You booked your trip to Iceland – hurray! Now what? Iceland’s diverse landscape offers something for everybody, and there are so many things you can do during your visit. Start planning your trip with a list of Top 10 Things You Must Do in Iceland!
#1 Travel the Golden Circle
Even if you don’t have much time in Iceland, this is something you MUST do. It is one of the most popular tourist routes in Iceland, and it is truly magnificent. The Golden Circle is a 190-mile loop from the capital city Reykjavik and can be done as part of your drive along the Ring Road (a route that goes around the entire island) or as a day trip from Reykjavik. The Golden Circle has 3 major attractions:
- Þingvellir National Park/Thingvellir National Park: a UNESCO World Heritage site from being the site of the oldest existing parliament in the world (930 AD!). It is also located in a canyon/valley between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, so you are literally walking between 2 different continents! If you are a Game of Thrones fan, they filmed scenes of the series in the park. You can easily spend several hours exploring this beautiful park learning about its rich history and taking in sites like the Öxarárfoss waterfall. A popular activity is to go diving/snorkeling in the Silfra fissure, where you can swim in the crack between the 2 continental plates. Pretty cool!
- Geysir: the world’s geysers are named after the “Great Geysir,” a hot spring in the Haukadalur valley in southwestern Iceland. The Great Geysir was one of the biggest and most beautiful geysers in the world, with eruptions of 70-80m, which is higher than Old Faithful in Yellowstone (25-55m). Now, the Great Geysir has been dormant since its last activity in 2000. Strokkur is the only geyser active in the area and erupts every 8-10 minutes (25-35m), so you will definitely see it when visiting the area! This area also has a pretty nice visitor’s center that serves delicious hot meals and a hotel/restaurant attached to it.
- Gullfoss: literally means “golden falls.” It is one of the most beautiful and popular waterfall in Iceland. On good days you can even see a rainbow! Remember to bring your rain gear, because you will get wet (and probably cold) walking around.
#2 Take a “Zodiac Tour” at Jökulsárlón
A large glacier lagoon created from Breiðamerkurjökull (an outlet of the Vatnajökull glacier), as a result of the warming climate, Jökulsárlón was the highlight of my trip to Iceland. It is about 230 miles east of Reykjavik, so this is not something you would want to do as a day trip from the capital city. Take in the magnificent views of giant icebergs that have broken off from the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, then take the “zodiac tour” with Glacier Lagoon where you can get up close and personal with Icebergs around the lagoon and watch new chunks of ice break off the glacier (if you are lucky). Sometimes you may even see sea lions sun bathing on the ice. It’s no surprise that Justin Bieber filmed his music video here!
When you are done with your tour, check out Diamond Beach across the bridge to see if you can find any leftover iceberg pieces washed ashore on the beach. It is quite amazing!
#3 Take a walk on a glacier
Join a guided tour to take a walk on a glacier and learn more about this unique natural wonder in Iceland. There are a number of tour companies that offer glacier walks/climbs from Skaftafell, as it is relatively close to Reykjavik (less than 4 hours drive). If you are out east, say visiting Jökulsárlón for example, I would recommend going with Glacier Adventure to access the glacier closer to Hofn. This company is the only company that services Breiðamerkurjökull, one of Vatnajökull’s biggest outlet glacier, so you can get away from the crowds to explore this untapped area with very knowledgeable guides. The walk starts out in the small “town” (it is more like a farm area) Hali, and you will take a drive off-road to the base of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier where you will take a short boat ride on a zodiac boat before getting on the ice. Drink directly from the glacier streams and experience the freshest natural water straight from the source. If you can, bring an empty bottle and fill up!
#4 Visit Vík
The southern most village in Iceland, Vik has one of the world’s most beautiful beaches – Black Sand Beach – and its basalt rock columns at Reynisfjara inspired the famous Hallgrimskirkja church in Reykjavik. In the right season you can go Puffin watching and see many species of birds nest along Dyrholaey.
….to be continued
Click here for Top 10 Things You MUST Do In Iceland (Part 2)