Iceland, for reasons that I’m not really willing, or able, to expand upon, has one of those reputations as a place that isn’t only difficult to travel in, but also very out of the way. Too bad, is all that can be said, because in reality Iceland is very well located, and this incredible island is just as easy, and more than worthwhile, to explore.
flickr/Claudia Regina
A symphony of wind, stone, earth and fire, Iceland is unique for one monumental reason: it literally is a country in the making. As you travel through the island, you’ll notice that around you things are still moving and changing to bring together this amazing place. Geysers explode, mud bubbles in hot springs, Arctic winds move across river fjords and glaciers slide along through cracking lava fields and seemingly endless tundra. Yet the power of Iceland’s natural forces is what makes it so extraordinary to visit.
flickr/Torsten Muehlbacher
A Geyser Erupting From the Earth
There’s nothing normal about Iceland, of that I can promise. Want to go for a quick swim in the pool? Iceland can offer a healing soak in a geothermal lagoon. How about a casual wander through your surrounds? In Iceland you’ll have to make do with trekking across glittering ice caps. Camping? They got it, except instead of just campfires and marshmallows you get a showing of the aurora borealis or a midnight sun.
flickr/eirasi
The Aurora Borealis in Iceland
Of course, it wouldn’t be perfect for a bucket list without a few insane and adventurous reasons to check out this Arctic island. A trek inside a dormant volcano might be more than enough to test your nerve, but it’s just another day in Iceland, where a 120 metre drop inside Thrihnukagigur is a tour possibility.
As is a wander across the lava fields at Krafla, a tar-black landscape filled with sulphur unlike any other on earth. As the volcanic heat rises below, you’ll find a vista of billowing steam and fluro-green pools of simmering water. Inviting? Not for swimming, but if you’re talking about unique, it fits the bill!
flickr/Clip2
The View From Inside a Volcano
For the nature-addicts, Iceland offers Húsavík, an incredible whale watching spot located at the meeting of two river estuaries. The ensuing plankton feast brings whales from the minke to the largest blue whale have been spotted there, and unlike tours in other places, they tend to hang around for photos.
flickr/Francisco Moralejo
Whale Watching in Iceland
No doubt, the biggest draw of Iceland’s nature is definitely its puffins. These little birds are very, very common on the coast, and are a guarantee if you head out whale watching. If you really love them, you might also enjoy partaking in one of Iceland’s regional delicacies: puffin meat. Roasted, smoked and cured, the bird is popular on the seaside, and the dinner table, but not everyone is happy to eat them, and that’s fine too.
flickr/Bragi Thor
Puffins of Iceland
Does all this sound too good to be true (puffin eating aside)? Well I’m not even half-way done with my own reasons that Iceland is on my bucket list. And I’m sure after reading this you’ll be adding it on there too, for a trip in the not too distant future.
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