Every now and then, you just have to sleep in and get on with your day when your body says so. After being out late the night before star and Aurora Borealis hunting, I finally managed to get myself going around 9:30 a.m. Only night in a hotel, and man was that one comfy bed! Ultimately, was probably going to be the best night sleep I was going to get. Luckily for me, that extra time I slept in turned out in my benefit, as I left my hotel to head to the Jokulsarlon Glacier/Diamond Beach. It had been a relatively cloudy morning, but by the time I got there about 45 minutes later, the sun was out and the temperature was up again!
As with most places in Iceland that are magnificent and beautiful, there will be a crowd of people around the car park area. Parking is plentiful and you can choose to park on the East or West side of the bridge, depending on where you want to hike and what you want to see. If you park on the West side of the bridge (before crossing it on the way to Egilsstadir) you can hike around the left side of the glacier. There will be pretty much nobody on this side as most people park on the East side of the bridge in the main car park. You won’t have the mountains in your pictures but you can see things from a different perspective then the vast majority of people. Even something different can lead to a grand adventure, always take the chance to wander off the beaten path! Anyway, parking is on the left and right side and, at least in October, should be plentiful. For summer travelers, I cannot attest to this and since the sun rises (or never goes away) differently then in winter, I would think getting there earlier is better.
Bridge on Highway 1 near the Glacier Lagoon.
<— East Side West Side—>
Navigation
Quick tips:
1) Pack plenty of water and warm clothes, the best views are a few miles from the car park.
2) BE RESPECTFUL! Leave only footprints and take only memories
3) Check the weather and if there are any road closures heading to Egilsstadir.
4) Don’t be afraid to pull off for a few minutes. There’s rarely others around later in the year, so take in the sites. Don’t be in a rush!
More information in the article.
Should you choose to park in the main car park, like I did, then be prepared for the large groups of people by the beach. If you live anywhere that has crowds of people, you can imagine the noise of the car park. However, you only have to walk about 500 feet away from the car park to get away from the large groups of tourists. This continues to blow my mind, that in a country so beautiful and open that almost nobody explores further into nature. I took a few pictures at the start, playing with my camera settings to see what might create the best pictures, and grabbed my bag and started the hike around the glacier. It is a pretty simple hike with minimal changes in elevation or difficulty. You just keep walking until, at some point I believe, you hit the glacier and would have to turn around to the car park. As always, make sure to pack WATER and WARM CLOTHES! Iceland weather can change on a dime, all year long, so don’t get caught unprepared. Also, it allows you to hike farther and get those exemplary pictures!
CALL OUT: I don’t feel like I should have to put this here, but please BE RESPECTFUL. This is honestly my biggest frustration in general, whether traveling to somebody else’s home or hiking in my own backyard. Be courteous and vigilant in the environment you are in. With the way the world is going right now, some things might not be around for much longer for others to enjoy. So do your part to maintain the integrity of where you are so future travelers can enjoy the same sights for as long as possible. Leave only footprints and take only memories… and I’ll get off my soap box now.
At one point on my hike, about two miles in, I came across a spot that showed a perfect reflection of the mountains in the water. This may seem odd, but I want you to sit down, read the following passage, then close your eyes. Imagine: you are sitting on the sand. It shifts around you as you find that perfect spot. The sun is shining on your face while the wind is breezing across your face and neck, bring just a slight chill that gives you goosebumps up and down your arms. You breath in and out, allowing the cool air to fill your body, refreshing both your mind and body. As the breeze continues to surround you, you listen to the water hit the shore, directly in front of you. You know the water would be cool to the touch, and for a moment that chill is no longer uncomfortable, it is welcomed. As you are sitting there, you look across the water and you see floating ice, mountains powdered in snow and white clouds in the periphery. It is silent from all distractions: only you, the wind and the water. At this one moment, you are at peace and everything else goes to the back of your mind as you get lost in the moment. Close your eyes, let yourself feel and see this environment. Allow everything else that is stressful and burdensome go, just for a second. Breath in and out, get lost in this land far away. Breath in, and breath out.
I spent around three hours here, and then I hopped into my tiny little car and took off toward Egilsstadir. The drive is beautiful, plenty of lakes and mountains nestled right up against the ocean. When the sun is out it is easy to appreciate the beauty of nature, since there is little of anything along the way.
BE WARNED: make sure you check the weather and the route on the way to Egilsstadir and see if any roads are shut down. When I drove this way, I had to take a different route then I was expecting, because my GPS said that Highway 1 (the primary highway of the Ring Road in Iceland) was closed. This took me on a long, gravel trail up through the mountains, and I will be the first to admit I white knuckled the steering wheel pretty much the whole time. I am gripping this steering wheel like I am holding onto a rock while free soloing, trying not to fall. I have never really driven gravel roads, and the idea doesn’t give me pause, however doing so in a car, especially a manual, was…uncomfortably new. The views were honestly second to none, and they quickly reminded me of pictures I had seen of Montana in the USA, but it was a rough trip up. Luckily, this was not an F road so my car was able to handle the windy road up. Once the top was reached, it was smooth sailing toward Egilsstadir, roughly 4 hour drive from where I started to where I finished. I spent the rest of my night grabbing a quick bite to eat just relaxing and trying to loosen my back up – carrying a 15 pound backpack hiking everywhere gets things out of whack.
Hiking bridge near Godafoss Waterfall.
The next day, as I had decided to make last minute adjustments to my plans and skip staying in Akureyri due to incoming snow storms, I made the long drive out to Godafoss Waterfall, roughly 2 1/2 hour drive from Egilsstadir and half an hour from Akureyri. I had read good things about it, the pictures looked amazing and ultimately decided to go there over Dettifoss, the second largest waterfall in Europe. Upon arrival, there are multiple places you can park, and it all depends on where you want to start hiking from.
Once again it is a pretty simple and easy hike. I would recommend starting from the right side, because the left side has the better views. If you want to go on a longer hike, then I would start on the left side and hike on over to the right hand side. You are able to go a little farther this way and get behind the waterfall. You get away from the crowds and you get to hear the water fall over the edge. Great time to get some pictures and just relax in nature.
The sound of a waterfall continue to be one of my favorite sounds. Waterfalls are one of those sounds that just make you relax. I imagine that looking at the pictures to the right and hearing the word waterfall has you imaging the environment. Sound of water falling and hitting the water below. Feeling the mist that is being thrown into the air. The smell of the water. You could probably fall asleep right then and there
End of the left trail
End of the right trail
The rest of the night was spent ultimately preparing for the upcoming 9 hour drive that I would have to make across the northern part of Iceland all the way to Reykjavík..
Accommodation
I stayed at the Tehusid Hostel in Egilsstadir, in a 12 person room for two nights. Because I am here in the off season, only five people were in this room so it makes it a little nicer (till one person fell asleep and would go from sounding like a bear to sounding like he wasn’t breathing. Headphones or Ear plugs can fix this though!). The hostel itself is a little strange as it also serves as a bar/cafe/restaurant for the people who live there and is a common spot to watch football games (rest of the world, not American or Australian). Kitchen is really clean, but really small and I would imagine during busier seasons that it would be next to impossible to cook food here. Plenty of facilities and they are super clean as well. Hostel is right by the Bonus grocery store and a gas station so you can walk pretty much everywhere from here. Overall, nice place to stay with a good vibe.
Two nights – ~78 USD for two nights.
Tehusid Hostel from the outside
12 bed dorm room
Food
Night one: time to eat out. I had been having a craving for Pizza all day for some reason. Luckily for me, Egilsstadir had just opened up a new pizza place, Askur Pizzeria. There is also a really nice taproom next door with plenty of good beer options. I, ultimately, did not end up enjoying the restaurant, only because I ordered the wrong pizza. I thought I had ordered a pizza with pepperoni and spicy peppers, but I mistakenly ordered a vegan pizza with a weird cheese sauce and a type of vegetable I am not familiar with. The pizza looked great and one was more then enough to share between two people, I just had the unfortunate mistake of ordering something that did not taste good to me. Would still recommend trying it out if you are in the area! I went back and made PB&J to finish my meal out.
Night two: cooking food at my hostel and back on a budget meal. Chicken with rice, sweet and simple, took me back to my college days, If you want to keep your cost reasonable this is the best option every couple of days, or at least for breakfast, lunch and snacks.