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Archive 2017 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th

  
 
nampramos
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Hi guys! There was such good feedback on the "Iceland in June" thread opened here on the Sony forum that I could not resist starting my own for an upcoming trip to Iceland with my dad and brother.

I spent 2 weeks in Iceland last July and unfortunately wasn't very lucky with the weather, which probably explains why I still haven't gone through all the photos I took and the ones I did process have been converted to B&W

Both my dad and brother have never been there so I am taking this as a first time visit, even for me, since I was so disappointed with the weather (not that I can expect much better now but at least everything should be covered in white and hopefully we get at least a few days with clear skies and auroras).

On the following Google Maps link are the stops that have been planned so far.

https://goo.gl/maps/reXBriPzgXw

** UPDATED on January 12 2017 **

Saturday 28th January
to (1st sleep over)
Sunday 29th January
to (2nd sleep over)
Monday 30th January


Hotel Drangshlid @ Drangshlid 1, 861 Skogar, Iceland

Saturday 28th January - FL 6:58 - SR 9:54 - SS 16:35 - LL 19:31
- Seljalandsfoss on the way from the airport to the hotel
- Seljavallalaug (hotspring in the middle of a valley) just before going to the hotel if weather and time permits

Sunday 29th January - FL 6:56 - SR 9:51 - SS 16:38 - LL 19:33
- Skógafoss
- Black Beach & Airplane Wreck

Monday 30th January - FL 6:54 - SR 9:48 - SS 16:42 - LL 19:36
- Svartifoss Waterfall, on the way to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
- Diamond Beach

Monday 30th January
to (3rd sleep over)
Tuesday 31st January
to (4th sleep over)
Wednesday 1st February


Hraunholl 4 Apartment @ Hraunholl 4, 781 Höfn, Iceland

Tuesday 31st January - FL 6:52 - SR 9:45 - SS 16:45 - LL 19:38
- Ice Cave Tour and whatever more we can fit that day

Wednesday 1st February - FL 6:49 - SR 9:41 - SS 16:48 - LL 19:41
- Stokksnes area for great landscapes views

From here on nothing is booked yet but we would like to book ASAP. Suggestions please! Should we go a bit to the East or start making our way back and maybe do the Golden Circle or the Snaefells Peninsula?

Wednesday 1st February
to (5th sleep over)
Thursday 2nd February
to (6th sleep over)
Friday 3rd February
to (7th sleep over)
Saturday 4th February
to (8th sleep over)
Sunday 5th February

Thursday 2nd February - FL 6:47 - SR 9:38 - SS 16:52 - LL 19:43
Friday 3rd February - FL 6:45 - SR 9:35 - SS 16:55 - LL 19:46
Saturday 4th February - FL 6:42 - SR 9:32 - SS 16:58 - LL 19:48

Sunday 5th February - FL 6:40 - SR 9:29 - SS 17:02 - LL 19:51
- return to Keflavik Airport no later than 15:00 local time.


Camera wise I am thinking:
A7RII + Loxia 21/2.8 + ZM 35/1.4 + Zony 55/1.8 (should I take Leica AA 90/2 instead of the 55?)

A6300 + E10-18/4 + E55-210 (maybe don't need to take it since my dad has one)

My dad will have an A6000 + 16-50 + 55-210


All three of us enjoy hiking and nature (we spent an amazing week in Lofoten in late August and hiked 5-7 hours every day).
We are renting a 4x4 so moving around shouldn't be a problem (Suzuki Grand Vitara 4X4 or similar).
Northern Lights are definitely on the top of the list to see and we can think of moving around to "hunt them down".

Much appreciated! Thanks!


Here's one shot from July and the link to a small album on Flicrk.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nampramos/albums/72157678929594436

DSC03210-Edit.jpg by Nuno Ramos, on Flickr


Edited on Jan 12, 2017 at 03:30 PM · View previous versions



Jan 11, 2017 at 09:06 AM
Schlotkins
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Driving is harder than you think. Was there over New Years and had 85 mph winds and snow two of the days. You literally couldn't see 5 feet in front of you.

Otherwise the gear looks ok. I'd probably have something wider or a zoo but that's my shooting style. I'd suggest a rokinon 12 f2 for your dad.

Have fun and be safe!
Chris



Jan 11, 2017 at 09:43 AM
AGeoJO
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Half a day at Jökulsárlón is simply not enough, IMHO. You may want to catch, at the very least, 2 sunrises and 1 sunset there. The visit to ice caves is absolutely recommended. You need an ultra or hyper wide lens for inside.

I would include the area around Vik (to the south), the basaltic rocks there are amazing, including the arch. And also the area at Stokksnes, to the East. This what I missed after 2 trips to Iceland but Ronny or his images can testify how good this location is.



Jan 11, 2017 at 09:56 AM
nampramos
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Schlotkins wrote:
Driving is harder than you think. Was there over New Years and had 85 mph winds and snow two of the days. You literally couldn't see 5 feet in front of you.

Otherwise the gear looks ok. I'd probably have something wider or a zoo but that's my shooting style. I'd suggest a rokinon 12 f2 for your dad.

Have fun and be safe!
Chris


Hopefully we won't get that much wind. I already had enough of it in July! But yes, it can really change our plans the bad weather which we will have to work around if it does happen. The 10-18/4 is a great UWA zoom IMO. Equivalent to 15mm in FF and can even work OK in FF mode around the 12-15mm mark. I can always take several shots and stitch if necessary. I am not the biggest fan of zoom's (I guess you've noticed that already).

---------------------------------------------

AGeoJO wrote:
Half a day at Jökulsárlón is simply not enough, IMHO. You may want to catch, at the very least, 2 sunrises and 1 sunset there. The visit to ice caves is absolutely recommended. You need an ultra or hyper wide lens for inside.

I would include the area around Vik (to the south), the basaltic rocks there are amazing, including the arch. And also the area at Stokksnes, to the East. This what I missed after 2 trips to Iceland but Ronny or his images can testify how good this location is.


You are right, half a day is not much at Jökulsárlón but if we want to do the ice cave as well I doubt we will have much more than that.

Completely forgot about Stokksnes. Thank you for that! We will absolutely be going there. Ronny's images from there are simply unbelievable!



Jan 11, 2017 at 10:08 AM
JohnC
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


We were there last February, very snowy, no shoulders to pull over even when you do see a shot.

Myvatn - none of the parking lots for the thermal vents, Godafoss, etc were plowed, easy to get stuck even with 4x4. Dettifoss was not reachable. Most waterfalls frozen.

Snæfellsnes - the road around the peninsula was closed when we were there and the road there along the coast was a sheet of ice

Northern lights plentiful once you get out of the city..

As mentioned above driving there in winter is a lot harder than you think.Beautiful place when the light is good.







Jan 11, 2017 at 10:11 AM
dhachey
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


I leave in two days for Iceland for a week. The route is very similar to yours. My main concern is the weather, predicted to have rain/snow for most of the time. Our guide knows his stuff, so we'll adjust as necessary to get the best shots. Unfortunately, that's Iceland in winter. As you found, this may be a B&W portfolio.


Jan 11, 2017 at 10:23 AM
nampramos
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Thank you John! Good to know. We are booking pretty much all accommodation with free cancelation up to 24 hours with the intention to keep an eye on weather and road conditions. Weren't the frozen waterfalls still a pretty picture and worth the drive though?

All our stop overs for sleep are away from any major city/town so I think we will have plenty of dark skies. The only catch is will we get clear skies?


dhachey, good luck on your trip! I'd much appreciate hearing back from you when you are back!



Jan 11, 2017 at 10:29 AM
Frogfish
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


I believe absolutely that you are trying to do waaaay too much in 8 days. Even when I drove around the island in Summer there was some dodgy weather in the mountains in the East. You will be there mid-Winter and the going will be tough in, at the very least, the East, the North (lady in Husavik said they were snowed in for 2 months a couple of winters ago), and the trip back from the North to Reykjavik - forget about trying to add on the Snaefell peninsula as well !

You seem to be trying to make exactly the same mistakes that I did, covering too much ground and not spending enough time waiting for the right weather in the best locations. 8 days is about right in Winter for the South - full stop.

Those Google maps driving times are very misleading - that's driving at the speed limits across the whole route, you are not going to be anywhere even close to that. I read about a couple in a 4x4 that had to abandon their car overnight the roads were simply impassable, one of a hundred such tales.

I'd stick to the South, half a day in Jökulsárlón is honestly a joke. It's one of Iceland's highlights and you want at least two days there. Add on Stokksnes and you're done. If, and that's a massive IF, you have any time left and the roads are passable then Snæfellsnes is close enough to Reykjavik, and very beautiful, that you won't be disappointed at giving up the East and North on this trip.

Gear : take everything you've listed, you're driving !



Jan 11, 2017 at 01:17 PM
Frogfish
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


BTW I forgot to mention that the road to the airplane wreck has supposedly been closed by the locals - they got sick of tourists driving off-road on their lands instead of on the track. You now have to walk about 2 hours in either direction from a chained gate (repeating what I've read so not gospel - do some Googling).


Jan 11, 2017 at 01:23 PM
nampramos
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Frogfish wrote:
I believe absolutely that you are trying to do waaaay too much in 8 days. Even when I drove around the island in Summer there was some dodgy weather in the mountains in the East. You will be there mid-Winter and the going will be tough in, at the very least, the East, the North (lady in Husavik said they were snowed in for 2 months a couple of winters ago), and the trip back from the North to Reykjavik - forget about trying to add on the Snaefell peninsula as well !

You seem to be trying to make
...Show more

You're absolutely right. I agree with you. It is a lot if you are thinking like a photographer. But my dad (and especially my brother) will get quickly bored if we take a photographer's approach only to this trip. I'd love to spend many hours or even days at some of these locations, but for them it isn't exactly like that.

Although we could cross off the night in the East in Egilsstaðir and spend an extra night in Höfn. That way we could spend an entire day in Jökulsárlón and at least half a day in Stokksnes before driving to Myvatn. The only problem with this plan is that between Höfn and Myvatn is now a 5 hour drive (according to Google Maps) which obviously will turn out to be more. So this plan might not be the best idea.

Another reason I'd like to go up North is because I have a very good friend in Akureyri and would very much like to visit him. Plus, that way we do not need to drive back to the airport through the same road.

Still, I get your point and am now considering alternatives!

Yes, the road to the plane wreck was closed already last year at least. Didn't go there in July, not sure I will this time either.



Jan 11, 2017 at 01:50 PM
Schlotkins
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


One more comment on driving. Don't just look at the roads at the present. Make sure you check the forecast for the next few days knowing that weather could lock you in somewhere FOR DAYS.

These links are your best friends:

http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/areas/

http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/



Jan 11, 2017 at 02:12 PM
Bobu
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Last winter I have been driving from Myvatn to Höfn in one day. But I started about two hours before sunrise in complete darkness and arrived about two hours after sunset in complete darkness in Höfn. And I was constantly driving at the allowed speed limit even on roads covered with wind polished ice. Due to my main job as an automotive engineer I have lots of experience with winter test drives on ice. If you have not a similar experience I would clearly recommend a stop inbetween at Egilstadir. By the way the most interesting visit near Egilstadir is the beautiful Litlanesfoss, a 45 minutes hike from the road at the lake.

On my last winter trip, all the roads in the east and the ring road near Akureyri were closed for nearly two days. You have to be prepared to get stuck at a certain area for a couple of days.

And be sure to get a rental car with studded tires. About 95% of the rental cars have this in winter, but I met a couple on my trip trip with a rental car with standard non-studded winter tires which is no fun in Iceland. I once had a situation were my car was blown by the wind to the edge of the road (despite steering against the wind and having studded tires). Without studded tires an severe accident would have been unavoidable in this situation. Wind velocities were around 100 km/h on several days.

Another advice: If you want to visit the ice caves you have to book well in advance (normally around 6 months, especially for the recommended private or small group tours).

You can find my travel report of my last winter trip to Iceland here:
https://wild-places.com/2016/02/07/winter-adventure-in-iceland/

Boris



Jan 11, 2017 at 02:12 PM
nampramos
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Schlotkins wrote:
One more comment on driving. Don't just look at the roads at the present. Make sure you check the forecast for the next few days knowing that weather could lock you in somewhere FOR DAYS.

These links are your best friends:

http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/areas/

http://en.vedur.is/weather/forecasts/aurora/


Yep, have those ones since last July. Thank you anyway.
Another great one for up to date road conditions is: http://www.road.is/travel-info/road-conditions-and-weather/

---------------------------------------------

Bobu wrote:
Last winter I have been driving from Myvatn to Höfn in one day. But I started about two hours before sunrise in complete darkness and arrived about two hours after sunset in complete darkness in Höfn. And I was constantly driving at the allowed speed limit even on roads covered with wind polished ice. Due to my main job as an automotive engineer I have lots of experience with winter test drives on ice. If you have not a similar experience I would clearly recommend a stop inbetween at Egilstadir. By the way the most interesting visit near Egilstadir is
...Show more

That is very good to know Boris, thank you! I have been living in Sweden for almost 7 years now so winter road conditions aren't unusual for me but obviously Iceland can be much more extreme. I really don't think the idea Höfn straight to Myvatn is a good idea anyway.

I am just hoping that it doesn't get crazy windy during the week we're there. Here's hoping!

I will have a look at your travel report. Your photos in there are just fantastic!!



Jan 11, 2017 at 02:23 PM
mikethevilla
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Frogfish wrote:
BTW I forgot to mention that the road to the airplane wreck has supposedly been closed by the locals - they got sick of tourists driving off-road on their lands instead of on the track. You now have to walk about 2 hours in either direction from a chained gate (repeating what I've read so not gospel - do some Googling).


I was there in August. It's about a 30-minute walk each way.



Jan 11, 2017 at 03:16 PM
rstoddard11
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


The funnest I have had there is when I have no expectations. I drove through a snow storm for 4 hours up north. I got to Jokulsarlon at midnight, camped and only got to just bum around in the morning for 1 hour. Saw a bunch of seals playing and blue ice calving off of the glacier. I'm sure i missed a lot, but it is still, best trip I've ever taken. I made it around the entire country in 6 days, saw unbelievable sights, nothing specifically planned. The unpredictability of the weather is what makes it fun to me as well with constantly shifting skies and landscapes. Maybe I am different, but most of the people who had "bad" trips had way to many "I have to take this particular shot at this particular time with this particular light" lists. I would like to go back and see things like the plane and other things I miss, but it is an excuse to return I suppose.




Jan 11, 2017 at 05:02 PM
scrappydog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


The ice caves are worth it. Bring a tripod, camera, and wide-angle. I had a Canon 5D3 and 16-35/4, and that was perfect.

Hofn is where I saw the Northern Lights. Look to the West, North, and East. If they are bright, they are unmistakable; if they are weak, they look like grey clouds, but if you take a picture, they will appear green on your image. If you encounter someone who saw them within the last day or two, ask them what time they saw them. Make sure you are looking around the same time as they say. The guesthouse in Hofn is great: nice people, good food, and comfortable rooms.

The most important suggestion I can provide is to bring crampons. You should encounter a fair amount of ice.



Jan 11, 2017 at 08:50 PM
nampramos
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Thank you everyone!

I didn't sleep so good last night considering all the options

Really torn apart between going all the way around (and visiting my friend in Akureyri) or staying in the South only and not go further than Höfn/Stokksnes.

What would you had to the itinerary if we would stay only in the South then? Thórsmörk? Will this be accessibly in early February? We would like to do some snowshoes hikes.



Jan 12, 2017 at 04:10 AM
nampramos
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


After a chat with my dad we are going to plan for the South only, going as far as Höfn/Stokksnes. We could go North if the weather is clear and with a high chance of Northern Lights though.

So please, I would very much appreciate more "must do´s" for South of Iceland.

For those that did the Ice Cave tour, which operator did you go with and how long were you actually inside the cave?

Thanks!



Jan 12, 2017 at 09:09 AM
Tmuussoni
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


Been to Iceland three times now and only tip I can give is it's probably better to take it easy meaning don't push too much things in too short time on your list. I always do this mistake. So it's probably better to stay in the south, enjoy all the things and probably the pictures will also turn out to be better. As we all know the weather is very unpredictable so it's good to save more than 1 day for special locations just in case some days the weather prevents successful shooting. I wish you an amazing trip!


Jan 12, 2017 at 09:36 AM
Bobu
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Iceland Jan 28th - Feb 5th


nampramos wrote:
For those that did the Ice Cave tour, which operator did you go with and how long were you actually inside the cave?

Thanks!


I've used localguide.is twice and can really recommend them. If you can afford it book the private tour with them. But even the group tours with localguide have much less people then many of the other available group tours. And tell them in advance if you are able/willing to to a long hike or not. Last year there was a really nice ice cave on the glacier but it was a 8-10 hours hike with crampons and headlights on the glacier in darkness to reach the cave and get back to the car. Most of the other ice caves can be reached with a half an hour walk.

On my private tours I spent about 2-3 hours in the cave.

Boris



Jan 12, 2017 at 01:18 PM
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