On Apr 20, 4:52=A0pm, "Gerry" wrote:
> "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 transpor=
t
> >> is extremely expensive (read double to triple UK prices). Without doub=
t
> >> 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? =A0Iceland is RAW NATURE!! =A0Tha=
t'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 fort=
une
> 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 everythi=
ng
> (apart from fish and sheep) is imported. GDP per capita is about USD62,00=
0.
>
> I want to go because I want to SEE the landscape, but only if I can do th=
at
> from a, metaphorical, car window........
>
> Yes, it's possible to do that. Hiring a Group A car for 7 days will set y=
ou
> back about =A3500. A 4WD (which is an absolute must for the interior) wil=
l set
> you back about =A3900. A cheaper alternative is to use the buses. Seehttp=
://www.bsi.is/=A0 You can get a 7-day rover ticket for about =A3180 or a
> 15-day one for about =A3325.
>
> 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 rea=
lly
> 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 impressi=
ve
> 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 powe=
r
> station. As for Reykjavik - that has got to be the most boring capital ci=
ty
> in the whole world. If you're happy with that, then go........but there i=
s
> so much more!!
>
> Gerry
>
> PS =A0 Thanks for your Bulgaria reports - they were excellent!
they grow their own bananas.... |