Highlights of Iceland’s Natural Beauty and Wonders
I had my eye on Iceland as a travel destination for many years after reading Independent People, a book by renowned Icelandic writer and Nobel laureate, Halldór Laxness. Finally, my dreams of a visit to this beautiful and mystical island came true on the Best of Iceland small group explorations tour with Collette. With expert guides and the exposure to culture, history, and traditions in a well-paced itinerary we had experienced during our previous Collette tours, we had high expectations, and this tour did not disappoint.
This is the first in a series of posts about our Iceland trip and it focuses on Iceland’s natural beauty and wonders. Further posts will share our experiences exploring Reyjkavik and other smaller cities; exposure to culture, history, and cuisine of Iceland; enjoying fun activities and exciting adventures like whale watching and going inside a glacier.
Natural beauty of Iceland on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Iceland’s natural beauty
Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there anymore, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands. – Halldór Laxness
This quote is a good introduction to the aspects of the stunning natural beauty of Iceland.
View of glacier from Gullfoss (Golden Falls)
We’d often heard about the “land of ice and fire”, references to Iceland’s glaciers and volcanos, but discovered there are many more wondrous aspects of nature here– waterfalls, hot springs, geysers, snow-covered mountains, bubbling sulfur springs, volcanoes, and diverse landscapes. We were also surprised at how much green we saw seemingly everywhere. Here are a few highlights of Iceland’s natural beauty.
Beautiful fjords of Iceland and snow-capped mountains
The Golden Circle
On our first full day of the tour, we headed out from Reykjavik on an excursion to explore a beautiful portion of the Golden Circle, a 150 mile loop with many of the best known natural wonders of Iceland.
Gullfoss (Golden Falls)
One of our stops was Gullfoss (which means Golden Falls), perhaps the most famous of the many beautiful waterfalls of Iceland. There were many vantage points for viewing the two-tiered falls, including the short walk along the gorge of the glacier-fed Hvítá (Icelandic for White River) below the falls to where the trail ended, providing a close view of the powerful raging water and a lovely rainbow we were happy to catch.
Rainbow at Gullfoss (Golden Falls)
Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park
Another stop on the Golden Ring was Thingvellir National Park, Iceland’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on cultural criteria since 2004 (with possibility of later nomination based on geological criteria). The location was the site where the Icelandic Parliament (Alþing), met for two weeks each summer from 930 AD (its creation) to 1798, which was the primary UNESCO cultural criterion.
Thingvellir National Park
On a beautiful sunny day, we walked the main path through the rift which clearly gives you the feel of the rift valley created by Iceland’s location on the boundary between the two tectonic plates of North America and Europe. The park’s location on the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and Iceland’s location on a geographic hot spot, contribute to the many fissures in the valley, earthquakes, and volcanoes and is also responsible for the original creation of Iceland.
Walking at Thingvvellir National Park in the largest of its rifts
Our walk continued to a beautiful rushing waterfall, Öxarárfoss, on the Öxarár river running through the park. We were able to get close feeling the power of the raging river and viewing another pretty rainbow.
Öxarárfoss waterfall at Thingvellir National Park
Geysir Hot Springs Area
Our last stop on the Golden Circle was the Geysir Hot Springs Area (also known as the Haukadalur Valley), where we walked several paths among geysers, fumaroles issuing steam, boiling mudholes, and small bubbling hot springs. The main attraction is Strokkur, the geyser that regularly erupts (on average about every seven minutes). We were able to see it erupt numerous times during our walk.
Strokkur geyser erupting
North Iceland
Godafoss (Goðafoss)
Godafoss
Godafoss (Goðafoss — meaing“waterfall of the gods”) because legend has it that this is the place where Iceland converted to Christianity in 1000 AD. The brief walk along the canyon of the Skjálfandafljót River revealed the large fall and another rainbow. The path led to a vantage point right over the falls providing a close view and feeling the power of the flowing water.
Lake Mývatn
Lake Mývatn area
Also on our Icelandic itinerary was Lake Mývatn (Icelandic for Midge Lake, presumably for the midges, tiny bugs that swarm there in the summer) Area. The lake is located in an area of active volcanic activity. There are paths that wind through the unusual cones of the landscape. Tip: Wear a scarf or other head covering for protection from the annoying midges as you walk through this enchanting area.
Lake Mývatn
Dimmuborgir
Walking on the paths of Dimmuborgir
Nearby Lake Mývatn is Dimmuborgir, an area of volcanic caves and unusual formations where we walked on paths among the numerous unique volcanic formations and mystical caves. The paths are smooth and paved making for an easy walk, but we were a little more adventurous and climbed the rocks of one of the large formations.
Hiking around Dimmuborgir lava formations
Hverir geothermal area
Also near Lake Mývatn is the Hverir geothermal area that looks more like a stark Martian terrain than earthly. We saw no geysers at the time — they are present, just less active than geysers such as Strokkur. Instead of the bubbling hot water in other geothermal areas, we saw more bubbling black mud. Mr. TWS walked along a raised boardwalk that enabled close (but safe) access to the boiling pools. I just took part of the walk because of the strong smell of sulfur that was a little overwhelming for me.
A bonus for “Game of Thrones” fans
Our guide, Luciana, who was very open to offering suggestions about possible diversions from the official itinerary depending on our small group’s interest, made a special stop at a Game of Thrones filming location, Grjótagjá Cave near Mývatn. This is the cave pool where characters Jon Snow and Ygritte frolicked in Season 3 episode 5. Although Mr. TWS clearly recognized the pool, he said that the cave was much smaller than it looked in the episode.
Cave pool in North Iceland where scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed
Snæfellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland
Kirkjufellsfoss and Mt. Kirkjufell
Mt. Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall
On the Snæfellsnes Peninsula of West Iceland, we spent time at another waterfall, Kirkjufellsfoss (Church Mountain Falls). It is particularly picturesque because of the cone-shaped Mt. Kirkjufell (Church Mountain). The mountain has been featured in Game of Thrones and several films.
Stay tuned for more about Iceland and our activities featuring Icelandic heritage, culture, adventure, food, and fun!
Thanks to Collette for sponsoring our amazing Icelandic experience!
