Akureyri, Iceland

Our second port in Iceland was the small town of Akureyri, on the north coast and within a few miles of the Arctic Circle, but strangely temperate. The population is around 15,000 inhabitants, and the day we arrived it was stunning, mid-60s and sunny for most of the day.

The plan for the day was to rent a car, and the map shows the nearest car rental establishment, a National Car Rental (Tryggvabraut 12, P. O. Box 10, Akureyri, Iceland, Tel: 461 6000, Email: holdur@holdur.is). It's walking distance from where the cruise ships dock or tender, maybe 10-15 minutes, or a short cab ride.

For 9,500 ISK (or about $150) inclusive of VAT, insurance, etc., we got a Honda Jazz, a small 4 passenger car that was comfortable and peppy, if not roomy. Of course, like most European car rentals, it was a manual transmission vehicle. Fuel for the day worked out to be 1,512 ISK (or about $24). The car rental place is located right at a gas station, so topping off at the end of the day was easy.


Princess offers a tour called "Iceland's Landscape of Fire", and our intention was to duplicate the high points of this tour, adding lunch, and perhaps additional stops along the way. We had hoped to beat the busses out of town, but we got a late start, and they beat us to every destination. With two cruise ships in port -- and both were P&O ships, so the tours were nearly identical -- there were tons of busses everywhere we went.

At any rate, the Princess tour cost was $119pp, and with four of us, our cost was well under half of that, even including an expensive lunch at Reykjahlio, the turn around point for our journey, and where we proceeded back west on Route #1 (the Iceland ring road) to Akureyri. To get out of Akureyri, you head south and cross the bridge over the fjord, and you are on Route #1. From there you can stop at the several very informative and detailed tourist information rest stops, or just look for the tour busses and your fellow cruisers!

The first stop was Godafoss, a beautiful waterfall. While the first few pictures make it look idyllic, if you look closely you will see the hundreds of cruisers that beat us there.

Humiliating!

Anyway, Margie and Melinda are looking good in front of the falls in this picture.




As you get to the edge of the falls -- and watch out, those rocks are slippery -- you will get close enough to the falls to get some spray.








Margie is shown here. A beautiful woman in front of a beautiful spectacle of nature.




The next stop was Skatusadir on the southern shore of Lake Myvatn. No, it's not a golf course! These are large craters on the banks of the lake. There is maybe a mile of hiking trails to get a better look.


Naomi, Margie and Melinda are shown here in front of the lake.

Not shown is a tourist center/ restaurant, and about 14 busses.



Next we drove to Dimmuborgir where we strange lava formations, that without using too much of our imagination, look to us like various things. The one below looked like a face, perhaps one of the rock creatures in "Return to Oz".

This one formed a giant circle. I got a shot of the girls inside.

Anyway, lots of hiking here, so we did just two small trails so we could get to Namaskard, and later, have lunch!

I believe the tour busses unloaded their passengers, got them in a line, and walked them down a trail, returning to the parking lot, without really telling the passengers that this was a small hike, and to be careful with the loose gravel, etc. At least that is what we were told by cruisers who took the tour.

Our next stop was Namaskard, sulfur pits, boiling mud pots, and vapor for all. Again, we didn't hike around here too much. At least one of us was very hungry!

This would not be a good place to stumble.

You want to stay upwind of this.

Along Route #1, we saw fields of hay wrapped in colorful plastic, like the picture to the right. I suppose this was to keep the bales dry (or wet)? Anyway, it was a very strange sight, and looked like something out of a Lewis Carroll story. I thought they looked like those mean suffocating bubbles on "The Prisoner"



We retraced the route to Akureyri, and this is what the main drag looks like while driving.

If the ship docks, as did the Sea Princess on our voyage, this is where it ties up. That little hut is a telephone booth!

Tenders land about 1km closer to the little downtown area.

NEXT: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark

Back: Reykjavik, Iceland

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More Akureyri Pictures (mostly of interest to family and friends)