I thought it'd be like, pretty views, maybe a hot spring, some waterfalls, cool cool cool. What actually happened was I found myself standing at a glacier lagoon watching icebergs float past while seals just vibed around them and I literally forgot to take photos for like five whole minutes. I was just... standing there with my mouth slightly open like an idiot. Iceland broke something in my brain and I think it'll do the same to you. You've been warned.
Okay But When Do You Actually Go
Everyone asks this. The answer is genuinely "depends
what you're after" which I know sounds like a cop-out but stick with me.
Summer (June–August) — the sun doesn't set. Like
actually doesn't set. You'll finish dinner, walk outside at 11pm, and it's
completely bright and your body will just... give up trying to understand
reality. Great for hiking and road trips. Also the busiest because literally
everyone wants to go to Iceland now, congrats to Iceland.
Autumn (September–October) — this is my personal pick
and I'll die on this hill. Fewer tourists, the whole landscape goes moody and
golden and rust-colored, and you start getting Northern Lights chances. It's
not cheaper but it feels cheaper because you're not standing in a crowd
at every waterfall.
Winter (November–March) — this one's for the aurora
chasers and the people who want to go inside an ice cave and feel like they're
in an alien movie. Everything looks slightly haunted in the best possible way.
Pack like you're moving there permanently.
Spring (April–May) — honestly slept on. Days are
getting longer, tourists haven't fully descended yet, everything's waking up.
Solid choice if you want to feel smug about beating the crowds.
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The Blue Lagoon
Yes it's touristy. Yes your Instagram mutuals have all been
there. Yes you should absolutely still go. The water is this completely
impossible opaque blue and you're surrounded by black lava rocks with steam
rising everywhere and it looks so fake in person that your brain keeps
rejecting it. Like a movie set you can actually get in.
It's right near the airport so just slot it into your first
or last day. Book ahead though because it sells out and I will not be held
responsible for what happens if you drive past it and can't get in.
The Golden Circle
Everyone does the Golden Circle and that's because it
genuinely earns it.
Þingvellir National Park: this is where the North
American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart from each other and you
can walk between them. In a rift. Between two continents slowly drifting away.
That's just a thing you can casually do on a Tuesday. Also the Icelandic
parliament was founded here in 930 AD which is insane but honestly the geology
alone justifies the trip.
Gullfoss: this waterfall just drops into a canyon
and the mist hits you before you're anywhere near it. There's no build-up, you
walk up and it's just immediately a lot. I loved it immediately and without
reservation.
Waterfalls
At some point on day three you just stop being surprised.
You're driving and there's another waterfall on a cliff in the distance and you
go "ah, yes, another one" and keep driving and it's completely normal
now apparently.
But the specific ones actually worth going out of your way
for:
Seljalandsfoss — you can walk behind the actual
curtain of water. You will get soaked. There is no version of this where you
stay dry. Wear something waterproof or just fully accept your fate and commit
to the bit.
Skógafoss — big, powerful, makes rainbows constantly like it's showing off. There are stairs up the side if you want to hike above it. My legs had a lot of thoughts about this. Worth it.
Dettifoss — supposedly Europe's most powerful
waterfall and it really wants you to know that. The noise is immense. The mist
hits you from way further than expected. The ground actually vibrates. You feel
very small. It's incredible.
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The Glaciers
About 11% of Iceland is just... glaciers. I kept coming back
to that number. Eleven percent of an entire country. Ice.
Vatnajökull is the biggest — largest glacier in Europe — and
it's sitting on top of active volcanoes, which is information that should
probably concern more people than it does. You can hike on it, snowmobile on
it, and in winter go into ice caves inside it. The ice caves are this deep
electric blue that looks completely computer-generated and if you get the
chance to go in one, you absolutely should, full stop.
Jökulsárlón is the glacier lagoon — chunks of ice break off
and float around while seals swim between them before the ice eventually drifts
out to sea. It's one of those places where you genuinely run out of words and
just end up standing there in silence looking vaguely overwhelmed.
Diamond Beach is right next to it — chunks of ice wash up on
jet black volcanic sand and catch the light and it looks like someone scattered
giant gemstones everywhere. The contrast is almost too much.
Volcanoes
Lava fields everywhere. Craters you can walk around. Regular
gentle reminders that the ground is less permanent than it looks.
Fagradalsfjall has been erupting on and off in recent years
— worth checking the current situation before you go because sometimes you can
actually watch lava flowing in real time and that's a completely insane
sentence to be able to say about a holiday.
Kerið is a crater lake — the volcano caved in on itself and
left this perfectly bowl-shaped hole with vivid turquoise water at the bottom.
You walk around the rim and it feels like a video game level and honestly
that's exactly correct.
Northern Lights
September through March, dark sky, pray for no clouds. Then
you download the aurora forecast app and check it constantly and go outside in
the freezing cold every clear night and sometimes nothing happens and sometimes
the sky just turns green and starts moving and you forget you have a body.
Photos don't capture it because it moves. It pulses and
shifts and changes shape while you're standing in a field at midnight saying
absolutely nothing. One cloudy night is not a reason to give up. Keep going
out.
Food Stuff
Lamb soup: Order it every single time it appears on a
menu. The lamb in Iceland is elite because the sheep basically just wander
around eating grass for their whole lives. The soup is warm and hearty and
correct.
Seafood: You are surrounded by ocean. The fish is
fresh. Just try it, you will fell the taste.
Hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur — I know. Hot dogs.
But these are lamb hot dogs that have been a Reykjavik institution since 1937
and Bill Clinton ate one once and there's always a line and you're just going
to have to trust me on this.
Getting Around
Rent a car. That's the whole advice. The Ring Road goes all
the way around the country and it's genuinely one of the best drives you'll
ever do in your life. Waterfalls keep appearing around corners. You'll stop way
more than planned because something keeps being beautiful and you cannot help
yourself. Public transport outside Reykjavik barely exists and you'll miss
everything good.
Book accommodation early if you're going in summer. Iceland
has a lot of tourists and not unlimited places to sleep.
A Few Things to Know
Stay on marked paths. The landscapes look sturdy but aren't
always, and some of what looks like solid ground is not. Also please just don't
go near the sneaker waves, I'm begging.
Bring a real camera if you have one. Your phone will be fine
but you are going to take more photos in Iceland than anywhere you've ever been
and you will want them to look good.
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