From its pocket-sized funds to the huge landscapes of its inside, Iceland overflows with inspirational spots. The only real problem is narrowing down what you would like to do. Scramble over slick rocks to marvel in a waterfall? To make your decision easier, here are our choices for the top things to do in Iceland.
1. Combine the rúntur at Reykjavík
Reykjavík may resemble a magical backwater, its comfy wooden houses painted in vivid colors, but do not let its appearance fool you. This really is a capital town, after all, and it’s a nightlife to coincide.
The rúntur — that translates into”round trip” — is a weekly bar crawl, where sailors go from 1 place to another, drinking at each stop. Booze does not come cheap in Iceland however; visit a vínbúðin to pick your pre-drinks, an essential portion of the nighttime for Icelanders and spilled vacationers alike.
The long times and eight nights of summer create rúntur more enjoyable in summer, once you’re able to remain in denial about just how late it’s for a couple more hours.
2. Hit the shore at Breiðavík
Looming black deserts, a sinuous stretch of golden sand and one single, red-roofed church: Breiðavík is the Icelandic coast at its greatest. Better yet, the bay is distant place in the West Fjords implies that, as often as not, you will have this subtropical bay mainly to yourself.
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3. Go birdwatching in Lake Mývatn
Stop by Mývatn in the summertime, and you might end up temporarily annoyed as you siphoned off all of the little black flies lingering in the atmosphere (the title means”midge lake”). Nonetheless, it’s such a cloud of pests that brings the wildlife you are actually here to view: tens of thousands of birds.
The ducks will be the real attraction, with Iceland’s species coming to rear their own young. Keep an eye out for the pop-art plumage of the harlequin duck, the posh all-black cover, along with the stunning monochrome Barrow’s goldeneye, the star of this series — that is the only location where it succeeds in Europe.
4. Marvel at Europe’s most powerful waterfall
Iceland is packed full of legendary waterfalls: magnificent, rocky Gullfoss; Skógafoss, thundering over picture-perfect green deserts; and Seljalandsfoss, perfectly styled once you walk from the falls. You will find lesser-knowns stone, also, like Gljufrabui, peeking coyly within a moss-covered gorge, also Svartifoss, tumbling over black basalt columns.
For absolute power, however, Dettifoss can not be matched — actually, that is the most effective waterfall in all of Europe. You may get here by car, however trekking throughout the wilds of Jökulsárgljúfur National Park is a lot more rewarding. On foot, you will have the ability to enjoy the roar of the drops growing louder as you approach, before eventually upon them, staring into the canyon under — a sight and sound you will not ever overlook.
5. Soak in Grettislaug
Of the numerous hot springs in Iceland, Grettislaug may have the very best backstory. After swimming 7.5 kilometers during cold waters, and bringing some ridicule from a regional girls for the consequences on his extremities, outlaw hero Grettir reputedly jumped to this sexy pool to heat up again.
Whether the narrative’s true is beside the point as you lie at the steaming water, then Tindastóll looming to a side and the sea extending to another, the invigorating effect will cause you to feel as powerful as a Viking.
6. Wander the sunken sands at Vík
Down in the southern tip of Iceland is the small coastal village of Vík, house to some jumble of buildings along with a sweeping, black-sand shore — a reminder (in case you had one) of the island’s volcanic center. Additionally, it is a fantastic foundation if you fancy spotting some puffins without getting to a boat or desire someplace welcoming to come back to following striking out to the bleak slopes of southeastern Iceland.
7. Head in the glacier in Langjökull
The second-largest glacier in Iceland, Langjökull boasts some thing its larger rival (Vatnajökull) does not: tunnels chiselled from the icecap itself, providing people a completely different perspective of the gradually flowing bulk of icehockey. Going to the glacier is actually among the greatest things to do in Iceland.
The excursion gives provides a remarkable insight to how glaciers work, but it will be well worth it only for the visuals — that the ice appears perfectly clear in areas, cloudy white in the others, and in others startlingly blue, also must rank one of the finest things to see from Iceland.
8. Dodge icebergs at Jökulsárlón
The enormous Vatnajökull — Europe’s largest glacier — creaks and groans towards the ocean, just to split apart into icebergs when it reaches water. It’s possible to view these up close by simply taking a trip out on the lagoon in Jökulsárlón, or only by walking along the darkened shore, where icebergs are washed up on the sand such as broken glass.
9. See whales off the shore at Húsavík
Means at the north of Iceland is the most friendly city of Húsavík, clustered about its harbour at the shadow of towering Húsavíkurfjall. It is a likeable place, particularly in summer once the mountain is green and the clear waters signify the colourful wooden homes and sailing boats, but most men and women come here for just one reason: whales.
You are able to go on a whale-watching excursion from Reykjavík also, naturally, but just by Húsavík will you see blue whales.
10.
The little farming island of Flatey is a calm getaway, with meadows strewn with delicate blossoms and magnificent views across to the dramatic landscape of the West Fjords. Icelanders consider this as a rural idyll, and people also can enjoy coming to drift through the fields of buttercups, admire the scenery, possibly have a leisurely boat trip — and not be worried about anything else.