When I was preparing for my Iceland trip, I didn’t really know what to pack. On one hand, I didn’t want to pack too much, yet we were traveling in March, so warm clothes were needed. And, it takes more space in suitcase. Together with weather forecast, “what to pack to Iceland” was my most googled phrase. I found some good tips, however, only now after my visit I understand which are really useful and which I found nowhere before. If you have similar struggles (I believe at least female travelers can relate), here are my best tips on what to pack for your Iceland trip in March.

The first most important category of what you have to pack when traveling to Iceland (no matter what season) is your photo gear. Iceland is country like no other and you certainly do not want left your best camera at home. Your family and friends might not believe how amazing Iceland is and why they should visit it too 🙂

Well, when packing your photo gear, make sure you have everything from the list below:

DSLR camera – Camera itself. Take the one you like the most, the one you can handle with ease. Weather in Iceland is changing fast and you can miss the perfect shot while trying to figure out how your camera works. You don’t need to have the best camera body there is on the market, nor the most expensive one. Lenses stand behind great photos too. And remember, photos are as good as the photographer is 🙂 If you master your compact camera like a pro, your photos will be awesome!

Lenses – Depends on what you have at home or are willing to buy. The classic EFS 18-55mm lens is enough. If you want to push your photography work to the next level, consider buying wide-angle lens. My favorite for landscape photography. If you love photographing birds or wild animals, I recommend telephoto lens. You don’t have to approach your photo object too close and yet can take beautiful photo. If you are traveling in March, do not expect many animals around though. Popular Puffins are coming to the island in May. According to which parts of Iceland you decide to go, you might spot seals, polar bears if lucky and fox. For the flower lovers (and insect lovers, if there are any?) macro lens will be perfect.

Lenses filters – There are many filters that can improve your photos and their prices can be pretty high. However, if you are not a professional photographer, you can find great deals too. The UV filter, the most basic one, serves as a protection of the lens itself. ND filter (neutral density filter) is great for longer exposure photos during a sunny day. And circular PL filter (circular polarizer filter) makes the colors more vivid, mostly those of blue summer sky. If you are not a professional, be careful with its use on your wide-angle lens as well as in worse light conditions.

Tripod – I believe that one of your dreams when traveling to Iceland is to see the northern lights, right? To be able to take a great aurora photo, make sure you pack solid tripod with you. In Iceland it is especially windy. I always thought my tripod is pretty robust and can withstand a lot… well, at least until my latest attempts to take a photo with 25” exposure during windy conditions 🙂 If you can, hang your backpack (or whatever bag you’re carrying) on the hook on your tripod. It will help to keep it steadier.

Remote controller – When taking photos with longer exposure, it is better to avoid whatever contact with the camera that can cause any blur. Therefore, invest in remote controller. The wireless one is the best, as there is no contact with the body. I don’t have good experience with wired remote controllers. It has never worked properly in other than ideal conditions. Even stopped working in colder windy weather. (Maybe I am just unlucky, or what?)

Camera bag – To keep my photo gear safe, I carry it always in a special camera bag. I own Hama and I am more than happy. I can fit inside the body with lens (wide-angle), two additional lenses (telephoto and the ESF 18-55mm), filters, charger, remote controller, memory cards, glasses cloth and lens pen. It also includes raincoat for the bag.

Gorilla pod – This little flexible tripod is a good companion for all your travels. It is little and lightweight and you can hang it anywhere. Just be careful to pick the right size of this tripod that would fit your camera. It comes in more sizes, heavier your camera body, bigger the tripod. You can see very nice size chart at joby.com website.

Raincoat – This one might get pretty handy in Iceland. It is not called Land of Rainbows without a reason 🙂 During my visit, it was raining every day. Every couple minutes. Therefore, pack either camera back including a raincoat or buy some. Make sure your camera is safe also during photoshooting. Except for the rain, you will get close to waterfalls where you won’t be able to avoid water.

Lens hood – If you know how to use it, take it 🙂 I have mine always on the lens, just the other way around. If you wear it properly, it can also protect your lens in case you bump it anywhere. However, be careful when using it on your wide-angle lens. It can destroy your photo as at some angle it can get into your photo.

Selfie stick – Well, if you are selfie person, or yet better selfie stick person, don’t forget it at home. If this is something you don’t use, leave it at home as it will be only useless weight in your luggage.

Windproof and water-resistant jacket – This is a must. I might repeat here, but Iceland is a rainy and windy country. Even a short photo stop by the road can make you soaked, that’s how heavy the rain can be. Water resistant jacket keeps you dry and it itself dries pretty quickly. You can see that some jackets are water repellent. They might look fancier and more fashionable, but won’t be able to keep you dry for long.

Thermal underwear – I think every adventurer and hiking enthusiast understand the advantages of high quality thermal underwear. It insulates your body hear, prevent the cold from reaching your body and makes you stay dry and warm. In Iceland, it is important to wear more layers of clothes and it is the best to start with thermal underwear.

Hiking shoes – It doesn’t matter whether you are visiting Iceland for one week or two. Whether you plan hikes or not. Your shoes should be higher quality (that doesn’t mean the most expensive ones), water resistant, with thick soles. Roads and terrain is quite rough most of the times and you don’t want to feel every small stone or sprinkle your ankle. Of course, you will meet tourists in sandals and brand new white converse trying to descent muddy slope. If you don’t want to risk hurting yourself, pack a pair of proper hiking shoes.

Swimsuit, towel, flip flops – Do not forget your bathing gear! Iceland is a cold and rough country the same it is a country of natural thermal baths. Either you decide to visit famous Blue Lagoon or any of the natural thermal pools, pack one swimsuit (not your best one) and towel. Flip flops came very handy to me. I used them at the hotel too.

Raincoat – I know you are going to wear water resistant jacket, but it might not be enough in some cases. Iceland is a country of waterfalls. In the mountains, literally wherever you look, there is a waterfall 🙂 If you want to approach them, you can get soaked. Special warning when visiting Seljalandsfoss. You can go event behind the waterfall. That is the very spot where you will get soaked no matter what. We were lucky, as this was our last stop that day. If you don’t want to carry raincoat all the way to Iceland, always keep some clothes in your car to be able to change.

Gloves – Your gloves should be windproof, waterproof and also thin. It will make handling with your camera easier and more comfortable. If you can, buy those with touch fingers for your smart phone. Choose wisely, not all of them work properly. Mine were quite expensive, however worked only when they were wet.

Cap & scarf – Depends how much you like colder weather. If you are always cold, take some cap and scarf to be comfortable during your whole trip. You will appreciate it.

When you travel somewhere, do you pack some food supplies (and goodies) with you? I used to do that from one simple reason. When I travel, I often take full-day trips or hikes and sometimes it is difficult to find a place to eat properly. Besides, you never know what happens. Iceland is unpredictable with its weather and your hike might take longer than your assumed or can be more demanding than you anticipated. In that case it is always good to have something by your hand. Traveling around the country takes time too and it can easily happen that you miss grocery’s opening hours and miss your dinner for the day.

Snacks – For hikes I recommend protein snack bars, cookies, small packages of dry fruit and nuts and your favorite candies 🙂

Bottle – If you want to travel lightweight, I recommend packing the folding bottle. You can refill it at the hotel and take with you. Make sure you always have some water with you during your trips and hikes! I also recommend thermos, especially if you travel in winter months, March including. We took hot tea with us for the Ice cave tour and glacier walk adventure and for the night aurora hunting as well. We were very grateful 🙂

Hand sanitizer – You will be traveling most of your time in Iceland, therefore it is handy to care a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

Lip balm & hand cream – As I’ve mentioned already couple times, it rains a lot in Iceland and it is a rather windy country. Your hands and lips might get dry and cracked and you for sure don’t want to care about that 🙂 Take your favorites, in case of lip balm, the tube one is better for application as you don’t have to use your dirty fingertips.

Sunscreen lotion – Weather in Iceland is unpredictable and can change every minute. You will not lose if you take a small bottle of sunscreen lotion that you can apply on your face during sunny days. I believe you don’t want to risk any sunburns, especially when on a hike in the mountains.

Sun glasses – I pack at least two sun glasses anywhere I go. If you are not that kind of person, I recommend taking them at least to your trip to Iceland. Also in March that is not a very sunny month. The thing is that the sun peeping out from behind the heavy clouds can be very sharp as well as the light can be very unpleasant when it’s cloudy. And at some places it is too windy and dusty.

Power bank – Visiting Iceland doesn’t mean staying at one place your whole vacation. Mostly you travel from place to place, from morning till evening, from one accommodation to another. Not only you are traveling all day long, you are taking photos (recording videos), browsing internet, using maps, checking the weather (northern lights) forecast. Well, you use your phone more than usual, what can cause your battery die in the worst time possible. You have more ways how to avoid it. You can either charge it during your coffee or lunch break or you can plug it in the car. However, if you set off on a hike (or don’t have any of two previous possibilities), it is the best to carry your power bank with you. It is small and not that heavy, ideal for traveling.

Maps – Nowadays, maps as we used to know them are extinct accessories. The truth is that they can’t keep the pace with ever-changing environment. Nevertheless, I have very good experience with taking paper maps (either classic maps, maps printed from the internet, or maps inside guidebooks) with me. Especially when traveling to less inhabited distant places, national parks or for hikes – places where you don’t have (good) internet or where there is no network coverage at all. Except for a guide or a map, make sure you can use your mobile photo (when there is coverage – depends on the network you use). In winter month (and still in March), many roads are closed due to bad weather conditions. It happened to us couple times due to more rainy days. In those cases, neither maps nor navigation in your rent car won’t help you.

Book/magazine – Mostly for your flight. If you’re flying with low cost airlines and have problems with sleeping on board, take something to occupy you during the flight. It can be a book, magazine (you can throw it away and don’t have to carry it all way long) or travel guide. If there is something you haven’t planned yet, you have perfect opportunity to do so 😉

I am mentioning this group of necessities as the last one, it is the most important one though. At the beginning of your packing (no matter where), prepare these three items in the first place. Do not forget to check them during packing, after packing, before leaving for your trip, shortly after you left home and can return if needed! Of course, don’t panic and don’t be to paranoid 😀 Here they are:

Passport/ID – Take whichever you prefer and make sure it is accepted in your destination. Carry your passport/ID always with you, preferably in a secret pocket. I recommend taking a photo of your initials just in case you lose it. It might get helpful when dealing with bureaucracy.

Money/Card – When traveling to Iceland, you will need a lot of money. From all my travels, Iceland is the most expensive country I have visited so far. In Iceland, there you can pay with card anywhere. At every shop, gas station, restaurant. Just everywhere. We withdraw some cash just to see the banknotes and keep some as souvenir 🙂

Mobile phone – And last but not the least, do not forget to take your phone. It will be very handy, as phone always is 🙂

Love & happy travels,
RLT

P.S.: If you have any questions, different experience or suggestion, please share it in a comment below. 😉