48 Hours in Iceland: Winter Edition!

48 Hours in Iceland: Winter Edition!

Iceland really took our breath away in 2016, so much that after we spent 48 Hours in Iceland last summer, we just had to go back and visit again in the winter - and thank God we did.

Iceland is unlike any country we have ever been to before, and the freedom we feel there gives us a sense of excitement we always chase when we travel. Not only does the small country only have around 300,000 residents, but during the winter months, there are far fewer tourists which only brought out the magic.

Arriving at the end of December, we were met with nearly 20 hours of darkness per day, only having partial sunlight from about 11am-3pm each day. While most think Iceland is in 24 hours of darkness all winter, this period really only lasts around six weeks and the little light that does appear is absolutely stunning. For any photographers out there, the long light of the winter sun in Iceland gives you hours of golden light and on a clear day makes for spectacular sites and photographs.

The other reason we embraced the dark? Our everlasting hope of finally seeing the Northern Lights, but we'll get back to that later...

After landing around 4 pm, in pitch black, we hopped in our trusty SUV from Blue Car Rental and were on our way. We had such an amazing experience with them last summer that we requested the exact same car complete with the onboard wifi, a complete life saver. We even got some extra tips of the best unknown areas to explore, which was much appreciated.

Our tip for accommodation is to look up Airbnb in Iceland and chances are you'll find whatever you need. With the huge influx if tourists in Iceland the last couple years, the hotel industry just cannot keep up. The result is far fewer hotels than you'd expect, at prices which might make you wince. We found a cute little family home 5 minutes outside of town which was perfect for our stay and extremely reasonably priced.

It goes without saying, but we'll say it again. Renting a car in Iceland truly gives you the freedom that you want in such a wild and open country. Our number one tip for visiting is always "just drive and try to get lost". The most incredible memories you'll make will be accidental things you find along your way just driving like waterfalls, valleys, mountain peaks and endless winding roads.

Our most common comment before we left was "you're insane, you're going to freeze to death", and I don't blame people for thinking that. After all, it is called ICEland for a reason. However, the cold wasn't too bad in December, hovering around 0-5 celsius. The wind, however, is a different story. Thank God for Icewear, who take pride in providing modern Viking armor for both tourists and Icelandic people alike. When we travel to a foreign country we always try and eat where the locals eat, so it only makes sense to wear what the locals wear also - and everyone in Iceland wears Icewear.

If you've watched our summer Iceland road trip video, you'll know we went mostly north from Reykjavik and explored the Sneafflesness peninsula mostly, with stops in Olafsvik, the shark museum and famour Kirkjufell. This time, however, we were determined to go inland more as well as discover the South Coast of Iceland, which we had heard so much about.

Heading inland first, we drove through the stunning Thingvellir National Park, one of the few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Iceland. Thingvellir is extremely unique, in that it is literally split in half by the meeting of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, something you'd never know just by driving through.

When we heard Arctic Adventures offered winter Arctic snorkeling between the tectonic plates, we couldn't resist. Anne took some convincing, and even though the water was only 2 degrees, the air outside was -10 so we were much warmer in the water than out. This is by far the coolest thing I've ever done that I never knew existed. Snorkeling in the Arctic in the middle of the winter is not something I had ever thought of doing, but if you go to Iceland and opt out of this adventure, you're really missing out.

Check out the rest of our "48 Hours in Iceland: Winter" article here: whatdoesntsuck.com/48-hours-in-iceland-winter




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Please watch: "48 Hours in Greenland 2018: Inuits, Icebergs and Insane Hikes"
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