I recently had the chance to go on the Volcano and Glacier Walk tour and had just the most marvellous time!
A good way to start the day
I woke up on a beautiful day and was picked up in a nice jeep. My travel companions this day were three friends from the UK and two girls from the US. They were all very nice people with a great sense of humor. This is what I love about jeep tours. It’s like travelling in a small group of friends and becomes so much more personal and relaxed than in a bus tour.
The way to the Volcano
We drove off to the south coast, with stops on the way for coffee and such – which is essential when waking up at 7 am. As we got acquainted we listened to the guide telling all sorts of interesting facts about my country. The view out of the window was beautiful, the light alternating between cloudy, rain and sun. The landscape on this route is quite varied; flat terrains, lava fields, dairy farms and rivers, with mountains on our left side the whole time, and then finally arriving to Eyjafjallajökull Volcano. Probably you’ve heard of it, as people around the world have tried – with varying success – to pronounce its name.
This day we were in luck. The conditions were great, so we headed up the glacier Eyjafjallajökull. This is not always done, it depends on weather and conditions each day – if the road is muddy or the glacier soft, it may not be safe. The jeep headed up a steep hill after a path, which was slightly frightening at the beginning until I decided to trust the guide, who has years of experience.
The Stone of the Gods
We arrived to the top and there is this huge rock, called Goðasteinn meaning “Stone of the gods”) – it was covered in icicles and snow.
This was magnificent. Although in summer, it was really cold up there, because, well, it’s a glacier. It’s good to keep in mind to dress warmly when going to the highlands or glaciers, no matter what season. We also saw in the distance the crater, from where the eruption came in 2010.
Here I finally got a chance to toss away the ring that had been a burden to me the whole trip. It’s good that the fellowship was there to support me.
This was the best part of the tour, and a perfect photo opportunity with a view all the way to Vestmannaeyjar islands, south of Iceland.
On the way down there was a twist – we had a broken axle! This is really rare and the guide had never heard of such thing in many years of driving. This didn’t have to ruin our day so we just had a short lunch break on the glacier and waited for another jeep to pick us up. All went well and we were driven down to Seljalandsfoss waterfall. You can walk all the way behind it, and I recommend stopping there if you’re passing by. I also recommend going to Gljúfrabúi waterfall, 10 minutes walking distance to the left.
Conquering the Glacier
We next stopped at Sólheimajökull glacier, an outlet glacier of Mýrdalsjökull glacier for a short glacier hike. There, the guide gave us harnesses, crampons and ice axes and explained the basics. We walked for approximately one hour on the ice, and it’s not at all as scary or difficult as a glacier hike sounded like to me. You sort of get stuck to the ice like Spider Man. The glacier is beautiful; light blue and white hues mixed with black ashes.
After this, we made a last stop at a black sand beach. This was my second favourite thing on the tour. The ice cold wind in the face while watching the Atlantic ocean is just the best feeling. We then headed home happy (except maybe for the guide who had to go back the same evening to fix his car) and tired after the day, with phones full of beautiful photos. In total, I was very pleased with this tour.
Now I’ve been on a few different jeep tours as well as bus tours, and it’s sure to say that I prefer going by jeep. It’s so flexible and relaxed, not to mention comfortable seats, and has more options, like driving through rivers, up onto glaciers, and so on.
If you would like to go on the Volcano and Glacier walk tour yourself, you can book it online, or you can look into all our other tours, ask at our office or send us an email. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
