Iceland was my last year’s reset button, the recharge, the calm from the chaos, my farthest journey to take a breather, contemplate and remind myself that everything is worth being thankful for.

So everything in Iceland is in superlative degree — nature at its best (waterfalls, aurora borealis, glaciers, geysers, volcanoes, fjords), and well, that includes the travel cost too, which was quite a challenge for budget travellers like me. Though I didn’t achieve to spend only up to a certain threshold as I want to (this is the part where you say “collect memories, not things” haha!), this blog will share a few tips on how to cut costs and maximize a five-day Icelandic trip.

Iceland in a Nutshell

Here are the important things to take note for Iceland:

The Land of Fire and Ice – This beautiful contrast is explained by Iceland’s glaciers and active volcanoes. This balance then makes Iceland livable.

Entry Point – Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital and the largest city. Population in Iceland is only 330,000+ and one-third of it is in Reyk.

Go cashless – It’s pretty convenient here, I’ve practically just used my credit card for the whole trip and didn’t bring any cash at all. You may think Iceland is an isolated country but you will be surprised at how it keeps up with modernization.

To drive or not to drive? – You could save a lot by driving but would not be advisable if you plan to go during (so we resorted to taking tours since public transportation outside Reykjavik does not seem common especially on winter)

Day 1

From the airport:

There is a shuttle (Flybus), which will take you to Reykjavik Bus Terminal or to your hotel.  This can be booked online or even when you arrive at the airport. Discount will be given when return tickets are purchased.

Where to Stay:

We stayed at Guesthouse Andrea via Agoda (51 S$/night), which is not bad since we weren’t able to book early and is very close to Hallgrímskirkja church. It is advisable to book months before your trip to Iceland, especially during peak season if you’re opting for AirBnb.

The Northern Lights Tour:

I would usually do a DIY trip, yes even for aurora borealis hunting (as we did last year in Abisko, Sweden), for this case, if you’re staying in Reykjavik (as this is a city, you ideally need to stay away from light pollution) and not driving, I’d recommend to take a tour. They would know the spot where aurora would most likely be seen and if you don’t catch it on the first attempt, you can request for next night to see it for free! The cheapest tour we’ve seen was via Viator – 62 SGD / 2,100 PhP, which was booked on the same day.

Day 2

This day is packed and spent for the Golden Circle Tour and the Secret Lagoon, which is a must-see since it’s close to Reykjavik. The whole tour, including the lagoon, costs 145 S$ / PhP 5,080 booked via GetYourGuide (the cheapest that we’ve found then). It’s local partner is Sterna Travel. I’d say this tour is our ‘best find’ for our Iceland trip. This is an eight hour trip that takes you to Þingvellir National Park, the amazing Gulfoss, Geysir hot spring area and the Secret Lagoon.

Day 3

This day is dedicated to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik Day! Our sort-of laidback day in between those packed activities outside Reyk.

Citywalk

One of my favourite things to do when travelling is to join the walking tour. The fusion of walking, information and amazing sceneries just excites me. Book for a free walking tour at Citywalk.is days in advance (and donate as you please). The tour takes 2 hours and would cover Iceland’s history, music, food, culture, economy (it’s rise and fall during the recession and how it recovered due to tourism).

My favourite part of this day was when I reached the top of Hallgrímskirkja church to see the best view of Reykjavik, and the timing was just perfect — the start of sunset. Entrance fee to reach the top is 900 ISK / 11 SGD.

 

Day 4

On the last 2 days in Iceland, we decided to spend it outside Reykjavik as there is just so much to see if you on eastern and southern side. We booked a two-day tour to Jokulsarlon with Ice Cave and South Coast Waterfalls at Guide to Iceland, which includes accommodation at Nicehostel Seljalandsfoss.

First day will be spent exploring all types of waterfalls, name it and they have it (Gljufrabui, Seljalandsfoss, Írafoss, Skógafoss and Kvernufoss). Note that foss means waterfalls in Iceland, so it’s quite easy to identify it from the name (Watch Justin Bieber’s waterfalls MTV and you’ll fall in love with Iceland even more). The last stop would be the beautiful black beach Reynisfjara that features the distinct basalt columns.

 

Day 5

The save the best for last day because it was scheduled for Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and the natural ice cave inside Vatnajökull glacier.  As far as I know, you can DIY all Icelandic tours except going to this ice cave as you are actually entering a glacier and would need to ride a 4×4 vehicle from Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, which would take about 30 minutes.

It is very challenging to travel during winter in Iceland, but there are two things to be thankful for during this season: the northern lights and the amazing ice caves.  There are actually cheaper ice cave tours, but I specifically chose Vatnajokull because it’s the largest glacier in Iceland.

 

Cost-Effective Tips:

Food – When we are on tour, we got to try local food, which isn’t really that economical (4 pieces of meatballs cost 23$, same price for lamb soup). When we have time at the hostel, we cook our food to cut cost.  Note that there’s also Bonus supermarket at the airport, take the chance to buy some stuff there as you may not come across a lot of shops outside.

Free tour – City walk tour at Reykjavik is highly recommended. This is for free and donation is voluntary.  You’ll be able to see the significant places in Reyk during this two-hour tour and learn a lot about Iceland (I’ve gained so much knowledge here than in any place I’ve travelled before haha)

Cheap tours – We usually got the cheapest rates at GetYourGuide (they also give promo occassionally) and Guide to Iceland. Thanks to travel buddy Roselle for being so keen on searching the best deals.

Total Travel Cost for 5-Day Icelandic Trip:

Destination	Provider	Cost in S$
Manila to London (return)	Philippine Airlines	1049
London to Reykavik	IcelandAir	165
Reyk to Amsterdam	Wow Air	178
Schengen Visa	VFS	94
tours	various	980.53
accommodation	Guesthouse Andrea	158.8
food	various	75.6
airport shuttle (return)	Flybus	64.7
church tower fee	Hallgrimskirkja	11
		2,776.64

*** The truth is, Iceland, for me, was just a dream destination — you look at the map and see that small island far far north, and seemed so far from reality. Grateful for this trip as I was able to tick some items off the bucket list: first snow experience (plus the snowflakes), visit a place I can barely pronounce, ice cave adventure, glaciers. We stayed only for five days and yet it felt so overwhelmingly full and satisfying that writing this blog seems to be fluid.