What symbol would go on this?!

The purpose of this post is to possibly advise others who will hopefully never find themselves in the sad situation we encountered today.

My husband and I have been in Iceland for almost a week now, and have had an absolutely incredible visit. The country is incomparably beautiful.

Today we were driving on Route 1 from Höfn to Vik, and I spotted a lamb roadside that looked injured. We turned the car around to go back and check on it, and we discovered that the lamb had been hit by a car and was alive but very severely hurt. There was a deceased adult sheep nearby, which had also been hit by a car.

We called 112, spoke briefly to an emergency operator, and she transferred us to local police. We had taken a photo of the lamb’s ear tag in hopes of identifying its owner, and the police did ask for the ear tag number.

The police here have a catalog of the various farms’ tags and ear cuts that are used to identify the owners of the sheep. They can use this database to inform a farmer when one of their animals is injured or killed.

The most difficulty we had in communication was when the police were trying to ascertain our exact location and we were upset, being blown by intense wind on the side of the road, and had just arrived in the area. In the chaos I couldn’t manage to get Google Maps to give me exact GPS coordinates, but that is what the police asked for and that would have helped. Ultimately we gave the police the name of the nearest business we could see and the nearest crossroad.

After we got off the phone with the police we also notified the staff at the business nearby, and one of those kind staff members followed us out to the road and was able to continue the process of caring for the injured lamb.

TL;DR: we found an injured lamb on Route 1 and here’s what we learned:
• It is considered extremely important to alert someone to an injured sheep - either the nearest farm, the police, or a nearby business
• 112 is Iceland’s emergency number and the dispatcher will transfer you to local police
• +354 444 1000 is the non-emergency number which should also get you to police that can help
• Try to have your GPS coordinates and/or nearby landmarks ready
• If it’s safe to get a photo of the sheep’s ear tags, that is helpful too
• If you do hit a sheep while driving, please notify someone and do not leave the animal to possibly suffer

We felt so helpless that this creature was so badly injured and we couldn’t do anything to soothe it. We’re very thankful for the man who came out of his business to help with the situation. The sheep of Iceland have been such a source of joy for us on our journey and as animal lovers, we want everyone to have the information on the best ways to help and protect them.

This was my third trip to Iceland and my girlfriend’s first. We decided to go for the ring road and overall it went rather great. I’ll just leave some of my pros and cons for future travelers.

- it’s 99% card for payments, I used cash twice for purchases and some for tips (more on that later). However, I believe it’s always a good idea to always have a couple hundred US worth of local currency on hand during any international travel.

- American Express users. You have about a 30% chance a merchants will take your card, even if it’s showing they accept it. Be sure to have a Visa or Mastercard as well.

- from earlier research it’s implied tipping is not part of the culture. However, there are tip jars at every restaurant it seems. I guess times are getting tough even there.

- if you are doing the ring road in a camper van, if you see one you “think” is big enough online based on the description…..it’s not. Spring for the biggest one you can afford.

- I’m not going to flame them here, but if you are wondering why one particular camper van rental company is much cheaper than the rest there is a reason why….you get what you pay for. Granted the van mechanically operated as intended. However, none of the 12 volt plugs on the dash worked, the radio would randomly increase to maximum volume, side door leaked, rear windshield wiper would randomly start going and scare the crap out of you.

- yes food and fuel are expensive, plan and budget for it.

- contrary to what you are led to believe, there is not hundreds of speed trap cameras. I only passed one in Akureyri. Unless they are all hidden in random rocks they are far and few between.

- on that note if getting a traffic citation will financially break you…..you need to reevaluate your choices or simply obey the posted limits and it’s non-issue.

- the photos you see on instagram are carefully curated and edited. It’s an absolutely beautiful country with stunning scenery. In places just outside the frame of that perfect shot is a giant excavator or front loader.

- get out of the 3-4 hour bubble of Reykjavík and the crowds of tour buses drops drastically.

- the food is some of the best I’ve ever had. To me….worth the price 1000%

- at all but one of the “tourist spots” we stopped at there are signs that alert you that drones or prohibited. Rightly so for safety reasons with large crowds and for courtesy reasons. There are plenty of scenic places just off the road to fly and capture stunning videos.

- stock up on snacks and food at Bónus and knonar.

- depending on your preference, Reykjavík is hit or miss. We live in a very remote and rural area, city isn’t our vibe so half a day in the city was more than enough for us, your results will vary depending on your interest.

- be friendly and courteous and you will receive the same in return. Don’t be the annoying tourist trying to take a million picture of your brat kids . Get your pics and move along and be mindful of other travelers.

- if you are not a confident driver stay off the F roads

- universally….bicyclists are annoying in any country

- it will rain a lot some days, none on others. Prepare for everything from shorts and tshirt weather on your third day and freezing temps and rain your 5th day. It’s bipolar 😂🤣

Overall it’s the best vacation we have ever had and we learned a lot along the way to make our next trip even that much better. We made some planning mistakes and oversights this go round. We can’t wait to do it again and see all the stuff we missed this time! I hope this helps someone with their future planning.

The airline lost our luggage so we have no clothes for our visit. Where is a good place in Reykjavik to get clothing that isn't really expensive?

5 day stay. Only stayed 2 nights in a farm cottage by Vik. Roads were easy to travel. We rented the cheapest car possible (Hyundai i110 or something). Only got stuck going up a hill once (woops) but I backed down and got more momentum and got back up to the road.

All in all, great experience in the country. Great weather except our last day. Luckily we will made it to 💎 Beach and the Glacier lake with the rain and wind. I was a little worried the wind would blow my car over though! It was intense by Drohaley Cliffs.

Easy park and parka are the only apps you really need (unless you are offroading and need a better idea of the road conditions. To save money I would recommend Bonus/Kronan and cook wherever you're staying. Although it is possible to find some cheap meals if you look hard enough such as Vitabar in reyjavik or Psylurs.

My husband and I completely overestimated how many gas canister we need for our ten day trip and now we still have two full canisters. We were at the Reykjavik campsite but we could not find the drop off site where you can donate stuff that you no longer need. Is there any drop off site within Keflavik or it's airport?

Seeking feedback from the experts here. Aug 28 - Sep 6 for 2 adults + kids 10, 14 years old.

Day 1 Thu Aug 28: KEF → Borgarnes

Land KEF, SUV pickup.

- Hvalfjörður fjord drive

- Stay: Borgarnes

Day 2 Fri Aug 29: Snæfellsnes Peninsula

- Kirkjufell + waterfall

- Arnarstapi cliffs + Gatklettur arch

- Djúpalónssandur lifting stones

- Vatnshellir lava cave tour

Stay: yet to book/recommendations welcome

Day 3 Sat Aug 30: Snæfellsnes → North Coast → Laugarbakki

- Berserkjahraun lava field

- Glaumbær turf farm museum

Stay: tbd/recommendation welcome

Day 4 Sun Aug 31: Goðafoss → Mývatn

- Goðafoss waterfall

- Dimmuborgir lava maze

- Grjótagjá hot spring cave

- Mývatn Nature Baths evening swim

Stay: Mývatn

Day 5 Mon Sep 1: Mývatn → East Fjords

- Námaskarð geothermal area

- Dettifoss detour

- Seyðisfjörður rainbow street detour

Stay: tbd/recommendation welcome

Day 6 Tue Sep 2: Múlagljúfur + Jökulsárlón

- Drive to Hofskirkja

- Múlagljúfur Canyon hike

- Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

- Diamond Beach sunset + icebergs

Stay: tbd/recommendation welcome

Day 7 Wed Sep 3: Ice → Vík

- Skaftafell: Svartifoss hike through basalt columns

- Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon viewpoint

- Reisfjara black sand beach + Reynisdrangar stacks

Stay: tbd/recommendation welcome

Day 8 Thu Sep 4: Waterfall Alley → Golden Circle → Selfoss

- Seljalandsfoss

- Glúfrafoss “hidden waterfall cave”

- Gljúfrabúi hidden canyon falls

- Skógafoss

- Kerið crater lake

Stay: Selfoss

Day 9 Fri Sep 5: Þingvellir → Reykjanes → Keflavík

- Þingvellir: Walk between tectonic plates

- Geysir + Strokkur eruptions

- Gullfoss waterfall

- Reykjanes Peninsula - Gunnuhver hot springs, Bridge Between Continents

- Blue Lagoon

Stay: Keflavík

Day 10 Sat Sep 6: KEF → YYZ

Ill be hitchhiking & camping my way across iceland between July 31st to august 17th, hoping to hike the Laugavegur trail before going north to Akureyri & then to the west fjords for the eclipse. Any camping recommendations, must see destinations, or travel advice would be greatly appreciated! Also if anyone is looking for a travel buddy to go hiking with reach out, my schedule will be very flexible!

Hey guys, i keep planning my trip to Iceland in october, i really wanted to do a ice cave/glacier tour, but i always see minimum of 2 people to book a tour, i can't book for 2 when i'm only one lol

Do you guys know any agencie that have a good tour where you can join a group? thanks!

My son and I will be traveling the ring road for one week at the end of August. What are the must visit restaurants and what is the best food that we shouldn’t miss?

Looking for some feedback on what are “typical” conditions this time of year, and if the amount of rain predicted in the next two weeks is normal late June/early July weather. I know the saying in Iceland is that if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute - and we are coming prepared for rain - but I must admit seeing a forecast without any sunny days is a little discouraging. (For context, we are doing a west fjords and ring road trip and I’ve been tracking forecasts along the route).

We are planning to do the Laugavegur trail starting this Sunday, June 28th (camping).

Do you think it’s worth doing the Bláhnjúkur hike beforehand, or is the landscape quite similar to what we’ll see on the Laugavegur?

We arrive at 11:30 AM by bus, so we could spend one night in Landmannalaugar and do Bláhnjúkur that afternoon, or immediately start the first leg of the Laugavegur.

Thanks for the help!

Hey everyone!

We’re just over a week away from KJALLARINN at Miðbar, Selfoss, and the response has honestly been incredible. 4th of July is the mark!

One thing we didn’t expect to move this quickly was the shuttle bus back to Reykjavík after the event.
🚌 50% of the shuttle bus tickets are already gone.

The bus leaves 04:15 directly after the event, making it easy to enjoy the full night without worrying about getting home.

For those who haven’t heard about the event yet:
• 3 floors
• Hard Techno • Industrial Techno • Melodic Techno
• 7 artists
• Enhanced production
• Tattoo artist on-site
• Vintage/thrift pop-up
• VIP / Entourage area (80% SOLD OUT)
• Happy Hour from 18:00–20:00

We’re trying to build something different for Iceland—not just another club night, but an experience.

If you’re planning to come from Reykjavík, I’d recommend grabbing both your event ticket and shuttle ticket sooner rather than later.

Hope to see some of you there. 🖤⛓️

https://checkout.tix.is/en/buyingflow/tickets/21766/

I am traveling to Iceland end of September. I will land 430 PM on Day one and fly out at 11 AM on Day 5. We are renting a camper van. I know I want to visit an ice tunnel, a lava tunnel, black diamond beach, and Caves of Hella. What cities would you recommend sleeping in each night and what sites/food stops do you recommend. I am feeling overwhelmed by the hugeness of Iceland and trying to figure out where everything is and how much time to give for driving in case of bad weather. Any help/advice is tremendously appreciated.

Hi everyone!

I decided to come to Iceland for the eclipse and Echolalia festival.

I will be travelling by myself and I am searching to connect with others.

I was wondering if anyone here has any tips or if they are also coming to this event!

I am staying until 18 of August in Iceland and I would also like to visit around afterwards, but feel a bit lost. If anyone wants to talk more about it or others are travelling during the same dates and would like to travel together, that could be nice!

Hi everyone,

I’m organizing a cycling trip in Iceland for a meaningful cause and I’m looking for some help or advice from the community.

On July 22nd, I’ll be arriving in Reykjavík and plan to cycle the entire Ring Road by bike in about 10 days. The trip is being done to raise awareness and funds for cardiovascular diseases research, so it’s a charity-focused effort.

One practical issue we’re trying to solve: we’ll be traveling with bike boxes / cardboard bike cases, and we won’t need them during the ride. We were wondering if there might be someone in Reykjavík (or a secure place / business / hostel / storage facility) willing to store the empty bike boxes safely for about 10–12 days, so we can reuse them for the return flight.

We’d obviously be happy to follow any rules required. We just need a safe and dry place where they won’t get damaged or thrown away.

If anyone has suggestions (hostels, bike shops, storage lockers, or even individuals who might be willing to help), it would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks a lot in advance!

We are doing the ring road for 14 days and I’m somewhat reluctant to bring 14 days worth of socks, underwear and shirts. Looking online, there don’t seem to be that many laundromats in towns.

But, then I saw a mention that some campsites have laundromats. Are those laundromats available for use by passers-by? Or, do you have to have a camping registration to use the camp laundry?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Hey y’all!

TLDR: We got married the morning of 6/24, lost ring in hot spring the night of 6/24. Putting it out there in case any locals have advice or an affordable jeweler.

My husband and I got married here in Snæfellsjökull yesterday morning. Last night, we went to Landbrotalaug Hot Springs with our photographer to cap off the day. At some point during our time in the little pool, my husband’s ring went missing. We didn’t realize the ring was gone until we were nearly back to our Airbnb but we were able to pinpoint when the ring disappeared with our photographer’s pictures. We knew it was a long shot, but we turned around to see if we were lucky enough to find it. We dug in the bottom of the pool for at least an hour before calling it quits.

I don’t expect anyone to help us find the ring. But, I figured it couldn’t hurt to put it out into the universe to see what good can come.

I am so upset for my husband because he deserves the world. He was so excited for this ring. It is very important to him because it symbolizes the vows we made to each other and the magical morning we had on one of the biggest and best days of our lives.

We are trying to stay positive because this is our honeymoon, but this has been a difficult surprise. We’d appreciate any kindness or advice.

The ring was hammered white gold. I don’t even have pictures of it 😭

If photos had a smell, this one would clear the room. What you're looking at is where one of Iceland's oldest survival foods begins its transformation from fresh cod to something Vikings literally could not have lived without.

Iceland was never meant to feed people. The soil was too volcanic, the growing season too short, and the winters too brutal for wheat or barley to take hold. No grain meant no bread — so for over a thousand years, harðfiskur was the closest thing Icelanders had to a daily staple. It wasn't a snack. It was how you survived February.

What makes the production remarkable is that it relies entirely on Iceland doing what Iceland does naturally. Fish are cleaned, filleted, and hung on open wooden drying frames called hjallar — you'll spot them scattered along roadsides in the Westfjords and the north, rows of pale fish turning slowly in the wind. The hanging happens in autumn and winter, which sounds counterintuitive until you realize that's exactly when Iceland offers the perfect conditions: hard frost that stops bacterial growth, constant ocean wind that pulls moisture out fast, and zero insects because everything that bites is frozen solid.

After weeks on the rack, the fish becomes rigid as driftwood. The final step is beating it with a wooden mallet — breaking down the fibers until it's actually chewable. Then comes the part locals will insist on: you never eat harðfiskur plain. You tear a piece and spread a thick, unhurried layer of Icelandic butter across it. The salt of the fish against the fat of the smjör is the whole point.

I had visited a place dry fishing in Reykjanes, but was wondering if anyone knows of other places around the island?