Iceland in January

Iceland is every adventurers paradise, with sights around every corner. But the ultimate adventure in Iceland, is experiencing the wintery off-season. 

A few months ago I received a notification on Sky Scanner, a deal for $400 tickets to Reykjavik Iceland. I showed it to my boyfriend, Chase, and after reading a few blogs online about January in Iceland, we booked! We knew to expect short days and winter conditions, but we didn't expect the enchanting landscapes we were about to witness and the adventure that was going to ensue. 

We started as all travelers do, jet lagged and excited to begin our adventure. Both Chase and I being accustomed to van life in Montana, thought that would be the best way to see and experience the most during our trip. We booked a 4 x 4 camper van for the trip through Happy Campers. They greeted us at the Airport and took us to their nearby headquarters to show us our home for the next two weeks. After demonstrating the grill, water pump and heating system,  they warned us about the intense winds and urged us to always park facing into the wind. 

We were off, our objective being to drive the Ring Road and the Golden Circle. The first day we traveled to the small fishing town of Grundarfjörður. When we arrived, an intense storm blew in and we had to wait it out in our van. With limited daylight, we began to wonder if we'd be able to get outside at all. We took a much-needed nap and by the time we woke up it was late, dark and calm outside. We forged on to hike what we intended to earlier that day. The snow was reflective and the moon lit the way. We stopped on our way back to the van to take some photos. I set my exposure for 30 seconds and waited. When I looked at the image, I saw a green smudge above the prominent mountain in front of us. I yelled to Chase, "I think I see the Northern Lights!" He ran over and looked at my camera. He wasn't convinced that it was them. I insisted we wait and see. A few minutes later, the green smudge turned into a dancing, shimmering line of vibrant color. It was the most incredible thing either of us had seen. Then it hit us, we were in Iceland! 

We got a few hours of sleep that night and headed north in the morning, driving through white landscapes and big tunnels. We arrived at the Hvítserkur beach. The wind howled and chilled us to our core, but it was the most beautiful beach I'd ever seen. We looked down on strange-looking structures protruding from the sea and watched the waves crash against a dreamy black beach. After a hard lesson learned from frost-bitten toes, we put on all of our layers before heading out on hikes from then on. 

We began driving East but were delayed after sliding off an icy road into a snow bank. We were warned about this! After a hefty deposit to the towing company, a tractor with giant chains stopped. It was a local farmer. He was quick to help us, calling his friends to get a rope for a tow. He pulled us out of the snow with ease and we thanked him with a six-pack of Icelandic Einstock White Ale. We were back on track, now driving a bit slower... 

After a few hours, we reached MyVatn to visit the nature baths. Upon arrival, a blizzard ensued. We saw people rush out of the pools yelling and laughing at the unfortunate weather that had turned at the drop of a hat. This was our chance to soak by ourselves in the healing waters. Workers watched closely to make sure they could shovel us a path to get out of the pool when we exited, but the thought of leaving the warm water was worse than our hair freezing over and over. The water was soothing and calm, completely contradicting to the storm happening above and around us. We had thoughts about the first people to visit these baths and talked about their viking strength. 

We ended up having to extend our stay in MyVatn due to weather and road closures, but once we were out of the storm, it became the temperate and colorful land that we had envisioned. We spent the day walking down the coast near the East Fjords in the sun, stopping at random hot springs along the way. We had made it to the east coast just in time. 

With less than a week left in our trip, we headed South, where most of the top sites are. We visited, the Reynisfjara cliffs, 

Goðafoss waterfall, Þingvellir national park, Jökulsárlón lagoon, and many more. We were awestruck by each stop. With more sights, there were more tourists. Still, there were far less than usual since it was January. We experienced a few of the sites in seclusion and at more popular vistas, we enjoyed the fish and chips food carts that followed the crowds. 

Iceland has become a popular tourist destination, and it is tough to avoid the crowds in most months. Iceland's island-life came with many challenges in January, but overall it made us experience the land more intimately. We saw few people along our two-week journey, and were given more opportunity to connect with locals.  The adventure that ensued from waiting out storms and hiking in the twilight are memories I'll never forget. If you want an unforgettable adventure, visit Iceland in January.