Iceland by Drone
First of all, calling me a rookie drone operator is a big overstatement. I’ve flown a recreational drone for a total of 6 times and crashed 4 times prior to this trip. But when I was asked if I was interested in filling an opening on a trip, I jumped at the chance to learn more about drones and fly them over the landscape of Iceland. My travel guide, Thorarinn Jonsson, Thor-Photography.com, provided a fabulous experience for this rookie. He is a fabulous teacher, patient, and generous to a fault.
We started out in the north highlands. The weather was crazy as Hurricane Erin was hitting the south coast of Iceland. It was windy, rainy, and skies were dark. This is the perfect combination for dramatic shots. My personal drone bit the dust day 1. Holy Stone drones don’t stand up to Iceland wind. It didn’t like the interference from the other drones, and frequently decided to fly wherever it wanted. My knight in shining armor came through and loaned me another drone, a DJI Mavic 2 Pro. While an older model, this little dude handled the wind and rain like the pro it’s named for.
Iceland has a limit of 120m up and you’re supposed to keep the drone in sight. I learned I am not a good judge of height (neck still hurts from looking up so much) and I can see a very, very long way, wink, wink. We shot a lot of camera shots while it was storming, but put the drones up as often as possible. Let me tell you, flying a drone can get addictive very quickly.
Flying down the rivers of Iceland, you see a lot of threads during low tide. Our guide put us at each location at the prime time to pick up the best shots. Flying about the older craters, we experienced pools of water with beautiful reflections, ancient craters, and very dramatic landscape. We flew up and down numerous waterfalls along the north and south highlands and came back along the south coast to photograph rivers that were a multitude of ribbons of color.
This guide never fails to deliver, and definitely makes the trip worthy for every participant. Most of us stayed over another 1-3 days and he made sure everyone had the information they needed to fill those days. The trip ended yesterday, but we’re supposed to get a geomagnetic storm tonight with great northern lights. Stay tuned!
I can’t believe how much I learned about the drones themselves as well as positioning and directional focus points. I always learn an enormous amount on Thor’s trips and get a ton of information so that I can now purchase a better drone with all the features, functions, and compatibility I need.
We stayed at The Highlands Center (Hrauneryjar); it’s the only place in the highlands. You’ll be asked to wear shoe covers or remove your shoes entirely upon entry. The restaurant and cafe food was pretty good. Rooms were tiny and the bathroom has a glass wall separating it from the bedroom so everyone wakes up when you get up in the middle of the night. Also, not really roommate friendly unless you’re good at ignoring the site on the other side of the wall.
We also stayed at Hotel Dyrholeay, one of my favorite hotels with the heated bathroom floor. The dining room gets packed when the buses roll in and you should make reservations for dinner. This is a huge hotel. We were in the first hallway right off the dining room (Yay! Score one for the reservation maker), but if you’re in the other end, it is a hike to the office/dining room. It is so comfortable, and it has been updated.
While in Keflavik, we stayed at the Courtyard Marriott at the airport. There are paved walkways to downtown if you want to check out the waterfront and the Rock ‘n Roll Museum. It was 2 miles from the Courtyard, and it was an easy Midwest flat walk. Plenty of restaurants downtown for hungry visitors, but the only fast food is KFC. The Colonel would be proud.