Health and Safety

Any good debrief should start with a basic recap of health and safety concerns.

US State Department Travel Advisory

Iceland - Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions

Iceland is generally considered a non threat area.  It has a LOW crime rate.  General precautions should be taken, especially in high tourist areas. 

U.S. Embassy Reykjavik

Engjateigur 7
105 Reykjavik
Iceland
Telephone: +(354) 595-2200
Emergency Telephone: +(354) 595-2248
Fax: +(354) 562-9118
Email: reykjavikconsular@state.gov 

Medical Care

• Emergency? Call 112

• Urgent after-hours primary care, call 1770

  • You can visit the central primary care clinic without an appointment from 17:00-23:30 on weekdays and 9:00-23:30 on weekends. 

  • From 23:30-8:00 you should call 1770

• Physicians List provided by US State Department

• Non-residents of Iceland usually must pay their bill in full upon discharge. Credit cards are accepted.

• As with all travel, travel insurance is advised

Nearby Medical Facilities

• Heilbrigðisstofnun Suðurlands

  • Half hour drive from Scout Camp

  • This hospital has very limited trauma capabilities (based on assumed capabilities, size and location)

  • Árvegur 800, 800 Selfoss, Iceland

  • Small clinic/hospital

  • A doctor and a nurse on call

  • On-call service of doctors and nurses at HSU call 1700

  • Emergency call 112

• Landspítali University Hospital

  • Hour drive from Scout Camp to hospitals in Reykjavík

  • Two main areas are at Fossvogu and at Hringbraut 

  • Fossvogu - National Hospital & Emergency Room

    • Áland 6, 108 Reykjavík, Iceland

    • Helipad

    • Telephone +354-525-1700 or +354-543-1000

    • https://www.landspitali.is/default.aspx?pageid=deac0479-05aa-11e8-90f1-005056be0005 

  • Hringbraut consists of a large number of buildings which includes the psychiatric, children and women buildings as well as the library/Faculty of Nursing, kitchen, laboratory and office buildings

    • Barnaspítali Hringsins - Children's Hospital

      • Hringbraut 101 101, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

      • 543 1000

  • Skaftahlíð 

    • Landspítali main building

    • Skaftahlíð 24 skrifstofur, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland

    • Not sure what this building does

• Laeknavaktinn Medical Center

  • Háaleitisbraut, 103 Reykjavík, Iceland

  • For urgent after-hours primary care, call 1770

  • House calls can sometimes be arranged

• Air Ambulance

  • For Iceland domestic medical evacuation/and or air ambulance, see:

  • Myflug Air, stationed in Akureyri

  • Phone number +354-464-4400

  • https://www.myflug.is/en/air-ambulance 

Communicable Diseases

There are no mosquitoes in Iceland (not counting the one in a museum) and mosquito-borne diseases are not a health concern in Iceland (unless you brought one with you).

Ticks have been found in Iceland, brought by migratory birds.  It is theoretically possible to contract Lyme disease, but there are no documented cases of Lyme disease contracted in Iceland. 

There are swarms of flies at the the Jamboree site when it's not raining.  Although a few Adults reported bites, those walking without but nets didn't report being bitten.  They do land in your eyes and get in your nose, mouth and ears.  They were more of a nuisance than a health risk. 

A few members of our party developed GI issues.  One was very sick and was admitted to the Jamboree Health Clinic for several nights.  We suspect that this illness was a result of eating shared lunch meat at a hostel. 

Most of the party returned with Covid.  We suspect the source of this was when one of our members spent several nights in a room with a Covid positive patient when our member was recovering for GI issues. 

Water

Water is considered safe to drink from the tap or spring.  Note that Iceland water is NOT chlorinated and therefore does not have residual chlorine to protect it.

Waterborne outbreaks have occurred in Iceland but are rare.  They are reportedly more common in small water supplies, many of which served transient populations, tourists and summerhouse dwellers, which describes some of our water sources. 

Vaccinations 

The CDC recommends standard vaccinations for travelers to Iceland.  Nothing special beyond normal vaccinations. 

Animals

Generally not a concern in Iceland.  Very few wild mammals are found in Iceland (mice, rabbits, fox and bats) and we didn't see any.  Whales and seals are common.  There are no wild reptiles or amphibians in Iceland and owning one as a pet is illegal. 

If you are lucky enough to see an arctic fox, they will bite if you provoke them. 

Birds will sometimes divebomb you if you get too close to their nests.  They generally warn you first and then will draw blood of you don't take heed. 

Beware of animals on the road while driving or biking.  Cows and sheep have been known to take over the road. 

Polar bears have been known to visit Iceland in the winter.  These are generally captured and removed. 

Other Risks - So Many Ways to Die

Iceland is considered one of the safest placed on earth because of its low crime rate.  They also don't have dangerous animals or diseases.  That said, everything else in Iceland is dangerous. 

There are SO MANY ways to die or incur a catastrophic injury in Iceland.  Iceland is filled with rugged landscapes and harsh weather.  Travelers need to pay attention to avoid injury.  Remember that everything in the land of Fire and Ice can kill you.

Wind - Iceland has hurricane level winds and gusts that can rip a door off your rental car or blow you off a ledge of a cliff (that's a thing in Iceland).  Wind will slow your travel on roads and on foot.  We have seen good tents destroyed by the wind.  Make sure you are dressed and prepared for the wind.  If the weather reports has a red alert for wind, cancel your travel.  People have died due to winds. 

In Korea, they call hurricanes "typhoons".  In Iceland, they call hurricanes "wind". 

Check weather reports daily - for each area you might visit or travel through.

Rain and Snowstorms - Check your weather daily.  Heavy rains and snowstorms can halt your travel.  If you are not dressed appropriately, hypothermia can become a real concern. 

Plan to get soaked when in rains.  

Fog - Generally not considered a safety concern outside of Iceland, fog has resulted in people getting lost, stranded and has resulted in death in Iceland.  If hiking, have a real set of the 10 essentials so you can sleep out in the cold if you become stranded. 

Thermal Springs - These are HOT.  There is a risk of burning your hands if you decide to feel how warm they are.  Falling into a thermal spring has occurred, resulting in severe burns and deaths.  If you walk off the designated path, it is possible to fall through a crust of earth and into a body of boiling water.  People have sunk there feet into boiling hot mud surrounding hot springs, resulting is severe burns.

Many thermal areas are NOT marked and lack fences or safe walkways.  

Cliffs - Iceland is filled with cliffs, often with great views that invite photography of canyons, waterfalls and birds.  Care should be taken when walking to the edge of a cliff that may be slippery or unstable.  If a sign is posted warning you of danger, there is a real danger!  Most dangerous cliffs are NOT marked and many trails lack ropes or guard rails.  Gusts of wind can easily push you over the edge.  Cliff edges can be slippery or even collapse if you sand on them.

If you see a guard rail or safety ropes, stay away from the cliff.  If you don't a see a guard rail or safety ropes, stay away from the cliff. 

Sneaker Waves - Waves at certain beaches have a tendency to sneak up on tourists and pull them into the ocean.  The powerful current pulls people underwater and results in drownings every year.  Do NOT turn your back on the beach and stay far away from where you think water will come ashore.

Pay particular attention at Reynisfjara black sand beach.  Waves are notorious for knocking over tourists and dragging them out to sea.  They are easily come in over head height and through you against the rocks, and then pull you into the ocean.

Climbing - There are several climbing spots that attract tourists.  Many will be very dangerous when wet or icy.  Anything above shoulder height invites the risk of real injury and requires safety gear per the BSA (roped in, harness and helmet).

Some climbs have metal cables or chains anchored at the top of the climb to "help" people climb.  The ones we visited were far from safe.  At one climb, links on the chain were not considered robust per US standards.  At another climb, the steel cable used for climbing was smooth and slippery at the bottom of the climb and frayed at the top, inviting a serious hand injury and a possible fall to your death.  Another climb had a chain hanging off the top that was not large enough to safely grip and did not extend all the way to the ground, requiring iron grips to scale down a smooth rock wall and then a 10 foot fall to the rocky bottom where the chain didn't extend all the way to the ground.  No warning signs were present.

Although it is possible for an expert climber to climb these features and set up a safe anchor to rope in other climbers, we recommend that climbing in these remote areas be avoided entirely. 

Glaciers - There are inherent risks with Glacier travel.  If considered, travel with a reputable tour group with the proper equipment.  You should NOT attempt to walk on any glacier on your own.  You can fall into a crevasse or the glacier can collapse under you and throw you into freezing cold water or even pin you to the bottom of a lagoon.

Icebergs - These are slippery and unstable.  They have been known to break or tip over.  Victims not only can fall into freezing waters, they can be trapped under the iceberg.  Icebergs grounded on the beach can also break off and throw victims into the water or crush them.  Ice is also slippery.

Don't climb on icebergs. 

Ice Caves - These have been known to collapse.  You should avoid entering any ice cave without a professional guide.

Driving - Roads requiring 4 wheel drive, require 4 wheel drive.  Low clearance vehicles are at high risk of getting stuck.  Some 4 wheel drive only roads also have river crossings.  Those not experienced in crossing rivers or without the proper vehicle should NOT attempt a river crossing.  

Driving off road is illegal and damages the local environment.  It is also very easy to get stuck off road where it is surprisingly soft and slick compared to the built up gravel roads you may be driving on. 

There are drivers from all over the world in Iceland.  Expect the unexpected, like people stopping on the road in front of you to take pictures, bicycles riding side by side on two lane highways or cars that just pull out in front of you without looking. 

Roads don't have shoulders or guardrails.  Small distractions may result in you driving off the road and crashing.

Volcanoes - There is always a risk of one randomly erupting and closing off roads, stopping air travel or causing a catastrophic event.  You can worry about this or not.  We chose to mostly not worry about this.  Others may wish to get close to lava flows and take selfies.  Prior to our trip, volcanic activity shut off access to the Blue Lagoon, which saved us a lot of money.  It later opened up and we were able to send a few adults to the Blue Lagoon who would truly enjoy and value that experience.

Earthquakes - Iceland is on a huge fault line.  These are generally not an issue unless you just happen to be on the edge of a cliff.  You should generally avoid standing on the edge of cliffs anyways. 

Winter - Darkness, cold, snow and ice is a dangerous combination.  Beware of blizzards and avalanche danger - both are deadly in Iceland.  You will need ice cleats to walk in during winter months.  Many roads and attractions will not be accessible. 

Breaking down in a car or getting lost places you at risk of exposure and potentially freezing to death. 

Gear and Equipment

We traveled in the summer.  Winter travel is COMPLETELY different.

Temperatures we encountered ranged from the 40s to 60s (Fahrenheit).  The sunny days were sunny and some of our group did get sunburned.  The wet and windy days were really wet and really windy.  Rain came down on us sideways and tested the waterproofness of of our gear.

It is vital to have gear designed for high winds and heavy rain.

Tents

Our lightweight backpacking tents for the most part were not sufficient for the high winds we encountered on the first two days of jamboree.  One tent was flattened and a pole snapped in half shortly after erecting it.  Another tent was almost flattened and had to be reinforced with hiking poles and several guylines.  A heavy duty pyramid style tent we had made from sail cloth did well, but we replaced the carbon fiber center pole with a steel pole due to fear it could break and stab someone during high winds.

Another troop tried using a tent from National Jamboree with a toupee rainfly (one that only cover part of the main tent and doesn't go all the way to the ground).  Wind and rain blew sideways through this tent and filled it with water.  This was probably the worst tent design for Iceland.  They purchased a tent locally and were very happy with how well the new tent performed.  

Our group had to borrow 3 Norwegian made Bergans WigloLT 4-Persons Tents.  These come with a sturdy center pole and guylines all around.  Weighing in at around 14 pounds, these are much heavier than what we are used to and were not ideal for airline travel.  Several of the borrowed tents we put up were really sun faded and came with significant damage.  We repaired one with a trashbag and the others had to be replaced with tents that were still intact.  These were also challenging to set up since they were designed differently than the tents we are accustomed to in the US.  We had to help the Canadian contingent who had serious challenges trying to erect their tents and getting along with each other at that point.  

If we were to do this again, we would give strong consideration to renting camp tents.  Unless you are in the market for a true snow tent (such as something made by Hilleberg), acceptable tents for Iceland are generally expensive to purchase and heavier than what we are accustomed to for backpacking and more than we would like to transport on a commercial airline.  Note that there is a learning curve to setting up the rental tents at the Jamboree site.  If you have never set one up, you may wish to ask for help setting up the first one, especially if doing so in high winds and pouring rain.  They are easily damaged if you don't know how to set one up and are very expensive to replace. 

Tents used by Other Contingents

The European and Asian Scouts Contingents used tent designs that were different than the dome tents we are used to seeing in the US.  Tunnel Tents and Tepee Tents that rely on tent stakes and for structural support that also use many guylines were the two most popular tent types seen at the Jamboree. 

• 2 to 8-man Tunnel Tents (Iceland - Tunnel Tjald; German - Tunnelzelt)

  • Frilufts Grassholm 8 

    • We have a picture of one with several poles that were repaired with duct tape

  • Vango Skye-400 

    • Economy Tent

    • Common Iceland rental

  • Vango Odyssey Air 800 Tent

    • Economy Tent

  • High Peak Paxos 4 tjald

    • Used by several units

    • Economy Tents

    • Sold locally at Útilíf

  • Hilleberg Tents 

    • High End Tents

  • Exped Tent

    • Something similar to the "Outer Space" model

    • Used by some Canadians?

    • Not really a tunnel tent or a traditional dome tent

• Heavy duty Tepee style tents

  • Tentipi Safir 

• Bergans WigloLT 4-Persons Tents

  • Uses single center pole and 3 looped poles

  • Lots of red ones seen at camp

  • Likely all rented from the camp

• Military Tents with thick walls, solid poles and serious guylines

  • These were mostly used ask dining/meeting tents

  • You could easily place 6 benches and a full sized group kitchen in these

• "Viking Tents"

  • Similar to military tents, but white

• Inflatable Tents - these tend to bend instead of break in the wind

  • Weathermaster 8XL BlackOut Air Tent 

Tents Sold in Iceland

• Fjallakofinn

  • Helsport

    • High End Norwegian Company

  • Vaude

    • German Company

• GG Sport 

  • Nordisk

    • German Company

  • Ferrino

    • Italian Company

  • Terra-Nova

    • UK Company

• Everest

  • Hilleberg

    • High End Swedish Company

  • Vango

    • Scottish Company

• Ellingsen

  • Limited selection - Coleman and Mountain Hardware

• Alpanir

• Utilif

  • High Peak

  • MSR 

    • US Company 

    • Europe only tents

      • MSR Tunnel Tent

    • US model tents

      • Twice as expensive as in the US

      • Come in Dark Green (not available in US)

  • North Face

    • Much more expensive than in US

• Sports Direct

  • Regatta tents and odd assortment of economy tents

• Regatta

  • Mostly leisurewear clothing 

Icelandic Tent Terms

• Tjald - Tent

• Tjöld - Tents

• Kúlutjald - Bubble Tent - has a window

• Göngutjald - Hiking Tent

• Tunneltjald - Tunnel Tent

• Leiðangurstjald - Expedition Tent

• Fjölskyldutjald - Family Tent

• Snjótjald - Snow Tent

• Veislutjald - Party Tent

• Hóptjald - Group Tent

Bugs - there are swarms of bugs at the jamboree site when it is not raining.  Our pyramid tent did not come with a bugnet.  Some flies did get it, but hung out at the top of the shelter and never landed on those sleeping in the tent.  Bugs seemed to like high places.  Bugs also slept at night - even though the sun was still out. 

Tent Stakes 

We brought a 30 pack of 9-inch Long Steel Tentstakes.  These were heavier than we liked and we almost did not pack them due to airline weight limits for our checked in gear.  We used every one of these stakes and needed more.  You can not generally make stakes in Iceland due to the lack of fallen branches or trees. 

Our economy Steel stakes were ideal.  They were long and less likely to bend than aluminum hook stakes.  They were easy to push into the soft ground in Iceland and fit between rocks in the ground.  The 9-inches added extra security.  Old-school angle iron steel stakes would have been even better for our structures, but would weight too much for airline travel. 

Y-Stakes similar to MSR Groundhogs worked fine and didn't pull out when used to anchor guylines. 

Guylines and Rope

We needed two rolls of paracord to tie down tarps and guyline our tents.  Most of our tents didn't come with guylines or were left at home. 

Paracord and rope was needed for pioneering structures.  If we planned this better, we could have built a larger cooking shelter with timber available at camp and a giant tarp purchased locally.  This would of course require more cordage. 

Rain Gear

It doesn't just rain in Iceland, it is high pressure rain blowing from the side. 

Raingear is a must.  Name brand new generation Gore-Tex is preferred.

Many of the Icelanders walked around wearing thick vinyl raingear that came in search and rescue colors.  Others just ran around wearing wool ponchos.

Less prepared visitors to Iceland wore trashbags or purchased gear at the giftshop for highly inflated prices.

Warm Clothing

Wool seemed to be the fabric of choice locally.  Many locals and visitors wore Icelandic sweaters and Icelandic Scouts wore wool ponchos.  

For us, synthetic jackets under our shells worked.  Cotton was not desirable and weighed a ton after it got wet.  It was impossible to dry out cotton during the jamboree. 

Footwear

Waterproof boots are generally not needed and often result in sweaty feet even in the Pacific Northwest.  For Iceland, these were very nice and the preferred footwear.  We crossed a lot of streams and waterproof boots kept our feet reasonably dry.  Those with sneakers had soaking wet feet. 

Cotton socks stayed wet.  Wool socks worked better.  If worn with waterproof boots during the day, wool socks could mostly dry out in tents. 

Sleeping Bags

Some of us brought down bags to reduce travel weight and bulk.  These worked ok for the adults who were able to keep their shelters dry.  As many of the tents were leaking or got wet because parts of the jamboree grounds were flooded, synthetic bags will be preferred on any future trip to Iceland. 

One family was outfitted with synthetic poncho liners for backup sleep gear.  These were nice.  They could be used to augment bags if primary bags weren't warm enough or got wet.  They could also be used for lounging or wear as a poncho if needed, which they weren't.  They were perfect stand alone blankets for those sleeping in the medical facility. 

Day Packs

Several of our participants used their airline carry on backpack as a daypack.  These were bulky and often loaded with unnecessary gear.  Having a real daypack for hikes and travel around the Jamboree site and Reykjavík was a real luxury and worth the extra weight and bulk.

Hard Cases

Hard cases are nice to have for Jamborees.  They allow you to secure gear and can be used as camp furniture.  We opted for economy cases from Amazon.  These cracked in many places and needed to be ducttaped to keep them together during travel.  They also limited what we could bring due to their rigid shape and size.  They worked fine, but in the future, we may opt for something more durable and secure or just go with soft luggage. 

Cables, Adapters and Electronics

The charging stations at the Jamboree site were filled with chargers stacked on chargers.  It was nice to have your personal plug-in adapter (Iceland plug rated for 220V) for charging your electronics.  Phones were vital for communication, but tended to be a huge distraction for many Scouts.  There were many Scouts seen at the Jamboree at the 2 charging sites, sometimes there all night, mostly Scouts from Hong Kong who took over charging areas. 

Power Banks - We considered bringing a larger powerbank and solar charger, but opted to leave these back home to limit gear that needed to be caried or checked at the airport.  We did fine without a large bank and solar charger.  Most people had small personal powerbanks.  These were nice for topping off phones at night but adults could have gotten away without having them.  For some Scouts, these were a source of life if their sanity was related to how much screen time they could sneak in each day. 

We did NOT have access to 200V electricity at our campsite.

Cameras

For the most part, modern smartphones take excellent photos and are mostly waterproof.  For the whitewater rafting trip, a waterproof camera proved to be ideal. It was tide down to the user using paracord around his torso so that it couldn't be lost.  Besides the whitewater trip, a waterproof camera was not necessary. 

Professional grade cameras are great for professional grade photography.  We did not bring on with our group.  Others did.  We witnessed people in the bathroom drying their cameras off with hair driers.  

It would have been nice to have a photographer in our team. 

Stoves

Three of our Adults brought stoves.  One Adult brought a Coleman stove due to previous concerns of US stove compatibility issues with orange topped Coleman canisters - this was not a problem.  One Adult had 2 sets of Chinese made Stoves with adapters for most types of fuel.  These were nice to have when we found ourselves with a spray-can style butane canister that our other stoves could not use.  Otherwise a basic over the canister stove worked great.  

Our rented cook set came with dishes, utensils, pots and a double burner propane stove.  Our rented stove worked great.  We used up about 4,000 ISK of propane.

We brought several lighters, many of which were quickly lost.  We purchased several larger ones which were harder to lose.  No lighter means no fire. 

We brought 2 larger pots and a smaller one.  We used one large pot and the smaller pot. 

Dishwashing Soap

We ended up getting some from the Jamboree kitchen and our rented RV.  The clear stuff didn't work nearly as well as the green stuff at cutting grease.

Camp Chairs

These were used a little during the pretour, but had limited use during the Jamboree.  Only one or two would fit under the shelter and you didn't want to sit outside of the shelter most of the Jamboree because of the rain.  At a sunnier Jamboree, the chairs would be nice to have. 

Having a low riding chair in a tent was nice, but became less practical after the first day after filling up the tents with people and finding better places to hang out at the camporee. 

These took up a lot of space and weight in our limited luggage. 

Mess Kits

We rented a kitchen set with mess items, but still needed them for the pretour.  Mesh bags were also nice for hanging up cleaned mess kits and didn't come with the rental kit.  Our metalware seemed easier to degrease than plasticware in the rental kit.  

A personal mug allowed you to sneak some coffee or tea from the IST tent...unless you were one of those greedy adults who topped off their water bottles with hot drink. 

Knives

Nice to have and must be checked in and the airport.  Our chef brought an appropriate sheathed knife for kitchen work.  Smaller knives came in handy, including for cutting up food. 

Sleeping Masks

For the  most part, Iceland had daylight throughout the "night".  For those who can't sleep with the lights on, sleeping masks and ear plugs are a must.  The rest of us were ready to pass out at the end of each day. 

Sunglasses

Really nice to have on those sunny days where the sun didn't set. 

Medical Pack

Oblatory equipment.  We had a small trauma set, minor surgical set, pill pack and an unopened bottle of betadine (double freezer bag wrapped).  Other than a bandaid or two, these were luckily not needed.  

Rental Gear

This is what we rented at the jamboree site:

• Shelter

• Cook Set

• Large bottle of Propane

• Picnic Table

• 3-Sleeping Tents

Shelter - kept the rain and sun off of us when wind was NOT blowing.  We had to purchase and add a tarp on the upwind side.  It was too small for 10 people.  Some came with heavy duty stakes and some came with inadequate stakes.  Ours came with the good stakes.  The California Contingent just couldn't get their tent anchored in the wind when using smaller stakes and tried several times with lots of help. 

The shelter provided was reasonably strong enough for Icelandic winds.  The Tarp didn't have walls and it would have been nice if it was just a little longer and a bit wider.  We were glad to have it. 

It is possible to build something better with a larger tarp and crafting a frame with wood pioneering poles found at camp.  Arriving early may be necessary to claim enough timbers.  We mistakenly took timber from a local unit.  It may be in your best interested to reserve a tarp just in case you can't put together something better.  

It is vital to take note that they ran out of shelters.  Those showing up late did not get a shelter (late being when they told you to show up or later).  We showed up early in the morning of Jamboree, before half to the contingents arrived and they were already running short on rentals.

Cook Set - came with enough Ikea plates, bowls and utensils for our group.  Ikea cutlery leaves much to be desired, but was adequate for short term use.  Enough pots for small group.  Our stand up, 2-burner stove was really nice to have.  It came with propane tank that was weighed at end of jamboree and you were charged for what you used. 

NOTE - they ran out of stoves on day 1.  We had backup stoves and all future contingents should also bring a backup.  Plan to arrive early to claim your camp stove. 

We also received a collapsible water jug and small cooler.  The cooler kept things dry but not cool.  It kept things dangerously warm on the few sunny days we had. 

Picnic Table - these ran out by the time we got around to getting it.  Picnic tables were narrow and ok for a countertop but tight for a picnic table.  Priority for tables seemed to go to the Icelandic Troops which had pallets of tables dropped off near they giant tents.  We borrowed a table from them. 

Tents - camp rental tents were designed for heavy snow and wind.  They were challenging to set up but held up nicely against the wind.  Some leaked a little.  Some were damaged beyond repair.  Getting there early allowed time to set these up, inspect them and trade out the bad ones for good ones, which took several trips in the pouring rain. 

Gear we Needed

Tarps - We needed a large tarp to cover our cooking shelter and protect it from the wind.  We brought one tarp, but it wasn't enough and purchased another locally.

Dish Tubs and Dish Sanitizer - needed if you want clean dishes.

Hair Drier - Would be nice on some days for those with long wet hair or to help dry out wet clothing.  We witnessed some people using them to dry off wet electronics and cameras. 

Long Reach Lighter - nice to have for our larger stoves that sometimes went out because of the wind.

Hand Sanitizer - some of us carried personal bottles.  Larger bottles were found around camp (IST tent, Med Shack, and Viking Tent).  A large bottle for the team would have been nice. 

Food

Food is extremely expensive in Iceland.  Lunches are delicious, but you should plan to spend $30+ per person on lunch at a basic restaurant.  Dinners were avoided due to high price.

Our first meal was at Costco.  It was OK.  Hogdogs are hotdogs (more on that later).  The drinks were all sugar free - blah!

We loaded up on food at Costco (bring your US membership card) in Reykjavík and the Bónus in the same complex.  Groceries were acquired at various shops along the way.  Even at Costco and Bónus, food prices were very high.  They were be much higher at other shops we visited. 

We cooked most of our meals in Iceland thanks to our team's chef.  We also brought our own spices, since spices are not commonly available in Iceland.  Ghost peppers were offered to Icelanders with not so positive results. 

Note that meals costs extra when flying Iceland Air.  We recommend that you bring plenty of snacks. 

Special Foods of Iceland:

• Rúgbrauð - Icelandic Rye Bread

  • Soft like cake and wonderful

  • Add a little butter and you can eat the entire loaf at one sitting

• Skyr

  • Icelandic dairy product similar to yogurt but creamier

• Súrmjólk 

  • Basically liquid yogurt

  • Mixed with cocoa mix, it makes a wonderful chocolate pudding

• Pylsur - Icelandic Hotdogs

  • Made mostly with lamb (and some pork and beef)

  • These taste great

• Ristede Løg - Fried onions

  • aka Cronions

  • Crunchy and goes great with hotdogs

• SS Pylsusinnep

  • Iceland style sweet mustard

  • Used by world famous Iceland hotdog stands

  • Use for hotdogs

• Pik Nik

  • French fry shaped potato chips

  • They are OK

  • Iceland Scouts love these - appears to be a camp staple 

Water

We drank tap water.  It seemed fine for the most part.  In Reykjavík, our hotel water had a light sulfur smell. 

We did not chemically treat or filter our water.  

A collapsible water jug would have been nice to have in the camper, but we didn't pack one.  One was provided by the Jamboree. 

A single 1-liter bottle was fine for personal daily use. 

Restrooms

Restrooms seemed like a rarity in Iceland.  They had them, but not all over the place.  And it some locations, you had to pay to use a restroom.

The sit down rest rooms we went to had open restrooms.

Major tourist sites with a gift shop usually had a free restroom.

Camping Fuel

Camping fuel can be found at gas stations and some of the small grociery stores in small towns.

We arrived on a Sunday and first gathered gear at Costco.  Since it was Sunday, most places were closed.  We traveled to the nearest mall, Smáralind, and picked up headnets at Útilíf (camping store) and fuel at Hagkaup (kind of a mini Fred Myers). 

There are concerns that many stoves used in the US were incompatible with Orange topped Coleman Stoves.  This problem was reported in 2017 and we brought one Coleman over the canister style stove with us just in case.  Since there were several fuel options available in Iceland, we avoided the orange topped canisters and didn't have a problem or test if there would be one. 

Image taken in Vik

Money

We all had credit or debit cards, Scouts included.  We set up PINS for our cards as advised by travel guides and the web, and never used them, even with our debit cards. 

For the most part, all of Iceland is plastic.  The Jamboree site did accept cash if that is what you had.  

We had emergency cash on hand and did not use it...as expected. 

Passports

As long as they were current (plus 3-6 months), they were fine.  Visas were NOT required for our 2 week trip and you should be fine for up to a 90-day visit in Iceland. 

Some passports got wet and should have been stored in a ziplock bag. 

Customs visually seemed nonexistent at the Keflavik Airport.  You just walked through without talking to anyone. 

Communication

Everyone had a different cell phone plan.  Some plans were really expensive.  Some started out affordable for the first few days and then skyrocketed in cost.

You can purchase a sim card at the airport for about $30.  This gives you data and allows for unlimited local calls and messaging (minus images which requires data).  Data allows for WhatsApp calls.  You can't call or text the US without using an app.  1 Gigabyte of Data was enough for Adults if you don't use your phone for videos and use wifi as much as possible.  2-5 Gigabytes is safer choice, especially if your group sends a lot of photos through WhatsApp.  1GB was fine for Scouts, since you could still call them on the phone after they burned through their data.

GPS trackers work and you have clear view of the sky for most of the trip except when in buildings.

Cellular trackers worked fine. 

We brought radios and made sure to use civilian frequencies, which are different in Iceland.  These worked ok when turned on, programed correctly, and charged up. 

Transportation

We discussed options and ended up with 2 rental cars and a camper for 10 people.  The camper was used for hauling gear and cooking.  A few Scouts preferred to sleep in the camper during the Pretour and it was used for sleeping by 2 adults during the first two windy days of the Jamboree. We traded the camper out for a rental car after we hit the Jamboree site to save on money.

Why a mix of rental cars and a Camper?  We had a chef with us who needed a protected space to cook in while traveling.  These meals made a camper worthwhile for our group.  Other groups without a chef could save a little cash by getting a car instead of a camper which could be used to help offset expensive restaurant meals. 

2-five seater rental cars would NOT work well for 10 people and gear.  3 vehicles worked great for us.  We also wanted travel flexibility and emergency transportation if things went bad at the Jamboree. 

If traveling with just your family, a camper may be an ideal setup and allows you some flexibility with camping during the pretour and good rain and wind protection during the jamboree.  Many of the participants at the Jamboree stayed in RVs at the jamboree site. 

Driving in Iceland

• Driving in Iceland is slow if you obey the traffic laws

• There are hefty fines for speeding

• Some drivers on the road were slow and some were fast

• There were record high traffic fatalities in Iceland in 2024

• Many bridges are one lane (easier to rebuild when the are destroyed)

• Many roads are gravel (easier to regrade after the winter)

• You should read up on Iceland traffic laws and how to drive in Iceland before driving there

Tickets and Fines in Iceland

• Speeding

• Not paying for parking 

• Not paying for tolls 

• Off-road driving

• Illegal parking 

  • Parked at disabled parking spaces

  • Roadside

• Staying overnight with a car or camper outside of campsites 

Paying Fines

• Pay the fine directly to the police 

  • You can receive a 25% discount on your ticket if you pay immediately - this is a thing

  • Police vans have card readers so you can pay by debit or credit card

• Wait for your ticket via the mail and pay the fine at full price

• Go to a local bank and pay (Icelandic banks only open on weekdays)

Tolls

The only toll road is at the Vadlaheidi tunnel in North Iceland.  This is by Akureyri, but the north Scout Camp.  We didn't go near here, but you may if you wish to complete the Ring Road or travel to the next jamboree which may be at Hamrar, near Akureyri.  The tunnel is 4.7 miles long and saves you about 12 minutes of driving in good weather (more if in the winter).  The the Víkurskarð road, which the tunnel bypasses, is known to be hazardous in the winter. 

Rental Cars

• Read up on rental cars in Iceland before booking

• Note what insurance you are getting and what it really covers

• One of our rentals came with bald tires and no spare tire

• Take picture of ALL the damage on vehicle prior to leaving lot

Parking

Many sites had pay parking.

Reykjavik

Reykjavik has a unique parking system to control parking in the main shopping/tourist area.  Some meters will accept coins (10, 50 and 100ISK), but plan to use an app such as EasyPark (www.easypark.is) and Parka (www.parka.is).

Free parking is available if you don't mind walking a bit.  You can try City Hall, Vesturgata and Hallgrímskirkja, which are often full.

Parking Garages are also available, but may be locked shut between midnight and 7am, where you won't be able to get in or out.  Find parking at is.parkopedia.com 

Icelandic Towns

Parking rules vary in different towns.  Some require payment if parking during certian hours.  Others may charge after stopping for greater than 10 or 15 minutes. 

Look for a P sign with a blue background.  That mean you need to pay for parking there.

Free parking spots in town are usually well-marked with white lines.  In some areas, parking is is specially designed gravel areas.  If you park on private property, the owner can tow your car. 

Akureyri - If traveling to North Iceland, such as to camp at Hamrar Scout Camp, note they have their own unique parking rules. 

• Akureyri Parking Map 

• Akureyri Parking Information 

• Akureyri Parking Information - Official City Page 

• They also use EasyPark (www.easypark.is) and Parka (www.parka.is)

Sleeping Accommodations

There were many approaches to sleeping accommodations for the pretour

• Check in early to Jamboree site and use it as a hub for touring

  • This limited how far you could travel away from your hub - especially if you didn't rent vehicles

  • Great access to the Golden Circle

  • Several other contingents took this approach

• Stay at Reykjavik and use it as a comfortable hub to tour from

  • This was an expensive option, especially considering the cost of tours from Reykjavik 

  • Travel distance away from the city would also be limited, but you will have good access to the Golden Circle

• Find a BNB somewhere between Reykjavik and Vik and use it as a hub

  • This would allow better access to the South Coast

• Travel via campervan

  • Ultimate flexibility if you like RV life

  • Showering would be limited

• Travel and camp at campsites and different BNBs during tour

  • Excellent flexibility without excessive cost of campervan

  • Showers and sometimes laundry would be done at BNBs

Our original plan was to tent camp at sites along the way.  This later evolved into mostly staying at BNBs along the way.  This was a more expensive approach, but a very comfortable and luxurious one for our group.  The final BNB prior to Jamboree had a laundry amenity, which was greatly needed after a week long tour.  Showers were really nice too. 

For our post tour, we found a 2-night deal in Reykjavik at the east end of the shopping district.  This gave us easy access to all the popular sites in Reykjavik.  We had to park at the church to get free parking. 

Jamboree

Communication was slow and non-existent at times.  We had real doubts if the Jamboree was going to happen or if they would be drastically underprepared.  Not so much a criticism, but is important to understand that this should be expected.  Staff went on several holidays and were out sick on several occasions.  This delayed communications to the point that many US Troops decided to not try to attend.  The Canadians seemed to have better luck with communications, but had a huge contingent that outnumbered all others, including the Icelandic contingent. 

Right before Jamboree started (a few days prior), a slack channel was created and information started to slowly flow.  Information was posted on their website and things started to come together.

Expectations - Going into this, we made it clear to those considering attending our assumptions and concerns for this trip:

• Cons and Issues

  • Unlike summer camps, there would be NO merit badges

  • We have excellent Scout facilities locally, we were NOT expecting the same level of activities or facilities - example we weren't expecting a fancy climbing wall or spectacular aquatics experience

  • The jamboree was expected to not be organized

  • There was a chance that the jamboree could be shut down, like Korea World Jamboree in 2023 due to unsafe and unsanitary conditions or Icelandic Moot in 2017 per the news reports of evacuation due to norovirus, which the Jamboree staff stated didn't cancel jamboree (supported by videos of closing ceremony on youtube)

    • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Report 

• Pros and why we should go

  • What we would expect is an international experience with Scouts from Iceland and around the world while in a foreign country

  • We would plan for an excellent pretour of Iceland and visit the land of Fire and Ice

  • If the Jamboree was canceled, we would go on an extended tour of Iceland

Facilities

Please NOTE that their are 2 Scout Camps in Iceland (that we are aware of).

• Úlfljótsvatn Scout and Adventure Centre

  • Southwest Iceland near the Golden Circle

  • This is the one we attended

  • The following Notes are about this camp

  • Location 

• Hamrar 

  • North Iceland by Akureyri

  • This is believed to be the Jamboree site in 2 years

  • Location 

Camp Sites - Plenty of flat spaces to set up camps.  Many areas flooded after heavy raining.  When this happened, an army of volunteers came in with shovels to dig trenches and later came with a forklift carrying wood chips to fill in low areas.  Some sites had access to electricity, while most did not.  We did not have access to electricity at our site. 

Family camping - these were tiers of flat areas intended for RVs.  After the rains, it became undrivable.  One of the US families from Florida rented an RV and used it for sleeping and drying out wet clothing.  We tried parking our RV there after heavy rains and got it stuck in the mud. 

Showers were lacking.  Bathrooms could have been better, but there were a few nice spots that adults could use if they knew where they were.

Climbing Tower - looked fine

Archery - seemed fine

Aquatics - had a safety boat out and a handful of kayaks

Inflatable jump houses - intended for younger Scouts but popular with the older Scouts.  This resulted in multiple abrasions.

IST Tent - was large enough for meetings.  Did not have what we would consider an acceptable dish washing station.  Food, snacks and drinks were great.

Admin Buildings - Warm and dry with bathrooms.  Used by camp staff, kitchen staff, Canadian Contingent leadership (Canadians outnumbered all other contingents, including Iceland), and hospital staff and patients.  One Building was used for the final official leaders award ceremony.  Two building were used for Radio broadcasts.

Scout Center - Round building use for Scout Shop, shelter from rain and to watch the soccer game. 

Tents - Several admin tents were set up.  Two became drying tents after heavy rains.

Museum - located on other side of main road

Rentals

The person in charge of rentals was great, but left for a different job shortly after Jamboree started.  They ran out of a lot of rental gear.  Contingents that showed up after us didn't get shelters or cook gear, which was very problematic in a camp with heavy winds and rain and a commissary with raw foods. 

Theft

An unfortunate reality anywhere.  Some Scouts reported people stealing patches from tables or neckers from out of their hands.  

The Dutch complained that the Brits took all their gear off the drying racks.  Perhaps this was an honest mistake?

Tents should be closed up during the day to deter theft.  Can should be taken when trading.  

Sanitation

Compared to Korea - this was fantastic.  ISTs were busy cleaning toilets throughout the day (something to consider if you volunteer for IST).

Dishwashing setup was inadequate.  We weren't provided tubs for washing or soap (plan to bring both).  There were water faucets near our camp to two places, so it was easy to access water. 

When eating with the Icelandic Scouts, they use a different 3 tub system than we do.  The don't use hot hot water and don't use sanitizer.  After a few washes, the final tub has a lot of grease in it.  Their handwashing tub put more dirt on your hands than it came with if you used it after the Scouts.  There was hand sanitizer there also - which was used.  Hand sanitizer alone does NOT neutralize norovirus. 

Bugs

When it stopped raining, the bugs came out in swarms.  They don't bite (at last most of us), but they do fly into your eyes, ears, nose and mouth.  Some participants did complain of bites.  Face nets helped keep them off of your face and many participants were unable to deal with the bugs without a net.  Most of the locals and some of our crew were able to walk around without a net.  You just need to avoid inhaling hard. 

Medical Facility

This was staffed by a US paramedic and rotating Icelandic nurses.  One of the providers may have been an MD.  They used a building for housing, so admits could sleep indoors.  The first few nights, it was filled with cold Scouts and wet gear.  Later on they put a patient with respiratory illness in the same room as one of our members with GI issues.  We also had the US Medical Officer for 2023 and 2027 World Jamboree with us.  He explained that patients with respiratory and GI illnesses should be roomed separately.  They continued to house them together.  We had one person stay with our GI patient and all of them tested Covid Positive afterwards. 

You should bring your own medications for your crew. 

Heating Tents

Several of the camp tents were turned into heating tents.  The brough in a trailer that looked like a giant generator and pumped in hot water to giant air blowers in each tent.  Tents were filled with many crowed lines of wet clothing and sleeping bags.  They were prepared for a really wet event - which we had.  Many people would also camp out here to get warm and a little dry. 

Ceremonies

Opening Ceremony - proceed in the rain with moderate winds.  A Scouter from Brazil lead the group thorough many dances, including the Macarena, Las Ketchup and Gangnam Style.  This turned out to be a pretty fun event after an extremely wet, windy and exhausting first day. 

Wood Badge Reunion - an hour and a half of continuous camp songs with musical instruments. 

Closing Ceremony - Similar to Wood Badge Reunion with some skits and a following magic show.

Icelandic ceremonies are different that what we are accustomed to in the US, which is exactly why we came here.  They sure love their singing and are very talented musically. 

Contingents 

There were less Scouts and Contingents than we had expected and more than the Icelandic Jamboree Staff were planning for.  It was fun to work with all the different Scouts. 

Staff

Pretty friendly.  The Camp Chief Kolbrún is quite wonderful and salt of the earth.  We really love these people. 

Commissary

The commissary seemed reasonably stocked with foods.  There were long lines the first few days and a complex point system that no one seemed to understand.  No one really understood how it worked.  What if we ran out of points?  They dropped the point system later on in the Jamboree but continued to keep track of what you took. 

Having plastic shopping bags helped a lot for transporting food in the rain, otherwise carboard boxes would melt and fall apart before you returned to camp. 

Jamboree Cooking

We cooked our own meals and were lucky enough to have a Adult chef with us who did all the cooking.  The lack of refrigeration meant that food needed to be used up or would spoil.

We later partnered with an Icelandic Troop and shared cooking responsibilities with them in their giant "Viking Tent".  This made it easier for all of us to cook and eat and we got to eat in a nice sheltered area with good company.  They had a giant cooking platform, several gas stoves and a working refrigerator. 

Wifi

Wifi was available in the main buildings and when you get close to them.  The wifi sometimes, but rarely worked in camp.  An adult routine was to go the the room next to the kitchen early in the morning, plug in and shoot out a bunch of emails with the wifi.  This area was often filled with sleeping Hong Kong Scouts and piles of chargers, bricks and phones.  The toilets there eventually broke.  The female restroom often had a line.

PreTour Itinerary

We set up a detailed PreTour Itinerary that included the South Coast and Golden Circle.  Overall, we stuck to the itinerary with a few small adjustments.  We were Very Happy with our PreTour and would keep it mostly the same if we were to do it again. 

We opted for the whitewater tour.  This included some class 1 and class 2 rapids and a cliff jump (NOTE: The BSA prohibits cliff jumping).  The rapids were pretty timid for anyone who has gone on a whitewater trip in the past, but still fun for all and was fantastic for less adventurous Scouts and Adults.  You are rafting in Iceland.  We would do this again with a different group of Scouts.  This was NOT an inexpensive activity. 

If we had an extra day or two, we may consider:

• Horseback tour

• Glacier walk

• Thermal river hike

If we had 10 days or more, we would consider the Ring Road.

Our Final PreTour Itinerary 

Day 0

• Travel to Airport and Flight to Keflavik 

Day 1

• Arrival in Iceland in AM

• Note- limited shopping if arriving on Sunday like we did

• Pick up rental vehicles

• Lunch and food shopping at Costco (bring your US card) in Reykjavík and the Bónus

• Smáralind Mall (because it is open on Sunday) - to get bugnets (Útilíf) and camping fuel (Hagkaup)

  • Can be easily bypassed - fuel can be purchase in store along the way or at gas stations

  • Pack a bug net for your head

• Arrival at Lucky Guesthouse (Nedri Dalur 3, 861 Hvollsvolür, Iceland)

• Hike to Seljalandsfoss and Gljufrabui Falls

  • These are MUST See waterfalls

Day 2

• Paradísarhellir - Paradise Cave 1-mile hike and climb

  • NOTE - per the BSA (or Scouting America) this can't be done without roping in and wearing proper gear

  • Without the climb, this is not worth a stop

• Rútshellir (Cave of Rutur)

• Seljavallalaug Hot Springs Swimming Pool 1-mile hike and swim

• Gamla fjósið - Lunch

  • Good soup

  • Best hamburger ever

• Skógafoss - 6-mile hike

  • Epic Waterfall

  • Nice hike with a giant staircase

• Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck with 5-mile hike

  • This is a long and boring hike

  • Selected because our Scouts voted on it

  • We did get some fun and unique pictures

  • If you love planes, you really should go, if not then maybe choose something else?

• Grand Guesthouse Gardakot

  • Located next to Black Beach

Day 3

• Dyrhólaey - looking out at coast and puffins

• Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach 1-mile hike

• Gýgagjá Yoda Cave

• Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon 2-mile hike

• Lunch (camper cooked) and 1-mile hike at Systrastapi (Sister's Rock) with canceled climb

  • Note that the climb at Systrastapi IS very dangerous and should NOT be attempted

  • This is still a reasonable stop in town if you need to stock up on supplies or want to eat at a restaurant 

• Resupply at Kirkjubæjarklaustur

• Diamond Beach and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

• Tjaldsvæðið í Skaftafelli - Vatnajokull National Park Campsite

Day 4

• Skaftafellsjökull Glacier 4-Mile Hike

• Falls hike vs swimming

  • Svartifoss - Magnúsarfoss - Hundafoss Waterfalls 3-Mile Hike 

  • Swimming in Vik

• Consideration for Secret Lagoon if time allowed for this - it didn't

• Kerid Crater instead of Secret Lagoon

• Transportation to Villa for 2 nights of lodging in Golden Circle

Day 5

• Gullfoss ("Golden Falls")

• Drumboddsstaðir -Drumbó River Base - White water rafting 

• Lunch at Efstidalur II - barn café

• Faxafoss - waterfall hike

• Geysir - thermal springs and geysers

Day 6

• Þingvellir National Park

• Jamboree check in

• Note: advanced party went to site early to secure site and rental gear

Optional Excursions

• Blue Lagoon overnight trip for mommies

• Shopping tour in Selfoss (both a supply run and escape from youth)

• Other units sent Adults to other sites

• Other units arrived at the Jamboree site as much as a week early and did excursions and tours from the camp

Post Tour

• 2 night in Reykjavik

• Must see:

  • Bæjarins Beztu hot dog stand is located on Tryggvagata 1, Reykjavik 101

  • Sundhöllin Swimming Pool

  • Hallgrímskirkja Lutheran Church 

• Rest is up to group

Swag and Trading

First off, some groups are all about the Swag.  Some book these outings solely to collect and trade swag.  Our group as a whole was not into swag or trading and it played into the design, selection of swag and level of excitement (or lack of) of swag and trading.

Also of note, Icelandic Scouts were not huge into trading.  They get one Necker and weren't allowed to trade it.  They also didn't have a lot of unit patches to trade.  They did want our patches and neckers, so having them to gift or do minor trades was still big.  Others at the Jamboree were, as expected, big into trading. 

Contingent Patches and Trading

Even though we thought these patches looked fantastic, they were NOT a big hit at the jamboree.  Icelandic Scouts were NOT interested in patches with their flag on it.  They would have been more excited about a US flag or just about anything else. 

Neckerchiefs

Iceland and Neckers

First off, Adults are NOT supposed to trade with youth.  You are supposed to have an Adult from their unit there to ensure you aren't cheating them - a terrible and real thing that happens. 

Iceland Scouts get one necker.  They are generally not willing or sometimes not allowed to trade their necker.  If they trade one with you, it may need to be done on the last day and you better have something really good to trade.

Generic Icelandic Neckers could be purchased at the Scout Shop.  Older ones are better (come with Island lettering), but good luck finding someone willing to trade with you.  Unit neckers were much harder to obtain.  We got a few. 

OA Patches

An octopus was used as it symbolized our Lodge.  We opted for an octopus in a Viking Longship.  The cartoony artwork is very different from the Native American artwork our lodge usually uses. 

Ordering Experience

Ordering was completed by the lodge.  They went through Class B and received a reasonable price point.  The quality of the patches were excellent.  Going through the lodge took a little extra time since patches needed to be approved by the LEC.  So as long as you plan out your patch design early enough and don't have an LEC with something else in mind, this works great. 

OA Patches and Trading

Each person attending was provided with 3 pairs patches.  One leader ordered 4 extra sets, one 8 and one 12.  These patches were hugely popular.  We had traders hunting us down to trade.

The design of an octopus with Viking gear was a big hit.  Honestly, the octopus probably could have been interchanged with a kangaroo or actual Viking or even a donkey and still have been popular. 

Looking back, we should have brought more.

Iceland and Patches

First off, Adults are NOT supposed to trade with youth.  You are supposed to have an Adult from their unit there to ensure you aren't cheating them - a terrible and real thing that happens. 

Iceland Scouts didn't' have a lot of unit patches to trade.  That's just not their thing.  That said, they really wanted our patches.  If you want to be a cool guy, be willing to trade a bunch of patches for the same Iceland flag patch or Scouting patch over and over again.  Some Scouts and Adults will bring out old stock, which look pretty cool. 

Lego

Icelandic Souvenirs

There an abondance of Souvenirs you can collect in Iceland if you are looking for something special.  It is important to note that everything in Iceland is expensive and authentic items are few and far between.  

Chinese made stuff for your Friends or Children:

• There are plenty of items you can purchase if you just want something that says Iceland on it

• Mugs

• T-Shirts

• Plush puffins

• Stuff with a vegvisir printed on it (Way Finder symbol)

• There are plenty of phallic shaped items and even an Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik if you have that type of humor or that's your thing

  • They also have Icelandic "Nature" Condoms - with phallic shaped photos of Iceland

    • Geysir

    • Rock features

    • Volcanic eruptions

    • Northern lights

    • "Made in Iceland by Gerist"

  • Why are we talking about this? and why did our parents want to go to the museum?

Authentic Iceland Souvenirs

• Lopapeysa - Hand woven Icelandic Sweaters

  • Made from Icelandic lopi (unspun yarn), which is challenging to knit with and is itchy

  • This is the quintessential Icelandic souvenir

    • We just wanted to use the word quintessential, but it is true

  • Note that many sweaters are factory made, and may have been made elsewhere

    • Some will argue that what makes it Icelandic is the wool - that's up to you

  • Expect to pay around $200 for one

  • You might be able to find one in a thrift store - we didn't

  • If you are interested in getting one, do your research first

    • Know how to spot a "fake"

    • Note: "Designed in Iceland" is NOT the same and "Made in Iceland"

  • Fair Isle is a knitting technique that is sometimes used for a Lopapeysa 

    • A sweater does not have to have Fair Isle knitting to be Icelandic 

    • Fair Isle is actually a Scottish knitting technique and traditional Icelandic knitting is different

  • Icewear

    • Good looking name brand gear in stores in Reykjavik and Vik

    • Quick look at some of the items in their store:

      • Machine sewn

      • Some smaller items are acrylic (not wool)

    • Sources on the web state they are "designed in Iceland" but are actually manufactured in a combination of countries, including Iceland, Lithuania, and China

    • If you have lots of extra cash and want a nice looking sweater purchased in Iceland and don't care where and how it is made, Icewear looks great

  • These may be more authentic options

    • Handknitting Association of Iceland

    • Istex

    • Kidka

    • Katla

    • Alafoss

• Iceland Chocolate

  • Can be found at the duty free store in the airport or at Bónus and Krónan for reasonable prices

  • They even sold it at the hotdog stands, in case you want chocolate with your hogdog

• Sagas

  • We did not see these for sale

  • These were recommended: the Saga of Njal and the Saga of Egil.

• Lava Rock Bracelet

  • Appears to be hand made by people in stalls in Reykjavik 

  • These are simple and seem to represent the and of Fire and Ice

  • You can get something identical from Amazon for less that $10

• Wool Poncho

  • These were worn by many of the Icelandic Scouts as a uniform piece

  • Often worn in the rain, which didn't seem to bother them

  • The ones worn by Icelandic Scouts were custom made

    • One Icelandic unit had what appears to be an synthetic poncho - which really didn't look as nice

• Bottles of Black Sand or Lava Rock

  • This violates Leave No Trace principles

  • This would be a truly authentic Icelandic souvenir

  • You can also bottle water or air, but it's not really the same, is it

• Blue Lagoon Skin Care Products

  • If you have lots of extra cash and this is your thing

  • Note that the Blue Lagoon is a byproduct from the Svartsengi geothermal power plant

• Icelandic Alcohol

  • If this is your thing, get some at the duty free store on the way out

• Icelandic Books

  • There are more writers, books read and books sold per capita in Iceland than anywhere else in the world

  • They also sing a lot, which has nothing to do with this parent bullet 

  • Halldor Laxness is Iceland's only Nobel Prize winner - he wrote "Independent People" and other novels

• Icelandic Music

  • Did we mention they sing a lot and have a lot of musicians?

  • You can browse through music at a few music shops in Reykjavik

    • Lucky Records

    • Smekkleysa

    • 12 Tonar

    • Reykjavik Record Shop

• Something from a Craft Shop

  • Kolaportid - flee market

  • Hrim - kitchenware and houseware