"tim....." wrote in message
news:75355dF15n82oU1@mid.individual.net...
>>
>> Getting to Iceland these days (with Iceland Express) is quite cheap - but
>> once you're there, you will find that food, accommodation and transport
>> is extremely expensive (read double to triple UK prices). Without doubt
>> it is the most expensive country in the world to visit (even now with all
>> their financial problems).
>
> I'm well aware of this, but even so the price of the tours looks
> high..............
To answer some of your questions and reply to some of your points:
Absolutely nothing wrong with being "touristy"........... it's just that
Iceland isn't a "touristy" sort of place. It's a naturalist's paradise - on
a par with say, the Galapagos Islands, the Amazonian rain forest, Borneo,
Kamchatka or Madagascar.
Iceland doesn't seem to be overwhelmed with nature (as per the guide
book)......
Yikes, what guide book are you reading? Iceland is RAW NATURE!! That's why
people go there!!
So given that I am only going to go to places that a lazy person would go
to, how much of the above (Activities) could I reasonably expect to do.....
You could, of course, do all of them - but expect to pay an absolute fortune
for hotel accommodation, guides, transport and meals. Even a 10 day tour
ex-Reykjavik with a group (staying in budget "summer" accommodation) is
likely to set you back about a grand.
The price of the tours looks high......
The cost of living in Iceland is astronomically high. Just about everything
(apart from fish and sheep) is imported. GDP per capita is about USD62,000.
I want to go because I want to SEE the landscape, but only if I can do that
from a, metaphorical, car window........
Yes, it's possible to do that. Hiring a Group A car for 7 days will set you
back about £500. A 4WD (which is an absolute must for the interior) will set
you back about £900. A cheaper alternative is to use the buses. See
http://www.bsi.is/ You can get a 7-day rover ticket for about £180 or a
15-day one for about £325.
Camping, backpacking and self catering is the way most people "do"
Iceland.......but I think you've ruled that out.
Reykjavik, Geysir, Thingvellir and the Blue Lagoon - are these places really
so boring that if that's all I see of Iceland then I've wasted my time......
No - it's just that.......well, Geysir is no big deal (much more impressive
geysers in New Zealand), Thingvellir is basically a wooden hut (albeit in a
nice setting) and the Blue Lagoon is the outflow pool from a thermal power
station. As for Reykjavik - that has got to be the most boring capital city
in the whole world. If you're happy with that, then go........but there is
so much more!!
Gerry
PS Thanks for your Bulgaria reports - they were excellent!
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