In recent years, Iceland has become popular as the cool and happening holiday destination.
Complete with its glacier lagoons, hot water springs, moss covered plains, black sandy beaches, volcanoes (some live!!), and lava caves, Iceland provides for a very dramatic experience indeed.
we planned a 10 day trip to cover only the southern Iceland. Just to keep the pace easy and have margin for any emergency.
We were travelling with two 4 yr olds and a 8month old baby........
What w
ere we thinking!!!???!!! Planning a trip to a country with such extremes with three kids -- two preschoolers and one 8 month old!!
PREPARATIONS
Iceland is an extremely family friendly country and caters to needs of the little humans as much as possible. But even in summer time, it is still known for its extreme landscape and fickle weather. There are a few preparations you need to make before you set on the journey.
Following list of things really helped us avoid panic situations -
- Water proof gear for all members.
- Waterproof picnic blanket. It's nice to have some place 'not wet' to rest your bums when you want to take a break on that long trek.
- Portable travel potty (for the kids) . Some of the treks and drives are over 4 hours long! With no promise of a loo at the other end. I can not recommend this highly enough if your child has grown out of diaper, but is till too young to ‘hold it in’ for longer periods of time.
- First-aid. for grown ups and kids.
WEATHER
Iceland’s unique landscape provides a heart’s delight in both summer and winter seasons.
We chose summer time for our trip because -
- In winters, some roads become inaccessible due to all the snow and ice.
- We had 3-4 layers going on some days, winter time would mean even more.
- Harsh winters can be really inconvenient with small kids and limit outdoor activities.
GENERAL
Iceland, by no means is a cheap country. the best bet for accommodation is going AirBnB. which I would again recommend highly if you are travelling with small children.
we were 4 adults and 5 kids and found a perfect private house for the duration of our stay.
Also, consider staying in smaller towns, rather than Rejykavik. it being the capital city, where the airport is located, etc, makes it more expensive city.
we stayed in the nearby town of Selfoss.
There are a healthy number of guided tours and buses available. However, it works out better if you rent a big car. gives you more flexibility in terms of your itinery.
we stocked up our food supplies from the local supermarkets - Bonus and Saumkaup. These do close early in the evenings. so do be mindful of that.
"It was the best decision to vacation with friends. There were always two able adults to take care of kids and other arrangements."
Despite all our apprehensions everything went absolutely smoothly. The girls kept themselves entertained through the long/ short drives. Disney songs ruled the roads (eye roll)!!!!!!
"If you are travelling with kids - absolutely consider going AirBnb."
It has been has said enough number of times how beautiful Iceland is.
We were constantly torn between having our eyeful of the magnificent landscape and trying to capture bits of it in pictures. Even as we went trigger happy, we never could do them justice.
What struck as the most peculiar thing about the landscape, was the absence of trees......
As you drive along, on one side you see these majestic mountains, covered in thick moss. And the flat expanse of rocky land.....as far as you you can see...and then the sea....its breathtakingly beautiful!
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| Lots of moss......no trees!!!! |
Travelling with children and having only 8 days to see this beautiful country, timing and planning was essential. We had spent a couple of days making sure our planning was tight and we weren't being over ambitious in terms of how much we could cover in a day.
DAY 0 - Arrival at Reykjavik.
After a short 3.5hr flight from Gatwick airport, We arrived at Keflavik airport at 11:30pm, on the friday night. We had read some questionable reviews about WOWAIR. But our flight was without any hiccups.
The airport has a very strategically placed supermarket, just opposite baggage reclaim. You should definitely stock up on immediate essentials incase you arrive late night.
By the time we collected our rental car and reached accommodation, it was 3:30am in the morning.
A quick tour of the house and we all retired to our rooms.
DAY 1 - Unwind at the Blue Lagoon
A relaxed start to the day. Stocking up on the supplies. And we are off to Blue Lagoon Spa, via, Reykjavik.
A thing about Blue Lagoon - it IS pricey (no surprise there!!). But well worth it. Sure there are numerous hot springs scattered around and free too. But hey, it really did us good to have this one luxuriant Spa like treatment! You will enjoy it more if you are travelling with young kids.
On that note - CHILDREN UNDER 2 ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE POOL. For health and safety reasons. The mineral content of the water does make the skin sting a bit even for adults.
There is a pool side cafe where we parked our buggy and took turns in the pool with the older kids.
Between DH and I, taking turns to be with either of the kids, we managed just fine. The pool is easily accessible from the cafe. We set the base camp near the cafe door and took frequent breaks to hydrate the kids and took turns to be with the baby.
Don't miss the FREE silica mud face packs!!!
The changing room does not have any private cubicles. So it was a bit awkward at first. But seeing all these women, all shapes, sizes, age...going about it nonchalantly, I quickly shed my inhibitions.
I learned later that there private changing areas, but you need to make a special request for them.
DAY 2 - Reykjadalur Trek - And a dip in the hot water spring.
Its a 7km trek, return. Not so bad for the grown ups. But sure sounds daunting for 4 year olds. Right?
WRONG!
It was of course easier for the girls since they had each other. To hop along with. To study the soil. To check out the tiny flowers along the way. To sit by the stream and contemplate whatever it is 4 year olds contemplate these days!
We had our waterproof gear on of course. Scattered showers were on the forecast. And really there is no place where you can take shelter!
We took a couple of "portable toilet" breaks and a longish lunch break. Spread our picnic blanket just off the trek path. We did receive a few curious glances, but hey....you got to eat when you got to eat.
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| C.Bear used as paperweight! |
At the end of the trek, there is a hot water spring. FREE for public.
And yes, very busy! No covered place to change though. I gave this one a pass. Under the pretext of minding the baby. But in all honesty, I was just deterred by the cold.
DH and Tigerlily went right in anyways!
DAY 3 - Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon
The mostly heavenly of experiences! No other words.
This was absolutely the highlight of the trip for me. been so close to these humungous masses of ice, and seeing the massive Jokursarlon Glacier melt into the lake, was other worldly.
There are numerous boat trips that take you for 20-30 min rides into the lake. So you can get unclose and surround yourselves with icebergs.....Wow! it even sounds exotic!
There are also smaller boat rides that will take you closer to the icebergs. But those have height/age restrictions for children.
There is enough space along the banks for kids to run around and we spent considerable amount of time enjoying the view of the glaciers from there.
DAY 4 - Skogafoss and Seljafoss
Both the waterfalls are just off the road! No big hike required to experience these, unless you of course want to go the top of Skogafoss.
We donned our waterproof gear, strapped the baby and set off. This is a must. The spray from the waterfalls is quite widespread and will drench you.
Plenty of space near Skogafoss for the kids to run around and "almost" touch the rainbow!!!
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| Taste the rainbow - the proper way! |
It started drizzling by the time we reached our second waterfall - Seljafoss.
But it really didn't matter in the spray of the fall. The narrow strip of muddy-rocky path, that leads behind the the waterfall, is a bit tricky with a baby strapped, but we managed.
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| Behind the Seljafoss Waterfall. |
The small climb to come out from behind the waterfall is trickier. Make sure someone has your back at all times. Especially if you are holding the baby!!!!!
DAY 5 - Strokur Geyser and the Golden Circle and Icelandic ponies
You go to Iceland, and you do not see the Strokur Geyser, your trip doesn't really count!!! I mean, where else do you get to see such a magnificent fountain geyser, spewing boiling hot water, every 6-10 min!!! There really isn't any warning before it blows up, so you have to be camera ready at all times.
There is a proper path from the parking to the geyser. So easy to take buggy.
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| A well timed selfie with the legendary Strokkur geyser. |
Forward to the majestic Gulfoss. You get blown away by the sheer size of these falls!
The walk unto the beautiful falls is not buggy friendly, but its not a very long one either. The babies can be strapped on and toddlers can easily walk unto the viewing platforms. Ofcourse, like all other falls, there is considerable amount of spray from these too. So waterproof gear is advised for all.
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| Magnificent Gulfoss waterfall. |
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| Such a beautiful blue stream...with a seemingly quaint waterfall. One of the hidden treasures of the Golden Circle. |
On the drive back we stopped along one of the many farms to say hello to some extremely friendly Icelandic ponies. They just trotted upto us and enjoyed all the ''oooohs'' and ''aahhhhs'' the girls were throwing their way.
DAY 6 - Landmannalaugar
Totally dreaded the idea of this when we were still discussing the itinerary.
I just couldn't understand what would be so fascinating about just driving through volcanic ash and rocks.
How wrong was I !!!!
Undisturbed landscape, (some dead volcanoes)....for as far as eye can see! Just so magnificent!! Out of this world! No. Truly! It does all look like an alien landscape.
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| Just look at that.....so beautiful! The background.....well the baby too! :) |
It was a long drive though. Hour and half to reach the starting point and 4 hours from there on. The trails are rocky and bumpy. Sometime too steep. And you need drive through fjords a couple of times.
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Braving the ice cold water to check if the fjord was safe to cross by car!
Not sure how I got talked into it!
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DO NOT attempt this unless you have 4x4 vehicle!
DAY 7 - Vik and Eyjafjallajokull
The day following the intensive and extensive driving, we decided to keep it simple, and headed for the Black sand beach near Vik. We were lucky to have a very sunny day for the beach trip.
On the way we had a quick stop over at the famous Eyjafjallajokull volcano. We probably stayed there for the same it took us to say the name!!
It is a short drive from there to the Black Sand beach near Vik. We enjoyed our packed picnic while the girls collected some more "pretty" pebbles.
The beautiful rock formations along the beach provide the perfect photo ops.
And when the it got too chilly and windy, we drove upto the nearby Lighthouse.
Although the views from the Lighthouse are absolutely stunning, esp at sunset, I would have given it a miss if we were pressed for time.
DAY 8 - Lava Caves and Reykjavik City Tour
Before we headed to the city, we had a short stop over. Decided to go chek out the lava caves.
Now, some of the caves do not allow snall children and babies inside. That is for health and safety reasons. It gets very dark inside and there are more than fair chances of tripping over. Holding the baby does not help the situation.
Because, the one we went for, was a relatively smaller cave, and we signed the consent forms, we all could go in.
The girls were rightly spell bound by the idea that a volcano ''made'' this cave. and what we see around was at one point boiling -melting all-hot Lava!!!
We managed to spend the rest of the day in the city and still couldn't get enough of it.
Started with the beautiful and very modern Hallgrimskirkja church. At 74.5 mts, it is the tallest building in Reykjavik.
Proceeding to Perlan, where the we had the most amazing experience of being on a glacier. Although it is advertised as a restaurant, Perlan does have its own information centre, which is really impressive. Easy to follow, interactive displays that explains the dynamical landscape of Iceland. A good place to visit with kids.
Perlan also has a section that has been designed to mimic the ice glaciers. You need to wear all your jackets and gloves and hats and scarves...it is freezing...no surprises there!!
After a quick lunch, and driving through the city, we went off to explore the waterfront.
Walking past the Sun Voyager, all the way to Harpa.
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| The beautiful double facade of Harpa. |
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| Sun Voyager - sitting gracefully along the waterfront. |
We were completely mesmerised by this city. Its unique architecture and colourful vibe of the city totally captivated us.
It was an early pack up for us since we had to get back to our AirBnB and pack up for our departure next day.
Day 9 - Flight out to LHR
Our flight was late in the afternoon. And we were contemplating if we should go for some Whale watching in Reykjavik. Unfortunately, we left the accommodation later than anticipated. And then we had to drop the plans and drove straight to the airport.
Iceland has definitely been the most memorable of our holidays yet!!!! And we will surely be going back again to cover the northern part of this incredibly "cool" country !
