Iceland, the land of ice and fire. It is a place that just sounds surreal, until you go, and you find it so much more surreal and incredible than you had ever imagined.
There is such a wow factor to the scenery in Iceland that photos just cannot capture. The understanding of this beauty will never be understood until you actually go and see it for yourself.
Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa. However, as Iceland predicts with its name, their is an icy chill in the air as you head towards the steaming water in just your swimwear. The thought of it is crazy, actually doing it is crazier. Your natural instinct tells you not to get in the water due to how cold the air temperature is. Despite all your instincts telling you no, you put your first foot in the water, it is an overwhelming and difficult experience for your brain to process. The cold Icelandic air on your bare skin against the 37c heat taking over your body, the deeper you go in the water.
Northern Lights
The Northern Lights is a spectacular light show that illuminates the skies with magnificent colours of green and red. I was lucky enough to see the Northern Lights just outside the city of Reykjavik.
The day i saw the lights, their was an increase of the particles entering the Earth’s atmosphere, giving me an overwhelming experience, watching the light show dance across the skies in thick bold colours lasting most of the night.
Silfra
Silfra is one of the top dive sites in the world for two main reasons. First, the Silfra is a crack between the North American and Eurasian plates, allowing you to be able to dive and snorkel between the tectonic plates. Second, the water visibility in the Silfra is over 100 meters which creates an underwater experience that will rarely be beaten.
The water is a constant and chilly 2c, which is the coldest waters to dive in without being in the polar regions. However, with the right equipment and gear, the water is pleasant and you are able to enjoy the experience without losing your fingers and toes!
With the American plate on one side and the Eurasian plate on the other, this is a thrilling experience to be between the plates that surface the earth we walk on.
Golden Circle
The golden circle is a route consisting of three major sites, Thingellir National Park, Geysir and Gullfoss Waterfall. Thingellir National Park is a beautiful national park where the American plates and the Eurasian plates meet. As i had already dived between the plates it was interesting to walk from the American plate to the Eurasian plate.
Geysir is a geyser which forms part of the Haukadalur geothermal area. It is not the only geyser in this area but it is the biggest! The geyser erupted roughly every 3-4minutes and was an incredible event to witness. The first explosion you see tends to make you jump as you do not expect the explosion of water to be so huge and go so high into the sky.
Gullfoss is arguably one of the most impressive and most popular waterfalls in Iceland. The waterfall is very impressive at roughly 20 meters wide and 32 meters deep.
Glazier Hike
I was very excited for this glazier walk and there was so much more than just this walk which made it even better. We stopped at the ever amazing Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls. Most people have seen a waterfall before, but with these you have to stop and just admire them to understand the beauty of them.
At the bottom of the glacier, i put my crampons on my feet and had an ice axe in my hand - i was ready! The hike up the glacier was fun and exciting. Coming from a land where ice meant falling flat on your face, it was adrenaline pumping to be hiking up a glacier with the fear of falling over decreasing on each step you take.
Useful Information
Capital: Reykjavik
Continent: Europe
Time Zone: GMT 0
Language: Icelandic
Currency: Icelandic Krona
Voltage: 220-240v
Plug Type: Round Two Pin Type C