Tag: Iceland
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 14: Blue Lagoon
FINALLY IN THE AFTERNOON, we visit the quintessential Icelandic site – the Blue Lagoon. The lagoon is actually man-made, built on an 8.7 square kilometer lava field. The site is a constant tourist drawer and attracts visitors around the world wanting to experience its milky blue waters in a dreamlike environment. It’s not without detractors,…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 13: The Golden Circle
THE NEXT DAY, WE LEAVE THE SNÆFELLES PENINUSLA AND HEAD TO THE GOLDEN CIRCLE. Not to be confused with the Ring Road, the Golden Circle isn’t an actual topographical area; it’s a term that refers to the a group of sites (primarily the Þingvellir National Park, the Gulfoss, and Geysir) in South Iceland that are…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 12: The Snæfellsnes Peninsula
FOLLOWING A LONG DRIVE FROM AKUREYRI THE NEXT MORNING, we leave the Ring Road again and head to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, which juts out like a finger from western Iceland. The Snæfellsnes has been described as a mini-Iceland because it offers a microcosm of the whole country – glaciers, lava fields, wide open spaces, and wildlife-watching.…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 11: Akureyri
WE SPEND THE REST OF THE DAY IN AKUREYRI, Iceland’s second city and an important fishing center and port. However, in the last few years, as more and more tourists visit the country, tourism has become one ofthe fastest growing sectors of the economy. Today, Akureyri serves as a hub in northern Iceland, where visitors…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 10: Goðafoss
AFTER BREAKFAST THE NEXT DAY, we leave Myvátn and head west, making another detour from the Ring Road to visit one of Iceland’s most iconic waterfalls: Goðafoss. While the Ring Road connects travelers to some of the most famous landmarks in Iceland, Goðafoss stands out not just for its natural beauty but also for its…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 9: The Mývatn Region
WE DRIVE TO THE NORTHEAST REGION the next morning, having a short detour from the Ring Road to the Dettifoss, one of Iceland’s most known falls. The sight is otherwordly – in fact, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus was shot here. Detifoss, while not tall (it’s just 45 meters high), is massive, with 400 cubic meters of…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 8: Egilsstaðir
WE CONCLUDE OUR EAST FJORDS TOUR with a stop in Egilsstaðir, the main town and unoffical capital of East Iceland. It’s a typical Icelandic town, with some supermarkets and gasoline stations, but there aren’t really interesting spots for the average traveler. It does make a good base for explorations into the region and a nice…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 7: The East Fjords
THE FOURTH DAY IS SPENT DRIVING THROUGH EAST ICELAND. The region is the farthest you can get in Iceland from Reykjavik, and therefore is often overlooked by tourists who go only as far as Jökulsárlón. There are much fewer people here. Here, the Ring Road weaves through towering mountains, empty spaces, and seemingly forgotten towns. The…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 6: Höfn
OUR GROUP EVENTUALLY FINDS THE WILLPOWER TO LEAVE JÖKULSÁRLÓN and go ahead to our destination for the evening while the other group finishes their tour of the lagoon. Along the way, we come across a large farm with Icelandic horses inside a large enclosure. We get down the van for a few minutes to pet…
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The Iceland Ring Road Trip Part 5: Jökulsárlón
IN THE AFTERNOON WE REACH THE JÖKULSÁRLÓN GLACIAL LAGOON, where a host of blue icebergs drift through a lake between Skaftafell and Höfn. It’s a sight so surreal that it makes me forget we’re just right beside the Ring Road. The lagoon is the head of the retreating Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, an outcrop of the Vatnajökull glacier, which…
The Tourist Gaze 