Almost one year later and I’m FINALLY sharing a recap of our one week trip to Iceland in May of 2024, to celebrate our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary! Going back through the photos we took to prepare for this post, I am left (yet again!) in awe of this incredible country. I must preface the remainder of this post by saying that photos with never, ever (ever, ever, ever) do justice for the natural beauty that Iceland holds. It is impossible to show just how vast, how gigantic, and how spectacular the landscape truly is. If you have any desire to visit Iceland, I will say — GO! You need to see it in person. And, for the time being, consider this post my own little version of “Where’s Waldo,” and see if you can spot the people throughout the photos (hint: they will be very, VERY tiny!!).

Truthfully, I was not as excited to go to Iceland as I have been for many of our other adventures. The gloomy weather and temperatures were a huge deterrent for me, but since it was one of Caleb’s dream destinations, I certainly wanted to go with him! As we were planning, he assured me I would love it since my personal “recipe” for a great trip includes long hikes and beautiful scenery … and goodness, was he RIGHT! After just 24 hours in country, I was blown away by the views and so, so thankful to be on the trip together.

Getting to Iceland was quite easy for us — just a decently quick direct flight from Chicago to Reykjavik. We decided to visit in May, when the weather had a chance of being “warmer” but before high tourism season began. Overall, we are very happy we chose to go this time of year, however one thing to note is that some of the highland mountain hikes were closed due to peaks still being snowcovered. There are pros and cons to going in each different season, and you just need to decide what is most important to you!

Since we only had one week in country, we decided to travel solely along the southern coast. We rented a car and drove from Reykjavik to about Kirkjubæjarklaustur and back again, staying at Airbnb’s along the way. We decide not to rent/stay in a camper van for the trip, as I wanted more space to be able to “move around” in, in case we faced inclement weather for more than a day and were forced indoors. Iceland is quite barren, so your time is pretty much spent either outdoors, or in your lodging.

Overall, we were very pleased with our itinerary as it gave us enough time to slow down and be present, while also feeling like we got to see and experience A LOT! Before I share it below, I want to give a few more tips to consider as you are planning your trip and visiting Iceland:

• The weather can be quite tumultuous, and change on a dime. It is important to have flexibility in your mindset and in your planning, especially because so much of exploring Iceland is outdoors and weather-dependent! We got VERY lucky with our travels, and the weather “cooperated” perfectly with our initial plans. I would not expect this to normally be the case.
• Pack lots of layers and waterproof gear! It rains a lot, and the waterfalls produce a lot of precipitation.
• Don’t speed!!! It is very easy to speed on the main highway (1) as there isn’t a lot of traffic, and you can drive for hours in what feels like the middle of nowhere! However, we learned there are cameras along the road that track your speed, and we were emailed a speeding ticket a few days in.
• Get wifi in your car, it is incredibly helpful for navigation purposes.
• Food is expensive and, in my opinion, not that great. We went out to eat a couple of times but otherwise, bought all our food in grocery stores (which was still expensive, but we found Kronan and Bonus to be the most affordable options) and cooked in our Airbnb. We also brought calorie-dense snacks along with us from the States!
• Depending on when you are visiting, bring face masks for sleeping. There was light pretty much around the clock in May, which was nice for traveling and exploring, but not for sleeping!

One Week on Iceland’s Southern Shore, in May

Day 1: Landed in Reykjavik at 6:35 AM, got breakfast and spent the morning at the Sky Lagoon. This was such a lovely way to start the trip! Make reservations as soon as you know the date you will be visiting, since they book up quick. We spent the rest of the day getting groceries and exploring Reykjavik. For us personally, this was plenty of time in the city.

Day 2: Drove to Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River to hike and experience the natural hot springs. This is a must! The views are breathtaking. We went early in the morning and avoided crazy crowds. We spent about half a day here before driving to Fjadrargljufur Canyon (more incredible views, and I’m realizing I’m going to be saying this about everything!!). We concluded the day by driving south to our Gilijaland Airbnb. We loved this peaceful tiny house experience and highly recommend for a quiet place just off the beaten path. This was one of our longer days on the road, driving about 3.5 hours total.

Day 3: We did a Glacier Hike & Boat Ride, which I cannot recommend enough! Especially, sadly, since the glaciers are melting before our very eyes. It was a must for both of us to experience the glaciers but, given the short amount of time we had, we decided a “tour” was our best option. There are several tour choices and you can certainly research them all, but we landed on this one for our single-day excursion. Though you can see and hike the glaciers without a guide, I personally felt safest with one since there are certainly a lot of risks when going alone. You also need a guide to get on the water, which was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! We stayed the next two nights at Martina & Jon’s beloved farm Airbnb, complete with a fresh home-cooked Icelandic breakfast each morning!

Day 4: This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip! We began the morning at the famous Faxi Bakery, followed by a brief stop at Seljalandsfoss. We then ventured to Skogafoss, where we did a 6 hour hike on the Fimmvörðuháls Trail. Again, given the time of year we went, the whole trail was not open so we could not actually hike over the top of the glacier to the other side. Instead, we did an out-and-back, hiking as far as we felt safe/comfortable and then turning around. We had *perfect* weather for this hike, with so much sunshine that I actually got hot and started sweating! I think the weather made the experience truly magical. After the hike, we stopped at Mia’s Country Van for a local fish & chips dinner — it was delicious! Martina & Jon’s Airbnb was essentially right across the highway from the famous Reynisfjara Beach, so we concluded our day there. They told us to go to the beach in the evening, just before midnight, to get the best views of the puffins coming in to rest for the night!

Day 5: This was another big driving day as we made our way back towards Reykjavik. On the way, we stopped at Gullfoss and Friedheimar Farm for lunch. This was my favorite meal we had in Iceland; I highly recommend the stop, but be sure to make a reservation as it is very popular! We then visited Þingvellir National Park to do the Öxarárfoss hike, of which we both agreed might not have been worth the stop. The following and final two nights, we stayed at this adorable cottage in Mosfellsbær!

Day 6: We did the BEST and craziest hike of the whole trip (and maybe one of the most memorable of our lives thus far?!?) on our final full day in Iceland — the Glymur Waterfall Trail. I think the experience was so unforgettable because truthfully, we were not prepared for the technicalities this hike presented us! It is a challenging loop hike, with lots of elevation gain and two river crossings. At the base of the waterfall, you must cross a rocky area that has quite a bit of current; during the summer months there is a log and rope hand line to assist in the crossing but since we were there in May, they were not present. I fell in the water when I crossed, but Caleb was fine! At the top of the waterfall, you cross in an area that is much shallower, but much wider. The challenging part is that the water is SO COLD you lose feeling in your feet after just a few seconds. It was wild. Glymur is the second tallest waterfall in Iceland and the views are impossible to describe without being there … they also present a situation in which you find yourself hiking on some very sketchy trail patches. I am not afraid of heights but did have a slight panic attack at one point since the trail is incredibly narrow (maybe three feet max?) — one side being the mountain face and the other a several hundred meter drop to the bottom of the canyon. I would definitely recommend doing your research before embarking on this hike! If you love adventure, we cannot recommend it enough. Lastly, a favorite moment of the trip was passing a dad hiking with his daughter, wearing a Green Bay Packers’ hat! We asked if they were from Wisconsin but nope, just a couple of locals who happen to love the Packers : )

Day 7: We had a slow morning at the Mosfellsbær Cottage before heading back to Reykjavik for our flight home : )

I hope this post was helpful and, for anyone considering a trip to Iceland, a sign that you should really just GO! Please feel free to leave and questions or comments below, and I am more than happy to help!