iceland

[vijaykoul]

<p>I will be traveling Iceland for 11 days from 24th of May 2016.<br>

Staying in Reykjavik Any suggestions for best spots for the photographs and traveling around.</p>

<p>Regards</p>

<p>Vijay</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>Couple of questions first. Are you fixed on staying in Reykjavik? And are you planning to rent a car?</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Iceland towards the end of May should be OK weather-wise but the weather is very changeable and you should prepare for as wide a range of conditions as possible : I assume you will be hiring a car but if not there are many tours available from Reykjavik. For weather :<br /> http://en.vedur.is/<br /> For road conditions see this website. Webcams show whether the roads are open:<br /> http://www.road.is/<br /> Note that while the main roads such as the Golden Circle are OK for 2WD many roads are cinder paved and mountain roads designated as F legally require a 4WD vehicle. I suggest you hire a 4WD. I used Blue Cars who were very helpful with a pickup service to their base at Keflavik. They gave good advice about things like hanging onto the car door handle when opening it as otherwise the winds can pull it away from you and cause damage.<br /> http://www.bluecarrental.is/?gclid=CKK9l7jO0cwCFcE_GwodjbUKjA<br /> We had only 5 days going along the south coast and our itinerary was :<br /> Reykjavik for Solfar sculpture, Blue Lagoon (if you don't want the full deal the restaurant is free entry and you can see the lagoon from it), Seltun geothermal area (brilliant but smelly!)<br /> Hveragerdi for Thingvellir NP and Almannagjá fault etc, Geysir, Gulfoss (also look out for Icelandic horses!), Kerid crater.<br /> Seljandsfoss (path goes behind the waterfall - suggest a rain cape for the camera), Skogarfoss, admire Eyjafjallajokull from a safe distance. Then use Vik as centre for Dyrholaey headland and black beach. <br /> Going east over the fascinating lava fields from Vik towards Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. We did the lagoon trip on the LARC's but Zodiac trips are also available. Suggest book these in advance.<br /> As you can see this only covers the south coast and we missed lots of good stuff. So others may help with inland and north coast areas. We had a great time and I would like to go back to see the bits we missed. I copied our itinerary from a commercial tour and these can often give good ideas about good locations but also include less interesting stops at thermal baths and shopping centres which of course you can omit. But if you enjoy Iceland as much as we did then you will have a great time.</p>

[vijaykoul]

<p>Thanks indeed David and Colin for your quick reply. I will be using Reykjavik as base and making trips with local tour companies. Colin the information you provided is very useful for the planning of trip. Thanks again Vijay</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I feared the response you gave. Reykjavik is not especially scenic. You will not photograph the best of Iceland by relying on tour companies and losing all control over where you go, where you stop, when and for how long. You are going for long enough to have a good first trip to include some of the classic locations such as Jokulsarlon, Landmannalaugar, and the various sights around Vik. I might be wrong but at least some of these won't be easily accessible as day trips.<br>

With less than two weeks to go I suggest you just look up what you can do on day trips and book to as many different trips as can take you. No point worrying about where you should be going- its down to the tours you find. </p>

[colin carron]

<p>The best way of seeing Iceland and getting the photo ops you want is undoubtedly by hiring a 4WD car and touring from centres away from Reykjavik. <br>

But if you use day trips from Reykjavik then you can probably reach most of the locations I mentioned. The downsides are that you will have to spend a fair time on a coach and also be required to go with the tour time schedule which can be restrictive for photography. Also the tours are often not specially cheap and north and east Iceland will be out of reach.<br>

On the plus side day trips are a relatively straightforward way of getting about without having to worry about driving and accommodation.<br>

So I suggest you do your research and decide what you want to see or do most. Then select your tours carefully avoiding the ones which spend time doing things you are not interested in. I am sure you will have a good time and get some good photos!</p>

 

[gungajim]

<p>Pick up the lonely planet guidebook. </p>