Iceland in April

[matt brisbin]

Hello all,

So on a whim some friends and myself bought tickets to iceland in April. The odd timing was mostly due to the company that we were working for collapsing. Okay, so on to trip-planning. Most of the inner island is "closed" during the offseason, namely, the laugavegurinn trail and I'm wondering a few things for those which have been to the area:

1. What does "closed" mean? Just that the infrastructure shuts down?
2. Has anyone on here been to the region in April? If so, I'd love to chat offline about options.
3. In general could anyone recommend hotels/hostels which are reasonable?
4. When I was down in Patagonia it was common to store travel luggage at a hostel while out on a multi-day hike. Is this true for iceland as well?

Any extra tips and information is greatly appreciated,

[Andy Blackwell]

I say this statement with absolute sincerity: Iceland does not close things without a really, really good reason.

This country is not risk-averse like America and Europe. They don't put rails on cliffs or prevent you from walking onto a glacier or into a deadly cold and fast river. They'll at best put a sign that says "This is dangerous".

So when they say its closed…Its closed for a very good reason.

The F-roads for example. When they say IMPASSABLE, which is a sign you will see often in April still, it usually means the road is flooded by a deep river that can't be forded with a car or its totally blocked by multiple feet of ice.

I'm not at home or I'd show you the pictures of what they mean by impassable. I drove down some F-roads till I got to the impassable part a few times in October and it was absolutely impassable.

Iceland also has extreme windstorms that can become gravel storms, especially in the highlands, which can be quite dangerous. I saw pictures in the paper of cars that were shredded by gravel.

I have not done the Laugavegurinn myself, but I know it is not a particularly easy trail to follow. Its a rough area. I would strongly recommend following their recommendations. Again, they don't make these recommendations lightly. It's an amazingly dangerous country in parts.

That being said,

Iceland is my favorite country I've ever been to. There's still tons to do even if you can't do that. Check out some of their Ice Caves and Lava Tubes. It'll change your life. They are incredible. Some are close enough to Reykjavik for day trips. Bring boots, maybe crampons, waterproof gear, and headlamps if you want to do them yourself. I'd strongly recommend renting a car if you have the cash. It's not a country where it's particularly easy to get around once you are more than a few hours outside Reykjavik. Some of the most beautiful areas are right off the ring road but there's no way to get to them in the shoulder season without a car.

Hostel: Reykjavik Backpackers is a great hostel in Reykjavik. They have one in Akureyi too which is also nice. The happy hour special at the bar in the hostels is killer in a country where beers are 10+ dollars each. It's a hot spot with locals too. Bring your party hat if you are in Reykjavik on a Friday or Saturday. You won't leave the bar before 6 am.

Check out Cafe Loki in Reykjavik if you want to try some of the traditional fermented shark and sheepshead jelly.

[Carol W]

Hi.  Can you please tell me about how your trip went and what you were able to do?  I am going to be there in April, 2017, and I would like to maybe backpack, or at the very least, hike.  Thanks!

Carol

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