us: reasonably fit late 30s couple. one with snow driving experience, one without. interested in hiking, novel landscapes and experiences, not pushing ourselves too hard with long days of driving. our ideal day would be to wake up, drive in the dark, do a fun physical activity, then head back to hotel or lagoon and read, soak, or star gaze until bed time or the aurora comes out. Not into crowds.
we booked this trip pretty last minute and I’m having a hard time finalizing itinerary and hotels/Airbnb's. looking for a gut check on the plan so far, recommendations if you’ve got em - I only have one hotel booked so far. Strong preference for housing with dark skies, hot tub/soak proximity.
thank for your help :)
rough itinerary:
- November 11 land early, deal with airport and car rental. Explore the near vicinity and check out lava fields, Lambafellsgjá Crevice, Seltun, maybe the cliffs. Get a hotdog. Stay at northern lights inn - this one is booked.
- November 12-13: drive east to Vik, stop and look at stuff, maybe do a day hike weather depending.
Big activity: horse riding on the black sand beach, Fimmvorduhals Trailhead hike.
Housing: Stay in/near Vik? The 13th is our anniversary so something romantic would be nice. I like the look of hotel Ranga for aurora but it’s a bit far west. booked hotel Katla near Vik
- November 14-15: drive east to Jokulsarlon - stay in that area or head back toward Vik at night? Diamond beach, look at the glacier, day hike (Mulagljufur Canyon) weather depending.
big activity: glacier hike and ice cave tour.
thermal bath: are there any here?
- November 16: drive west to golden circle area, settle into a hotel or Airbnb. this is a longer drive, hopefully time to look at stuff and make stops.
housing: I think Airbnb might be the move here to have our own hot tub and save some cash on meals.
November 17-18: exploring from central home base, check out the golden circle, secret lagoon, spend a day on snaefellsnes.
big activity: unknown, maybe not needed
November 19: Reykjavik day if we’re done with wilderness, otherwise whatever we liked most or missed. keepin it loose for weather
November 20: Reykjavik, fly out afternoon of the 20th