Iceland (Reykjavik City) – Goodbye and Hope to See You Again

Oh my goodness how time flies! Our Iceland road trip is coming to an end and I am already missing it. It is so true, and indeed that Iceland is like out of this world. It is a place you want to go back again, maybe for their summer next time round, to experience more greenery minus off the coldness. 
This is one of the most epics trips I’ve ever taken, and I just couldn’t help feeling nostalgic and wish myself back in Iceland. Hope to be back again someday, goodbye till then.

Vibrant city street at Reykjavik

Hallgrímskirkja Church is a must visit place at Iceland Reykjavik

We have clocked a total of 2091 km of mileages in Iceland in 8 days. 
I have drawn an itinerary map below, which can give you a high-level overview of where we had travelled for Iceland. Feel free to drop me a mail if you need more details. :)

Next Stop: Norway – Tromso. Stay tuned for more of my travel adventures in Norway. 

Iceland (North)

To the north, to the north, we are heading to the north. On our way to Mývatn, you will see endless snow covered plains and fields with snowy mountains as the dramatic backdrop. 

It was fascinating to explore Námafjall geothermal field where you see vents emit jets of steam with sulfurous fumes of volcanic gases and driving along the Krafla geothermal power station is an interesting experience, where you can see huge pipes lined along the way, where geothermal energy is harnessed for electrical power.

On our way to Myvatn

Beautiful dramatic mountains along our way to Myvatn with a plane flying across the sky 

Simply in love. Snow covered fields . Snow covered mountains . Blue blue sky

To the vastness of snow covered plains

Can't take my eyes off these jaw-dropping scenery...

Lookout point overlooking Námafjall and Krafla geothermal region

Exploring the sulfurous filled air at Námafjall geothermal field. Check out the volcanic steam released continuously from the vents... 

Hverfjall (Hverfell) Crater seen from Námafjall geothermal field 

On our way to Krafla geothermal power station

Check out the big pipes at Krafla geothermal power station region

We stayed at one of the cottages along Mývatn Lake. The lake is still pretty much frozen at this point of time. From here we can also see the Hverfjall (Hverfell) Crater and Skútustaðir pseudo craters afar.  We are really very lucky that we managed to catch aurora again during our stay at Mývatn, we just can't get enough of the mysterious lady aurora and our patience finally paid off as we waited till almost 2am for the clouds to clear slightly before we managed to catch a glimpse of her again.  The only thing more exciting than experiencing the aurora borealis is to experience it with friends, I am very fortunate to have my buddies with me to see this magical phenomena together.

View of Hverfjall (Hverfell) Crater from our cottage at Myvatn

Another point of view of Hverfjall (Hverfell) Crater as we drive towards Akureyri 

Still amazed by the Hverfjall (Hverfell) Crater. FYI the crater opening is 1km in diameter.

Standby our cameras in our cottage waiting to catch a glimpse of the aurora

More aurora coming... but the clouds are along coming too...

Apologies for the blurry image. My first test shot of my friend gazing at the aurora..

The aurora start to filled the northern sky

The magical light dancing in a celestial lava lamp 

Pale green like the fires swung across the sky with the bright moon

More.. more.. more...!!!

So in love with the mysterious aurora

And the northern light show continues...

How one can miss the Goðafoss waterfall when you are exploring the northern Iceland. It was one of the most spectacular and magnificent waterfall in Iceland. After admiring the stunning Goðafoss waterfall, we head to the Akureyri. Akureyri is the second largest city in Iceland. We explored this very picturesque small city with its location by a scenic fjord. You can spend some time walking around the centre of the town, Hafnarstræti, Akureyri's main shopping street, where you can chill at the cafe or do some souvenirs shopping in this area. If you are a great fan of burgers, do check out at Hamborgarafabrikkan, they serve pretty good burgers, yummy! 

If you enjoy quint environment, I suggest you can head over to this small little town at Hvammstangi. It is away from city light, higher chance to catch the aurora. However, during our stay, thick clouds gathered and covered the whole sky throughout the night, hence we are unable to see any aurora. 

The stunning and magnificent Goðafoss waterfall

The almighty Goðafoss waterfall

Grand isn't it? Waterfall of the gods...

Not to forget to have a wefie with the mighty Goðafoss waterfall

Mesmerized by the Goðafoss...

The view was breathtaking and splendid along our way to Akureyri.. Love the reflection...

Stunning reflection seen in the river stream

Breathtaking mountain view... 

View from our accommodation at Akureyri

Do you notice any difference? Yes, it is a red heart shaped traffic light.. so cute!

Huge Trolls displayed outside the Viking souvenir shop at the main Akureyri shopping street

Hamborgarafabrikkan - the hamburger factory.. serves yummy burgers

Doesn't these cottages at Hvammstangi look like the houses in monopoly?

Iceland (East)

East of Iceland is often overlooked by travellers is a region of many charms. The secluded beauty of East Iceland with its breathtaking deep and narrow fjords and charming villages is only just beginning to be discovered by travellers. As we head towards the east of Iceland, our first destination is the Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. It is a beautiful glacial lagoon with lots of floating icebergs, right by the Ring Road in the southeast of Iceland.

Driving across a bridge as we approach Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon 

The beauty of mother nature.. Floating ice sheets, seals and migratory birds at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Can you spot the seals?

Floating ice anyone? 

Beached icebergs from Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Gazing upon the endless Jökulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

Driving on, you will never be disappointed by the Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park which gives you the sense of solitude in the vicinity of the vast wilderness of Vatnajökull, Europe's largest glacier to the sea; with dramatic landscape of glaciers, glacial rivers and plains, jagged mountains.

The surrounding scenic view around our cottage at Skaftafell

The dramatic landscape around Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park

Magnificent jagged mountains along Skaftafell National Park and Vatnajökull National Park

Non-stop screaming majestic scenic views

On our way to Seyðisfjörður, we took the dramatic coastal roads which will bring you to forsaken fjords to flourishing towns. You will never be bored by the stunning views along the coastal road. Note: During the winter, the mountain pass from main Ring Road 1 is closed, hence take the east coastal Road 96 followed by Road 92 to get to Egilsstaðir/Seyðisfjörður.

Forsaken fjords around the east of Iceland

Wished that you could live here, don't you?

Ever-changing scenic east Iceland fjords

More of east Iceland fjords

I simply love the picturesque Seyðisfjörður. It is a self-contained town including the port of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland's only international ferry port, with its weekly Smyril Line ferry from the Faroes and Denmark, which operates mid-April to the end of September. Seyðisfjörður fjord offers peace and tranquillity with blue waters, and some relatively easy hiking trails to explore. Wished we could stayed here longer to explore them.

Picturesque Seyðisfjörður port

Awesome fjord view from our cottage - Langahlid Seydisfirdi

Engrossed in the eye-catching fjord

Just can't get enough of the stunning fjord

Wefie at the sunny Seyðisfjörður fjord 

One of the top items in my bucket list is to see the Aurora Borealis in person... and by just looking at the beautiful spectacular Northern Lights photos taken by people is enough to make us book a ticket to fly there, seriously! Fortunately, we managed to plan and head north during the peak time to see the Northern Lights before it dims. However, fret not, the aurora borealis is not disappearing, but it is just expected to appear less frequently over the next decade. 

Not forgetting that one of the main reason for this trip is aurora chasing. The aurora are best seen in dark clear nights when there isn't a full moon and minimal light pollution i.e. away from city lights. But just standing outside on a cold, dark clear night in the middle of winter in the middle of nowhere will not guarantee a sighting of aurora. In other words, you need to have some luck, to be in the right place and right time. Hence, before heading out, check the aurora forecast (http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/). 
We prayed hard in hope that we can catch a glimpse of the mysterious aurora during our quest in Iceland. Finally, lady luck is with us this time round, Seyðisfjörður is where we caught our first sight of the aurora. Thanks to the shy lady aurora for displaying the spectacular light show! 

I rarely bring DSLR camera for travelling, as I prefer travelling light. However, for this aurora chasing mission trip, I had brought my DSLR camera and tripod along; prerequisites for aurora photography. Taking pictures of aurora is a whole new experience for me, this is my first time attempting to take photos of aurora; doing last minute online crunching aurora photography info and fiddling around with my DSLR's settings and trial and error shots in the cold winter when we saw the magical beams dancing above us. Kudos to those professional aurora photographers who chased them patiently in the harsh weather in order to get great aurora shots.

The aurora come on like a celestial lava lamp

Aurora swung and shimmered loosely with more grace than the most skillful dancer

The queenly aurora in her dazzling beauty came!

Lookout for my next post as we explore the North of Iceland and continue our chase of lady aurora! 

The north! the north! from out the north

What founts of light are breaking forth,

And streaming up these evening skies,

A glorious wonder to our eyes!

~ Hannah Flagg Gould, "The Aurora Borealis"