And no, I’m not talking about the supermarket.
Iceland is home to a population of around 370,00 people. Most of whom live in the capital city of Reykjavík which is located on the southern left-hand side of this beautiful volcanic island.
If you haven’t been to Iceland before, it should most certainly be on everyone’s bucket list.
The scenery is absolutely breath taking.
Snow
Markus and I visited Iceland in 2015 at the start of October. The weather wasn’t too cold fortunately, and we only had a brief snow flurry for one day, but that was whilst we were on a snowmobile tour. Being in a whiteout whilst on a glacier is surreal. It’s very disorientating when you can’t tell where the sky starts and the floor ends. Luckily, we made it safely back to the start, very cold and slightly damp but it was well worth it.
The Golden Circle
This tour was part of the golden circle, a tour of some of the most iconic places in Iceland. These included, Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir Hot Spring.
Þingvellir is located in a rift valley. This is where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. UNESCO designated this as a world heritage site. It is also the birthplace of the Althing- Iceland’s parliament founded in 930 AD. If you are a game of thrones fan, this is also where some of the scenes were shot.
The Geysers
The Geysir Hot Springs is the location for Iceland’s biggest geyser, The Great Geysir. It can erupt up to around 70 meters in the air, although it has been known to go much higher. There is no guaranteed schedule for the eruptions, so it is a bit of potluck if you get to witness this or not. However, there is a small geyser in the same area called Strokkur which erupts much more frequently.
Stunning Iceland scenery
We also hired a car and travelled north, up the coastline to Kirkjufell. This is said to be the most photographed mountain in Iceland and for obvious reasons.
We discovered that if you follow these signs;
These will lead you to points of interest and some beautiful scenic photo opportunities, like these.
We also travelled to see Skógafoss waterfall, which is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland with a drop of 60 meters. It is a very popular tourist site. You can also walk a path that leads up the side of the waterfall here to the top to look out at the view of the coast.
Coastlines of Iceland
Iceland has some very dramatic coastlines, but none really compare to the black sand of Reynisfjara beach. The sand is black because of the volcanic rock that has been eroded over thousands of years to form the powered rock. The cliffs are a testament of the islands volcanic nature. As you can see the layers of ash that have been formed over the course of millennia by volcanic eruptions. It is stunningly beautiful and well worth the drive to get to.
Iceland tours
We were also lucky enough to take a helicopter tour and a whale watching tour, which were both incredible! During the boat tour we did get to see common dolphins and a variety of sea birds. Typically, though I was looking the wrong way and stayed inside the boat when a Minke whale was spotted which Markus got to see (it’s a running theme during our holidays).
The Aurora Borealis
We were also incredibly fortunate to be able to see the northern lights during our stay too. To be able to witness these properly, you need to be able to take a picture with a camera and have the right settings. There is a museum in Reykjavík dedicated to the northern lights. It gives a tutorial on what settings to use to get the best pictures. My main advice is to take a tripod or something which we can be used to stabalise your camera. This is essential for that perfect shot.
The Blue Lagoon
Lastly, I couldn’t talk about Iceland without mentioning the Blue Lagoon. This is a geotheromal spa which is supplied by water used in the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station. The water is a milky blue colour, due to its high silica content. The silica forms soft white mud on the bottom of the lake which you can rub onto your skin. It is very popular. They even have a swim up bar located right next to the main pool. It is very luxurious, but exceptionally hot.
Overall if you like amazing scenery, don’t mind the cold too much and want to visit an amazing country with friendly people and wonderful wildlife, Iceland is a must go to place.
