Get your bearings
Iceland, just south of the Arctic Circle in the north Atlantic, is an extraordinary geological site alive with volcanoes, hot springs, geysers and glaciers. Iceland’s southwest capital,
Reykjavik, is one of the hippest cities in Europe. Along the north coast, some of Europe’s finest fishing rivers meander through mountain ranges and rounded hills. North of the centre is Iceland’s second town,
Akureyri,
a tourism hub offering some of the country’s best summer weather. The northeast’s main attraction,
Lake Mývatn, is surrounded by hot springs amidst lava fields. Moving south from the eastern town of
Egilsstaoir, the countryside is dotted with small farming communities and coastal fishing villages. The
central highlands are a raw, uninhabited wilderness, and provided the perfect landscape for Apollo astronauts to train for lunar missions. Its rocky deserts, icy expanses and lack of roads present a real challenge to the adventurous.
Vikings and sagas
The story of the Icelandic Sagas is unveiled in the darkened displays of richly decorated manuscripts in Reykjavik’s Culture House.
Thingvellir is the site of the world’s oldest surviving parliament, founded in 930AD. Immerse yourself in the saga of bloody battles, poetry and pagan lore by the powerful leader, Egil Skallagrimsson, at
Borgarnes’ Icelandic Settlement Centre. You can also all learn about the harsh realities of 9th- and 10th-century life at Eric the Red’s farm at
Eiríksstaðir. Proud of their Viking past, Icelanders celebrate in January and February with traditional feasts at
Hafnarfjörður. Discover the techniques of jewellery making, bread baking and fighting at Reykjavik’s lively Viking Summer Solstice Festival.
Natural phenomena
The Earth’s surface around Thingvellir is continuously shifting as Eurasian and American tectonic plates move apart under volcanic pressure from the planet’s core. Throughout Iceland geysers erupt with huge plumes of water and steam.
Fine rainbow-tinted sprays are created by the sun shining on the mighty waterfalls of
Gullfoss and
Skógafoss. Man seems very small in
Skaftafell National Park beside the icy wastes of Europe’s largest glacier
Vatnajökull and vast
Jökulsárlón lake. In the north, the summer midnight sun barely touches the horizon before rising again, while winter’s
Northern Lights flash their brightest in Iceland.
Outdoor adventures
Take serious walking boots to hike to mighty
Glymur, Iceland’s highest waterfall. The adventurous can explore the uninhabited
Hornstrandir peninsula in the west where jagged glacial fjords plunge into the sea. Carry binoculars wherever you go to spot geese, swans, arctic fox and reindeer. Watch for humpback whales, minkes and a rare sight of the gigantic blue whale at northern
Husavik or
Olafsvik in the west. In mid-August, bird watchers flock to witness the annual release of pufflings (baby puffins) on
Heimaey island. Winter brings serious sports enthusiasts to Akureyri
to slalom, snowboard and ski cross-country. Fishermen prefer the
River Skjalfandafljot when the melt-off into the river is slight and the water remains crystal clear.
