Iceland

A week between whales and waterfalls

WHEN IS BEST TO TRAVEL TO PORTUGAL: a simple guide that gives a score from 1 to 5 to each month, where 5 is the best and 1 is the less recommended.

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I was lucky to visit this country in June 2019, Iceland is an absolute must visit to do, there is a sensational connection to nature, it is like being in a different planet, and the scenery is very beautiful and varies drastically from place to place. Iceland tourism has been growing rapidly in the last few years but it is definitely one of the most expensive countries to visit. 
Here you’ll find volcanoes, lava fields, glaciers, geysers, green fjords and the Northern Lights,  that are one of the main reasons to visit Iceland in winter, this place is blessed with all nature has to offer. On a clear night, you can see the Northern Lights throughout most of the country from late September to early April, but it’s important to remember that, as a natural phenomenon, seeing them is never a guarantee. One of the extraordinary things of this country is the hours of lights and dark. In early June each year, the sun rises just after 3am, and keeps on shining until just before midnight, allowing only a few hours of half darkness. The opposite will be in December when you will have only 5 hours of light.

There are two typical itineraries that you can do in Iceland, the south part up to the Jökulárlón Glacier and the north area from Reykjavík up to the Lake Mývatn, or if you have enough time (minimum 10 days to fully enjoy it) and enough money you can do a full all around the Island. 
This time I visited the north part, after landing in Reykjavík Airport, I went to visit the most famous geothermal spa, Blue Lagoon located in a lava field 40 minutes outside Reykjavík. It is a beautiful place and an amazing atmosphere, but in my personal view it’s way too expensive, around 100$ to go in.
The second day I started my journey towards the north of the Island, stopping by the Hraunfossar Waterfalls and Deildartunguhver hot spring (the most powerful hot spring in Europe). All warm water in Iceland is geothermal, it comes boiling hot, from the ground, and straight into people’s homes and hotels.
Hauganes was the last stop of the day where we enjoyed few hours of whales watching, beautiful.

The day after we started the day visiting the spectacular Godafoss Waterfall, one of the best in Iceland, you can walk along both sides of the waterfall and get great pictures, magnificent view.

Next stop Mývatn Nature Baths close to the Lake Myvatn, located in the heart of north-east Iceland about 105 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, it was so relaxing and the view of the valley was amazing. It is similar to the Blue Lagoon but half the price and less crowded! 

Not far from the Lake Myvatn, you need to visit the Hverir geothermal area, one of the most out-of-this-world sites on the island, it’ s a place where you feel connected to the power of the planet. At the foot of the Namafjall volcanic mountain, there is Hverir, a unique wasteland in which pools of boiling mud, hot springs, look like a Mars scenery. The view with hot air craters, smoking rock crevices, bubbling mud puddles is striking, the smell is not the best though.

The most northeast part of the island that I visited was the Dettifoss Waterfall, the biggest in volume of any waterfall in Europe, it is 45 meter high and 100 meter wide, so much water!

On the way back to Reykjavík we did a quick stop for a hike on the Grabrok crater, I really recommend it, very nice view from the top.
In may last day in Iceland we visited the famous Golden circle, on the south-east, where you can visit the Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Geothermal area and the Thingvellir National Park, really good spot but way too touristic. In the north of the island there are less tourists, and you still get to see all Iceland can offer.

Here you can find my Iceland itinerary in more details

Hverir Geothermal Area
Hauganes Whale Watching
Grabrok crater
Blue Lagoon

Explore more about Iceland

Mývatn Nature Baths

Located in the North Point of the Island, with a stunning view of the valley, much more pleasant and relaxing than the very commercial Blue Lagoon

Geysir Hot Spring Area

One of the favorite stop along the Golden Circle is the highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers and the lively Strokkur which spouts water 30 metres (100 ft) into the air every few minutes

Dettifoss waterfall

Located in Vatnajökull National Park in Northeast Iceland, and reputed to be the most powerful and largest waterfall in Europe

Glacier Boat Tours

A boat excursion on the spectacular Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. During the excursion you will sail amongst the huge icebergs. You will get a close look at the 1,000 year old ice and if you are lucky you might even see some seals.

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