There’s really nothing left to say but the hype about this place is for real. Iceland has it all when it comes to looking for a travel destination. The scenery, the culture, the nightlife, the people, and the food and drinks are amazing. There is a reason why so many production companies are deciding to film here. Game of Thrones, Prometheus, Oblivion, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty are just some examples. If you are the outdoorsy type then this is your vacation paradise. The stunning waterfalls and large number of active volcanoes have really made their impression on the land. The unique landscapes and geography make for incredible hiking, camping trips, off-roading, cycling, and horseback riding. Some of the areas really look like a different planet. If you’re into the high-end boutique hotels looking to get pampered and relax or on a budget and backpack and go the hostel route, Iceland is extremely tourist dependent and caters to all!
I must say, I really didn’t know much about Iceland until about 2008 when the economic crisis occurred worldwide and that Iceland was one of the few nation states hit hardest. Most of the literature I read on Iceland was primarily on their financial system and nothing about its people. Other than being a really cold place and having a Viking past I didn’t realize how unique Iceland was. The only other time I heard about Iceland was when Eyjafjalljokull erupted in 2010 and sent volcanic ash into the air and disrupting most transatlantic and European flights for weeks.
The perfect time to visit Iceland is anytime! As I mentioned before there is plenty of outdoor activities to do. Iceland has the geography to support all types of extreme activities. Originally, I was planning to go in the summer so I could rent a car and do an entire loop of the country visiting every major waterfall and landmark but there was something else that caught my attention. When researching places to visit in Iceland the Northern Lights and ice caves kept sticking with me. Once I saw those images I knew that is what I wanted to photograph. So I booked my trip and arrived in Feb 2015.
The first thing I noticed when I flew in to the capital, Reyjavik, was how well the infrastructure was in place and how friendly the people were. If you’re a solo traveler, female, or have general safety concerns about bringing your family, this is a very low crime risk country. I ended up spending 4 days in the capital and did a lot of walking around downtown and throughout my time I never noticed a police officer! I’ve been to a number of capitals in the world and the one thing you see consistently is a visible law enforcement presence. Not so much in Iceland, I asked my tour guide about my observation and she told me that they don’t have serious crimes and the police are rarely called from their office thus not needing to go on patrol. On the way back to my hostel my tour guide told me this story how years ago, a prisoner from the country’s only prison, managed to escape and get hold of a gun. The escaped prisoner then proceeded to force himself in to a family’s home and demand that he get served a home cooked meal since that was his motive for breaking out. The family agreed to cook for him on the condition that he leave the gun outside and he did. After he ate his meal, the police were notified and returned him back to prison without incident! Real or an urban legend, its still a good story regardless.
The first must see places to see in Iceland is something called The Golden Circle. Every Icelandic tourist site on the web will mention this. These are comprised of three sites located in southern Iceland no too far from Reykjavik and consist of Strokkur geyser, Thingvellir National Park, and Gullfoss waterfall.
Strokkur geyser is the Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful geyser equivalent due to its famed consistency. Strokkur erupts roughly every 10 minutes compared to Old Faithful’s 30 min-2 hours. Thingvellir is a very special place in that it is designated an UNESCO World heritage site due to its social history and geographical features. What also stands out about this area is that you can see where the American and Eurasian plates meet. This is one of the rare areas you can witness the tectonic plates move apart from each other (about 2 centimeters per year). There is a nice a trail where you can step foot in one continent and then hop over to the next! The amazing thing to do if you’re the adventurous type is to go to nearby Lakes Silfra and Daviosgja and snorkel/dive in the fissure. There were only two things stopping me from doing this: I’m not certified to dive and it was the middle of the winter! It’s very easy to plan a day trip for this and I do plan to return to do this in the future. Gullfoss is a mighty 3-tiered waterfall that has a slight curve. Enjoy a quick bite at a nearby café and enjoy the view. Afterwards, take a little trail that leads you to a fork that will give you a higher elevated view or a lower elevated view that gets you up closer. The lower trail was closed in the winter and was a safety hazard. Even though I spent most of the time on the higher trail you could still hear the power of nature and feel the vibrations of the water roaring past you.
Since I only had a short time in Iceland I stayed mostly in the south. Luckily, quite a few of the iconic landmarks I wanted to photograph were on the way to the ice caves in Suourlands. One of the things you’ll notice once you leave Reykjavic is the amount of horses you see grazing. Icelandic people love their horses and have a long history with them! The amount of regulation regarding their breed is strict. To keep the species pure, no other types of horses are allowed in the country and if a local horse is transported away to take part in a race or a show, it is never permitted to return! My tour guide told me that there is an Icelandic horse for every three citizens. The temperament of this breed is very tame and completely friendly. I had originally booked to do a daylong horse ride but a blizzard strolled in and cancelled my plans.
So one of the many natural wonders Iceland has to offer are their waterfalls. One of the famous waterfalls along my path was Seljalandfoss. What makes this waterfall quite unique its one of the few where there is a substantial path behind it freeing you from the downpour. I was hoping to get a few photographs from behind the waterfall with the sunset in the background but this was winter and the trail was too icy and slippery and had to be closed. The other waterfall along my path was Skogafoss. This is the waterfall shown briefly in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty when Ben Stiller’s character was trying to find Sean Pean’s character. There is a small trail to the right that allows you to get to the very top and get a beautiful view of the entire area. There are plenty of places to camp next to these waterfalls too.
The main purpose of my Iceland trip was to photograph an ice cave. The images I researched completely inspired me. As a photographer, I’m always on the lookout for the astonishing and appreciating what nature has to offer. I got my wish and my local guide took us near the Vatnajokull glacier. The way to describe being in an ice cave is complete sensory overload and bewilderment. The cave was really large and the walls and ceiling were unreal. Luckily, there was just a small group so it was easy to take photos without people getting in the way to mess up a shot. Although the accessible area to visit was just about 150 yards it was hard to move in the sense that you didn’t want to. Aside from the cold and chilly wind, once you see something that spectacular, you don’t want to move and give up that spectacular image. Yet it seemed that every step I took it got more and more amazing!
As I mentioned before, there’s plenty of outdoor activities that Iceland offers year round. Luckily, I had the afternoon free after shooting the ice cave and a small group staying at my hotel were interested in going on a snowmobile. I had never gone before and we had the minimum amount of people so off we went near Austurland. There is no better feeling than riding in untouched snow and aside from the motor, hearing nothing but silence. The serenity is poignant. Being out there is almost scary in the sense that it is so isolated that you are forced to hear your own thoughts.
I also took a day trip to hike Myrdalsjokull glacier. Having lived in Southern California most of my life I’ve rarely had the opportunity to be in this type of cold climate so I wanted to do this. Due to the volcanic activity, a substantial area is covered in black volcanic ash. Many of the beaches in the south are covered with it. Wearing a crampon and holding a pick ax made the experience even better although I think the pick ax they offered us was just for show. The other reason why I wanted to do this glacier hike was because this was the area where they filmed many of the scenes from Season 2 of Game of Thrones. I learned from my tour guide that a lot of the ice was a dark blue and that’s how they can determine the age of the water. The lighter the ice, the younger it is, the darker the ice, the older it is.
One of the odder things I did in Iceland was go down a volcano tube. This was another new adventure to me and just a quick half day trip. Once you put on the hard hat and turn on your headlamp you go down the shaft in plunge into complete darkness. Seeing the formations and patterns on the wall and ceiling is fun.
My only disappointment with my time in Iceland was the weather. One of my main goals was to photograph the northern lights and the weather would just not cooperate with me. The nights I had set aside for shooting had too much overcast and poor visibility. At least I have another reason to go back now.
Aside from the very friendly people and fun nightlife that Reykjavik has to offer, one of the best things to experience is the food and drinks. I’m a huge fan of travel shows such as Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern and Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations/Parts Unknown and believe that you are at your best when you get out of your comfort zone. I also believe this principle applies to the culinary world and anyone who travels to a new and foreign land just to eat fast food or something familiar is really missing out on the travel experience. Due to Iceland’s Viking history, dishes heavy in meats is expected. I decided to go all out and try things I just couldn’t get back home in California. For example, I ate Minke whale tataki, puffin, Icelandic horse filet, and kangaroo.
There is one specialty dish I recommend everyone should try if they visit Iceland. In the downtown area next to Hallgrimskirkja Lutheran church on top of the hill is a placed called Café Loki. They serve many traditional Icelandic dishes and it gives you an idea of how to eat the “old school Viking way”. I suggest the Icelandic Braveheart on the menu. The meal comes with rye bread and butter, flatbread, a shot of Brennivins aka The Black Death, and fermented shark! The first two items are what you’d expect. The third item is a nice schnapps and quite pleasant. The last item, the rotten shark, is quite possibly the second worst thing I’ve ever had. I can only describe it has having and old pair of gym shoes and burying it out in your backyard and coming back a year later to dig it up and putting it on your plate. It’s worse than vomit. I recommend eating the first two items first and then eat the rotten shark and use the Brennivins as a chaser. I got a local beer as a back up chaser too. Apparently, a long time ago when settlers arrived to Iceland and food was scarce, someone realized that shark meat was edible once it decomposed enough to get the uric acid out of the flesh. Eat this so you can say you eat this to your friends and family! I did have one culinary regret on my trip. I had wanted to eat singed and boiled sheep head but didn’t make a complete effort to do it. It sounds exactly as it’s described.
I hope my trip and experience has inspired you to visit this amazing land. Iceland is steadily recovering from their financial crisis and their tourism industry has been a major factor why. Like most Scandinavian countries, Iceland has high tax rates and may be a shock to those not used to countries with a Value Added Tax. Due to the Iceland’s tourism popularity, Icelandic Air offers a few days layover free of charge for those doing transatlantic trips. Take advantage of this even if it’s just for a short time.
Happy traveling.
