ICELAND

If you’re pondering over where to take your next vacation, you should definitely keep Iceland in mind.
Don’t brush off the idea of visiting there just because it’s way up near the top of the world, almost at the
Arctic Circle. The name itself conjures up an image of a land of imposing ice formations, and while that
isn’t too far off, Iceland is more than just arctic temps and shining glaciers. While its dramatic,
otherworldly natural wonders, especially the northern lights, are nothing short of magical,
there are many more reasons you’ll be enchanted on a visit to Iceland.

Iceland is home to plenty of fantastic mountain ranges that could keep any hiker occupied for a
lifetime. Climb up to the top for breathtaking views or enjoy the scenery from the bottom.
Either way, you’re bound to be astounded. Steaming geysers, drifting icebergs, black lava
beaches, erupting volcanoes — you’ll find them all in Iceland. The country has more than 4,500
square miles of glacier, so you can’t visit without walking on ice in some way.

Iceland is one of the best places in the world to witness the wonder that is the northern lights. If
you’re lucky, you’ll catch the mystical green lights dancing in the sky on a cold, clear winter
night.

Resting on the edge of the Arctic Circle and sitting atop one of the world’s most volcanically
active hot spots, Iceland is an inspiring mix of magisterial glaciers, bubbling hot springs and
rugged fjords, where activities such as hiking under the Midnight Sun are complemented by
healthy doses of history and literature.

Iceland is a place where nature reigns supreme. Aside from the modern and cosmopolitan
capital, Reykjavík, population centres are small, with diminutive towns, fishing villages, farms
and minute hamlets clustered along the coastal fringes. The Interior, meanwhile, remains
totally uninhabited and unmarked by humanity: a starkly beautiful wilderness of ice fields,
windswept upland plateaux, infertile lava and ash deserts and the frigid vastness of Vatnajökull,
Europe’s largest glacier. Iceland’s location on the Mid-Atlantic ridge also gives it one of the
most volcanically active landscapes on Earth, peppered with everything from naturally
occurring hot springs, scaldingly hot bubbling mud pools and noisy steam vents to a string of
unpredictably violent volcanoes, which have regularly devastated huge parts of the country. It’s
something that Icelanders have learned to live with: in 2010, when Eyjafjallajökull erupted and
caused havoc across Europe, people here just shrugged and smiled.

Historically, the Icelanders have a mix of Nordic and Celtic blood, a heritage often held
responsible for their characteristically laid-back approach to life. The battle for survival against
the elements over the centuries has also made them a highly self-reliant nation, whose former
dependence on the sea and fishing for their economy was virtually total. Their isolated location
in the North Atlantic also means that their island is frequently forgotten about – Icelanders will
tell you that they’ve given up counting how many times they’ve been left off maps of Europe –
something that deeply offends their strong sense of national pride. For all their self-confidence,
though, Icelanders can initially seem reserved. Only when you have come to spend some time
with them, you will discover how friendly, open-minded and warm they can be.