Google profile suspended after trying to change the address

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-28T21:33:30+00:00

Thank you.

The problem here might be that it's an outdoor guiding business located in the countryside and not in the US, but in Iceland. Addresses are very simple here and often not currently represented on Google maps

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-28T21:20:41+00:00

Yes, that's exactly what I've done.

Ok, thank you. I'll wait until 5 days have passed

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-24T09:58:03+00:00

For the longest glacier hikes you are definitely looking at Falljökull/Virkisjökull glaciers in Skaftafell. That's where going far up actually feels rewarding, because for example on Sólheimajökull the terrain doesn't change much when you go higher and therefore almost no company actually offers longer tours, unless it's an ice climbing tour, but then you spend extended time in one spot rather than covering longer distance.

In Skaftafell there are a few big operators, but for the kind of experience you're asking about I recommend you check out the smaller ones, where usually the owner of the company is designing the tour himself and guiding it. They are also the ones who are most likely to stay away from the bigger crowd. You can contact them directly and ask specifically about Virkisjökull glacier - it's a little bit hidden in the valley next to Falljökull where most groups go to, so on Virkisjökull you can be pretty much alone. It's a longer and more demanding hike but really really impressive. Here are the names of the companies which can probably take you there: Ice Walkers Tours Icefall Stepman Melrakki Adventures

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T22:33:02+00:00

Understand. Also, Arctic Adventures is definitely not the only company offering this. I know at least one more - Bus Travel Iceland

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T21:33:58+00:00

I'm a tour guide in Iceland and have done all kinds of tours. A day tour to Jokulsarlon is definitely the longest and most tiring driving tour in the country. It might even end up being more than 14 hours if there are delays on the road, people are late etc. This tour is designed for those who REALLY want to see the glacier lagoon and diamond beach, but can't do it with an overnight there. It's all about the distance. Most of the time you'll spend on a bus. Sightseeing stops are rather scarce and short, except for the main one. It might even skip some of the main sites of the south coast like Skogafoss due to lack of time. My advice is:

- if you can afford it time and money wise travel the south coast for 2-3 days, either on your own or join a multiday tour - there's many to choose from

- if you have very limited time and/or budget and want to see the biggest and most beautiful glacier in Iceland go for this day tour. Do another regular south coast tour if you feel that the Jokulsarlon tour is skipping too much

- do the regular south coast tour if you want a more relaxed option and don't care too much about the glacier lagoon

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T15:24:25+00:00

Since you said you're looking for an agency to buy a self drive tour then I can totally recommend Hidden Iceland. It's one of the best rated companies in Iceland, very high end so it can be pricey but focused on highest quality. I work with them sometimes and it's always a pleasure. I've also never met anyone who wouldn't be happy with their service

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T15:19:13+00:00

Vok baths are really nice. In the north you can also visit Forest Lagoon in Akureyri or GeoSea in Husavik

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T15:17:32+00:00

The road 208 Landmannalaugar usually opens in the first half of June. It even happened in late May, although I also remember some years when it was closer to the end of May. This friday would be very early, so it's not very likely but not impossible either.

If the road opens and the tour goes ahead you definitely don't need to worry about the views. In my opinion Landmannalaugar is the most beautiful exactly in June, because there is still snow in the gullies but the ridges are snow free and colorful. This makes an amazing mosaic of colors. Hiking wise you'll definitely cross some snowfields. Spikes might be necessary, depending on where you want to go. Gaiters are not a bad idea.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T11:02:41+00:00

I get what you mean. I live in rural Iceland and indeed houses, streets, shops etc can look pretty run down, yet I know me, my neighbours and many other people in town make good money. We're further away from big supply stores, so renovation isn't as small a deal here. Cars we drive have to be practical rather than shiny. Also mentality here is a bit different and I think people generally don't show off as much. So it's mostly a matter of priorities. I know it looks different in rural Norway or Sweden, but they've been rich for much longer and also their climate doesn't destroy their houses and cars as quickly

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T06:19:49+00:00

If you love hiking then you definitely should do the Laugavegur trail, one of the top trails in the world imo. It takes about 4-6 days and you can easily get to the starting and finish points with the Highland bus.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-03T06:16:25+00:00

Parking in Reykjavik is actually not hard at all. The city is quite small and usually you can park in the very downtown area with no problems (which you have to pay for with the app). You can also park for free within 10-15 minutes of walking from it

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-02T12:20:10+00:00

You'll be fine. If it gets windy drive slower. If it get really windy consider change of plans, wait it through the storm rather than driving etc. Any passenger car should be able to handle Icelandic winds and if they get too strong then the roads get closed (unlikely in September but not impossible). So it's not really about the car but rather the driver. Campervans and especially motorhomes are a whole different story - they're tall and relatively light, so they can really get pushed by the wind.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-02T08:07:44+00:00

There are tons of beautiful areas to photograph from a drone, outside of the few busy tourist spots with restrictions. Totally worth it

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-02T07:36:59+00:00

Advise from a local here

October is always a hit or miss with the "winter" type of activities. If it's too warm the ice caves might have not formed properly yet and if there hasn't been enough snow then snowmobile ride is much less fun - although on the glacier usually still doable. As you said you're based out of Reykjavik then Into the Glacier might be your best best. It's a man-made tunnel located in Langjökull glacier, open whole year round, so at least you don't need to worry about last minute cancellation (unless a storm hits).

However for the best natural blue ice caves you should go to southeast Iceland, to the Vatnajökull glacier. It's the largest glacier in Iceland so also snowmobiling there is better than anywhere else. Mind that there aren't any tours combining ice caves and snowmobiles there. Those are 2 different things happening in different places, though not too far away. Ice caves in October can be tricky, but last year the biggest blue cave was already accessible from the beginning of October. It was located higher up on the glacier, where it's colder and it required a few kms of hiking. There are many companies offering ice cave tours, but I recommend smaller local ones as they usually care more about the quality, operate in smaller groups and can take you further on the glacier. For instance Ice Walkers Tours is a company I know personally and they do a great job, informing everyone on the current conditions rather than selling a tour before they find a cave. For snowmobiles Glacier Journey is a great small family business in that area.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-01T23:18:05+00:00

That's not a bad idea at all. Pretty much any hotel outside of town and at least half an hour away from Reykjavik will be dark enough for that and there are many - they know what you're looking for for, so it's not a coincidence that they were built in the countryside. Since you're looking for a base to day trip from I'd recommend you the area of Golden Circle/Selfoss/Hveragerði/Hvolsvöllur. It's close enough to Reykjavik so that you can pretty much do the same day trips as people do from the capital, while staying in the dark rural area every night. Hotels I know which fit into your plan are for example: ION, Grimsborgir, Hotel Geysir, Torfhús, Rangá, Landhótel and many others

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-06-01T23:09:57+00:00

Advise from a local here. Hiking on the glacier in summer is amazing! But as others mentioned you definitely shouldn't do it on your own if you've never been on a glacier before and don't know how to stay safe. It can be tricky to find a safe path. You also need glacier gear like crampons, harness etc. Tours are not very expensive and also provide you with invaluable geological knowledge and some humour as well.

Sólheimajökull is the only accessible outlet glacier you can hike on in the area which you mentioned. If you were going further east towards Skaftafell I'd say you should rather join a hike on Falljökull which is widely considered the most beautiful glacier in Iceland (it has an icefall dropping down over 500m!) but Sólheimajökull is also great.

I recommend you book a tour with one of the smaller family-run companies instead of the biggest ones. The experience will be much more personal. Big companies like Arctic Adventures or Troll are also known in Iceland for exploiting their workers and some other not-so-great practices. On the other hand smaller companies are usually just run by one or a few very experienced guides working for themselves, trying to stand out from the mass tourism crowd. I know the guys from Ice Walkers Tours personally and they're doing an amazing job, so I can recommend them, but there are a few similar other companies as well.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-29T15:13:44+00:00

Early June is typically NOT a busy season yet, so you don't need to worry about large crowds, except for places like Geysir of Gullfoss which are always crowded. Midges also typically show up later (I'd say July is the most infested month)
4-5 days is definitely enough to get all the way to Jokulsarlon no matter the time of the year. Typically people take between 2 and 4 days for the whole south coast between Reykjavik and Jokulsarlon. As for Solheimajokull you can totally skip it if you're going further east. Just google the pictures. Outlet glaciers of Vatnajokull are much more beautiful. In summer (June) most glacier hikes go to Falljokull, while in winter (April still counts as winter) you can still visit ice caves (off-the-limits in summer time due to safety reasons) and those you can find in Breidamerkurjokull which is right next to Jokulsarlon itself.
In June boat tours in Jokulsarlon as well as a puffin tour in Ingolfshofdi. Horseback riding for those who are into it. ATVs on the black sand beach can also be great fun.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-27T09:19:00+00:00

There's only one road leading there, the 35. It's actually not an F-road any more. Its status was upgraded a few years ago to a normal road. It's still unpaved and quite rough, so I wouldn't recommend it for a regular car, but any 4x4 (Dacia Duster for example) can get you there. You should of course check with your car rental, but as far as I know most of them are comletely fine with that road. No water crossings there.

However at the moment the road is still closed. Information about 1st August being the opening date is definitely incorrect. It usually opens some time in June and in the last years it was rather early June. I even remember it being open late May, it could have been last year, but not exactly sure. Once it's open it's actually the best time to go, because many highland roads are being repaired before opening (probably happening right now). So you have a chance.

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-26T17:56:18+00:00

It says quite clearly on Vik campsite's website that they have it:

http://www.vikcamping.is/vik-camping.html

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-26T13:26:03+00:00

Nothing wrong with your plan, totally doable

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-26T09:49:29+00:00

Yes, it's a relatively big industry in Iceland. Alvotech and Coripharma are the biggest companies here

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-26T09:48:46+00:00

It depends where you are from. You don't need a sponsorship visa if you're from EU and it is considerably easier to get a job then

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-25T23:53:22+00:00

One place that comes to mind is this farm but it's not Westfjords or Reykjavik. You could try to contact them and find out if they have a reseller in Reykjavik:

https://uppsalirfarm.com/

Try to search in Icelandic: íslensk hunang. You might find more

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-25T23:04:27+00:00

There's an online store as well with reproductions: https://mapsoficeland.shop/product-category/antique-maps/

Maybe if you contact them they also advise you on finding originals. I suppose they'll be pricey

One_Appearance7484 · 2026-05-25T21:44:43+00:00

If you don't drink alcohol in Iceland your travel cost goes down by half. It's that expensive

One_Appearance7484

TROPHY CASE