After my wife and I experienced Iceland together in April of 2018, I needed to go back. Our trip was cut short by 2 days thanks to a blizzard in Minnesota and our itinerary had to change. We missed many of the locations I really wanted to visit. So, when we returned I started planning a solo return trip.

I made it safely to Keflavík International Airport and got a shuttle to Rent.is to pick up my home on wheels for the week. My goals this trip were to make it back to the Black Sand Beach near Vik and explore the northern regions of the country. Although I was exhausted from the overnight flight from Minneapolis, I drove the southwest coast to Selfoss where I got a campsite at Gesthús Selfoss. After a nap, I made the plan to head to Vik for sunset. Reynisfjara Beach was a place we missed out on during our last trip. It was busy with tourists, but I was still able to get some decent shots of the famous sea stacks. I drove around the mountain to Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach and there was no one there. The sun was starting to set and the clouds lit up with beautiful shades of pink and I captured one of my favorite shots of the trip.

Sunset at the sea stacks at Víkurfjara Black Sand Beach.

Gull Jola beer and grilled ham sandwich.

After the epic sunset, I made my way east towards the campsite at Stokksnes. I stopped for a break from the Ring Road at Jökulsárlón and got some fun shots of the tour boats in the glacial lagoon. With Iceland at such a high latitude, sunsets are stretched out over hours, so there was still some light left in the sky for photos. After that I continued on to the Viking Cafe & Guesthouse for a shower and made a great grilled ham and cheese sandwich for dinner. Winds were blowing at 40-50 mph and lighting the propane grill was quite the challenge! The meal was delicious and I washed it down with a can of Gull Jola beer. With day two complete I headed to bed and hoped for clear skies to get some sunrise photos of Vesturhorn mountain.

Morning came and just like the previous trip Vesturhorn was completely engulfed in clouds. I couldn’t see it at all. Then I got an aurora alert on my phone that changed my plans. That night the predictions for northern lights was really high, but the only clear skies were going to be on the other side of the country! I trusted the apps and made the decision to continue on the Ring Road for a 10 hour drive through some uncharted territory. My plan was to get to the Kálfshamarsvík lighthouse in time for the light show. It was so difficult to drive past so many amazing locations in order to reach my destination in time. I had to drive through the “northern capital” of Akureyri in the dark. I would have loved to stop for dinner at any of the cute cafes and restaurants.

Around 10 p.m. I made it to the town of Blönduós and found a really nice campground. I quickly regrouped, charged batteries, and prepped my gear and drove the 45 minutes up to Kálfshamarsviti. The decision paid off and I got my first shots of aurora. I was treated to brilliant green curtains of light behind the lighthouse. I spent four glorious hours photographing the lights around the area with the only other living creatures around were a herd of Icelandic wild horses.

Kálfshamarsvík lighthouse.

After a great night’s sleep and a hot shower, I headed towards Barnafoss, a park with groundwater that seeps through the topsoil and appears to come right out of the rocks. I had to fight with 60+ mph winds so getting a good shot with the movement of my tripod was difficult. It’s a great spot with a nice, modern coffee shop to warm yourself.

Barnafoss waterfalls.

After that, I headed to Thingvellir National Park. I got there after dark though, so I didn’t see much. The aurora came out to play again, so I was able to capture some nice curtains of aurora. I didn’t really have a plan after that, and camping wasn’t allowed in the park so I returned to the campground I stayed at the my first night there. I had to catch my flight home the next day, so I returned to Keflavík to return the van and say goodbye to this beautiful country.

Traveling to Iceland in November was GREAT! Crowds were at a minimum and it really didn’t get too cold. Plus, it was nice to see all of the Christmas culture at the airport and shops. Holiday brews, books for Jolabokaflod (meaning “Christmas Book Flood”), and Yule Lads galore all helped with a feeling of joy and anticipation that wasn’t fully on display in April. I don’t think there’s really a bad time to visit this spectacular country.

Iceland Photo Gallery