Visiting Iceland

Iceland is a country nominally in Northern Europe, is a large mountainous island in the north Atlantic Ocean, between Europe and North America. In a sense, it is a well-named country, with over 10% of the country covered by glaciers. In another sense it is not well named, with a surprisingly mild climate and countless geothermal hot-spots. Of course, the native spelling (”Ísland”) is appropriate in English as well.

It’s a shame most visitors don’t stray far from the capital as some of the most memorable sights in Iceland are further afield.

There are many excursions offered by tour companies, readily available from any of the main centres such as Reykjavík and Akureyri. They will fly you around and take you out to the glaciers and to the big volcanoes for a reasonable price. However, the cheapest option is to drive around with a rented car since none of these sites have entry fees.

Blue Lagoon - (Icelandic: Bláa Lónið) Famous outdoor pool and health centre. The spa is located in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, south-western Iceland. It is situated approximately 13 km (8 mi) from the Keflavík International Airport and 39 km (24 mi) from Reykjavík. This geothermal spa in the middle of a lava field with its milky blue water is quite surreal.
Þingvellir National Park (pronounced “THING-vet-lihr”) - National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. 30 to 50 km (20 - 30 mi) east of Reykjavík. Interesting for a number of reasons. This is not only the original site of the longest running parliament in the world (the name literally means parliamentary fields), it’s also where the North-American and European continental shelf plates are being torn apart.
Gullfoss - The Golden Falls. On the edge of the inhospitable Interior of Iceland about 60 miles east of Reykjavík, the river Hvítá plunges down a double cascade to create what many people believe is the most beautiful waterfall in Iceland
Geysir - Geothermal hot spot located 10km west of Gullfoss. Geysir itself (from which the English word “geyser” derives) is no longer active, but fortunately Strokkur next door goes off every five to ten minutes.
Kerið - Volcanic crater lake in Southwest Iceland
Myvatn - A lake region near Akureyri in the North of Iceland, Mývatn has an unearthly appearance owing to special types of volcanic craters throughout the lake. There are plenty of activities in this area: Smajfall (desert where sulphuric steam comes out of the ground) and Dimmuborgir (aka The Black City aka The Gates of Hell).

Vatnjökull National Park - Founded on June 7th. 2008, at 12 000 sq. kms. it covers about 12% of the surface of Iceland and is the largest national park in Europe.
Jökulsárlón (The Jökulsár Lagoon) - The majestic glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland and is located near Höfn on Route 1. Breiðamerkurjökull glacier retreated very quickly from 1920 to 1965 leaving this breathtaking lagoon, which is up to 190m deep. Ice breaks off from the glacier keeping the lagoon stocked with icebergs all year round.
Landmannalaugar - A region of outstanding natural beauty reachable by bus (or 4×4) from Reykjavík. Situated in the Interior, it gives a taste of the uninhabited highlands at Iceland’s core.

Iceland is a stunningly beautiful place if you enjoy strange and desolate landscapes. Because it is so close to the Arctic Circle, the amount of daylight varies dramatically by season. The sun sets briefly each night in June, but it doesn’t get fully dark before it comes back up again. In March and September, days and nights are about equal, as elsewhere in the world. If you go in December, it’s almost 20 hours of gloom or darkness. Summer is definitely the best time to go, and even then the tourist traffic is still mild. The midnight sun is a beautiful sight and one definitely not to be missed. It is easy to lose track of time when the sun is still high in the sky at 11pm. Early or late winter, however, can be surprisingly good times to visit. In late January, it is effectively light from about 10am to 5pm, prices are lower than in the high season, and the snow-blanketed landscape is eerily beautiful. (Some sites are, however, inaccessible in the winter).