Iceland 1999 - FAQ
From Worldtraveller
Here are some questions that people have asked us about the trip. If you have any other questions, we'd love to hear from you.
How did you get to Iceland?
We flew, from Heathrow to Keflavík International Airport, with Icelandair. It cost us £326.70 each, from Omega Travel on Regent Street, London. You can get flights a lot cheaper in the wintertime, and also worth ckecking out might be the new airline Iceland Express, who are offering return fares for about £100.
How did you get around in Iceland?
Almost entirely by bus. We bought a Circle Pass from BSÍ, meaning that for about £150, we could travel around the country in one direction on the Ring Road, which goes around the outside of Iceland. For our various excursions into the interior, we had to pay extra. We made two non-bus journeys: we used the ferry to get to Vestmannaeyjar, and we chartered a small plane (Oh, the feeling of power!) to fly over Surtsey.
Where did you stay?
We camped for most of the time. There are loads of really great, cheap campsites in Iceland, and we were able to use these. We copped out a couple of times, though: at Landmannalaugar, we stayed in the mountain hut there for one night; at Selfoss, we stayed in a guesthouse; and at Geysir, we stayed in the cheap hotel. Also, on Heimaey, we stayed inside the hut at the campground, because it was the same price as camping.
What did you eat?
We cooked for ourselves on all but three occasions. Dried pasta, cup-a-soups, frankfurters and eggs were our staples. One of our meals out was the Vestmannaeyjar speciality, Puffin, which was very nice.
Is it really as expensive as everyone says?
Oh yes. Bread is about £2 a loaf, so that should give you some idea of the expenses involved in food shopping in Iceland. However, you can live reasonably cheaply: We spent about £25 a day including travel, which wasn't too bad.
What was the weather like?
It varied between horrific and beautiful, often several times on the same day. Mývatn had the best weather - up to 20°C - but was not without wind and a few spots of rain. Heimaey had the worst weather - two days out of six were so horrible that we couldn't do anything outdoors. However, three of our six days there were beautifully sunny. Basically, the general theme is changeable.
What sights do you recommend?
All of them. There was nothing we saw which wasn't at least impressive, and at most awe-inspiring. I can say pretty confidently that if you see what we saw, you'll find Iceland mindblowing. I think most people who've been would agree.
How often did you see the Northern Lights?
Every time it was clear. At the time, the sun wass at the peak of it's 11-year cycle, so the Northern Lights were happening very frequently - pretty much every night at Iceland's latitude. Even when the sun is not active they're very common up there, and most likely the weather will be the only thing that stops you seeing them. They do vary in intensity, though - sometimes, it was just slow-moving green ribbons across the sky, sometimes there would be rapid movement and flickering, and reds and purples appearing as well.
How did you photograph the Northern Lights?
Photographing the lights is easy. All you need is a camera with a B setting, meaning it can do long exposure. Stick in a medium/fast film (eg ISO 400), and open the shutter for anything between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. You can't fail to get something on film!
