Iceland Series: The Ring Road

Hi friends!

Since this is our first post, we decided why not create something that we just finished doing recently. So here goes!

We are in the last few days of our Icelandic vacation and it has been a great trip so far. For the past 9 days we rented a camper van; slept in different campsites all over Iceland and experienced nature like never before. As any Google search will tell you; the one of the best ways to experience Iceland would be on a camper van. While that is absolutely true, fair warning though; it can get expensive. We started our journey in Hafnarfjörður (20 minutes by bus from Keflavik Airport) where our camper van office was located (Go Campers: http://www.gocampers.is/) and started off with all the necessary stuff (food, water and a bag of spicy trail mix).

We had decided that the best route would be to go through the Southern part of the country in the hopes of completing this part of the journey rather quick. Halfway through our trip through the Ring Road, we found out that the route ahead was closed due to a bridge collapse. Soooo...we decided to back track. That meant going back to Reykjavik and then going up north. It wasnt so bad, but it did eat up one of the days of the trips. Remember to keep an eye out on the current road conditions to best plan your journey. The Ring Road is basically Highway 1 that goes all around Iceland. Its a two lane highway and in some parts there are one way bridges. This means you have to take turns with the oncoming traffic while crossing the bridge. These one way bridges are marked by a sign that says "Einbred Bru". Link to image: http://www.ruv.is/frett/vilja-nyja-bru-yfir-skjalfandafljot

At Svínafellsjökull Glacier Walk:

If you decide to explore Iceland in a camper van; here are some things to note that might be helpful:

1. When you book your flight to Reykjavik; you will actually land in a small city on the outskirts of Reykjavik called Keflavik. Keflavik is actually where the airport is. Its about a 45 minutes drive from Keflavik to Reykjavik. Here is the link to the bus company that we took : https://www.bsi.is/.

2. If you are going to be in a camper van; bring an extra blanket. The ones provided by the company are short and thin and we were glad that we bought our own thick blanket.

3. Tap water is good for drinking. We never had to buy any bottled water. However, if you don't want your water smelling like rotten eggs, I would suggest the cold water. I still cant make myself drink the hot water directly from the tap due to the smell.

4. Bring water proof clothing and boots. While most of my clothing was water proof, my boots weren't. This meant drying my boots almost every night in front of the car's heater. Fun times!

5. And finally, clean up after yourselves before you leave a campsite. The terrain is beautiful and lets try to keep it that way for the future generations.

Vik's Black Sand Beach:

Safe travels!

The Collectors!