorers must have felt when they discovered new lands. Sights never before seen or even imagined. I’ve been to most of the National Parks in America, but Iceland pretty much bested them all. Maybe because the mountains and glaciers have an ocean onsite as well. The juxtaposition of all of these elements leads to some grandiose photography expeditions that exceed even your most creative expectations.
Vestrahorn Beach at Hofn, Iceland
Arriving at the airport in Keflavik requires some patience to get through customs and secure your luggage. I found it took about an hour. Once released, I also found it particularly helpful to pick up a rental car at the airport. Because of the rapidly changing weather conditions, I recommend an all wheel drive vehicle. And because so many locations charge for parking during your stay, I recommend downloading the Parka app to automate the fees you will pay during your stay. http://parka.is
Black Church of Budir
From the airport at Keflavik, we headed north into the capitol Reykjavik and then north on Highway 1 to Highway 54 and into the Snaefellsness Peninsula, and finally the town of Grundarfjordur. We photographed the waterfalls at Mt. Kirkjufell on the west end of the town, and proceeded to explore Arnarstapi, Budir and Helnar, where we shot the Black Church of Budir and cliffs of Helnar.
Wind and rain occurred intermittently throughout the day, emphasizing the need both for a rain jacket, rain pants and waterproof footgear.
Mt. Kirkjufell Waterfalls, Grundarfjordur, Iceland
Cliffs of Helnar, Helnar, Iceland
Once we completed our stay in Grundarfjordur, we headed back down the Ring Rd to the town of VIK i Myrdal on the southern cost of the country. Here are a number of dramatic sights, including the black sand beach, and Dyrholaey coast. Even the small church overlooking the town and sea stacks is photogenic. And I have to put a plug in for the Vik I Myrdal Hotel in town. A very comfortable hotel with outstanding food (and convenient breakfasts).
Church at VIK
Dyrholaey Coast, VIK, Iceland
Leaving VIK, we continued down the Ring Rd southeast to the Glacier Lagoon, which sits below the Jokulsarlon Glacier. Ice bergs from the lagoon break off and float into the channel and out to sea, where the waves immediately pummel them into smaller chunks of ice that then wash up on the shoreline. This shoreline is called the Diamond Ice Beach, and the resulting ice sculptures are visible all up and down the shore. The results can be quite striking.
This location has lots to offer a photographer, and I wish I had more time to explore it. Next trip, I will.
Diamond Ice Beach Sculpture
Continuing southeast on the Ring Rd, you eventually come to Hwy 99, which leads you into the fishing village of Hofn. If you stay on the Ring Rd and continue east, you’ll come to the Stokksnesvegur Rd (9720) which, if you take a right (south), you’ll come to one of the most dramatic scenes in all of Iceland; the Vestrahorn, in Stokksness.
The Vestrahorn from the Black Sand Dunes
These jagged peaks rise up 1500 feet, and sit at the apex of black sand dunes and the Atlantic Ocean. We stayed onsite at the Viking Cafe and Guesthouse. If you don’t stay there, you will have to pay an admission fee at the Cafe to gain entrance to the area. I found the best time to photograph the Vestrahorn occurred during the golden hour before sunset. The light can be simply amazing, and the Aurora Borealis, on a clear night, can be spectacular.
There is also a nice shallow pool that lies in front of the mountain which can provide some incredible reflections. Make sure you have rubber boots or galoshes to allow you to walk into this with a tripod. They’ll also come in handy on the beach, as the waves come in. Photographers without them got very wet.
The Vestrahorn from the Reflection Pool
The Vestrahorn Beach View
We chose to reverse our trip on the Ring Rd and headed back towards the Capitol of Reykjavik, where we spent our final few nights. several waterfalls are located right on the Ring Rd, including Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss. We chose to stop at Seljalandsfoss, which, once again requires a parking fee. Most of the highly visited spots in Iceland do. The Parka app really saved us a lot of time paying these fees. Which reminds me, they don’t accept Discover credit cards in Iceland for whatever reason. A Visa card works well for everything. No cash necessary anywhere.
Seljalandsfoss is a strikingly beautiful waterfall, even supplying its own rainbow. You can walk behind the waterfall, but make sure you have full raingear on if you do.
The weather cooperated fully to provide a contrasty, color saturated photo.
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall in Sunlight
Returning to the Capitol of Reykjavik, we decided not to navigate the Golden Circle, but did travel about 130 kilometers out to the Hraunfossar waterfalls (off highway 518). In Autumn, the falls take on a very colorful appearance as the surrounding landscape changes into its fall colors (late September).
Hraunfossar Waterfalls in Autumn
On our trip back to the airport in Keflavik, we took a slight detour and headed south on 42, and then turned right (west) on highway 427 towards the town of Grindavik. About 12 kilometers before Grindavik, we came across a very small black church that was chained to the ground to apparently keep it from blowing away. This landmark little church is known as Krysuvikurkirkja (don’t ask me to pronounce it). It is one of only three black churches in Iceland.
Krysuvikurkirkja Landmark
Allow me to summarize all of the points we found necessary to plan for before we undertook this wonderful trip to Iceland:
Advance planning is a prerequisite for success. We found:
- Arranging cell phone service with our carrier (AT&T) while in Iceland was crucial. We had no outages ever. And our rental had GPS onboard
- The ability to layer clothing was essential, as well as ensuring complete raingear (including footwear).
- Electronic devices (charging) requires a converter to meet European standards
- A Visa credit card solves payment issues everywhere. No cash is necessary. They don’t accept Discover or American Express
- Download the Parka app to ensure easy payment of your parking fees (parka.is). There are cameras everywhere
- There are speed enforcement cameras in Iceland. Drive appropriately. Watch the speed limits
- Review the right of way requirements for a roundabout, which are everywhere in Iceland
- Tipping is not necessary and we found Restaurants never prompted us for a tip. Of course, if you insist they’ll take it
- Gasoline is really expensive (over $3 per liter when we visited). Plan accordingly
- Have a great trip!
