Iceland Without the Crowds

Iceland offers some of the most unique landscapes in the world.  But, with the increased exposure (and cheap flights), it’s becoming more and more visited.  When we visited, we inadvertently stumbled into a method to avoid the crowds.  Our flight landed at midnight and we had planned to set up camp and get a few hours of sleep.  However, as often happens, our enthusiasm got the best of us.

It was still only 3 a.m. after our stop at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur for a midnight snack.  With the sun already well above the horizon, I asked Joy, “Want to start our trip now?”  And so our trip around the Golden Circle (it’s really a triangle) began.  As we departed Reykjavik, the roads were empty for as far as we could see.  Over the next few hours we encountered more sheep than people.

The Jimny looks ridiculous even when it’s all alone.

Photograph by Jeffrey Palmer

We arrived at Þingvellir around 4 a.m. and were the only car in the parking lot.  Geysir was so empty at 5 a.m. that I initially drove past it.  At 6 a.m., we arrived at Gullfoss to find finally see other tourists (albiet two).  When you find something that works well, it’s generally a good idea to keep doing it.  So, we were night owls for the rest of our trip; visiting famous landmarks at ridiculous hours to beat the crowds.