20 Icelandic adventures
Iceland is one of the most remarkable landscapes on the planet – but what to do while you’re there? And where to start? Experience geysers, lagoons, whales and volcanoes. Lots of volcanoes…
Reykjavik and the South West
East of the cool capital lie the hotspots of Geysir, Gullfoss Falls and Pingvellir National Park. The Blue Lagoon revives tired limbs and leads to the surf-lashed Reykjanes coast and lighthouses. Further east rumbles Hverageroi’s geothermal hinterland
1. Dive into the Golden Circle
Take a deep breath, steady your nerves and plunge down the the water-filled fault line at Silfra. Once acclimatised to the utterly surreal visibility delve deeper to the lake bed, stretching out your arms to become a living link between America and Europe.
Next stop should be the the confection of lava tunnels known as the Gjabakkahellir lava caves, in some places stacked three deep and as much as a kilometre long.
There’s one place in Iceland where the adventurer and the city explorer meet, and that’s its most famous tourist attraction, near to Reykjavík, and an apt end point on the Golden Circle tour – the Blue Lagoon. Here Icelanders have created a cool environment in a cold climate, a world-class natural spa on a lunar landscape.
Get started: You will need a PADI Open Water qualification to dive at Silfra, but snorkellers are free to swim between the continents, a similarly enchanting experience.
How tough? Easy – if you’ve got the nerve to dive…
2. Join the Rúntur in Reykjavík
How tough? It’s mostly good-humoured but watch out for flying bottles…
Get started: Head to Reykjavík’s city centre; other towns have their own versions. For the festival see www.icelandairwaves.is.
