September 2015

Writing about Iceland is immensely challenging as no matter how expressive the words are or how fascinating the pictures are, it is almost impossible to do justice to what this paradise has to offer. Regardless, here I am trying to give it my best shot.

Isn’t it a nice view to fall asleep to :-)… Jokulsarlon Glacial Lake

My recent trips were within the Asian sub-continent (most recently Bhutan) and it had been quite some time since I had traveled to one of the western countries. So began the phase of deciding which country to visit. I had nearly decided to do a 3 week trip to Austria and neighboring countries but then a friend suggested Iceland. And once I got to know Iceland a little, it was Iceland all the way. In addition to it being called the land of fire and ice, I would say it is the land of rainbows and waterfalls. You close your eyes for a few minutes while in the car and you are sure to miss one or the other in a picture perfect setting just along the road :).

Somewhere in Icelandic Countryside

Before you plan a trip to Iceland, keep in mind what are you looking for from the trip. Go in June-July if you want daylight for around 20 hours (will let you drive around for more time each day but most certainly will kill your chances to see the Northern Lights). Everything is at its most expensive during this time. As you move towards the shoulder season, the prices of hotels and car rentals come down substantially and so does the temperature.

I flew Lufthansa to reach Reykjavik (pronounced Reykyavik) via Frankfurt and I liked their in-flight service. Iceland’s airline is called Icelandair. A lot of airlines fly to Iceland during the summers but some airlines discontinue their flights in the shoulder and off-peak season.

The view of the coast just before landing at Reykjavik was delightful. The feeling of landing on a landmass so far up north and so close to the Arctic was simply exhilarating.

Icelandic Coast close to landing

Iceland is a country where you should hire a car and head out. I was lucky to meet a friend in Iceland which made the trip even more fun. We drove the complete circle along the Ring Road with some diversions in between (in all ~1500Kms) in 6 days.

Northern Lights is one of the topmost attractions of Iceland. A lot of my misconceptions were cleared about them. Human eyes cannot see the relatively faint colors of the aurora at night. To the naked eye, it appears gray and white. But with a decent camera (capable of clicking pictures with high exposure settings) and a tripod, you can see colors like pink, blue, green, etc. We were extremely lucky to see the aurora 3 nights out of 8. It needs clear sky, cold conditions and luck to see this natural phenomena. On one of the nights, it was so bright that we could see light shades of green with our naked eyes. Unfortunately I didn’t have the photography skills required to capture the aurora in my camera (I am learning those right now :)). It was my dream to experience the ‘Aurora Borealis’ and Iceland did not disappoint me.

Strokkur Geysir, Southwest Iceland (Erupts to heights of 15-40m)

Sulphur springs at Namaskard

Myvatn Crater Lake, near Akureyri, North Iceland

Green Lagoon Geothermal Spa, Myvatn

Basalt Rock Columns, Vik, South Iceland

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

I was in for a visual treat while driving with spectacular double rainbows and meandering step waterfalls after every few minutes. In fact I came across them so often that after a couple of days, they seemed to have lost their charm (if that is even possible :)).

Seljalandsfoss, South Iceland (one can go behind the waterfall)

Iceland is definitely more expensive than some of the other European destinations, takes more time to reach, may have harsh weather (depending on when you visit) but once you overcome these factors, you will get to see mind-blowing landscape, incredible natural phenomena, startling terrain and erratic weather (there’s a saying in Iceland – “If you don’t like the weather, wait for 5 minutes”).

Let’s just say if you are someone who wants to get close to nature or need some solitude, Iceland is the place to be. And if you are still unconvinced about how amazing this small country is, then scroll down and decide for yourself.

Hverfjall Crater, Myvatn

6 days were too less for Iceland. I wish to come back to this place to explore the central highlands, trek the volcanic mountains, camp in the countryside, see puffins and of course to take back my heart which I left in this dreamy country.

With love, from Iceland 🙂

P.S. Thanks to my friend for the contribution towards the pictures.