Iceland - Fire, Ice, and Everything In Between

After a sweltering morning in Amsterdam, we traded 30°C heat for a sunny yet brisk 14° in Reykjavík - a welcome shock to the system. Andrius picked us up from the airport, and after a quick fish & chips refuel, we got our first taste of Iceland’s wild side: driving through recently evacuated Grindavík with still-warm lava fields, past the steaming sulfur pools of Seltún and the serene Kleifarvatn lake. None of it on the standard tourist route, and all the more special for it.

The next day: a waterfall marathon along Iceland’s southern coast! 😍 From Urridafoss to the famous Seljalandsfoss - where we walked behind the roaring curtain of water - to Skógafoss and the glacier lagoon of Sólheimajökull, the day was packed with drama. At Dyrhólaey cliffs we hit the jackpot, spotting puffins up close before continuing to Reynisfjara’s black beach with its surreal basalt columns. Crowds were heavier than I remembered from 2011, stretching the day longer than planned, but the scenery was just as breathtaking. We skipped the hot river hike, grabbed burgers, and rolled back to Reykjavík late and tired but happy.

Next morning was bucket-list time: scuba diving between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates at Silfra 🤿. The 4°C water and clunky dry suit weren’t exactly comfortable, but touching both plates while floating in crystal-clear 100m visibility was unreal. Afterwards we explored Þingvellir National Park, geysers, and the Kerið crater before the rain caught us and we swapped hiking boots for the Perlan museum - lava and aurora shows, an ice cave, and city views from the observatory - followed by pizza and G&Ts at Andrius’. 

Heading north the next day, we took our time: more waterfalls (obviously), a crater, a rock shaped like a horse, and finally a hot spring by the ocean - pure bliss in 17°C sunshine. The landscape shifted from volcanic to green fjords as we drove into Akureyri, where an Icelandic lamb dinner wrapped up the day (though a speeding fine slightly dampened the mood 😅).

We slept in after a failed Northern Lights chase and a few tragic rounds of UNO, then greeted some Icelandic horses outside our Airbnb. The weather held, and off we went to Húsavík, Iceland’s whale-watching capital near the Arctic Circle. The puffins had already migrated, but we spotted minke whales, a lone humpback, and finally a pod of Northern bottlenose whales hanging near the surface - magic. 🐋 Afterwards, we continued northeast to the remote Arctic Henge, Iceland’s quirky answer to Stonehenge, before a rainy walk in Ásbyrgi canyon and ramen in Húsavík to warm up. 

Our final full day took us through the otherworldly Myvatn area: the vast Hverfjall crater, Hverir’s steaming mud pools, and swarms of tiny flies testing our patience. At Dettifoss, Europe’s second most powerful waterfall, fog and crowds couldn’t dull the thunderous force of water. One last stop at Godafoss - fittingly “the waterfall of the gods” - and a sunset drive back to Reykjavík closed the loop on our 5-hour return. 

What a week - a kaleidoscope of fire and ice, glaciers and geysers, fjords and puffins. Iceland remains one of the most stunning places I’ve ever seen, though mass tourism has clearly taken hold. Still, the wild beauty wins every time. Takk fyrir, Ísland - until next time. 🇮🇸🫶🏼