TRAVEL TIPS

In Iceland there is 360,000 locals and each year their welcome over 2 millions visitors. With so many tourists, it’s important to tread lightly as you explore the island. This means extra care and planning is required to ensure you travel sustainably in Iceland. Take all your rubbish with you, check parking in advance. Always make sure you stick to designated tracks (when driving and hiking) as the flora in Iceland is delicate and can easily be damaged. Developing an infrastructure that can cope with the new visitors while maintaining the untouched feeling of one of the world’s most unique landscapes has been a major challenge for Iceland.

Think

Iceland is an expensive country. If you planning carefully it can help to reduce costs. Also the water is really good, so take a water bottle with you that you can fill up regularly.

COFFEE IN A CAFE

Kr 580 ($4.45 / £3.35 / €3.95)

LOCAL BEER (HALF LITRE)

Kr 1,200 ($9.20 / £6.90 / €8.15)

INEXPENSIVE RESTAURANT MEAL

Kr 2,500 ($19.15 / £14.50 / €16.90)

Our top Iceland travel tip when it comes to packing is to prepare for a few different scenarios you can expect throughout your vacation. For the cold : pack layers, layers, layers, fleece, waterproof jacket. For the rain : Make sure you have decent waterproof hiking boots, raincoats and waterproof covers for your backpack and camera. Don't forget to bring your swimsuit, swimming in the natural thermal pools is a fantastic thing to do.

Iceland is a road trip destination like no other, a stunningly beautiful place with unusual geological wonders dotted all over the island. When driving, stick to the appropriate road. Know which roads are accessible in the type of vehicle you're driving. Beyond Iceland's main ring road (Route 1), there are gravel roads stretching to most communities until you reach the F-roads, bumpy tracks only passable by 4WD.Never drive off-road. It’s illegal and incredibly damaging to the fragile environment. Even with a 4WD, stick to marked roads.

Icelanders are a generally openminded with a dry but vibrant sense of humor. The benefit of getting to know the locals is that they know the country. This is a fragile landscape so it’s good to get advice from people who understand its quirks. They are also broad in their curiosities, it seems like half of Icelanders are in a band or making some sort of art or craft. After chatting to a few you’ll discover that everyone seems to have written a book, played in a band or achieved some other kind of artistic greatness.

Remember the basics of responsible travel: don’t litter, reduce your footprint, leave places better than you found them and protect wild animals and natural flora. This applies to popular sights like the Golden Circle as well as the wild interior where it’s just you, the glaciers and volcanoes. Check out Nature.is for tips on sustainable travel in Iceland.