Sightseeing Spectaculars
Mother Nature’s special effects department

RUGGED AND MOSS-GROWN lava fields greet visitors arriving at Keflavik International Airport and spread right across the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula. Geothermal activity is also very much in evidence, especially at the Blue Lagoon, a bathing spot in the lava field by a geothermal power station. Coupled with its interesting shores, bird life and whale watching opportunities, southwest Iceland makes an ideal place for a day tour from Reykjavik.

South Iceland offers a variety of day tours from the capital too, and its “Golden Circle” is a real must for sightseers. Its centerpiece is Thingvellir, where settlers established an assembly in AD930 which has evolved into the world’s oldest parliament today. Thingvellir is also a masterpiece of nature, with a scenic lake and rifts which mark where the continental plates of America and Eurasia meet.

Other Golden Circle highlights include Gullfoss, the “Golden Falls”, a mighty two-tier waterfall on the river Hvita, and the geothermal fields of Geysir, where the spouting spring Strokkur erupts every five minutes or so - as it happens, the “old faithful”.

The forces of nature in south Iceland have shaped not only the land but man’s life too. Off the south coast, the Westman Islands were evacuated in 1973 because of volcanic activity - but the inhabitants soon went back. Killer whale Keiko also left stardom in the “Free Willy” movies to go back there to his native haunts.

History is everywhere in south Iceland, too, spanning the whole range from the Saga Age farm at Stong to the old bishop’s seat of Skalholt and the regional folk museum at Skogar.

Raw nature within easy reach
For a taste of the interior, two gems of nature on the southern rim of the highlands are among Iceland’s most popular summer outdoor spots. Thorsmork is a hikers’ paradise with woods and grass nestling among mountains and glaciers. It is divided into three separate areas, one of which can be reached by car but the other two only by driving through the river in very large vehicles. Newcomers should never attempt crossing on their own.

Landmannalaugar is a hotbed of geothermal activity, famed for its springs where travelers bathe, and for the riotous colors of its landscape. Landmannalaugar can be reached by car, but care should be taken along the uneven road. Regular buses operate to both Thorsmork and Landmannalaugar in the summer.

Another treasure bordering the south Iceland interior is the Lakagigar crater series, which produced the largest lava flow ever witnessed in the world, during the Skaftar eruptions of 1783.

The Wild West
West Iceland, easily reachable from Reykjavik through a four-mile tunnel under Hvalfjordur fjord, is a showcase of lava formations, geothermal activity and history. Woodlands and waterfalls are relatively common, and there are fine lakes and rivers for fishing.

On Snaefellsnes peninsula, amazing works of nature adorn the landscape, culminating in the glittering glacial cap of Snaefellsjokull, atop a crater which provided Jules Verne with the setting for Journey to the Center of the Earth. The shore abounds in bizarre rock formations and bird life, and a number of towns snuggle in bays on its north coast. From the largest town, Stykkisholmur, travelers can take cruises or a ferry across Breidafjordur Bay with its “countless islands.” The ferry calls at Flatey Island with period-piece houses that testify to its old status as a major cultural center.

The Westfjords are typified by sheer mountains rising from the sea and deep fjords with occasional fishing villages snuggling against the slender seaboard. Isafjordur, the main town, is a scene for plenty of social and cultural activities, a starting-point for many tours.

In the Westfjords, land meets sea in the most dramatic terms imaginable, for example at the sheer cliff of Latrabjarg, the westernmost point of Europe and one of the biggest seabird colonies in the world. Yet the region springs its surprises too - Hornstrandir nature reserve is not only breathtaking in its rawness but also astonishingly rich in vegetation on the rim of the inhabitable world.