Iceland Road Trip: Day 2 - Glacier Hiking and Hot Pools
After experiencing the beautiful sites along the Golden Ring Road on day one, day two we were set to explore one of the many glaciers and hot pools that Iceland is famous for... along with its weather.
Accommodation: Hotel Drangshlid, which is located right near Skogafoss. The rooms are comfortable and their buffet breakfast is tasty.
Awaking early on our second day in Iceland it was horrible weather. We had booked a hike on the Solheimajokull glacier and when we arrived the wind was howling, the snow and rain whipping in our faces. There were a group of us huddled in the cafe waiting patiently with our warm drinks to see if we would still be able to go on the glacier.
Some other tours had been cancelled however the team from Extreme Iceland arrived and said we were going ahead. The elements ceased as we laced up our boots, picked up our crampons and ice picks, and made our way towards the glacier. I was in awe of how big this glacier was which had been shrinking from climate change but also constantly moving down the mountain. At the base of it, we received our instructions from the very likeable and funny Icelandic guides.
As we climbed to the flat of the glacier, we were taken to an ice cave that was so blue due to the lack of oxygen within the ice. If you looked close enough to the other parts of the smooth ice, you could see the air bubbles. Nearby was a glacial water stream where in order to drink from it we had to do push ups on an ice pick. I clearly took them up on the challenge and took a few gulps from the refreshing water.
The weather front changed quickly, as it often does in Iceland, so we had to make our way down quite swiftly after this.
The walk up was easier than the walk down however I think the fact I had boots on that were slightly too small for me didn't really help (I ended up losing my right big toe nail from the hike - after a year, it has only just fully grown back!). Hot tip - go up a size in these boots.
We were all so thankful we were able to go have this experience whilst here. I would definitely recommend it if you have never done it before and you should always go with a qualified guide as the ice crevasses can be dangerous.
We were all starving come the end of the hike, so after checking into Hotel Drangshlid we randomly found Gamla Fjósið which is an unassuming looking family run restaurant that served the best steak sandwich I have had in a very, very long time. The produce comes from its farm with the bread home-made.
It was torrential downpour that afternoon but we wanted to make the most of our time in Iceland. I really wanted to visit Seljavallalaug (local hot pool) as it is one of the oldest pools in Iceland. From our hotel it was only about a 10min drive then it is only about a 10-15 walk from the car park. Again, the road was very bumpy so you ideally require a 4WD to access.
We were hit with every sort of weather as we walked towards the pool - snow, rain, hail and strong winds whipping us yet again in the face. We weren't going to let that stop us from visiting and it was totally worth it though because not many people were there. We could relax in the pools surrounded by walls of rock, capped by snow and green moss. It was beautiful. The water is tepid unless you are right near the pipe so don't go in expecting it to be super warm.
We wound down all of the day's excitement playing Monopoly and eating a dinner of potato crisps as we were still full from the steak sandwich from lunch. Day two was another full on but fantastic day exploring the South Coast of Iceland.
This is the second of a six part series for my road trip along the South coast of Iceland.
I have broken it down by day (similar to my Backpacking Turkey posts) to hopefully help you plan your own trip depending on how many days you have.
The other posts can be found below:
Day One - Reykjavik and the Golden Circle
Day Three - Planes, Canyons and Dwarfs
Day Five - Stokksnes and Black Sand Beaches
For ideas on how to plan for a road trip in Iceland, read this post.
You can fly from London to Reykjavik relatively cheap if you book far enough in advance. Look on Skyscanner or Kayak to compare prices.
A lot of the places we stayed at were booked through Booking.com as they seem to have the most availability when I went to look. Book in advance so you don't miss out as Iceland is super popular!
