Iceland trip - tips needed from people who have been

[Jase]

I'm planning a photography trip to Iceland for early 2015. Owing work commitments we are looking at 5 nights there so have to make the most of the limited time. We're struggling on a few things :

1) When to go ?

I has to be between February and May but ideally between February and April. From what I can gather going in February has more chance of seeing the Northern Lights but there is less hours of daylight and access to some places may be difficult therefore limiting what we can do in the days. April has more daylight, is slightly warmer and less chance of seeing the northern lights - also is this too late for the ice etc?

2) Where to go ?

Thinking first day head north to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, Second day onwards start to head east to Skógafoss etc.

We're going to renting a good 4x4

 

[Jase]

Skogafoss is amazing. Make sure you include Vik and Jokulsarlon if you travel along the south coast. Selfoss is very impressive, and I really enjoyed Thingvellir.

Thanks Jokulsarlon is on the list, I've just checked out Vik and Selfoss and Selfoss looks awesome!

Can you recommend a hire car company out there, apparently some will try to rip you off when it comes to accident/damage cover ?

 

[Jase]

Really struggling to decide when to go, I've just purchased an Iceland guide and it says Iceland is at it's most beautiful in May/June... I want to go sooner though!

 

[Jase]

For NL activity March is THE best time to go. Time it with a week of very little lunar activity so the Moon doesn't ruin your shots. We went in March and saw the NL 4 times in one week!

In terms of what to do/things to see. What we soon discovered is that rather than rush trying to do absolutely everything, take your time and enjoy it. Iceland is a truely magical country with exciting things around every corner, you will find plenty.

What I can tell you is what not to do.

Whale watching - whilst fun, the boat was overcrowded, and it's difficult to actually get photos without a million n00bs with iPads getting in your way. Don't bother with it.

The black beaches - these were interesting and different and we planned a whole afternoon around there, but honestly. You could see plenty and be done within a couple of hours.

Have you seen my blog? http://www.jacobellwood.co.uk/blog - take a look at the Iceland trip. Plenty of it is documented in there. I also did a huge thread in here, which you'll find if you search

Thanks mate, I hadn't seen your blog but have just read it and looks great! I was expecting it to be all white but it wasn't, although I want to see the ice and snow etc I don't want it to be all snow and ice if that make sense.

We've pretty much got our route planned now and just need to decide on date.. can't believe how hard it is to decide on a date!

Also looking at the flights WOW air look OK but have a max 12KG carry on allowance, that's not bad but ideally I would have like 15KG I think based on what I want to carry.

 

[Jase]

OK so working around 'work' we have narrowed it down to :

March : Sat 14th – Sat 21st or
April : Fri 10th April – Fri 17th

This is a little longer than originally thought possible so we should get more in

 

[Jase]

Phate, I noticed in a lot of your photo's that the sun seemed to be quite low and harsh. Just looking at the solar altitude in April and it's 37° which seems really low.. not that I know much about it but in comparison to June which is 49.3°

One of the things I read about Iceland was the wonderful light but now I'm wondering.. how did you find the light? did it cause problems getting the shots you were after?

 

[Jase]

Not especially. The light was delicious and I like shooting into the sun (as you may have gathered ) so it suited me down to the ground. I don't think I ever struggled for light once and even in the evenings when it's getting dark you can still pull an amazing amount of detail out of the surroundings. I'm putting this down to a general lack of air pollution.

I wouldn't get too mixed up in the technicals to the level you mention. Ultimately the country looks amazing whatever time of year you're going to go. It wasn't even something we considered and we spent HOURS planning it.

Yeah I had noticed I'm probably over thinking the whole thing but it's the first dedicated photography trip I've done so probably the reason.. I'm sure it will be good!

I looked into Iceland Air and if you travel Economy Comfort they'll let you take 2 carry on bags (10KG each) and a small hand bag/laptop which seems pretty good.

 

[Jase]

Just reopening this thread as due to change of job I could not go this year

We're now booked for 13th-20th March 2016 (can't wait) and just need to sort a car rental.

Are CarsIceland and bluecarrental still a good choice ?

 

[Jase]

Thanks for the replies all, Blue Car Rental look ideal so I'll go for them.

Our trip at the moment is :

A day in Reykjavik
Drive to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula for a day
Drive towards Jokulsarlon Lagoon, stopping at Skogarfoss waterfall & DC-3 plane wreck
Stay in a hotel close to Jokulsarlon Lagoon and using as a base for things in that area
Drive back to Reykjavik.

 

[Jase]

Thanks again for the tips, Vik is on the list to visit but we've already booked a B&B so won't be staying Vik..

Can't wait to go now after seeing these photos again

 

[Jase]

we went snow mobiling on a Volcanic Glacier, Ice Caving, Lava Caving, Snorkelling at Silfra, Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle amongst other things and stayed at three different locations, any questions just ask..

Did you go on a guided tour on the Ice Caves? it's something I'd like to do, I read that the only do this November-March as it's then not safe. Any recommendations?