Iceland : Has anybody driven in Iceland before?

[Vertiga]

All rental cars in Iceland at this time of the year have already been changed to snow tyres. Anticipate to brake early and when moving off from standstill, go easy on the accelerator.

 

Renting a 4x4 is a plus but not necessary. Even the locals not all are driving 4x4. Keep to road speed limits and one should be ok.

 

There's a website that gives a good indication on cloud cover over the entire Iceland and the probability of sighting of aurora.

 

www.vedur.is

 

If there's rain or snow, the chances of sighting is very very low, near to zero. This is due to very low clouds. It is difficult to time the clear sky weather as you would have booked your flight. Use Yahoo weather and the predicition is quite accurate.

 

I had 4 days clear sky weather out of 7 days trip. I managed to see the aurora only on the last clear day. Remember, Iceland is quite huge. On another clear sky night, i managed to see one but its very far away in the eastern part of the Island.

 

 

[Ahbengdriver]

 

My main aim for this trip is to see the Northern lights, but of course some will say if you use that as your main aim, then you might get disappointed, treat it as a bonus.... That's because I didn't see any in Alaska last year (for the same period of time this year I saw so many FB posting on NL sighting at the same location !!)

 

 

 

See Aurora is Heng Suay one.

 

I saw twice on 2 nights in Finland.  They lasted for about 20 mins each only  . Come n go one, like Traffic Summon uncle

[Bluepica]

All rental cars in Iceland at this time of the year have already been changed to snow tyres. Anticipate to brake early and when moving off from standstill, go easy on the accelerator.

 

Renting a 4x4 is a plus but not necessary. Even the locals not all are driving 4x4. Keep to road speed limits and one should be ok.

 

There's a website that gives a good indication on cloud cover over the entire Iceland and the probability of sighting of aurora.

 

www.vedur.is

 

If there's rain or snow, the chances of sighting is very very low, near to zero. This is due to very low clouds. It is difficult to time the clear sky weather as you would have booked your flight. Use Yahoo weather and the predicition is quite accurate.

 

I had 4 days clear sky weather out of 7 days trip. I managed to see the aurora only on the last clear day. Remember, Iceland is quite huge. On another clear sky night, i managed to see one but its very far away in the eastern part of the Island.

 

 

 

But which rental company is "not troublesome"? I heard even big players like Avis and Hertz  give big heached when returning car, like accused customer of scratching the car, bla bla bla and trying to ask for high compensation.

[Sp4wn]

But which rental company is "not troublesome"? I heard even big players like Avis and Hertz  give big heached when returning car, like accused customer of scratching the car, bla bla bla and trying to ask for high compensation.

 

i didnt have an issue when returning my car. some more mine was brand new ... had less than 1000km on the odo. just get the extra insurance coverage that covers all this stuff. for me, it was $15usd more per day, but upon return, everything covered. just throw them the keys and leave. 

 

dont stinge on the insurance whatever you do. just pay and smile and drive worry free.

[Winningeleven]

Just in time I came across this thread..

Am planning a northern Eu trip next year 2017 March and that includes 6 days 5 nights in Iceland.

I got mixed review about driving during this time of the year, some says it's not save to drive due to strong wind/ snow...some says it's perfect normal and just get a 4WD and drive safely. I have driven LHD in Alaska during winter last year but the weather there is not as erratic as Iceland I guess. Even there in Alaska, I see many car skidded when coming to a stop or moving off from traffic junction.

I was thinking on the southern coast up to Jokulsarlon, then Golden circle. Given the distance of the places and limited time for me, it will be just a touch and go.

Having heard about different bad experience with the car rental there, I am still deciding of which car rental company to book my car from...

 

My main aim for this trip is to see the Northern lights, but of course some will say if you use that as your main aim, then you might get disappointed, treat it as a bonus.... That's because I didn't see any in Alaska last year (for the same period of time this year I saw so many FB posting on NL sighting at the same location !!)

 

 

 

mind to share where is this farm stay location?

 

6 days 5 nights on Reykjavik to south eastern side of iceland should be ok. U can make a stopover at southern coast area such as vik.

 

As u mentioned your main aim is northern light, I feel the higher chances to witness are usually at the northern part of iceland. However the unpredictable weather is the one that might spoilt  the chances, I went there 7 days 6 nights and  received full 4days continuous heavy raining. Get a waterproof smartphone camera cause we shouldn't miss the opportunities not to snap the pictures over there. 

 

As for car rental, i booked thru carsiceland.com  and collected the car from blue rental. As long u stick to route 1 ring road , I dont think the car can be damaged by the the road along there, there are some part of the roads are gravel road but not as bad as some of the F roads with pothole and stones. (cause Undercarriage damages) 

 

For the northern light, managed to nail it when the KP was strong at level 6,but had to drive a round trip 500km from Reykjavik to the northern part of iceland . The most toughest drive ever as i was also very tiring and sleepy .

[therock]

Some tips on taking pictures of the Aurora:

 

A tripod is a must, winds can be strong and you will need it to capture the long exposure photos.

Forget any camera that cannot take longer than 30s exposures. Bulb mode is even better. Those tourist snapping with their handphones and using flash are quite amusing to watch..

Cut the aperture down to make it sharper.

Any movement will affect the camera, so a remote control is best to activate the trigger. Otherwise if you don't have one, a self timer works too.

Use sandbags to steady your tripod, if you don't have that, some plastic bags filled with sand work too. Hang it on your tripod.

Bring warm clothes, especially a good windbreaker, you will be exposed to the elements for a few hours.

A nice hot water flask filled with chocolate is almost essential..

A nice army chair will help, and an iPod will make the hours melt away.

[Winningeleven]

Yes, tripod is a Must and to tackle the strong wind while taking northern light is the most challenging. Tripod must be steadily firm. Do something to block off the wind! Maybe I should have place inside the car.

 

The long exposure and aperture setting is just a guide. I set up iso 1600 F1.8 with 10 sec long explosure ended up totally all white image. Have to play around and where for me is 800, F2.8 and 6 sec exposure turn out to be good for me..

[therock]

Remember if you use high ISO, even with the best ccd chip for low light, there will be a lot of noise. So a longer exposure helps.

[Giordanogavin]

Some tips on taking pictures of the Aurora:

 

A tripod is a must, winds can be strong and you will need it to capture the long exposure photos.

Forget any camera that cannot take longer than 30s exposures. Bulb mode is even better. Those tourist snapping with their handphones and using flash are quite amusing to watch..

Cut the aperture down to make it sharper.

Any movement will affect the camera, so a remote control is best to activate the trigger. Otherwise if you don't have one, a self timer works too.

Use sandbags to steady your tripod, if you don't have that, some plastic bags filled with sand work too. Hang it on your tripod.

Bring warm clothes, especially a good windbreaker, you will be exposed to the elements for a few hours.

A nice hot water flask filled with chocolate is almost essential..

A nice army chair will help, and an iPod will make the hours melt away.

 

I am back from Iceland and manage to see the aurora several times. Consider lucky.

I feel that the place u spent overnight is an important factor to increase your chance to view aurora.

 

U gave a very good tips on how to take aurora photo.

As i do not have tripod, i have to use bench, chair even car body as a stable stand.

[Bluepica]

I am back from Iceland and manage to see the aurora several times. Consider lucky.

I feel that the place u spent overnight is an important factor to increase your chance to view aurora.

 

U gave a very good tips on how to take aurora photo.

As i do not have tripod, i have to use bench, chair even car body as a stable stand.

 

Lucky you can see Aurora in Iceland during your road trip. I was on road trip in March but weather is bad, cloudy and rain storm,,, but only got to see one night during an Aurora chasing tour. The road there is too dark to drive at night unlike Federal route 1 in Msia. It's really really DARK! That's why i dare not drive at night to chase the aurora.

 

Some good camera don't need a tripod to capture aurora. even with normal shuttle speed you can take a good snap of the aurora in the dark. I'm using a Sony RXIII, it's a good compact yet full of function camera. But many extra batteries or power bank is a MUST because your battery drains out much much faster in extreme cold condition.

[boonhat_91]

Sorry digging old thread.

 

Going to Iceland in mid Nov, hopefully can see northern lights during my 6-day stay there. Due to the relatively short duration, I will only be covering the southern portion of Iceland. I adapted this itinerary from many northern-lights-focused 5/6 days itineraries online, and I noticed most of them cover the southern portion only. Is there really any difference between north Iceland and south Iceland in terms of catching northern lights?

 

Secondly, a quick search reveals quite a number of car rental companies from the international ones (Hertz, Avis etc) to smaller localised (I think) ones. Should I have anything to worry about if I just go for the cheapest rental I can find?

 

Third, read some of the earlier posts above about fuel cards. I've been to Iceland 4 years ago and don't recall using these cards back then. Where can I buy these fuel cards, and more importantly, can they be used at all gas stations island-wide?

 

Thanks!

[therock]

Sorry digging old thread.

 

Going to Iceland in mid Nov, hopefully can see northern lights during my 6-day stay there. Due to the relatively short duration, I will only be covering the southern portion of Iceland. I adapted this itinerary from many northern-lights-focused 5/6 days itineraries online, and I noticed most of them cover the southern portion only. Is there really any difference between north Iceland and south Iceland in terms of catching northern lights?

 

Secondly, a quick search reveals quite a number of car rental companies from the international ones (Hertz, Avis etc) to smaller localised (I think) ones. Should I have anything to worry about if I just go for the cheapest rental I can find?

 

Third, read some of the earlier posts above about fuel cards. I've been to Iceland 4 years ago and don't recall using these cards back then. Where can I buy these fuel cards, and more importantly, can they be used at all gas stations island-wide?

 

Thanks!

 

You should check the timings of the Aurora, which has subsided a bit since the peak about 3-4 years ago.

To really see it, you must be prepared to go out almost every night to isolated places away from light polluted areas if you are really keen.

Also bring a tripod and lots of warm clothes, plus a mug of Milo!

 

I used a smaller company, no issue, got an almost new RAV4. 

I don't know about fuel cards, just keep your tank full before you set off. Remember the distances are larger and gas stations are few in between towns.

[boonhat_91]

You should check the timings of the Aurora, which has subsided a bit since the peak about 3-4 years ago.

To really see it, you must be prepared to go out almost every night to isolated places away from light polluted areas if you are really keen.

Also bring a tripod and lots of warm clothes, plus a mug of Milo!

 

I used a smaller company, no issue, got an almost new RAV4. 

I don't know about fuel cards, just keep your tank full before you set off. Remember the distances are larger and gas stations are few in between towns.

 

Thanks for the advice! 4 years ago, 6 of us undergrads on exchange chiong the whole ring road in 5 days. Unfortunately did not see any northern lights. This time round I plan to take it slow and easy, hence opting for the southern portion itinerary. I believe with the longer night time hours in Nov, we will have more flexibility to go out exploring more isolated places at night.

 

New RAV4 is the one that front end looks a bit like CHR right? I will have 4 pax (incl myself) and up to 4 large luggage, can the RAV4 handle all that?

 

[therock]

It’s a small SUV bro

Bring less luggage or dump one of your passengers :)

Learn to pack light ... use the hotels as a base so you don’t need to bring everything everywhere.

Look for a really nice langoustine place down south. V good.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2052448-d1107743-r210096955-Fjorubordid-Stokkseyri_South_Region.html

[Lava]

Thanks for the advice! 4 years ago, 6 of us undergrads on exchange chiong the whole ring road in 5 days. Unfortunately did not see any northern lights. This time round I plan to take it slow and easy, hence opting for the southern portion itinerary. I believe with the longer night time hours in Nov, we will have more flexibility to go out exploring more isolated places at night.

 

New RAV4 is the one that front end looks a bit like CHR right? I will have 4 pax (incl myself) and up to 4 large luggage, can the RAV4 handle all that?

 

my family of 4 went there in 2017 during cny. we rented a kia suv and it can handle 4 pieces of big luggage with some space management.

 

we travel from reykjavik to Jokulsarlon.

 

day 1 and 2 (Reykjavik)

Day 3 (Reykjavik to Reykholt)

Day 4 (Reykholt to Selfoss)

Day 5 (Selfoss)

Day 6 (Selfoss to Vik I Myrdal)

Day 7 (Vik I Myrdal)

Day 8 (Vik I Myrdal to Reykjavik)

Day 9 (Reykjavik to London)

Day 10 to 14 (London)

 

should try their Glacier walk and snow scooter (free speed at some at certain area and much more exciting than those in Hokkaido)

tried their rotten shark meats, taste funny.

[boonhat_91]

my family of 4 went there in 2017 during cny. we rented a kia suv and it can handle 4 pieces of big luggage with some space management.

 

we travel from reykjavik to Jokulsarlon.

 

day 1 and 2 (Reykjavik)

Day 3 (Reykjavik to Reykholt)

Day 4 (Reykholt to Selfoss)

Day 5 (Selfoss)

Day 6 (Selfoss to Vik I Myrdal)

Day 7 (Vik I Myrdal)

Day 8 (Vik I Myrdal to Reykjavik)

Day 9 (Reykjavik to London)

Day 10 to 14 (London)

 

should try their Glacier walk and snow scooter (free speed at some at certain area and much more exciting than those in Hokkaido)

tried their rotten shark meats, taste funny.

 

Thanks for your advice! Coincidentally, I will also be heading to London after Iceland.

 

[therock]

London is great for good food and shopping..

Duck, pies, fish and chips etc..

Enjoy!

[Voodooman]

Sorry digging old thread.

 

Going to Iceland in mid Nov, hopefully can see northern lights during my 6-day stay there. Due to the relatively short duration, I will only be covering the southern portion of Iceland. I adapted this itinerary from many northern-lights-focused 5/6 days itineraries online, and I noticed most of them cover the southern portion only. Is there really any difference between north Iceland and south Iceland in terms of catching northern lights?

 

Secondly, a quick search reveals quite a number of car rental companies from the international ones (Hertz, Avis etc) to smaller localised (I think) ones. Should I have anything to worry about if I just go for the cheapest rental I can find?

 

Third, read some of the earlier posts above about fuel cards. I've been to Iceland 4 years ago and don't recall using these cards back then. Where can I buy these fuel cards, and more importantly, can they be used at all gas stations island-wide?

 

Thanks!

Do you have winner driving experience? The 4x4 will help but November will be snowy and icy.

 

I heard of some scam car rental company. If it is too cheap, beware. You are driving during winter and you want a reliable and well maintained car.

 

Don't worry about fuel card, just use your credit card at the pump.