Iceland for wifes 40th - December?

[Ray Singh]

Its my wifes 40th in early Decemeber. She has always wanted to goto Iceland as she wants to see the landscapes, volcanos, springs and most of all the northern lights.

Is Decemeber a good time to go?

Any hints tips on places to see or stay?

I would like to go on arranged tours as I have two children that would come along.

[schmalex]

Do it. It's amazing!!!!!!!

We went in early February for my 40th. Long nights mean good opportunities to see the Northern Lights.

We thought about an organised tour, but to be honest, they were quite expensive for what you got and didn't really offer much flexibility (i.e you went Aurora watching on one night. If you didn't see them, there was no second chance).

We stayed in central Reykjavik, hired a Toyota Landcruiser from Avis and worked it all out ourselves.

• We saw the Aurora on two nights (I downloaded an app for iPhone, which gave very accurate forecasts for the lights)
• We booked a last minute whale watching trip and saw 3 Humpbacks
• The golden triangle is easily do-able in a day from Reykjavik
• It's worth spending a half day walking round Reykjavik
• The blue lagoon is easily reachable either on the way back to the airport, or as a half day trip
• The glaciers are a bit of a trek, but can be done in a long day

It's a truly amazing place. My wife, son (10 at the time) and I absolutely loved our 5 days there.

Edited by schmalex on Monday 18th May 21:46

[rufmeister]

Went in January this year, and what an adventure!

VERY limited daylight hours at that time of year, so you really do have to rush about to squeeze as much as possible in.

There are a fair few threads on here that go into detail about what to see etc.

We loved it, and can't wait till the kids are old enough to appreciate it so we can go again. What age are yours?

[Ray Singh]

Thanks Schmlax - your review sold it to me. Driving in icleand sounds fun!

It will take a bit of co-ordination but will be worth it.

Rufmiester - my kids are 12 and 10 years old. I think it would be a good age to go.

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

Waitrose is far nicer.

[rufmeister]

At that age, perfect. They will hopefully appreciate some of the amazing things you will see and experience.

[NRS]

Ray Singh said:

Thanks Schmlax - your review sold it to me. Driving in icleand sounds fun!

It will take a bit of co-ordination but will be worth it.

Rufmiester - my kids are 12 and 10 years old. I think it would be a good age to go.

Thanks.

Northern light watching is a combination of good weather and active displays. Get the darkest months to maximise the chance of seeing a display, and check which month is is driest/ least cloudy in Iceland to try and improve the chances. As someone who has seen them a lot (living quite far north of Iceland helps!) a lot is down to luck though. Use the apps, and check outside regularly anyway. Sometimes it can go from nothing to a fantastic display and back to nothing in 30 minutes. Generally the more stable displays are weaker, with the ones where they really dance coming and going pretty quick. Wear warm clothes for watching - woolen base layers plus a few socks are important.

However by maximising darkness to see the lights it reduces the daylight for other activities, so best to find a balance to make the most of the whole holiday.

[schmalex]

Agreed. Both displays we say started as nothing and we spent a good 2 hours parked in the middle of nowhere, half way up a mountainside in the 4x4, wonder what on earth we were doing.

Then, suddenly....


WHAM!!!!!!!!

The sky just burst into the mist incredible display of dancing greens, silvers and oranges swirling, dancing and shimmering across the whole sky.

Both displays lasted 20 - 30 minutes tops, but they were one of the most incredible, mo ing things I have ever seen

[Ray Singh]

Thanks for all the replies.

This evening i have booked Easyjet flights from Gatwick, an apartment just outside Reykjavik for 5 nights and a VW Golf for the week.

Looking forward to it, but a little aprehensive. It will be cold. Do the cars come with winter tyres?

What is a must to see, and does anyone have any tips to see the northen lights, whales etc?

Money saving tips would be appreciated too!

[schmalex]

Yes, the cars come with winter tyres (most come with studded winters to be honest).

Make sure you buy sand and gravel insurance. Charging for damage associated with sand being blown into paintwork is quite a common occurrence for hire companies there. Bought beforehand, the insurance is only a few quid.

The main sights are:

• Northern lights - anywhere really!!! Just follow the forecast and be prepared to spend a few hours in the car
• Gullfoss - Europe's biggest waterfall. Stunning (and will be most likely be frozen when you are there). Make sure you take warm clothes, as the wind hammers down the glacier
• Geysir (the giant geyser) is pretty cool. Make sure you get there before lunch if you want to find a place to sit inside the restaurant, as it gets rammed when the coach parties arrive
• Thingvellir (where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet) is incredible and well worth a mosey around
• Volcanoes and glaciers are generally in the South of the country. If you want to to see the glaciers & Volcanoes, it's a long drive so make sure you leave early! Iceland is a bloody huge place, so don't expect to see everything in the week! The north and east coasts look lovely and I'd quite like to go back in order to explore those. We just didn't get a chance when we went.

For whaling trips, just pick up a local flyer and book a day or so in advance. It's really weather dependent, so give yourselves the best chance - it's also bloody cold, so make sure you wear lots of layers!!

Geysir, Gullfoss and Thingvellir can all be done in a single day and, essentially, form the "golden triangle"

Make sure you top the car up with fuel before you leave Reykjavik. Once you are in the bundu, fuel stations are few and far between and being as you are in the arctic circle, you don't really want to run out of fuel!

Restaurants in Reykjavik aren't crazy expensive (maybe the same price as a large city here) and alcohol isn't as bad as you would expect.

Wandering round Reykjavik is nice way of spending some time (our lad loved the chocolate Crepes in the little shop at the bottom of the high street before the traffic lights - you have kids, I guarantee they will find it!). There are some great cafes and restaurants. The church at the top of the town is worth a visit - the views from the top across the bay are well worth seeing.

You don't need cash. Everything (and I mean everything) can be charged to a card (even the loo's at Thingvellir!).

Edited by schmalex on Wednesday 27th May 17:35

[DaveOrange]

As Schamlex has mentioned the Golden Triangle is a must and can easily be done in a day from Rek. Other memorable places for me were Solheimasandur Black Sand Beach where the remains of a crashed USN DC3 still remain and Jokulsarlon. Jokulsarlon translates into Glacier Lagoon and for me is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is probably too far to do in a day from Rek especially in December with limited daylight but worth considering. The journey to Jokulsarlon takes in very varied scenary including vast flat plains caused by glacial flooding and also miles upon miles of lava fields.

In terms of value for money we found that the Laundromat Café in Rek (Austurstraeti 9) was very reasonable for brunch and dinner and had a pretty good atmosphere.

[schmalex]

Seconded for Laundromat cafe. I was trying to remember the name of it yesterday.