What an adventure it is to be kicking off summer in Iceland with our besties from the U.S.! When our dear friends, the Wesleys, suggested that get together this summer, we chose meeting in Iceland: a middle meeting point for us in Spain and them in the U.S.

It’s a wonderful break from the Florida and Spain heat to enjoying the green landscapes and waterfalls of Iceland, in cool and beautiful temperatures. I’m sharing here all that our families did in Iceland including a few partnerships to highlight local businesses around Iceland. We spent our week traveling around southern Iceland only and enjoyed so much! But first, a few tips:

1 – Iceland is expensive: from super high food costs to not being able to find very affordable rentals or hotels, be sure to budget prior to a trip to Iceland

2 – You’ll need a rental car: there is so much happening in Iceland outside of the city of Reykjavik, so I highly recommend you securing a rental car

3 – If coming from Europe, the flight times are wild: compared to some of the other destinations we’ve visited, the flight times are totally wild coming to and from Iceland. Departures and arrivals may very well be in the middle of the night

Where to Stay in Iceland

We are thrilled with our rental choice in southern Iceland. We decided to stay put in one area instead of traveling all around the ring of Iceland. This rental is paradise for kids and groups. With four bedrooms with several beds in each, along with a full and equipped kitchen, tons of games like billiards and darts for kids, a chicken coop, ponies and horses on site: truly our kids didn’t want to leave the rental! You can learn more about the rental that we booked here: River House – Natthagi.

What to Do in Iceland

1 – We started our stay by exploring Keflavik and taking a whale tour from its port. We had a great time at the Elding Whale Watching Tour where our kids were thrilled to be on the lookout for whales. We saw at least 20 whales, way more than we expected to see, and it was quite a thrill. Calm waters, mild temperatures and a really enjoyable 2.5 hour boat ride. #sponsored

2- Our friends really wanted to ride Icelandic horses, so we booked a tour with a family-owned tour right near our rental. We had our first experience with Riding Tours and had the best time with Icelandic horses. This family-owned tour company was so great for our crew, helping amateur horse riders enjoy the experience. We had beautiful views and enjoyed the stroll with amazing landscapes. Highly recommend! #sponsored

3 – We didn’t spend a lot of time eating out in Iceland because of the high cost of truly everything here. So we decided to eat at home most nights and pack lunches on the road. We did, though, have some appetizers and wine at Fridheimar, a greenhouse with a specialty of tomatoes and therefore tomato soup. It was beautiful!

4 – We made a stop at Gullfoss Falls, an an amazingly impressive waterfall that was so huge! Admission was free, but this was incredibly impressive. I would not miss a stop at this waterfall if in southern Iceland.

5 – We also stopped at Kerid Crater, a beautiful crater with blue water that was affordable to visit. Free for children ages 12 and under and two adults at $8, this was a great thing to do.

6 – Logan is a BIG CrossFit guy so then we went to CrossFit Reykjavik, the famous CrossFit in Iceland; we were a little disappointed in the lack of coaching in the class, but it was a fun (expensive!) experience overall.

7- Without doubt, our favorite thing to do in Iceland was the Hvammsvick Natural Spring, a beautiful natural spring with several pools, a swim up bar and direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. We saw a seal, floating in the ocean, and truly had the best time of hanging out together there. Do not miss this stop only 45- minutes from Reykjavik!

8 – When staying on the south end of Iceland, it’s great to experience Geyser Stokkur. These active geysers explode without any notice and it’s such a cool experience not to miss! This attraction is free but you pay a fee to park there.

9 – One of the prettiest waterfalls we’ve seen was Seljalandsfoss, a massive waterfall that you can walk behind. It was a super cool experience and one that we’re so glad that we didn’t miss! It’s also free to enter, but you do have to pay for parking.

10 – After a visit to the impressive waterfall, we went to the black sand beach of Vik which was an awesome stop! Besides the black-sand beaches, we also saw hundreds of seagulls and puffins flying above head. The town is beautiful with a church and local shops and restaurants and a must-see stop in southern Iceland

11 – On the last day, we stayed near the town of Fludir and found the most beautiful blue water and waterfall we’ve seen! It was called Bruarfoss. It’s important to note that this waterfall has two ways to see it: 1 – through a hiking trail before you get to the falls and 2 – through a parking lot with direct access to the falls. We loved doing the hiking trail because the most beautiful views of the water were from the trails – highly recommend!

Iceland became a quick family favorite for us and while I thought we’d enjoy it, I was surprised by how much we loved it. All of our family members ranked Iceland as a top 3-4 out of 12 countries we’ve visited in Europe, with Spain and possibly Malta being the only ones we preferred more. We have a new appreciation for Nordic countries after visiting and absolutely loved the nature here. Highly recommend! We were so grateful to meet up with our U.S. friends and have a week full of fellowship, adventuring and laughter. God is good!