Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland.
After being mesmerized by the Northern Lights, we prepared for Day 4.
Fjaðrárgljúlfur
We returned to Fjaðrárgljúlfur to hike further, in daylight and have a little photoshoot.
DC-3 Plane Wreck
If you google ‘Plane Wreck Iceland’ you’ll find the story of the 1973 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur Crash. The wreck of this Douglas DC-3 is a very photogenic spot. Oriol was particularly happy there and even used a photo for his iPhone background.
It’s located on the Sólheimasandur Black Sand Beach, just outside Vík.
The plane wreck and other places in Iceland feature in Justin Bieber’s ‘I’ll Show You‘.
Geysir
Back in 2015, we saw geysers in Rotorua or Taupō in New Zealand. Geysir, sometimes known as The Great Geysir, is a geyser in southwestern Iceland. It was the first geyser described in a printed source and the first known to modern Europeans.
The English word geyser (a periodically spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir. The name Geysir itself is derived from the Icelandic verb geysa (“to gush”). Geysir lies in the Haukadalur valley on the slopes of Laugarfjall hill, which is also the home to Strokkur geyser about 50 metres (160 ft) south.
Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 70 metres (230 ft) in the air. However, eruptions may be infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for many years at a time.
But now it erupted regularly.
Geysers are a rare occurrence in the world. Besides New Zealand an Iceland, there are geysers in Yellowstone National Park in the United States, in the Valley of Geysers in Russia, and there is El Tatio in Chile.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss, “Golden Falls”, is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river, not far from Geysir. The Hvítá river flows southward, and about a kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the west and flows down into a wide curved three-step “staircase” and then abruptly plunges in two stages into a crevice.
During the first half of the 20th century and some years into the late 20th century, there was much speculation about using Gullfoss to generate electricity. During this period, the waterfall was rented indirectly by its owners. The waterfall was later sold to the government of Iceland, and is now protected.
This waterfall is huge and impressive.
Iceland, November & December 2022
- REVIEW | Icelandair Brussels Airport (Zaventem) to Reykjavík (Keflavík International Airport) on Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Economy.
- ICELAND | Kevlavík – Bridge Between Continents – Reykjanesviti Lighthouse – Reykjanestá – Gunnuhver Hot Springs – Grindavík – Reykjavík.
- REVIEW | Hotel Cabin in Reykjavík.
- ICELAND | Seljalandsfoss Waterfall – Skógafoss – Sólheimajökull – Dyrhólaeyjarviti – Reynisfjara – Vík.
- REVIEW | Hotel Katla in Vík.
- ICELAND | Skeiðará Bridge – Diamond Beach – Jökulsárlón – Skaftafellsjökull – Dverghamrar – Kirkjugólf – Fjaðrárgljúlfur – Skaftáreldahraun.
- ICELAND | Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vík.
Trip By Trip 
We visited Iceland a few years ago in May, so it was just entering summer. I was still very cold. We saw Geysir and Gullfoss where it was very windy and extremely cold. I remember there was a cafe nearby which we retreated to so that we could defrost.
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Gullfoss was very icy. Quite an astonishing place. If I go back, it will be in summer 😀.
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I’ve seen Yellowstone’s and New Zealand’s but not Iceland geysers. It looks like a great place for geyser spotting 😊
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It’s the “original” in a way. Yellowstone is on the wish list 😀.
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