Solo Travel to Iceland - Icelandic Photography Adventure
Travelling to the wild and unpredictable landscapes of Iceland has been on my bucket list for years. After a long time of daydreaming about the volcanic beaches and scenic, gushing waterfalls; I decided it was time for me to take the plunge and book the trip, using the last birthday in my 20s as the perfect excuse. Iceland is the safest place on the planet, it has the lowest crime rate and an incredibly impeccable reputation which makes this a very easy destination for solo travellers. The native language of the country is Icelandic but english is widely spoken making it feel a lot less intimidating.
The vast and dramatic landscapes of iceland make it feel other-worldly, just minutes after I had driven the hire car out of the airport my jaw fell open at the surroundings and my week of endless driving began. I visited national parks, hot springs, waterfalls, beaches and glaciers, this was all because I had the luxury of a car, I’m not sure a trip to Iceland would be worth it without one.
Day one of my trip was spent at Thingvellir National Park (Þingvellir National Park), I got there for sunrise and was not disappointed. I was greeted with pink clouds and orange skies, mountains, waterfalls, a church and vast landscapes of interesting rock formations.
On day 2 of my trip I woke up early and drove to Reykjadalur Valley in Hveragerði. It was about a 40 minute drive and well worth it for the sunrise! In the winter months the sun doesn’t actually rise until around 9am so this allows plenty of time to get around the island and marvel at the skies. I hiked up a mountain, passed some gorgeous waterfalls and dipped my hands in the warm hot spring water. It was a beautiful orange morning, though it was very windy! The layered landscapes were mesmerising, lots of textures and colours.
Day 3 was a long and honestly kind of scary drive up the West Coast. I drove along the ring road and over to Selvallafoss and Kirkjufellsfossar. The Ring Road can feel a bit terrifying to drive on in the dark, the road drops off on either side into a seeming pit of blackness, there is no lighting along the road and you can’t see too clearly whats in front or beside you if it is raining heavily, which luckily for me, it was. Thankfully I am a confident driver, and I didn’t get into any trouble. The roads were extremely quiet so that’s definitely an advantage! I LOVED heading up this way, the landscape was very different to the day before and I got to drive across the 54 Route at Kolgrafarfjörður, which is basically a motorway that runs over the ocean. Nature really treated me when I was looking over at Baularvallavatn Lake where the sky was mimicking the landscape underneath (picture below).
On Days 4 & 5 I ventured down the south coast of the island. As a photographer, the south coast was more interesting as the landscapes changed dramatically, the colours were much more intense and there was a lot more to pack in here. I went to watch the sunrise at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach where the waves crash aggressively and the birds circle the rocks. I drove further east along through Vik, saw the iconic church and ate some black crust pizza. I then ventured even further along the south coast to Diamond Beach, this was an incredible experience and I highly recommend a visit, I will be returning there when I next visit Iceland. I stayed the night in a cosy wooden cabin Air B&B, and visited Skogafoss, The Plane Wreck and Dyrhólaey.
On day 6 I took the time to head into Reykjavik in the daylight hours, after grabbing a few souvenirs from the local shops I decided to drive up to Barnafoss. A series of rapids and waterfalls with bright blue waters. It was -18°C on the day I went here and it was EXTREMELY icy - make sure you have crampons! After freezing over my hair and eyeballs whilst taking in the views, I then drove down to Álftanes to admire mountains beside the ocean.
