top 10 things to do in iceland
there are few places in the world that leave me longing for more. iceland is one of those places. it is clean, quiet & otherworldly. i’m still daydreaming of my family’s cross country adventure last summer. iceland is equal parts arctic tundra & lush wilderness. the capital is a bustling hub, but also a charming small town. i really can’t compare it to another place to help you visualize what you’ll experience if you go. all i know is that i want to go back - soon. so, here’s a list of my top ten must-do’s:
1. soak in the blue lagoon - i put this at the top of the list because everyone should experience a geothermal spa at least once in their life. it was an incredible feat of nature. cerulean blue waters meet black lava rock shores. i was speechless. and my skin has never felt so good. i hardly wore any makeup the whole trip because i didn’t want to lose how great my skin felt after the lagoon. the blue lagoon also features a spa, restaurants and a luxury hotel. your tickets will even get you a complementary drink in the lagoon!
2. rent a car and hit the (only) road - iceland is super easy to navigate. route 1 will take you around the entire circumference of the island. i can’t emphasize this enough - if you have the time, explore the country. you’ll find landscapes you didn’t know existed! however, if you don’t have enough time to travel the whole island, try the golden circle. it’s a series of beautiful stops about an hour & a half from reykjavik, and a very doable day trip. driving a rental car gives you the ability to leisurely explore what you want. plus, no one wants to be stuck on a bus or with a tour group! and you won’t have to worry about getting lost, because most rental companies ask if you’d like a gps with your car. following the lead of my directionally proficient father, we just used a good old-fashioned map to get around.
3. take to the ocean & go whale watching - iceland is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. seeing a humpback breech the water was scary & intimidating but so fascinating! and i will never forget that as long as i live. the summer is the best time to catch the world’s largest animal. we booked our excursion with ambassador whale watching in akureyri, the “capital in the north.” our guide was a marine biologist who taught us everything about local ecosystem. but whales aren’t the only animal you’ll find - we saw puffins on our trip too!
4. explore glaciers - glaciers cover more than 10% of iceland & while that doesn’t seem like a lot, iceland is home to the largest icecap (by volume) in europe, vatnajokull. it covers over 3,000 square miles, or almost 2 million acres. if you’re willing to head off the beaten path (which is often in iceland) you can get up close to the glacier to hear it move and shift ever so slowly. stick around long enough and ice sheets will break off and drift out to sea. if you’re a fan of game of thrones, they shot some scenes at vatnajokull (unfortunately, jon snow was nowhere to be found.)
5. eat local cuisine - this may be a no-brainer to some, but for me, i was out of my comfort zone. there’s not a mcdonald’s in the entire country!!!!!!! (tragic, i know) it was actually refreshing though because there were hardly any chain restaurants. my favorite thing to eat was, skyr, which is honestly a bit of an enigma - is it a yogurt? a dessert? a cheese? i didn’t know & i didn’t care! all i know is it’s eaten for breakfast, lunch & dinner & i loved it. iceland is known for its fresh fish and free-range, grass-fed lamb (which has ‘roamed free since 874’). my bolder brothers ventured to try whale & shark, and i think they could go their whole life without eating it again. disclaimer: not for the faint of hearts (or tastebuds).
6. chase waterfalls - iceland is the land of waterfalls, at more than 10,000 scattering the countryside. we must have visited at least 25 over the course of our trip, constantly pulling over to bask in the greatness of nature. gullfoss is on the ring road & is truly herculean in size. you can get up close to this one and feel the mist from the falls. godafoss is a breathtaking waterfall in the northern part of the country. local legend says that after christianity was made the official religion of iceland, a lawmaker threw norse statues into the waterfall, dubbing it the waterfall of the gods. if you want to really get up close and personal, visit seljalandsfoss, because you can walk right behind the falls to experience all its glory. the 200 foot waterfall has become largely popular thanks to justin bieber’s music video, “i’ll show you.” (but please be a responsible tourist & respect the environment.)
7. shop local - because it’s an island in the middle of the northern atlantic ocean & chaotic arctic ocean, it’s not the easiest to import materials & supplies. but that doesn’t mean there’s a lack of goods. it’s actually quite the opposite. iceland is the king of sustainability! you’ll find handcrafted, homemade & artisan goods that have the finest quality & authenticity. even though it can get a little pricey, make in investment in a nice wool sweater. icelandic wool makes some of the warmest clothes i’ve ever worn. there’re quaint storefronts in every alleyway in every city. in reykjavik, i found really cool earrings made from the black sand beaches that dot the southern coast. can’t find that stuff in a walmart!
8. enjoy black sand beaches - speaking of black sand beaches, you must check one out if you want to see something truly magical. these beaches are remnants of basalt lava that used to cover the land. diamond beach is well known because chunks of ice liter the black sand and resemble diamonds, sparkling on the shore. it’s also just pretty strange to be on a beach in a winter jacket!
9. say a prayer at hallgrímskirkja - i don’t know what it is about churches but my family always ends up finding the oldest & most beautiful churches on our travels. there’s just something comforting about walking into a solemn church. hallgrímskirkja, standing proud in the center of reykjavik, is the largest church in iceland + one of the largest buildings in the country. there’s a statue of leif erikson in front of the church that was given to iceland by the u.s. to celebrate the country’s 1,000 year anniversary of the first parliament.
10. take a hike - you’ll be in for a workout. iceland’s terrain is no joke. one second you could be hiking around a dormant volcano (i recommend) & the next you could be walking out in the middle of nowhere to see an abandoned plane wreck (also recommend). make sure to bring a water bottle (or two) for the hike to the airplane, it’ll take you two hours! you can’t even see the plane until you’re about a thousand feet away! you won’t regret exploring the wreck.
p.s. - i’m sad i didn’t get to go during peak season to see the northern lights because that would most certainly make the cut for the top 10! (FYI: peak season is september - march because the nights are so long.)
have you been to iceland? what’s your favorite spot?