Road Trip Iceland Top 13 Highlights: If we as gay couple travel bloggers would have known how beautiful Iceland is, we definitely would have come and visited the land of fire and ice earlier. But looking back on amazing things and stunning natural sights, like waterfalls and Geysirs, we discovered during our 21-days road trip around Iceland, it was the perfect time for us and our gay travels in and around Iceland. The trip, once around the island on the so-called “Diamond Circle” at the end of August and half September, started and ended in Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. From the biggest Icelandic city, our tour started counter clock with a visit of the Golden Circle in a southern direction towards the mystical town on the black beach of Vík. Join us on our Iceland explorations and get an overview of our Top 13 Highlights of Iceland through a couple of men‘s eyes!
1. Get speechless: Northern Lights in Iceland
Where: Best North Iceland | When: Winter, starting end August
The unbelievable story of our Aurora Borealis experiences in North Iceland already started on our flight from Amsterdam to Reykjavík! These lights appear in the dark sky out of a sudden in bright, green, and purple colors, like waving curtains. There is no guarantee to see them for sure. But if you stay awake after sunset when it starts to become really dark and enjoy being patient, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking experience you will never ever forget again. Beyond doubt the top highlight of our Top 13 list for Iceland! Read more about North Iceland Road Trip >
2. Have fun with Iceland’s Puffins in Vík
Where: Best in Westfjörds, Vík, North | When: Spring and Summer (leaving End of August)
Lucky us: we could see the last Puffins of the season when reaching the black beach and coastline of the South Icelandic town Vík. First, to be honest, we did not understand why this small animal became THE Icelandic icon until we saw these clumsy birds flying and landing. Hilarious! Our tip: Take your time to discover the magical atmosphere of the black beach and listen carefully to the music of the Rolling Stones when waves hitting the beach. Read more about South Iceland Vík >
3. Hike Icelands Glacier Vatnajökull
Booked via Arctic Adventures | Where: Skaftafæll Visitor Center | When: all year
If you really enjoy hiking and like ice-cold adventures through the history of planet earth, we can strongly recommend a Glacier hiking tour in the Skaftafell National Park. Different tours of various difficulty levels, making these tours accessible for almost everyone. Next to stunning views and a cold breeze from the Glacier Ice of the mountains, our guide provided us interesting information about Icelandic people and the climate changes, and how the Ice is shrinking. Do you recognize the ice landscape where Matt Damon and Matthew McConaughey had their fight in “Interstellar”? Read more about our explorations of Skaftafell National Park >
4. Get wet on a White Water Rafting Trip
Booked via Viking Rafting | Where: Varmahlíð, North Iceland | When: until end September
We were beginners, just to mention it before we show you more about our Wild Water Rafting North Iceland. But that did not matter at all when we, 7 people on a rubber boat, started our rafting trip through unique and isolated landscapes on the East Glacier River. As our experienced guide always said, “take your fun seriously”. We really would not want to miss this experience to whiter water raft a 4+ level river in the Northern part of Iceland! Read more about East Glacier River Jökulsá-Austari Rafting Trip >
5. Speed up on a Zodiac Tour on Jökulsárlón
Booked via Glacier Lagoon | Where: South of the Glacier Vatnajökull | When: all year
On a Zodiac tour, we drove together with 6 other adventurers on a speed rubber boat over the crystal clear and ice-cold Glacier water of the Glacier Lagoon Jökulsárlón in South Iceland. But where does the water come from? Every day, bigger and smaller pieces of the thousands of years old Glacier breaking and melting into the lagoon. Over a small river, the water and smaller icebergs can swim into the ocean. Crystal clear ice on black sand lapped by the salty dark blue sea. A simply stunning experience and one of our Top 13 Highlights of Iceland! Read more about our Zodiac Tour Experience >
6. Make a selfie with an Icelandic Whale
Husavík via Gentle Giants & in Dalvík via Arctic Seatours | When: 99% all year long
A specialty with goosebumps guarantees: Whale Watching in Iceland! It is simply an incredible adventure when you can experience a whale’s fountain exploding into the air next to your boat and its dorsal fin appears out of the dark sea, not even 10 meters away from you. Sometimes for minutes, sometimes for seconds, you will be able to see the biggest mammal on earth before its tail rears and the whale dives deep under the surface to hunt and eat… You have to do it, seriously.
Read more about our Whale Watching in Husavík >
Read more about our Whale Watching in Dalvík >
Whale Selfie in Dalvík Top 13 Highlights Road Trip Iceland © Coupleofmen.com
7. Golden Circle Tour: Iceland in three days
Where: Western Iceland, near Reykjavik | Ideal for short visits
We started our road trip counter clock visiting the attractions of the Golden Circle of Iceland. The Great Geysir, Þingvellir (Eng.: Thingvellir) and the huge waterfall “Gullfoss” are simply our “must-sees nature sights” of this part of Iceland. And even here we could see the Northern lights by night, and so our camping ended up every evening sitting outside our tent with a drink, scanning the sky for the magical lights. If you are planning to stay overnight in Geyser, we have a special tip for the night soon on our blog (or just ask us)! Read more about our Golden Circle Tour in Iceland >
8. Get in touch with the Local LGBTQ* Community
Booked via Pink Iceland | Where: in Reykjavík | When: all year
As a traveling and blogging gay couple, we are always very curious about the LGBT community all over the world. So, we took the chance to pick up some interesting insides about the history and current situation of LGBTQ+ people in Iceland. We experienced already before how gay-friendly this country actually is. And the tour guide from Pink Iceland confirmed our feelings: next to annual gay pride and bears on ice, Icelandic people are very open-minded and friendly to every minority visiting the country. Don’t miss the chance to join a tour and talk with the guide about your individual questions about not necessarily gay Iceland. Read more about our Gay Couple City Weekend Reykjavík >
Where: Northern Iceland, ca. 50 km east of Husavík
Camping in total isolation. Almost. Ásbyrgi is truly a magical place as part of the Vatnajökull National Park in North East Iceland. In former times, big glacial rivers shaped the landscape of Iceland. Today, LGBTQ+ travelers find a unique and peaceful nature full of shy birds and blueberry bushes, wherever they go. When walking through the low-grown trees visiting the hidden lake at the end of the valley, we are believers that this place is the capital of the hidden people of Iceland, pure and elfin beings. Do you want to know more? Read here all about our North-East Iceland Road Trip >
Booked via Saga-Travel | Where: hidden spot near Lake Myvatn | When: all year
How is this possible? It takes thousands of years to build a microenvironment in a cold lava cave in Central Iceland, close by Lake Myvatn. Ice stalactites and stalagmites growing slowly together, having individual pureness and form. Our tip: No words can describe the sound of pure lava filtered water dropping on a stalagmite in a 100% dark and hidden Lava Ice Cave. If you are quiet, and you put your lights off you will be able to hear a song so beautiful and pure the best human orchestra will never be able to play it like that, promised. Read more about our Ice Cave explorations in Central Iceland >
11. Take a ride on an Icelandic Horse Back
Booked via Hestasport | Where: Varmahlíð in Northern Iceland | When: all year
Being in Iceland but not on a back of an Icelandic horse is like being in Amsterdam but not riding a Dutch bike. These lovely but powerful creatures brought us even closer to nature while riding through the typical windy but peaceful landscapes of North Iceland. And for a perfect stay, try one of the Hestasport Cottages for a (couple) of night(s). Our tip: Don’t miss the chance for a horse gathering after your trip! Read more about our Icelandic Horse Riding Trip >
12. Find Jules Verne’s entrance to the center of the world
Where: West Iceland, Snæfellnsnes Peninsula | Visible from Reykjavík (sometimes)
We spent the last days of our trip in West Iceland, close to the only volcano that is visible from Reykjavík. It felt like we could see all the different nature areas of whole Iceland in this particular area on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Although we did not find the entrance for the journey to the center of the earth as Jules Verne promised, we reached almost the top of the volcano with a stunning view to say goodbye to Snæfellsnes and to Iceland.
13. Swim the Volcano Lake Caldera of Askja
Booked via Askja Tours | Where: Starting Lake Myvatn | When: Summer
We decided to do a special day trip to Askja, a volcano where you can take a bath in a caldera. Sounds weird? We took the chance for the last day trip of the season from Lake Myvatn to Askja. And it was a good decision. Our ride itself in a vintage 4×4 Mercedes bus was a unique experience, crossing 4 rivers and driving to a sandstorm in a highland desert to reach the over 1600 meters high volcano crater. Unfortunately, the weather conditions changed, and it was not possible to take a bath, which made Daan sad 🙁 But still, the trip was a wonderful chance to see isolated nature and learn about the volcanic history of Iceland. Read more about our Bus Trip to Volcano Askja >
Road Trip Iceland Top 13 Highlights
These are our Road Trip Iceland Top 13 Highlights but of course, there is still so much more to tell. Did we see all the waterfalls? How is it to go camping in Iceland in autumn? Is driving in Iceland really so dangerous and full of sheep? What about elves and trolls and hidden people? Or do you have some more questions about your trip planning? Read now more information daily on our gay travel blog!
And now our Iceland Exploration starts. Come with us on our 21 days Road Trip once around Iceland. For more information about Iceland, click on our Iceland Gay Iceland Travel Guide! And don’t forget to stay tuned… on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Karl & Daan.
Wouter
Wednesday 8th of February 2017
We went to Iceland last spring, it was really amazing! Thank so much for your work and info! It was my second time i have visited Iceland but after reading your inspiration and want to jump on the plane again. freetravelguideiceland.com