My wife and I traveled to Iceland for 6 days earlier this year to go on a photography trip. Here’s a breakdown of what we did and the gear we took with us.

Dates: 20th March - 25th March

Journey: Reykjavik to Hofn to Golden Circle

Weather: Average -2 degrees Celsius, strong winds and a lot of snow.

Gear Check:

Camera: Sony A7R iii

Lens: 16-35mm G-master f2.8

Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2

Car: Skoda 4x4

Objective: Capture and explore Iceland.

Bonus points: Try and see the northern lights.

Day 1 - Reykjavik

We landed in Reykjavik at 7:30pm and got our car from the airport. We rented from RentalCar and got a Skoda 4x4. We didn’t feel comfortable driving at night in a new country so we spent the night in Reykjavik.

Hote 1: Link

Day 2 - Reykjavik to Vik

Drive time: 3hrs

We left our hotel at 6 am and began our drive to Vik. We had a few stops planned before we got to our cabin.

First stop is Seljalandsfoss Waterfall:

The second stop is Skogafoss Waterfall

The third stop is Plane Wreck

The cabin was a 6min drive from the famous black sanded beach. We booked 2 nights here.

Day 3: Vik

We didn’t realise how bad the weather was going to be in Iceland. That night, a storm came in so we had to change plans and stay the night in Vik. The whole of Vik lost power and there was a warning not to travel. So we stayed an extra day and explored Vik a little more.

Black Sand Beach

Day 4: Vik to Hofn

Drive time: 3hrs 30mins

We checked the weather the night before and saw it was going to be clear skies, so we got up early to capture the sunrise.

We made our way towards Hofn (East Iceland).

Glacier lagoon

Vestrahorn Mountain

The weather report that night looked good seeing the northern lights so we set out to go see them. Unfortunately, nothing.

Hotel 3: Link

Day 5: Hofn to the Golden Circle

Drive time: 5hrs 12mins

This was our longest drive so we tried to break them up.

Hotel 4: Link

Geysers

Day 6: Golden Circle to Airport

Before we went to the airport we had to check out the Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon is a must and I would recommend doing this on your last day. Don’t forget to book in advance.

Cost break down

Flights: £98.52 pp total: £197.05

Car rental: £406.11

Diesel: £150

Food: £25

Hotel 1: £71

Hotel 2: £268.82 for 2 nights

Hotel 3: £118

Hotel 4: £64

Blue Lagoon: £75 pp total £150

Grand Total: £1449.98. 2 people for 6days.

Keep costs down

Iceland is pretty expensive so we brought food with us from London. You can take 3kg of tinned food per person with you.

We rented a car so we can travel on our terms.

We booked early and booked our accommodation from booking.com and Airbnb.

Tips

Iceland is wet, cold and windy. Get yourself some waterproofs and warm clothes. Also, make sure your camera equipment is waterproof. Trust me.

Safety

https://safetravel.is/conditions

http://www.road.is/travel-info/road-conditions-and-weather/

Emergency number is: 112

The speed limit on motorways is 90km/h

The speed limit in a tunnel is 70km/h

Get insurance for your car!!

ALWAYS HAVE HEADLIGHTS ON!!

Northern lights

https://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/