My next 2 days brought me straight into Hoth! Just about a 5 minute drive out of Vik I encountered snowy, ice packed roads and it dawned on me that despite having every app imaginable that I’d need on my phone it does you no good if you don’t look at them. So 30 minutes into this slippery mess I saw a rest stop and decided to pull in and see just what my drive was going to be like. There was 1 other car in the not plowed out stopping area and a lovely couple from Australia who proclaimed that this was the first time they’d ever seen snow and even made a snow angel. Their joy perked me right up as the snow whipped around our faces.
It would be a slippery 2 hour drive from where I was but as long as you took it at a normal speed it wouldn’t be too bad. (Let me caveat by saying I’ve driven in snow since I was a teenager, I know how it feels when your car catches ice and I know what to do and not to do, others don’t and that made for tricky travel at times.) But I had a long day of exploring and shooting ahead of me so off I was, into the newly fallen snow of Iceland.
The adventure included massive canyons, black sand beaches, glaciers and icebergs but one site in particular would stand out as the most breathtaking and not on your tourist list of things to do. Roughly 15 minutes prior to reaching the ever popular Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon and Diamond Beach there’s an unmarked turnoff onto a gravel road. You need a 4×4 vehicle to navigate the 1.5 km drive to a small area where you can park. From here I climbed a hill and at the top was greeted with a perfect and not so far away view of Fjallsjökull, a spectacular glacier and the one that you see from a different vantage point at Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon, the difference is from the spot I was in I was right at the base of it. Surrounded by a lagoon and icebergs this was the most incredible spot to be in. And as an added bonus there were exactly 3 humans including myself so it became the backdrop for several images.
Now I’m not saying skip the popular sights, what I am saying is to search for the hidden ones. When asked how I found this spectacular view my answer was simple, a blog. When I research any place I’m going I read the things that come up on page 3 and 4 of Google searches, the ones written by people like you and me. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have taken a bucket list photo for my collection and really that is what this trip was all about!

Sites represented and some interesting facts:
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon – actually amazing when not covered in blowing snow. I’ll be heading back here someday!
Viewpoint of Fjallsjökull – Shhh, super secret spot with incredible glacial views
Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon – there wasn’t much happening here but there were seals!
Diamond Beach – sometimes there are ice chunks and bergs here but not the day I visited, it was too cold
Fjallsarlon Iceberg Boat Tours – I did not take a boat tour here but I recommend you pull in, park and take the short walk behind the building for amazing views! You will not be disappointed and it beats trying to capture it from the roadside parking areas
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon – heated bathroom floor, hot tub and incredible food. This place was a dream! Stay there, just do it once!