Picture this: halfway up an Icelandic volcano, wind hitting so hard that standing isn’t an option. Fog everywhere, trail gone, not another person in sight. Next to me is a girl I met the day before who ran a half marathon hours ago. Her ankles are wrecked. And my only thought: this is fine.

We’ll get to that. But let me back up and tell you about the 10 days I spent solo in Iceland in August 2025, what I actually spent, and why you should book this trip.

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The Quick Numbers (Because I Know You’re Wondering)

I went back through my credit card statement for this. People always want to know what it costs, so here you go. Real numbers.

All in, I spent around $2,500 for 10 days. You could do it way cheaper if you skip golf and the Blue Lagoon. You could also spend way more. Iceland is happy to take your money either way.

The currency situation will mess with you. Everything in Iceland is about 1.5 to 2x US prices. I almost ordered a bagel with egg and ham that was 6,500 Icelandic krona. That’s roughly $50 USD. For a bagel. It had ham on it, but come on. Check the number before you tap your card. Tourist traps aren’t everywhere, but there were a few that caught me off guard.

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The Route: North First, Then Back for the Party

Most people do the south coast and call it a trip. I went north first. Grabbed a rental car in Reykjavik and just drove. If you’ve driven in Iceland you know the vibe: it’s just you, the road, random sheep, and scenery that doesn’t look real. Heading north, you drive through this massive tunnel that cuts through the mountains. There’s a toll for it — just pay it. Way faster than going around.

One thing that caught me off guard driving through Iceland were the churches. These tiny, beautiful churches just randomly sitting in the middle of nowhere. No town around them, no people. Just a church and the most dramatic sky you’ve ever seen behind it. I pulled over a few times just to take it in.

I ended up in Husafell, this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. A hotel, a campsite, and a golf course. That’s basically it. I stayed a few nights and just explored. The campsite restaurant had the best meal of my entire trip. I’m talking proper fine dining plating, a fish dish that was unreal, bread served on lava rock with this unique butter (not my favorite flavor personally, but I could appreciate it), and a dessert that had absolutely no business being that good at a campsite in rural Iceland.

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Tip: If you’re driving north, don’t skip Husafell. The canyon baths, the glacier nearby, and the food alone are worth the detour.

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Golfing in Iceland

Most travel blogs won’t cover this because most people going to Iceland aren’t thinking about golf. I am. I played 90+ rounds in 2025 alone. Iceland was my favorite. Not even close.

I played two courses: Brautarholt, a 12-hole clifftop course right on the coast, and Husafell Golf Club, a 9-hole hidden in a valley up north. Brautarholt set me back $220 for a round (club rental included), which is steep, but worth every penny. I still played 18 unique holes. Par 70, 5,848 yards from the whites. Their Hole 5 is a par 3 at 243 yards. Two hundred and forty-three yards. On a par 3. With the North Atlantic crashing below you. Hole 9 is a 536-yard par 5 that just keeps going. Husafell was completely unexpected. Not your typical golf course – the greens were the same type of grass as the fairways. But it was cheap and a ton of fun. 9 holes, par 72, with two rivers (the Kaldá and Stuttá) running through it, birch forest lining the fairways, and Langjökull glacier staring you down. Built in 1996 and it feels like the course has been there forever.

I grabbed a Boli (Icelandic lager) and played through with nobody else on the course. Just me, the beer, and the ocean. If you golf and you’re going to Iceland, make this happen.

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The Glacier, the Ice Tunnel, and Sleeping in My Car

Booked a glacier tour through GetYourGuide for $174. They drive you out onto the glacier in this massive truck that looks like it belongs in a war zone. About a 45-minute drive each way. Then you get out, strap on crampons, and walk into an ice tunnel carved into the glacier. It’s blue, silent, and feels like another planet. You’re with a guided group, but it still feels wild. Around 30 minutes inside, 5-10 minutes outside on the glacier itself. One of the best things I’ve ever done.

That night I slept in my car at a campsite near the glacier. No blanket, just my jacket and a sweater. It was rough. I’d fall asleep, wake up freezing, turn the car on and crank the heat until it was an oven, turn it off, pass out again. Did that twice throughout the night. Did the same thing another night at a different campsite. Both nights were the same cycle: freeze, blast heat, sweat, sleep, repeat. Glamorous? Not even close. But it saves you $80 a night and makes for a good story.

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The Blue Lagoon (Worth the Hype?)

Yeah, I did the tourist thing. The Blue Lagoon was $142 and honestly it’s one of those things you just have to do. Is it touristy? Sure. Is it also completely surreal to sit in steaming blue water surrounded by black lava fields? Also yes. Go at least once. Get there early, way less crowded. If you want something a little more low-key, Sky Lagoon in Reykjavik is a solid alternative with ocean views and way fewer tourists. And the silica face masks are actually kind of nice, not that I’d admit that out loud.

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The Holiday Weekend (and How I Almost Lost $500)

Timed my trip to be back in Reykjavik for a holiday weekend. I honestly don’t remember what the holiday was called, but the whole city was going off. Everyone was out. Completely different energy from the rest of the trip.

I booked a spot downtown through Hotels.com. It looked like a great deal for a 1-bedroom place. What I didn’t realize was the listing had the price in Swedish krona instead of Icelandic krona. Swedish krona is worth about 13-14x more than Icelandic krona. And why would an Icelandic hotel even list prices in Swedish krona? Iceland and Sweden are completely different countries with completely different currencies. It makes zero sense. So what I thought was a regular hotel booking turned out to be about $580. I saw the charge on my statement and almost lost it.

The save: I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve and their purchase protection is legit. Called them, explained what happened, full refund. No hassle, no runaround. If you’re doing international travel, a card with real purchase protection and no foreign transaction fees isn’t optional. The Chase Sapphire Reserve paid for itself on this one charge. Get one before your trip.

Location was still perfect though. Went out that night and Reykjavik nightlife is a different animal. People stay out until 3, 4 AM and the streets are still packed. The sun barely sets so it doesn’t even feel late. I ended up making a bunch of friends walking around the Rainbow Road area, and at 3 AM we were all eating shawarma together. I walked back to my place at 4 AM in what felt like dusk. Wild.

Reykjavik is a great walkable city. The church, Rainbow Road, street art everywhere, puffin shops on every corner. I’m not usually a “walk around and explore” type. More of a “sit down and enjoy the view” type. But even I had to admit this city has incredible energy.

Also, puffins. Everywhere. They’re as cute in person as you’d think.

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The South Coast

After the holiday I headed south. This is the part most people do, and for good reason. Waterfalls everywhere. Black sand beaches. Scenery that looks AI-generated but is somehow real.

One of the big waterfalls down south has a massive staircase going up alongside it. I climbed to the top and the view up there led to a trail with sheep just chilling about 10 feet away from me. Just standing there, not bothered at all.

This is also where I met Courtney. We started chatting at the Blue Lagoon and got along right away. Just one of those instant friendships. She mentioned she was running a half marathon the next day. I figured, cool, probably never going to see her again.

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The Volcano

Next day, Courtney texts me. She’d just finished her half marathon and was somehow crazy enough to invite me to hike up to see a volcano and active lava. When are you going to get that chance again? I said yes.

Started fine. Volcanic terrain, black rock, moss, totally alien landscape. We were making good time up the ridge when the weather turned. Fast.

The wind came out of nowhere. Not “oh it’s breezy” wind. Full-on, knocking-you-sideways, can’t-stand-up wind. Fog rolled in right behind it and visibility dropped to nothing. We lost the trail. Courtney’s ankles were hurting from the half marathon she’d literally run that morning. And it was getting worse.

We made the call to turn back. Right call. Nobody around. Wind literally blowing us off our feet. We had to sit down and scoot on our butts at times because standing meant getting pushed down the mountain. Her ankles were in bad shape. Fog made everything look the same. At one point we were holding onto a pole on the trail because the wind was literally pushing us off our feet. It was getting sketchy fast and we both knew it.

We made it back down. We were fine. But that’s what nobody warns you about Iceland: the weather can go from beautiful to dangerous in 15 minutes. Respect it. Check the forecast. Don’t be too proud to turn around.

After the volcano we went our separate ways. I figured that was the end of the Courtney chapter. Cool story, wild experience, done.

Nope. The next day I’m at a waterfall, just admiring it, doing my thing. And I hear “Austin!” I turn around and it’s Courtney. We’d run into each other again, completely by chance, at a random waterfall in Iceland. We ended up spending the whole day together exploring the south coast, checking out waterfalls, just two friends traveling and vibing.

Courtney is one of those people who just makes you think bigger. She travels solo all around the world, super confident, passionate about life, and an all-around amazing person. Solo travel doesn’t always mean being alone. Some of the best memories from this trip came from people I met along the way. She went from a stranger at the Blue Lagoon to the person I’d share one of the wildest stories of my life with. That’s the magic of just showing up somewhere and being open to whatever happens.

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What I’d Tell a Friend Before They Go

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Would I Do It Again?

In a heartbeat. Iceland is one of those places that doesn’t feel like it should exist. Everything is dramatic. The landscapes, the weather, the food prices. It’s expensive and exhausting and completely worth it.

If you’re thinking about doing it solo: just go. You’ll meet people. You’ll have stories. You might almost get blown off a volcano with someone you met the day before. But you’ll come back different. In a good way.

Questions about Iceland or want help planning your trip? Hit me up. Happy to share more.

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This is part of my solo travel series. Next up: Australia and Thailand. Follow along or reach out if you want to swap travel stories.