When planning my trip overseas I had been tossing up between going to Norway or to Iceland. In the end my desire to snorkel at Silfra won out and it was decided that a week in Iceland was on the cards.
This was probably one of the best decisions of my life. Most of my Euro trip I left wide open, so I could do as I pleased with no plans to restrain me, however, Iceland is a very expensive place to stay.
Food, accommodation, alcohol and adventures do not come cheap, so I only budgeted for a week in Iceland. I had so much I wanted to see and do in that time frame, so I got in contact with Eskimos Tours, who helped me plan an itinerary which left me time on my own to explore, and also enabled me to have all the adventures I wanted.
I cannot recommend them enough! They run some of their own tours, but also work with all of the other tour companies in Reykjavik and for no extra cost, they can do all of the ‘heavy lifting’ for you.
I flew into Reykjavik with WOW Air and they were fantastic! The best part was this dialogue from the captain:
Intercom comes on
Captain: “In about 20 minutes we will be descending into Reykjavik Keflavik Airport. Thankyou for flying with WOW Air and we hope you have enjoyed your flight.”
Intercom goes off
Intercom comes back on
Captain: “Oh and if anyone is interested, you can currently see the Aurora Borealis from the right hand side of the plane.”
Cue me climbing over the two British men heading to Iceland for their honeymoon to look out the window. Could anybody ask for a better way to start their trip to Iceland? I doubt it!
2019 Update: WOW Air have since gone out of business. For flights into Iceland I’d now recommend Iceland Air.
After a good nights sleep dreaming of dancing green lights in the sky, I was up early in the morning to go dog sledding.
I ended up on a tiny group tour made up of an Italian girl, another Aussie and a British father-daughter duo. We drove out to the glacier in this huge super Jeep and once we arrived we were greeted by the barking of so many big huskies! We all shimmied our way into these huge sleeping bag-esque suit things, and I was so glad we had them. It was extremely windy and very cold on the glacier; and these suits were practically wind proof, which meant that other than my cold hands and face, the rest of me was kept toasty warm.
When the dogs saw that they had visitors they went absolutely mental. They were so excited, pouncing all around, jumping on us, licking our faces; they were so enthusiastic.
Then it was time to start sledding! I got to ride at the back (standing up) first and it was so much fun!
After having a pretty long ride on the back, it was my turn to sit at the front, and this allowed me to free up both hands and get pretty snap happy. The glacier was breathtakingly stunning, the dogs ran so fast and the sun was rising, casting beautiful colours over everything.
We then stopped for a little while to get better acquainted with the dogs and give them cuddles and pats. Saying that this was amazing would be a smidge of an understatement.
I also managed to get some half decent video of the whole thing!
I could have stayed on the glacier all day, but alas I had to move on. But here are some more pictures of beautiful dogs, you know, just because.
So what do you think? Would you love to spend a day sledding with these gorgeous huskies?
THE LOWDOWN
Getting to Reykjavik: This is a major hub between Europe and North America, but I highly recommend Iceland Air for reliable flights and connections
Loft Hostel: This is my favourite backpackers in all of Reykjavik, click here for more info
Camera: Images captured with an iPhone 4S
Remember: When I wrote this post Iceland was still very under the radar. It has now grown into a hugely popular destination for tourists – to avoid the crowds, I recommend visiting in the winter months
Like this? Pin it!
How much was that particular tour? If you don’t mind me asking! Looks amazing.
I think it was around $230AUD, but that also included a Golden Circle trip. It was definitely a pricey trip, but the day was absolutely perfect so it was well worth the splurge. 🙂
Brilliant fun, always love Iceland. If you have time, a trek up into the hills of þingvellir National Park to find the hot springs is well worth the free trip. A natural jacuzzi with the best view in the world. Bergsson Mathús does the best breakfast in Reykjavik also, and is always good value. Have fun!
I did spend some time in þingvellir (I was there in January and am only blogging about it now… whoops) but I didn’t get to the hot spring! Guess it just means I will have to go back to Iceland soon 🙂
I visited Iceland during their summer, but it looks like you had an amazing time in the snow, and seeing the Northern Lights out of the plane window! I’ll have to go back sometime in winter 🙂
I want to go in summer and go canyoning! We will both just have to go back at some point 🙂
Me again! My girlfriend and I have booked up to go to Iceland in February, all the husky tours seem extortionate but I’m soooo desperate to do it. Which company did you use? Sorry to pester, eek!
I used Eskimos Tours and combines it with a golden circle trip. All of the dog sledding is so expensive but I loved it so much I think it is worth it 🙂
I love the pictures of you and the dogs 🙂
Hi! I’ve just started my blog and after reading yours I was stunned! I just wanted to say your blog inspires me to write a lot more then I do now 🙂 Iceland is definitely bucketed – my way of saying ‘it’s on my bucket list now’ – and I will keep reading your posts from now on!
Thank you 😊 I am so glad I can inspire you 😊 I’ll be back in Iceland in a few weeks so there will definitely be some good upcoming posts!
Oh, that’s great! I’m looking forward to read your posts! 😀
What an awesome adventure/experience! You have some great photos with the huskies to treasure. And the Northern Lights too! Cheers, Mark
Absolutely! I just booked my 5 day stay and I am going to see if I can add this to my activities. I’m reading all of your Iceland posts!
Awesome!!! When are you going?
In the begining of May!
Lovely!
I think I’ll miss the Northern Lights- but I’m okay with having more to do next time.
Yes you’ll be gifted with the midnight sun instead! But you are right- it will give you the incentive to go back 😊
Really, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It helps to be inspired and plan our own excursions. CARRY ON!
My absolute pleasure and I definitely will do! Many more adventures to come! And a few more Iceland posts are in the works 😊
Fantastic!
Reblogged this on nz.
What a sweet way to get in touch with Reykjavik’s wild side! Huskies are the royalty of dogs.
They absolutely are! They are easily my favourite breed 🙂
Fantastic photos! Sooo dreamy.. Iceland has been on the top of my list for years..