I visited Iceland in November 2016, partly for the adventure and activities, partly for the northern lights. I did not catch the lights on this trip (that had to wait until a couple of years later when I went to Tromsø, Norway), however I did have some unforgettable experiences and made some wonderful memories along the way.

Trips & tours

Probably the best half day tour that one can join from Reykjavik is called the “Golden Circle Tour“, and takes you to the Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, and the “Geysir” geothermal area. This tour takes you through some of the most stunning landscapes in the region, all from the comfort of a nice warm coach! Some of my best photos to date (in my humble opinion) were taken at Geysir. I even managed to take a photo of the immediate aftermath of the largest geyser there erupting, see a photo of this below. This area is full of a myriad of geysers, large and small, which periodically erupt, the steam then dissipating into the cold air. Visitors are kept at a reasonable distance via barriers, so as to not get scalded from the blistering heat that these geysers emit. From what I remember, even the smallest of these geysers, “Litli – Geysir”, came with its own warning!

Other highlights of this tour were admiring the sheer beauty of the Þingvellir National Park and the Þingvallavatn lake (the largest natural lake in Iceland), and the Gullfoss waterfall – one of the best known and most visited waterfalls in Iceland. There was also a little café and shop at the site of the Gullfoss waterfall, which sold all manner of drinks and snacks, some hot meals, and tourist gift shop items, a visit to which helped break up the coach tour nicely.

Silfra

My absolute highlight of Þingvellir National Park, albeit not part of the aforementioned tour, was Silfra, a fissure which lays between two tectonic plates (the North American and the Eurasian). Donning a wetsuit and flippers, I snorkeled the watery ravine (which reaches around 60 metres at its deepest) for roughly 30 minutes – the maximum allotted time due to the real risk of hypothermia. The water temperature was 2 degrees c, air temperature 0, and it was snowing when I first stepped in! I wish I took photos, but alas, in order to enjoy the experience to its fullest, I decided not to take a (waterproof!) camera with me. A Google images search will quickly show you what I am talking about though!

The Blue Lagoon

Of course, no article about visiting Iceland would be complete without at least one mention of the infamous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa! What a treat this was… I thoroughly enjoyed my visit from start to finish, and although I didn’t book any treatments (these were simply too expensive for me!) I enjoyed the hot, azure blue waters of the outdoor pool. Mud for use as body and face masks (“Silica Mud”) was being given out for free at the pool, therefore I had to indulge myself, slathering the cleansing substance all over my face. My face did feel a lot softer afterwards, although I passed on buying any of the mud in the shop afterwards, as again, it was a little on the pricey side!

Weird & wonderful cuisine

Food-wise, Iceland has both delicious and unusual cuisine on offer. I enjoyed the lamb and the arctic char, but wasn’t so keen on the “caviar”, which wasn’t in actual fact real caviar, but orange-hued fish eggs of some variety. Hot dogs, or “Pylsa”, are also a popular food choice, alongside the well known “Skyr”, a type of thick yoghurt popular in both Iceland and mainland Europe. Some of the more unusual culinary choices in Iceland include “Hval” (whale), “Svið” (sheep’s head) and “Hákarl” (fermented shark), all of which I decided to pass on!

Lodgings & a missed opportunity

I stayed in a lovely boutique hotel in the centre of Reykjavík, “Þingholt”, which had its own restaurant and spa, both of which I visited a couple of times. The hotel also offered a northern lights “wake up” service, whereby if you registered your interest at reception, they will call you any time of the night to see the spectacle that is the aurora borealis (should it make an appearance!) I am sure that other hotels in Iceland also offer this service, since this tends to be one of the main reasons for tourists paying a visit to this country. One thing that I regret not seeing on this trip is the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, as my brief time in Iceland ran out. There were plenty more sights that I could have seen and activities that I could have partaken in – I could easily fill at least another couple of visits to Iceland!

Thoughts?

I invite readers to share their own experiences of Iceland – what were your favourite activities there? Did you visit any other landmarks or attractions unmentioned here, and would you recommend visiting the Hallgrímskirkja church?