Southern Iceland Road-Trip in Winter in 10 Days – Day 7
Ever imagined living in a bus? I am always intrigued by people who spend their lives traveling and staying in campervans. During my trip in Barcelona, I had booked my accommodation in a campervan. I was looking for some similar type of unique accommodation in South Iceland online, and I came across Esjan Buses. Located at the foothill of Mount Esja overlooking the mighty North Atlantic Ocean, Esjan Buses is a great option for curious travelers. The best part was meeting Icelandic horses at their farm. Also, Esjan Buses is just 30-min away from Reykjavik, so we chose to celebrate the Christmas Day in Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik like other local Icelanders. We wrapped up the night by having dinner at one of our favorite vegan cafes in Reykjavik where we came across a surprise. Overall, it was a memorable Christmas Day spent in Iceland!
Highlights of the Day
- Esjan Buses
- Icelandic Horses
- Christmas Day in Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik
- Dinner at Kafe Vinyl, Reykjavik
Unique Accommodation in Esjan Buses
We checked out from The Barn Hostel close to Vik at around 8 AM. It was quiet dark as it is winter, moreover, the 25th of December. We stopped by Krona Supermarket in Vik village to pick up fruits and few groceries to make up sandwiches for lunch today. Fruits for breakfast is always a good deal for us. We had them on the go while driving toward our unique accommodation in Skrautholar, around 25 km away from Reykjavik. We reached Esjan Buses at around 11 AM.
Esjan Buses offer unique guest rooms in two refurbished city buses. They are located at the foothill of Mount Esjan – the queen of mountains in the South-Western region of Iceland. There is a working farm next to the buses and the mighty North Atlantic Ocean right in front where the narrow road meets the Ring Road. Basically, the location is super!
Interior Of Esjan Buses
The accommodation is cozy and cute. The space is tight inside the bus but clever design allows for something of a seating area, including dining table, and a kitchenette. They are all rather nicely decorated and come with heating and WiFi. There are no private bathrooms on the buses but just outside is the ‘Bath Bus’ which is clean, warm and well equipped. Free private parking is available on site.
Lunch in Esjan Buses
The nearby places to eat are cafes or restaurants in Reykjavik in the south or Akranes in the north. Both towns are equidistant from Esjan buses – it will take around 25-30 min to drive there. However, if you are stocked up with groceries like us, you can cook your meal in the bus. There is also a barbeque outside. Today from Krona supermarket in Vik, we had picked up some bread, vegan cheese, few greens and we prepared some basic sandwiches with that for lunch. We enjoyed lunch with a view.
Icelandic Horses In The Farm Nearby
The farm next to Esjan Buses is a working farm with sheep and Icelandic horses. This was our first time witnessing Icelandic horses. We got super excited as these horses look completely different from other horses we have seen elsewhere. The Icelandic breed is one of the oldest breeds of horses. These horses are known to have been there through mini ice ages, Viking battles, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. They are small and stout, yet mighty and come in different colors and patterns. They are known to have a unique gait. Other horse breeds can perform three or four gaits, but Icelandic horses can perform five gaits. The fifth gait is a way of walking/running where three of the horse’s legs touch the ground at the same time to create a more stable and even pace.
Christmas Day in Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik
It was the 25th of December and the Icelanders prefer to celebrate the Christmas Day with their families. So most of the businesses and public transportation are closed as it is a national holiday. Only few cafes and restaurants remain to be open in the main cities like Reykjavik. Based on the suggestion of the friendly owner of Esjan Buses, we decided to celebrate the Christmas Day like the local Icelanders in Hallgrimskirkja. On the 25th of December, Hallgrimskirkja Church has a mass in Icelandic at 2 PM, and an English mass at 4 PM. We reached there by 4 PM, parked our car and got in the queue at the entrance.
We are not at all religious, but a festive mass at Hallgrimskirkja was definitely worth attending. Everyone in Reykjavik gathered on Christmas Day at the Hallgrimskirkja for the service. We sat in the church before the service to enjoy the lovely organ music playing Christmas carols. The choirs and solo singers were absolutely amazing. While the services are conducted in Icelandic, the order of service is also available in English so you can follow what is happening. When the reverend finished his sermon on Christmas Day, he also gave a brief summary in English. It was a wonderful evening spent there on Christmas.
What’s For Christmas Dinner?
An all-vegan spread at Kafe Vinyl for Christmas dinner is all I could imagine of that night. Yes, nowhere else, because Kafe Vinyl was offering an impressive holiday menu on the Christmas Day! They were also having some in-house band. We had a great time there. The food was absolutely delicious. However, the best surprise was when we met a friend from India there. I met Naman Jain via Richie and we all bond on the common interest of travel. He was also exploring Iceland then and was in Reykjavik on the Christmas.
After having an amazing dinner and with all the excitement of meeting a buddy from your home-country, we called it a night! We fueled up the car full-tank and headed back to Esjan Buses for a good sleep at the foothill of Mount Esjan overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean – woah!
Total Distance Traveled: 250 km
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN USD)
Let us have a look at the shared expenses of Day 7 in Iceland – Esjan Buses Unique Accommodation, Icelandic Horses & Christmas Day in Reykjavik
- Esjan Buses (1 night): 60
- Dinner at Kafe Vinyl: 55
- Full Tank Diesel: 60
- Food and Miscellaneous: 15
Total expense (roughly): 190 USD
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These converted buses look like they have everything a guest might need (except the bathroom – but luckily, that’s close by, too)! It must have been pretty cool to be at the foot of the mountain, alongside the beautiful horses. It looks like a rugged, natural setting but with all the creature comforts. I think I would like to try staying in one of the Esjan Buses someday. It truly is a unique accommodation!
I enjoy staying in at least one unique places in a trip.
Wow just love the concept of Esjan buses and the accommodation itself. They look so comfortable and cozy. The sight of the horses and their expressions look so beautiful. Great dinner as well. Lovely day spent by the two of you. So nice.
Thanks Subhashish
Your trip to Esjan Buses, seated at the foothills of Mount Esjan is very inspiring. It’s such a magnificent idea to refurbish buses into warm and cozy staycation units with all the amenities you can ask for in a remote tourist spot. And a room with a view to such a fascinating Esjan mountain by the coast. And thanks for sharing details on icelandic horses, they look straight out of fairy tale!
Christmas at the Hallgrimskirja church is definitely an enriching experience with it’s unique facade lit up for Christmas.
Right Puloma, the horses are truly just out of fairy tale.
I love the idea of staying in a bus overnight. I do like quirky accommodation options, they always bring such novelty to a holiday. I like that the bus you stayed in was decorated so rustic, rural Icelandic themed. It was so nice that the owners had Icelandic horses as well, they are so cute! I also love remote locations, where there is nobody else but you and you can enjoy the nature in peace, without distractions.
Yes Joanna, must try staying at such places someday.
Thank you for sharing a bit of history. It made me appreciate Gokarna. Happy to know that there are many things you can do in Gokarna. I would love to explore the Gokarna Temples.
It is so cool what they have done with the buses. I have not seen anything like the Esjan buses. It looks adequate. Love that they have picnic tables for common use to meet other guests.
The Christmas Day celebration is beautiful. We’d love to attend too if given the chance. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience in Reykjavik.
You would love it, Clarice.
The bus looks so cozy! That seems like a fun experience and definitely something I would love to do. While we were in Iceland we went for a horseback riding tour and it was a great experience. Hallgrimskirkja is beautiful and I can only imaging how special it was to see it at Christmas. That really brings up the Christmas spirit.
Great to know that you had been to Iceland.
I am the most amused by the bus. They have really refurbished it well and it does look quite comfortable to stay in. Definitely a unique use of space and innovative design, I also, loved the church you went to for Xmas. I am pretty sure it was made your Christmas special.
Yes Ami, it surely made my Christmas special.
We had 6 days in Iceland and we definitely did not have enough time. Your road trip added a few spots for a return visit. The Esjan Buses look like an interesting accommodation spot. But we surely would not want to miss a chance to get close to the Icelandic horses. It might be strange to sit the different gait!
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of staying in buses or campervans, but never have done one before. Good that you stayed in a bus in Iceland. It was brave of you too, to stay here in winter! Awesome. The interiors of the bus, renovated, looks awesome. Really well designed. Yeah, the space looks tight as you mentioned, but I’d say totally worth it! Awesome that you were in Hallgrimskirkja Church on Christmas day!
You must try this out with your kids.