Icelandic Circumnavigation

, In March of 2008 our family took a 10-day road trip around the island of Iceland.  At the time our daughter was 1 1/2 years old and was quite full of spunky personality.  She could walk and talk and loved to climb and run.  This was her first trip abroad (but not her first time on an airplane).  When we told people that we were going to Iceland the usual response was "why?".  Our simple answer to that question was "because it will be awesome, duh!".  Iceland is actually really easy to get too.  It is only a 5 hour flight from New York City.  Icelandair has direct flights from JFK to Reykjavik.  In less than 5 hours you can enter a land of amazing glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, fjords, volcanoes, and Viking lore.  Although the people and buildings in Iceland are rather austere and utilitarian, the landscape is unlike any other we have experienced.  It felt like we were driving through the Lord of the Rings movie set at times!  At any point, we were expecting a gnome or elf to pop out of a hidden hole in the tundra.  It is a truly breathtaking and magical land.    

Our plan was simple:  We would rent a SUV and drive around the entire island, staying each night at a local farm.  You need a 4-wheel-drive vehicle if you plan on traveling around the island in March because you never know what the weather and road conditions will be at that time of year.  We drove primarily on the Ring Road.  Here is a map of our route:

We used Iceland Farm Holidays to choose the farms we would stay during our trip.   It was really easy to pick and choose the farm that would fit our itinerary from the site.  You could either book directly from the site or contact the farm directly.  We booked directly from the site but I guess you could call or email the farm directly and try to negotiate a better rate.  A simple continental breakfast was included but if you wanted a home-cooked  lunch or dinner with the farmers you had to pay extra.  FYI - Icelandic farmers charged about $20 USD per person for lunch or dinner in 2008!  Expect to eat fish of some sort. 

Many Icelandic farmers have built little cabins or lodges on their properties in order to make extra money during the summer tourist season.  Although many Americans seldom consider Iceland as a vacation destination, it is very popular for Europeans.  Apparently, during the summer it can be very crowded but in the off-season, it seems like you have the island to yourselves. 

We used both the Lonely Planet Guide and Frommer's for Iceland.  They were both adequate in their descriptions of the towns, sights, and restaurants.  I would probably say we favored the Lonely Planet Guide though.

In the following posts we will discuss our daily adventures (and misadventures!)... Stay tuned.