Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.09.2019, Blaðsíða 46

Travelling is awesome, especially in a
country like Iceland with its amazing
scenery and picturesque little villages.
Driving in another country, however,
can be stressful, and you might not
want to risk your relationship or health
while trying to navigate, just to eventu-
ally get stuck on some “road” that leads
to an awesome location you found on
Instagram. You can do that, of course,
but be prepared to be on the cover of a
newspaper as yet another “dumb tour-
ist” cautionary tale. If you’re dead set
on avoiding that fate, however, here are
a few alternatives to driving you can
bear in mind.
A hitchhiker’s guide
to Iceland
Relive your favourite movie, where
some hipster dude with a cardboard
sign travels the world and spends al-
most no money on transport. You, too,
can do exactly that, getting to know
kind strangers while sitting in their
car—or, if it’s an unpleasant experi-
ence, while confined to a small space
indefinitely with a weirdo. Either way,
you’ll have a great story to tell. Hitch-
hiking is a dope way to get to know
locals and can be very handy if you get
stranded in some small town. Maybe,
just maybe, you could even meet the
love of your life.
Be prepared for a long, cold wait,
though, because Iceland is remoteness
overload. Some areas are so far off the
beaten track that even if you get a ride
there, you should start looking for a
way out of all that beautiful solitude
earlier that you think. Unless you want
to set free your inner Bear Grylls, and
you brought a load of energy bars, a
parka, and a winter-proof outdoor sur-
vival kit with you.
Busses
Let’s take that trip down memory lane;
remember running after the school
bus, or waiting for it just to realise
it won’t show up? It’s not like that in
Iceland, don’t worry. Busses are ac-
tually a pretty neat way to travel the
island. Strætó takes you to almost ev-
ery ‘bigger’ town, such as Akureyri,
Egilsstaðir, Vík, or Hólmavík. You can
connect with other busses that take
you a little further… you know how that
works. If it’s summer, and you want to
go to Landmannalaugar but can’t rent
the clunky 4X4 vehicle needed to drive
there, busses are your go-to. (Note: this
area is closed completely in winter).
So far, so good—but life would be
boring without a little ‘but.’ Let’s face
it, it’ll take a looong time to reach your
final destination, with toilet breaks
and passengers loading on and off. But
then again, Iceland is pretty nice, so
looking out of the window shouldn’t
get too boring. Otherwise just play
some car games, like counting sheep
or spotting the tree (which will prove
to be more difficult than you might
think).
Also, bus rides aren’t dirt-cheap
here, like in other countries with fancy
rail options. Travelling from Reykjavík
to Höfn (a gorgeous little town, an hour
past the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon)
will cost you about 14,000 ISK per per-
son one way—or, around €107. But at
least you don’t have to pay for fuel, it’s
more environmentally friendly, and
you can take as many naps as you want.
Win-win-win.
Flying
So, let’s consider the quickest, fanci-
est and—surprisingly—reasonably
affordable mode of travel. Road con-
ditions? Who cares about those. You’ll
be up in the air, possibly flying over a
glacier or a flock of sheep. And didn’t
you always want to land on a really
small <1km country field… I mean run-
way? Taking a plane from Reykjavík’s
domestic airport is the best way to
do exactly that. The prices could be a
surprise, since—if you get lucky—you
might find a flight for less money than
you’d spend on a bus ticket, or refuel-
ling your rental car.
There are two airlines taking you
to places like Akureyri, Egilsstaðir,
Húsavík and Höfn. Air Iceland Connect
gives you a lift up North, whereas Eagle
Air goes South as well. A flight from
Reykjavík to Akureyri for example can
be as cheap as 11,000 ISK (around €87)
each way; Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður
even less—we found flights for around
9,000 ISK (€68) each way. Friendly lo-
cals are sometimes up for giving you
a ride into town, or just book a cab or
tour pickup straight from the fiel…
airport.
One of the flights you should defi-
nitely look into is the one to Heimaey in
the Westman Islands. For ticket prices
beginning at 16,000 ISK (€122) you can
fly to one of the most magical places
you’ll ever visit—a tiny volcanic archi-
pelago. You’ll save money on the ferry,
and it’s so small that you don’t need a
rental car anyway.
So…?
Well, it’s up to you. There is some-
thing suitable for everyone, whether
you want to rent a car or not, combine
different possibilities (you can fly, and
then rent a car at most airports, if you’d
like), or just not take any advice. But
one thing is for sure—examining all
the options can take you a long way.
46The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16— 2019
Planes, Trains
And Automobiles
How to get around Iceland on a budget
Words: Claudia Schultz Photos: Art Bicnick
Travel
The capital area has a functioning bus system Landmannalaugar, yesterday
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