TRIP TO ICELAND,

Hi,
I am planning a trip to Iceland In August 2010. I will go solo . My idea is to trek AND to make photos. My equipment is quite heavy as i mainly use a Pentax 67 with 3 or 4 lenses + tripod.
I will also have to carry a small tent + sleeping bag etc...
Iceland is not a very big country but when you walk , short distances can become very long. I fact i think 2 short treks of 4 days would be ideal as i will stay 2 weeks. So I am looking for any advice as to which places are most photogenic or any information about bags, food, equipment which could help me make of this trip a fantastic one.
Thanks for all your answers.
Angelo

Would it be unseemly of me to suggest a ca. 19 year old Icelandic gal to carry your film for you?

Bjork would be a treat, if a little temperamental; she doesn't like cameras...

PS: Trim down that load, way down. You'd be looking at something like 25 to 40kg with basics: that is too much. One camera body+one lens and a light tripod.

Given the size of your load, and the changeable weather of most parts of at least coastal Iceland, I would think seriously of renting a car, or if you plan to do that, reduce the length of your treks or the amount of equipment. One reason I recommend the car if at all possible is that there is so many photogenic parts of Iceland, and some of the best scenery is a significant distance from Reykjavík. Snaefellsness is beautiful, so is a waterfall called Skogafoss, there are great vistas on the south coast, there are epic mountains in many places...see if you can borrow/buy some books on Iceland with extensive photos and look over the possibilities.

Don't expect a lot of signage in English, it is worth doing some extensive homework on Reykjavík public transport, housing and locations of food markets: you have the right idea to minimize expenses with the tent and cooking for yourself. Even with the economic problems there, it is an expensive place.

I agree with macrorie that the truly spectacular locations in Iceland are a long walk from one another, despite the relatively small size of the island. One alternative to renting a car that you might investigate is the bus system. I have never traveled by bus there, but I understand that there is regular bus service to many points, especially in summer. I suspect that bus stops would get you pretty close to many of the places you might want to camp and photograph. Certainly a lot closer than walking from Reykjavik!

I am also going in August, we are stopping at families house, so if I see some guy struggling with camera gear I will give you a wave .

I will ask my partner for good places to go for you

There are so many hiking opportunities in Iceland. When I was there, the Porsmork & Landmannalaugar areas where highly recommended but one needed a 4x4 (Jeep, not camera to get there so I didn't make it unfortunately.

I did hike around lake Mývatn and surrounding areas which was great and also in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park to see the Dettifoss waterfall. I'm not sure what hiking is available around Gullfoss waterfall but it is worth photographing as its very impressive.

Peter

There are many interresting things to photograph. As I were there I took the fairy boat from Hanstholm ( Dänemark) to Iceland. If you fly in its a good choise to rent a car. The bussystem is not bad, but with heavy gear its very uncomfortably. Rent a car in which you can slepp also ( I have seen flying tents in Landmanalaugar). A 4x4 car is a must have for the highland. Walking opportunities are everywhere.

Markus

Markus,

What is the ferry like? Are there any unpleasant import duties that need to be paid if ferrying one's own car to Iceland?

Tom

Hi,
Fairy boat = Ferry Boat
As I were there in 2006 I paid only for the transportation of my car and me. I sleeped on my sleeping matress outside. Very comfortable ship. After the arrival they checked my staff. Its not allowed to import more than ??? litre alkohol, cigarettes, food. If you bring more with you, you have to pay import duties. Maybe you get a problem if you bring your own car, sell it there and fly back to UK.

Angelo di Mango said:

Hi,
I am planning a trip to Iceland In August 2010. I will go solo . My idea is to trek AND to make photos. My equipment is quite heavy as i mainly use a Pentax 67 with 3 or 4 lenses + tripod.
I will also have to carry a small tent + sleeping bag etc...
Iceland is not a very big country but when you walk , short distances can become very long. I fact i think 2 short treks of 4 days would be ideal as i will stay 2 weeks. So I am looking for any advice as to which places are most photogenic or any information about bags, food, equipment which could help me make of this trip a fantastic one.
Thanks for all your answers.
Angelo

Click to expand...

It's a great place for long walks. The following areas come to mind.

Around Vik (there is a little road about 10 miles west of Vik just off of the ring road. You walk north, and there are all kinds of nice hills with beautiful scenes and streams and sheep etc.)- what I'd do is check in at a farm and ask.

For a shorter walk but with lots of scenery, you could circle the island of Heimaey. To the north you will see the glacier, to the south the new island of Surtsey. Plus there is the volcano and lots of puffins. You can get to Heimaey via ferry or a short, inexpensive flight.

The area around Thingvellir is great for hiking. If you look on my site you will see a shot from there. It's very geologically interesting, you can literally walk the gap between the N. American and European tectonic plates.

All the way to the southeast there is the very lovely area around Höfn (pronounced 'Höp') and there is a big lovely glacier, Vatnajökull. What is special there, too, is the number of birds. Plus they have wonderful freshwater fish.

I don't know how hikable it is, but maybe you could hike alongside the Jökulsárlón, the big glacier lake that is an hour or two east of Vik. Lots of photo opps there and a bizarre countryside. Plus, along the way, you will go through some extremely barren landscape that was basically swept clean by the last big volcano eruption. This area is beautiful in a very bizarre way.

I've been 5 times and only done the south, so much to do there, I never made it north! Some day....

P.S. Something that just occurred to me is that you might study up on the geography invoked in the sagas. As I recall, there are some good descriptions of places in Njáls saga that would be cool to rediscover. One place that recurs in the sagas is Thingvellir, which was the official, neutral meeting place where people put up tents for several weeks and resolved disputes and conducted commerce (=traded daughters and sheep and horses etc.). I think people ventured there from all over, so there must be some passes radially outward from Thingvellir, especially to the northwest and southwest. Some of these trips are mentioned in the sagas, not with great detail, but you get the idea that pretty much everybody owning property went to Thingvellir once a year. I do know that there are excavations and reproductions of early dwellings in that area, so that'd be something fun to discover. I guess Eirik's place in Iceland was in the far west, offhand I don't remember where, but I think they have reconstructed it, basically a long bermed hut with everything you'd need to survive a long hard winter. Anyway, if you immerse yourself in a saga such as Njáls saga before going, the land will really come alive in the most fantastic way. The saga covers many generations of adventure; it's not great literature in the sense of writing style, but it is quite intriguing and unintentionally funny in many places; I mean, you get to find out when and why they stopped eating horses, and you learn all about the megabitch Freydís, for example. I don't remember exactly where but we went to an official center on Njáls saga somewhere in the southwest between Vik and Hveragerði, and it would give a good visual intro if you aren't willing to read the whole saga yourself. In theory, somebody there would be an expert on the locations invoked in the saga.

Thanks a lot for your long answers. I will study them with a map now.

Be careful walking as the hot springs can have a crust over the top and you can step into boiling (or near 100C) water and burn your foot badly. It happened to a shipmate on a port visit to Iceland.

Cheers, Doug in Colorado

If you want to backpack with Pentax 67, you need really good quality, light weight hiking and camping gear to shave the weight. Check out www.backpackinglight.com for some gear suggestions. As to tent, I have a tarptent Scarp II I really like, you could get a Scarp I if you go solo (I think it is just a little over 2 pounds). A down bag would be much lighter than synthetic bag.

I found a nice little walking guide to Iceland http://www.rother.de/titpage/4802.php also available in French http://www.rother.de/titpage/4924.php
It's mostly (or perhaps entirely, I haven't found time to read my copy yet) short day walks but will give you plenty of ideas and information.
There is a 2-3 day hike along the river in Jökulsárgljúfur National Park which would be well worth doing, the rock formations there are amazing. As has been said there's also plenty around nearby Mývatn.

I count myself very fortunate that I have visited Iceland on 2 occasions - both solo in the last 3 years and I'm planning another solo visit of 4 weeks duration next summer (2011). I've been there for 2 weeks in early July as well as 2 weeks in early April. During the first visit I camped wild and rented a car and had an amazing time - despite the weather being very fickle! I took an extensive large format (5x4) outfit with me as well as the necessary tent, sleeping bag and camping necessities. My second visit made use of the excellent Icelandic farmhouses that are dotted around the country - usually near the Ring Road; very cheap and comfortable places to stay. On this trip I shot 6x17cms.
The South coast road between Vik and Hofn is a must - you will need a car as travelling distances are great but you could easily spend 2 weeks and only cover a small percentage of the "sights".
The north eastern area around Myvatn is also an amazing place.
Facilities are VERY few and far between so make sure you stock up on supplies whenever you find a supermarket and always keep an eye on the fuel gauge if you rent a vehicle.
Iceland is expensive but can be done cheaply - camping is the obvious choice; even campsites are very reasonably priced and all have hot showers. car rental is expensive - no two ways about it - but transport is a must. If you go in August you won't need a 4x4 so get the cheapest deal you can on a 2-wheel drive.
I took a lightweight tarp tent and lightweight bag - the nights (the few hours of "darkness") were not too cold.
Make sure you get some maps before you go - they too are expensive to buy in Iceland.

May I just add a note of caution, not for you but for the nature: If you choose to rent a car, please stay on the roads/tracks. Do not drive through unspoilt terrain. The Icelandic vegetation is extremely fragile and we have far too many instances where drivers, both Icelanders and a few visitors, have driven through moss fields and left scars that will take decades to heal. Every time I drive from Reykjavik to southern Iceland I see scars that were left in the forties and fifties. Hiking is fine, but drive with care, for your sake and nature's.