Iceland is a dreamscape.
If you saw our last post, you know we spent a good chunk of May driving Iceland’s Ring Road. In that post, we offered our tips and strategies for folks planning the same. Here, we share some of the sights that made our visit to Iceland unforgettable. NOTE: There was simply no way to boil down everything that awed and inspired us into a single post. We will cover Iceland’s spectacular geothermal wonders, as well as our favorite towns and cities, in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!
THE SNÆFELLSNES PENINSULA
Snæfellsnes is the skinny land mass jutting out from west Iceland north of Reykjavik. Home to Snæfellsjökull National Park, the region is crowned by Snæfellsjökull, a glacier-topped volcano that sparked the imagination of author Jules Verne. He would go on to feature the volcano as the entrance to the earth’s core in his book “Journey to the Center of the Earth.”
THE WESTFJORDS
On the map, the Westfjords looks like a giant lobster? ghost? monster? beckoning with its claws from the northwest corner of Iceland. This fantastic region gets its name from its numerous fjords, or long and narrow inlets surrounded by steep mountains. Geographically, this is the oldest region in Iceland, and it’s also the least populated.
We spent several days roaming the Westfjords and traversing fjord after fjord after spectacular fjord. This is a wild and wooly region, but the little towns we encountered are scenic and the people very welcoming. This was probably my favorite area on the whole trip.
NORTH AND EAST ICELAND
Sometimes overlooked by tourists, these areas of Iceland are remotely populated, austere, and highly geothermic. We made a point of getting off the Ring Road and doing some extra exploration here, which paid off in spades when we discovered puffins and one of the most gorgeous little towns we’ve every seen, Seydisfjordur.
VATNAJÖKULL NATIONAL PARK
As we headed down clockwise around the Ring Road into southwestern Iceland and back towards Reykjavik, we traversed a long section that borders Vatnajökull National Park. The centerpiece is Vatnajökull glacier, the second-largest ice cap in Europe, which covers about 10% of Iceland’s surface area. As we headed west, we began to encounter more traffic and more tourists – a bit jarring after our wanderings through some of Iceland’s least-populated areas. One reason this region is so popular with visitors is that many of the national park’s wonders can be seen without venturing off the Ring Road. It’s an incredibly scenic and otherworldly area.
THE WATERFALLS
Did you know that Iceland has more than 10,000 fossar (waterfalls)? We swear we saw most of them, to the point of asking each other “Do we have waterfall fatigue yet?” The short answer: Never! Most of Iceland’s waterfalls flow year-round thanks to the country’s mountainous terrain, glaciers, and frequent rainfall. Almost all tourists are familiar with some of the more famous falls, such as Gullfoss and Skógafoss, but if you drive the Ring Road you can expect to see many, many more.
More spectacular waterfalls:
THE PUFFINS
Atlantic Puffins are whimsical sea birds that resemble penguins, but are actually members of the auk family. They mate for life, but each couple separates for a solitary bob around in the Atlantic during the winter (which sounds kind of cold and sad to me, but I’m not a puffin). Every year in the spring, the lovers reunite and return to the same nesting ground and same burrow to create their single egg, which will hatch into a “pufflin” (how cute is that name?).
The puffins start showing up in the Iceland nesting grounds in late April and hang around until August. Since we were in Iceland on the early side of puffin season, we tried not to be too hopeful about seeing any. But in far northeast Iceland, quite unexpectedly, we hit the puffin jackpot. We had taken a drive up to the tiny fishing village of Bakkagerði when we decided to venture a little further and stumbled on the little harbor at Borgarfjarðarhöfn. There, we found a visitor center and viewing “blind” overlooking a massive puffin rookery that was positively teeming with the little critters. The trails were cleverly designed to bring us right up close to the puffins without disturbing them. It was magical!
Note: There are plenty of other puffin viewing areas that are not so remote and easier to access from Reykjavik. One is Dyrhólaey, near Vik on the southern coast, but it was fogged in the day we were there. We were so happy we’d already gotten our puffin “fix!”
THE LITTLE CHURCHES
Iceland is a mostly secular country, so it was interesting to see so many quaint and beautiful little churches, some in the middle of nowhere. Most of them belong to the Lutheran church, Iceland’s official denomination. And they all seem to be lovingly tended and maintained, although it’s hard to imagine that the really remote churches host regular services. After seeing so many gold-encrusted, over-the-top Catholic cathedrals in Latin America, we were really moved by these humble houses of worship.
THE LIGHTHOUSES
Iceland has at least 100 lighthouses, and most of them are easy to reach by car. We love lighthouses, and we were enchanted by Iceland’s – most of which are squat, painted orange, and achingly picturesque.
OTHER AMAZING FACTS ABOUT ICELAND
Iceland’s human history goes waaaay back. To 874 AD, to be exact – when Norseman Ingólfur Arnarson arrived with his family from what is now Norway. Arnason established Iceland’s first recorded settlement near present-day Reykjavik. About 100 years later, another famous Icelandic explorer, Erik the Red, founded the first European colony in Greenland.
Sorry, Columbus. You didn’t “discover” America. That person would be Erik the Red’s son, the Viking explorer Leif Ericksson. Leif was the first European to reach the “new world” about five centuries before Columbus landed in the Bahamas. In what is now Newfoundland, Canada, he established a settlement called Vinland – the remains of which can still be seen at the L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.
Iceland has one of the world’s oldest continuously functioning democracies. The Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, was establised in 930 AD on the plain of Þingvellir (Thingvellir), now a national park. The Alþingi’s role was diminished during centuries of foreign rule by Norway and Denmark, but it was fully restored to a national parliament when Iceland achieved full independence in 1944. Today, the Alþingi continues to operate as Iceland’s parliament and is a powerful symbol of Icelandic identity and independence.
Today, Iceland is one of the world’s most progressive countries. In 1980, Icelanders elected the world’s first female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, and in 2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir made history as Iceland’s first female Prime Minister and the world’s first openly gay head of government. The country is deeply committed to gender equality and LGBTQ rights and follows the Nordic social welfare model – meaning citizens enjoy universal healthcare and free education through university. In addition, Iceland is a leader in renewable energy, running mostly on geothermal and hydroelectric power.
Iceland is the world’s most peaceful nation. Iceland was just voted number one on the Global Peace Index, which ranks countries according to criteria including societal safety and security, ongoing domestic and international conflict, and militarization.
Here’s a great book, whether you’re planning your Iceland adventure or you’ve just returned. “How Iceland Changed the World” by journalist Egill Bjarnason reaches back over a thousand years – from the time Ingólfur Arnarson and his cohort showed up – to tell Iceland’s story and its impact on world events. Bjarnason’s breezy humor makes this a fast and entertaining read.
Next Up: Iceland’s Geothermal Wonders
25 Comments
Just great pictures and commentary. We leave for the ring road (and golden circle) in 2 weeks. Can’t wait to get there. We explored the Reykjavik area in 2013 and have been wanting to return ever since.
Steve
Oh, we’re so excited for you! You will love Iceland. Wish I could climb in your suitcase and come with you! Let us know if you have any questions.
– Susan
I’m speechless. What an amazing array of pictures, each as spectacular as the one before. And your descriptions make me want to see it all. I assume you’re going to L’Anse aux Meadows? Great post. Maggie
Ah, thanks, Maggie! Yes, we’re hoping to fit in a visit to L’Anse aux Meadows when we’re in Newfoundland this fall. Seems fitting, since I’ve mentioned it in two posts so far. Have a great day!
Gorgeous photos & love the puffins! We missed them in Iceland, but hope to see them soon in Greenland.
Ah, we’ll be interested to hear about your trip to Greenland! It’s piqued our interest. We’re hoping to see more puffins in the Canada Maritimes this fall!
Ah, I’m so glad you got to see so much of Iceland! I visited in 2018, but I didn’t do the Ring Road; I only stuck to day trips from Reykjavik, which mostly confined me to the western part of the country. I visited Snæfellsnes Peninsula, but unfortunately, weather wasn’t very good to see Kirkjufell. I also visited Djúpalónssandur beach, but I got too close to the water and actually got swept up! Luckily, I managed to escape it, but I lost my phone as a result. Wild times…I would’ve loved to have seen puffins, but it would’ve been a long day trip, so alas, I missed out. I hope to return to Iceland sooner than later to see more of the country. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
Thanks so much, Rebecca! Gosh, we heard all the stories about getting swamped at that beach so we kept our distance. Sorry you lost your phone; bummer. I hope you can get back to Iceland soon!
– Susan
Wow your photos are just absolutely stunning! It looks like there’s so much amazing nature to see and explore around the country, and you really did get to see so much of it. What a wonderful trip 🙂
Thanks so much, Hannah! Iceland really is a spectacular place. I could easily make a return trip, if only I could convince the hubby – ha! We just have so many places yet to see. But I know you understand that. 🙂
Great set of images on Iceland. We have been twice and your images bring back great memories. Iceland is an amazing country. Thanks for sharing. (Suzanne)
Thanks so much, Suzanne! I can see why you made a return visit – Iceland really gets under your skin. We feel like we barely scratched the surface. Appreciate your comment!
– Susan
What a spectacular country! Thanks for the teasers. Mark and I have only visited Reykjavik on a stopover and are hungry for more. We really hope to take our own camper there (maybe the next one?) for an extended period of discovery, one summer. Those waterfalls are amazing and those puffins super special and cute. Wow!
Thanks, Liesbet! I would LOVE to see you two make a camper trip around Iceland. As I mentioned before, we saw lots of folks doing just that. It seems like an economical way to see the island, especially if you can figure out how to bring your own camper. I’m thinking . . . Ship it over from Norway to the town of Seydisfjorder? Or ship it from Greenland? Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
I really can’t pick a favorite photo in this post. They all look equally beautiful and spectacular! I even like the look of the turf house museum, which was unfortunately closed when you went. And a rhino in Iceland! Sometimes, it takes a lot of imagination to find the connection between rock formations and their names. But this one I can clearly see the resemblance with the real animal.
Ha, we also saw the resemblance to the rhino right away! But sometimes it’s a much better stretch of the imagination 🙂 Thanks, Bama – all the best!
– Susan
Wow! You tawo don’t miss anything, do you! Cheers, Muriel
Ha, we’re doing our best to see it all!!! Thanks, Muriel.
I just read your previous post where you wrote about weather conditions, but these amazing photos do not reflect poor conditions. In fact, the lighting is perfect in all of them, as is clarity and composition. I give credit first to the photographer, of course, but I would also love to know what equipment you use and if you are editing. Thanks for sharing valuable trip information. I learned a lot from both posts. Iceland is on our bucket list and will happen within the next two years.
Hi Suzanne – thanks so much for reading and for leaving such a nice comment. I will have a look at your blog as well. 🙂 As I mentioned before, we got really lucky with the weather and had an unprecedented warm period with lots of sunshine. We also had our share of cold, rain, fog, and blowing snow. I think that’s the way it goes with Iceland – you never know what you’ll get.
For photography, we used only our iPhone 12 Pros. We just use the basic Apple editing tools, mostly just for cropping and brightening up. We tend to go easy on the color saturation (I hate photos that are oversaturated and don’t look natural). Another tool I really love is Apple’s new “cleanup” tool that allows you to automatically remove unwanted objects, such as cars or random people. I think it only works on the iPad and Mac computer, but not the phone. It’s really cool.
Best of luck as you plan your Iceland trip, and let us know if we can answer any questions!
– Susan
Thanks for answering my questions regarding your photos. They really are spectacular. I see an iPad in my future!
You’re very kind! I hope you have a fabulous time in Iceland.
Wow, what a lovely destination! Your post reminded me of our visit to Newfoundland, we were also so happy to be able to see puffins so close. And btw, we also had cod tongue!
I loved your pictures, they’re so breath-taking! Iceland is one of my top places I’d love to visit so I am saving this post for future reference 😊
Thanks so much, Liz! Hope you can visit Iceland soon. It’s fantastic.