Local handicrafts

There are lots and lots of souvenirs you can purchase as mementos when you’re in Iceland, but of course it’s always better to buy local. If you’re looking for a signature lopapeysa, you can buy one second hand at the Red Cross Stores, and pick up a new handmade one in the various handicraft stores or the Icelandic Handknitting Association on Skolavordstigur near Hallgrimskirkja. Matta at Cafe Vatnajokull in Oraefi, near where the Local Guide tours depart, also sells knitting, handicrafts, travel mugs and second-hand cups and plates from Red Cross stores around Iceland if you’re looking for a very local memento from your trip to the glaciers. 

Hand carved wooden items, paintings and small crafts, hand thrown ceramics,and little handmade knick knacks are almost certainly hand made by individuals here in Iceland whereas sometimes it can be hard to tell where some of the t-shirts, plastic viking hats, magnets etc. are from.  You can also buy lots of Icelandic and nordic design in stores like Epal and Hrim on Laugarvegur.

If you’re looking for animal products like furs and skins, the larger animals like reindeer, sheep and the occasional horse are a byproduct of the animals being used for meat or being put down so you don’t need to worry about them being slaughtered just for their skins. 

Icelanders love books, so much so we have a “book flood” at Christmastime where books are lovingly gifted to the family members and shared around. There are many Icelandic titles published in English, available to buy from the bookstores Eymundsson, that will bring back memories of Iceland and immerse you in our culture long after you’ve left our shores. 

If you’re here during Christmastime, consider checking out one of the weekend markets around the city. If you’re not into purchasing crafts you can always buy a tree to be planted as a gift for someone or yourself. Usually Icelanders buy fireworks to set off in their backyards for Christmas and New Year, but last year the Forestry Service offered people the option to buy trees to be planted and they sold several thousand!

Don’t feed the wildlife/people’s pets

It goes without saying that it’s not okay to feed someone else’s animal without their permission, especially when that animal has never left the island and has possibly never had food processed for human consumption, i.e. bread. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the Icelandic horse is, it’s not okay just to stop on the side of the road and feed them.

Aside from the danger your car may pose to drivers on the ring road if you’ve pulled off suddenly, you might be undoing a lot of the training farmers have done with their horses. Some horses are just for company and the pure enjoyment of raising the animal, some are specifically for breeding. Some horses are ridden up into the mountains to round up sheep. All icelandic horses have very specific temperaments and any you meet outside of a riding school or horse farm open to tourists are likely to react more severely to unfamiliar movements or noises. Farmers are also concerned about tourists getting injured by animals on their property. If you see the beautiful Icelandic horses on your drive around the country, please pull off the road safely and legally (not off-road driving) and please do not feed them. 

You’re unlikely to get too close to sheep as they make it their habit to run away from people, but be careful in the summer months. They have a tendency to run across the road in threes – mama and two lambs – so even if you see them standing placidly by the road, or crossing in the opposite direction, they can run straight in front of you. Make it a habit to slow down and spend a little bit longer watching their fluffy bums cross the road. 

Marked hiking trails don’t require search and rescue!

Something you’re sure to hear and see a lot in Iceland is signs and people asking you to keep to the trails. Consider that much of the land you see in Iceland is either owned by individuals or is a national park. There are many reasons for keeping to the trails that can be very specific, but are usually because a) going off the path is very dangerous and b) the path has widened and degraded under the amount of tourist traffic and “avoiding” the bad spots is causing more irreversible damage to surrounding areas. You will also see that some areas are shut for short periods of time to allow grass and lichen to regrow, to install sustainable pathways, and to allow the ground to recover from its frost-thaw cycle.

It’s not against the law to walk off the path, as it is with driving offroad, but if someone has asked you not to do something and has gone to the trouble to put up a sign, it’s best not to question it. It can be frustrating if the “best photo spot” is below the rope, or “there are too many people in the way”, this is our responsibility to the environment we have as Icelanders, and that travellers have in coming to witness nature.