Iceland Part 3: Budget Activities
- Sep 22, 2016
- 5 min read
In the long overdue Part 3 of my Iceland series (check out Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed 'em!) I'd like to share some of the activities we checked out on our winter trip to Iceland -on the cheap- in place of the more expensive alternatives. I won't say I didn't feel really really tempted at some of the options available, because I did. I caved a few times as one does when they are living free and traveling the world, but when you are sticking to a tight budget and want to experience an amazing a place like Iceland, there are always alternatives to consider. We are budget travelers, after all. Nothing can bring us (or our bank account balances) down!
The Land of Fire and Ice: Part 3
Iceland on a Budget
In my opinion, unless it's a private one, tours aren't all that enjoyable. You're herded onto a bus with a bunch of tourists. You have to be there at precisely when they tell you to. You have to leave when they tell you to. You can't get lost and explore and enjoy the freedom of your vacation when on a tour. Plus, money. Plus, what if you book a waterfall tour and wake up feeling more into horseback riding? Sorry- you are locked in!
1. Instead of hopping on a bus, rent a car.
Not only will you avoid crowds, you'll have the freedom to see the sites you want, when you want, and avoid wasting time at the ones you don't. (Also, skip the fee to see the sites that are already FREE!) You can even discover NEW places! Who knows where you will end up.
(Admittedly this isn't the cheapest option, but if you plan on doing a lot of tours it'll probably be cheaper to skip them all together and rent a car for the duration of your trip. And yes, gas is expensive. And yes, you probably should get the weird insurances they offer. We didn't go in for any more than gravel insurance, but a similar renter in a similar location about one day behind us wound up in a sand storm with all the windows blown out. It's a gamble! PS- we rented a 4x4 Jeep Cherokee from here. They met us at the airport, shuttled us 10 min away to their spot and gave us the car. Then we dropped it off and they shuttled us back to the airport. Easy peasy!)
2. Instead of walking through a lava cave, check out the geysiers.
It's a little tough to find a replacement to walking through a cave formed by actual lava. Even tougher to figure out something as cool as actually seeing lava. But, to save anywhere from $75 to $175, why not check out the earth spitting? I think it's the earth saying, "Pfffft, lava is lame." Pretty sure its free, too.
3. Instead of a northern lights tour, find them yourself.
You don't need to pay upwards of $150 to be brought to a secret location and wait (that's what I assume happens). If it's winter and you want the best chance at seeing the northern lights, just wait till it's midnight and look up. That's what we did and, surprise, it worked! We saw the lights while camping at Skaftafell in mid March. It was freezing and dark and we were all alone, and when the lights started dancing above our heads it was the coolest experience I've ever had.
4. Instead of an ice cave tour, delicately prance around a glacier.
Want to spend $200+ to stand in a cave of death-ice? Me neither. Don't even shell out for the cheaper $100 glacier walk tour. You don't need fancy shoes, and you don't need to know what parts are safe to walk on. Get in your car and drive to a glacier. Walk on it. Be scared. Take videos of your friends trying to walk. Laugh about the people over there who are in a big group, wearing special shoes, not having nearly as much fun as you are. Please understand that you will save money, but you will regret not getting the shoes. You will wish you knew what parts were safe to walk on. But you will survive, and it will be more than worth it.
5. Instead of horseback riding, just pet the little guys
Do you honestly want to sit on an animal going upwards of 4-mph, give or take, for anywhere between 2-8 hours? If so, get ready to blow $70 to $150. Honestly, we just pulled over on the side of the road to pet and hug some Icelandic beauties for about five minutes and it was completely satisfying. We passed by herds of them every so often on our drive, so we could pet them whenever it tickled our fancy.
7. Instead of the Blue Lagoon, explore natural springs.
Ok, we are guilty of believing the hype. We were planning on skipping the blue lagoon altogether, but a good source recommended it as a must-see. Take it from me, it's not a must-see. It was kind of neat for all of 10 minutes, after which I wasn't sure if I was enjoying myself or pretending not to be grossed out by the murky sludge I was walking on. It was tough trying to have fun while half naked overweight tourists with runny noses and beers floated by you. Plus, it's $45 for the most basic of basic admissions. If you want a mask or a drink, or even a towel, it'll cost ya! The highest package is $220- but it does include a bathrobe so you can get the hell out of there (with style).
All that said, it was pretty. Ice blue water and steam rising off like a mystical scene from that movie with the wizards and mermaids and faeries. I didn't see anyone check my bag so I could have popped some champagne in, along with my own fluffy robe and slippers (next time?) It's not a bad option to check out before a flight back home- what else are you going to do for a few hours near the airport?
Anyhow, if you want to skip, just explore the country. Hot springs are all over the place.
8. Instead of snorkeling between the continents, just walk over em.
Alright- bonus option. Snorkeling between the continents was one of the coolest tours I've ever heard of. The pictures looked amazing. I wanted to do it really bad, but timing wise and money wise (it's about $150+) it didn't work out this time around. But hey, maybe it's just as exciting to walk over the bridge between the continents instead (for free!). Being in two places at once seems more impressive when your spanning the earths literal breaking point.
This ends my Icelandic Series!
Here is an Icelandic Montage.
-vivalakelc
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