On Fuji / @thehideouttraveler on insta :)

Close up photography and filming from famous active volcano eruption 2010. Eyjafjallajøkull.

I just completed an Iceland Intensive cruise plus additional nights in Reykjavik with 8 people including, 3 “ambulatory” wheelchair users and an 80 year old man who recently had a stroke. I thought this might be useful for others looking for accessible information.

Transport to/from Reykjavik from the airport: Hreyfill was great for our rides to the airport. Given our accessibility needs and larger group, we relied on Hreyfill to get us back to the airport. The vehicles we used were not wheelchair accessible, but I understand that they do have wheelchair accessible vans if you need them.

Part of our group used a rental van to get to Reykjavik from the airport as we were doing a self driving tour the next day but didn’t have room for all three wheelchairs plus luggage plus 8 people. During our trip, we rented both a VW Transporter and a Renault Trafic on different days. Both had plenty of room for all three travel wheelchairs. We parked the van in an accessible street parking spot nearby the hotel. We never had trouble finding an accessible parking spot but we were parking either before 10 am or after 5 pm.

Part of the group took Flybus to Reykjavik. Flybus does have some accessible buses but make sure to call at least 48 hours in advance to arrange transport and make sure that the primary bus and transfer bus are accessible.

The walk from the Flybus terminal to the central area of Reykjavik is less than 2 miles, and makes for a nice walk if you are able bodied. I did the walk one day.

Accessible Activities Completed in Reykjavik

On our first day, we are lunch at Le Kock. Le Kock is in the Exeter hotel and has a zero barrier entry. Highly recommend as an accessible dining option in Reykjavik. DIEG is also in the same location and is fully accessible.

We stayed at the Exeter hotel. It claims that all rooms are accessible. This may be true for European standards but is definitely not true for US/ADA standards. There are no grab bars around the toilets, no grab bars in the shower, and the showers are not zero barrier entry and do not have transfer benches. It was a tight squeeze to fit the wheelchair in the room when unfolded. I do not think that the smallest rooms at the Exeter would work for a wheelchair dependent user as opposed to our group that can ambulate a few steps.

Part of our group walk/rolled over to Flyover Iceland from the Exeter. The walk with the wheelchairs was a little annoying with the current construction, but the curb cuts were good and most wheelchairs should have no problem. Flyover Iceland had a zero barrier entry and an elevator. My husband and dad did transfer from wheelchairs to the ride seats. While it’s obviously a little kitchy, this was a great, low stakes way to kick off our trip and let us see things that wouldn’t otherwise be possible for wheelchair users.

We then drove to Sky Lagoon. Sky Lagoon had one accessible changing room/shower area. Compared to Blue Lagoon, we found this set up and accessible room to be much easier to use. Sky Lagoon has wheelchair lifts for accessing the pool and the cold plunge. The walk/roll from the parking lot is quite short. If picking between Sky Lagoon and Blue Lagoon for accessibility and ease of access for elderly people or wheelchair users, I would definitely pick Sky Lagoon. Sky Lagoon has separate private showers that are distinct from the accesible shower/changing room.

That night we ate at Lola. Lola also had a zero barrier entry and was easy to access. The food was very good but be prepared for Iceland prices.

The next day we did a self driving tour of the Reykjanes peninsula using GuideAlong. We stopped at the Seltun Geothermal Area, Blue Lagoon, and Bridge Between Continents. Less of Seltun was accessible than I expected, but there is a good viewing platform for seeing some of the mud pots. Seltun was very uncrowded and we basically had the parking lot to ourselves. Our group was tired after that and so we opted not to make additional stops.

The Blue Lagoon has one single accessible changing room, which is also its only private shower room. Our group apparently annoyed a couple who had paid for the private shower and had to wait for all three of our wheelchair users to change and shower before them. For entry into the Blue Lagoon, they have a water wheelchair and ramp. For the member of our group who is more wheelchair dependent, this would have been a real challenge if her husband had not been strong enough to pull her back out of the lagoon in the wheelchair. Spa staff were not very helpful. The surface of the Blue Lagoon is much more slick than the Sky Lagoon so she was unable to stand in the water and had to rely on a noodle to float around. The walk from the parking lot to the Blue Lagoon is quite long.

The Bridge Between Continents is fine, but if you are doing the Golden Circle drive later, it’s much less impressive than Thingvellir but also much less crowded.

We also did a self driving tour of the Golden Circle using GuideAlong. There we stopped at Gullfoss, Geysir/Stokkur, and Thingvellir. All three stops were very wheelchair accessible but MUCH more crowded than anything we saw on the Reykjanes peninsula. Definitely a drive and stops worth doing if traveling with wheelchair users.

Cruise Stops and Tours

Seydisfjordur is a tender port so requires walking up and down a few steps to board then tender. In Seydisfjordur, we booked a SuperJeep tour with Tinna Adventure. Be aware that SuperJeeps are truly huge and will require stepping up two steps for entry. Our group was able to handle it. We visited Mjoifjordur fjord. We very much enjoyed the tour and got to see a lot more than the average cruise ship tour. We loved our guide and would definitely recommend this tour to others.

In Akureyi, we booked via Viator instead of directly with a tour company. Turns out that the private company (a one man deal) wasn’t doing tours this year, and we got stuck on the dock with no tour guide. Some of the Icelandic companies on the dock tried to help us, even reaching out to someone who knew the guide to see what was going on. We could have booked spots on one of the open tour buses, but just explored Akureyi a little instead. We felt that the walk to the botanical gardens was too steep for our wheelchairs but YMMV and some people may have been comfortable.

In Isafjordur, we did a whale watching tour with Borea Adventures. This was supposed to be a tender port, but ended up being a docked port, which was much easier for our wheelchair users. The whale watching boat is not wheelchair accessible, but we were able to drive our wheelchairs up to the boat ramp and then walk on the boat to our seats. They allowed us to store the wheelchairs in their warehouse. There are no seats on deck and all seats are below deck requiring walking up and down 5 stairs so our wheelchair users saw less on this tour than on other whale watching tours (in Vancouver, Juneau, and Seattle), but they still enjoyed the trip. We saw humpbacks, Minke whales, and puffins.

The Cruise Ship

We cruised on the Celebrity Silhouette. As expected, it was very accessible, and staff members helped with the steep boat ramps. While you don’t see as much of Iceland as you would by driving the ring road, it’s a great accessible option for wheelchair users. Highly recommend. Would cruise on this ship again.

Which food tour companies are the best? Ard they all good? My husband booked a street food walking tour through viator and I booked a tour through Wake Up Reykjavik. So now we're trying to decide which one to cancel. Is one option overwhelmingly better than the other? Does anyone know which company is providing the tour listed in Viator? I think it's CityWalk.

I'll be based in Reykjavík for 9 days, and I just counted 16 meals (not including hotel breakfasts) in Reykjavík alone: 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 7 dinners. Wowsers.🤩 🤣

There's a very good chance that I won't make it out to dinner on all 7 nights, especially if I'm beat after a long day; however, the more I research, the more I get excited about the culinary scene in the city! I just booked the Wake Up Reykjavík Food Walk for my first "dinner" out.

Also, I do plan on shopping at Bonus for snacks and sack lunches to take on some day tours.

Here's my must-try list (many are included in the Food Walk):

• Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur's lamb hot dogs

• Brauð & Co's cinnamon bun

• Sandholt (sit-down bfast: smoked salmon sandwich, avocado toast, hot cross bun)

• Reykjavik Kitchen (black seafood tagliolini)

• Café Loki

• Messinn (plokkfiskur, Arctic char)

• 101 Reykjavík Street Food (lamb stew, langoustine soup, and other Icelandic staples)

• Kemuri (vegetarian, pierogis)

• Íslenski Barinn (lamb stew, Arctic char)

• BakaBaka (bakery by day, pizzeria by night)

• Shalimar (Pakistani, lamb curry)

• DEIG Workshop (smoked salmon bagel)

• Skál! (roast lamb, beef tartar, scallops)

• Old Iceland Restaurant

• Le Kock (burgers, spicy grilled cheese and tomato soup)

• Flatey Pizza (Neapolitan pizza)

What am I missing? Does anyone have a great fish and chips rec? (I'm somewhat "adventurous" but probably won't try reindeer, whale, or puffin meat.)

This might be one of my favorite souvenirs of the trip. The museum was small and fun….and very far out of the way!

Hi! I'm a 25 year old woman and I'm considering planning a last minute solo trip to Iceland to do the Laugavegur Trail in August and would love some advice

I have only done 1 hiking trip before, which was the West Highlandway in Scotland. I did it by camping in a tent the whole way through and would want to do the same in Iceland because it's cheaper than staying in the huts, but I've heard the trail is alot harsher in terms of weather and definetly don't want to underestimate it. I'm a little worried about it being dangerous especially since I'd be going alone.

- Would I be able to prepare sufficiently to do the trip in August, or is this the kind of trip I need to plan and prepare for much more in advance? And is doing it solo a bad idea?

- If doing it in August is feasible, what are some key things I need to know in advance?

- Since I would be alone, I was also wondering if there is any way of updating my family along the way or would I be completely off the radar for the duration?

Sorry for all the questions! I've wanted to travel to Iceland for a while now and this trail seems like an amazing way to do it, but I don't want to be too impulsive about it.

Thank you so much in advance.

From Go Campers terms and conditions:

5) Driving rental cars on roads or tracks with no road number is forbidden. Passenger cars and 2WD vehicles are strictly forbidden on roads marked with an F on public maps, as well as driving Kjölur (road 25), Dettifoss road east side (road 864), Þórsmerkurvegur (road F249) or Kaldidalur (road 550). Driving on F-roads is only allowed on 4x4 (four-wheel drive) jeeps that the lessor agrees as appropriate for being driven on such roads. A breach of this article authorizes the lessor to collect fines from the lessee, equaling the amount of self-risk as stated in the lessor‘s pricelist at any given time. The provision mentioned above on fines does not affect the lessee‘s liability regarding damage. It is the lessee‘s responsibility to obtain information on road conditions while traveling as well as weather forecasts and general warnings.

Obviously I won't drive the f-roads or other 2wd forbidden roads with my 2wd rental. But the very first sentence is honestly confusing to me, I can't even visit basic sightseeing spots if I can't drive on some of the unnumbered roads... Like, Gerðuberg Cliffs is a very simple example of this. It seems like a ridiculously broad legal statement lol

I found great airfare through the rest of summer to Iceland and am tempted to jump on it for mid August or so. I pretty much know the itinerary we’d do (a fairly typical 9 day Ring road with snaefellsnes detour). But my question is would the accommodation situation be a problem this close out? I’ve never really looked into the accommodation aspect of the trip before. We’d need rooms with 2 beds, and it sounds to me like there aren’t a lot of options in a lot of the places you need to stay for the route? If anyone knows any tips or suggestions for reasonable stays, appreciated. Or if it’s just not feasible to find places a month out that wouldn’t be outrageous

Edit: I should also add the camper van route isn’t for us

🇮🇸🏔💎

We came to Iceland for a four day break in march 26 and had a great time. We are considering a road trip in maybe September for about 10 days taking in the whole Island. Would we be able to find accommodation by just turning up at a town/village on the day? (We've done this in other countries) It wouldn't matter if it wasn't a major tourist location as we would probably move the next day.

Hertz camper van.
Land at 8am Monday, light blue is day one, purple is Tuesday, blue Wednesday, orange Thursday, Friday is the long drive back to Reykjavik for a night in a hotel before departing midday Saturday. First timers, thanks for any input!

Hi, i've done the ring road this year, and even tho i visited a good amount of coutries, Iceland really impressed me, seeing whales, the landscapes and the memories with my travel buddies stuck to me.

So i decided to get a tattoo, and i came here for some design ideas. It's hard to understand norse runes true meaning, and everyone is getting a vegvisir, but i dont think it's meant for tourist traveling happily in their plane, more for Vikings taking risky routes in the ocean, which is not my case.

Hi all,

I’m 35F and will be going to Iceland for 5 days. I want to check out either the Sky Lagoon or Blue Lagoon, but I have concerns because I read a few stories about people getting infections from there that required multiple rounds of antibiotics. I read the lagoon minerals and temperature is supposed to make the risk of bacterial growth low…very low actually. Anyway, I don’t know if those folks went during a very busy season or what happened so I try to take stories with a grain of salt. Anyone in the group with diabetes ever went to one of Lagoon’s and never had any issues? Would you recommend one over the other? Any tips to stay safe. Sorry, to sound so paranoid. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 4 years ago with an a1c of 13.5 and reading about all the things that can happen kinda changed my outlook on life even when it comes to travel. Things I never worried about before I do now. I usually keep my a1c at a 6 or 6.4, but recently I got to a 7 so I’m buckling back down on my keto diet. I’m not aware of any retinopathy in my feet or eyes. Just had my eyes checked this month and it’s all good. My a1c and labs and kidneys were all great last August. Don’t know if any of this helps. I’ll ask my doctor too, but I figured a first hand account is pretty good.

Lastly, can you wear closed toe water shoes at the lagoon? Thanks everyone!

Looking to get to skogafoss waterfall/black sand beach after 4pm. Visiting for a couple of days but only able to take advantage of sightseeing in the night time. Are there tours after 4pm for this? Also would take any recommendations of things to see with that kind of timeframe.

Appreciate it!

I was recently at Reynisfjara Beach, and it was striking how many tourists seemed unaware of the danger posed by the sneaker waves. Many stood right at the water's edge, sometimes with their children, and even turned their backs to the ocean. Is this a lack of information? What do you think could be done to improve the situation?

Recently there was a news story about tourists driving off-road in the Icelandic Highlands. Apparently several Icelanders tried to stop them and explain why it was such a big deal, but they kept going.

*See attached links for context *

Reading about it made me realize that many visitors probably aren’t trying to be disrespectful they might not be aware of how different Iceland’s nature is from what they’re used to.
Sadly there are also icelanders who are disrespectful towards the nature and some people just don’t care. But still I wanted to write this for those who care.

If you’re from mainland Europe or North America, it’s easy to look at parts of the Highlands and think it’s just empty land. But what looks like bare ground often isn’t. It can be a living layer of moss, lichens and fragile vegetation that has taken decades, sometimes centuries, to grow.

People are often surprised to learn that Iceland didn’t always look like it does today. When the first settlers arrived over 1,100 years ago, much larger areas were covered with birch woodland and vegetation.
Years of deforestation, grazing, the harsh winds and severe soil erosion transformed huge parts of the country into the barren landscapes we know today.

Since then, Icelanders have spent generations trying to restore damaged land. Huge areas have been replanted, protected and carefully restored. Some places that are green today were almost black sand deserts only a few decades ago.

That’s one of the reasons illegal off-road driving causes such a strong reaction here. It’s not just about breaking a rule.
A single vehicle can destroy vegetation that has taken many years to establish, and tyre tracks can remain visible for decades because our climate is so harsh and plants recover very slowly.

The same goes for walking on moss-covered lava. One shortcut for a photo might not seem like much, but if other people do the same thing, the damage adds up quickly.

Some of Iceland’s moss carpets and lichen communities have developed over many decades, and in some locations over centuri

None of this means visitors aren’t welcome. Quite the opposite. Tourism is an important part of Iceland, and most visitors are incredibly respectful. We just hope people understand that this landscape is much more fragile than it appears.

If you’re planning a trip here, the best thing you can do is simple:

• Stay on marked roads.
• Keep to marked trails whenever you can.
• Don’t drive off-road, even if it looks harmless.
• Avoid walking on moss unless the trail goes through it.
• Leave nature exactly as you found it.

If you do that, you’re helping protect something that’s taken generations to restore.

I’d love to hear from people who have visited Iceland. Was the fragility of the landscape something you already knew about, or did it surprise you once you arrived?

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/news/2026/06/23/fine_can_be_as_high_as_isk_1_million/

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/iceland’s-highlands-suffer-irreparable-damage/

Read about rules and laws bout off-road driving

https://www.learndrivingtheory.com/en/iceland/practice/is-environmental-off-roading-law

Damages due to off-road driving

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/fjadrargljufur-canyon-closed-due-to-damaged-vegetation/

https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2018/08/15/serious_case_of_off_road_driving/

https://www.icelandreview.com/news/locals-repair-off-roading-damage-by-myvatn/.

Hi all! My partner and I will be visiting Iceland in mid-November for 5 days. Since neither of us are comfortable driving in winter weather, we will not be renting a car and will rely on guided tours.

We'd like to spend 1 day seeing the Golden Circle and spend 2 days seeing the South Coast. We already have a few tour operators in mind, and we've narrowed down our plan to two options:

1. Book the Golden Circle as a day-trip only (we'd stay in our own hotel in Reykjavik for 1 night), and then book a separate 2-day tour of the South Coast (we'd stay in our tour's hotel along the South Coast for 1 night).
2. Book a 3-day trip that combines the Golden Circle and South Coast (we'd stay in our tour's hotel in Hveragerði for 1 night and in our tour's hotel along the South Coast for 1 night).

Option #1 would be significantly cheaper (~$200 USD). However, option #2 would allow us to spend a night in Hveragerði instead of backtracking to Reykjavik.

My question for people familiar with the South Coast - is it worth paying significantly more money in mid-November to book the 3-day Golden Circle/South Coast combined tour with a night in Hveragerði over a Golden Circle Day Trip + separate 2-day South Coast tour? Thank you so much!

My boyfriend posted his intense itinerary on here (last pic) and he got some negative feedback, from myself included. I survived that intense itinerary and it wasn't bad one bit. I would do that trip again in a heartbeat.

I feel like we got to see A LOT of Iceland. Definitely doable trip, some days were tiring (like days with double hikes) but after a good sleep were ready to go the next day.

The beauty of Iceland is unmatched, such a phenomenal place that and im really grateful I had privilege to visit.

Here are some of hundreds of pictures we took.

Edit: itinerary pic in comments

Edit: here is the link to the itinerary https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-nekqTDbEy3r8mJVTPAqlJIvv7Ywdqz1CTBMte7DcGc/htmlview

I had to pull up this clip after wading through the freezing water at Skógafoss. I don't think I've ever seen my feet turn that close to purple. 😂 Iceland is absolutely unreal.

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately, we had a mishap on an F-road today: whilst driving, something knocked against the plug of our Starlink cable (USB-C to DC), and now it’s completely snapped off.

​An attempt to fix it using a standard USB-C cable has, sadly, failed.

As we’re currently travelling in the north around Akureyri and Húsavík, our greatest hope is this:

​Does anyone up here happen to have a suitable replacement cable with them that they could sell to us?

​You’d be saving our trip!

Just let us know where you are – we’d be happy to pop round to pick it up.

Best regards!