Updated: 03/16/20 | March 16th, 2020
Last month, I finally went to Iceland. It wasn’t the impossible budget destination people made it out to be.
The locals were warm and welcoming, took me around, and showed me their homes. They were extremely hospitable, and I made a lot of Icelandic friends on my trip.
And, while locals make any destination better, what blew my mind was the magnificence of the natural landscape. It’s bewitching. You find yourself in a spellbound daze as you relocation from place to place, your eyes overloaded by all you’re seeing.
“How could such a tiny place have such a diverse and beautiful landscape?” you think to yourself as your jaw hurts from being open too much.
Over the course of 11 days, I wanted to scream from delight all over I went. The land is desolate, sparsely populated, and silent. That was the one thing I discovered — just how silent Iceland is.
There are no distractions, and I think that helps you form a deep connection with nature. You begin to feel its rhythm.
Today, I want to share 30 pictures from my trip in hopes of inspiring you to visit this country. I’m not the world’s best photographer, but it’s hard to take a bad picture in Iceland.
Sulfur pools at Hverir near Lake Myvatn in the north of Iceland. very otherworldly. If you’re traveling around the main road (the ring Road) this is a must-see place in the north.
The northern lights lighting the sky up green. This is my favorite picture of them. You can typically seem them from September to March (as long as it’s not cloudy).
Runoff from the geothermal plant near Myvatn.
Somewhere along the ring road that circles the country.
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, and its colorful houses. It’s one of the most colorful cities in Europe.
It’s a fun city with a lively nightlife. Be sure to spend at least a couple of days here!
Jökulsárlón ice lagoon in the southeast of Iceland. This ice flow is only a couple of decades old and one of the most popular attractions in the area. I delighted in just sitting down and listening to the ice blocks crash into each other on their way out to sea.
Best of all, it’s totally free to visit and there is lots of parking too. Be sure to walk along the narrow river that leads to the ocean. You can see smaller glaciers wash out to sea or end up on the beach.
Fjords on the eastern seaboard that could rival Norway.
Selfoss. Foss implies waterfall in Icelandic, and you’ll find a lot of waterfalls throughout the country.
UFO cloud. Pravda je tam vonku.
A enormous sulfur pool at Geysir. Geysir is a geyser that doesn’t erupt anymore. It was the first geyser known to Europeans and where the English word “geyser” originates from.
While Geysir is no longer active, the spot is still popular on the well-known golden Circle traveler trail outside Reykjavik thanks to another active geyser nearby called Strokkur.
Jökulsárlón ice lagoon in the southeast of Iceland. keep your eyes peeled for seals when you visit!
Mordor… I mean, some beautiful landscape on the way to Myvatn in the north.
The color contrast in this photo blows my mind.
Gulfoss! part of the golden Circle, this is one of the most significant waterfalls in Iceland. Its name implies “The golden Waterfall.” It was a really crappy day when I was there.
If you can, try to visit early before the crowds. lots of trip buses visit the golden Circle these days!
Looking onto the fjords.
Beautiful clouds above the severe sea on the eastern end of Iceland.
The road is long in Iceland but it always takes you where you want to go.
More northern lights. You can never get exhausted of these.
Dettifoss. This waterfall is located in the north near Selfoss and expected to be the most powerful waterfall in Europe. The road to get here is very bumpy so plan extra time and drive slow or you might get a flat tire.
Icelandic horses playing around. (Look at that long, flowing hair! I wish I had hair like that!)
On a rainy day driving through southern Iceland, we came across these enormous mountains covered in clouds. The photo doesn’t do the majesty justice but I still like it.
The backside of Seljalandsfoss. Out of all the pictures I took, this one is my favorite. I love the intermix of light, water, blue sky, and green here.
This is also one of the most popular waterfalls in the country. try to visit before 10am to beat the crowds!
A moss-covered lava field in southern Iceland.
Iceland is the land of rainbows, and I was lucky enough to find the end of one. (No pot of gold though. It should have been on the other end!)
Front side of Seljalandsfoss (rainbow included). You can actually walk behind the waterfall here, though you’ll likely get a little wet so make sure you have a raincoat.
Little pools and lava rocks near Settifoss.
If you’re a game of Thrones fan, you might recognize this cave as where Jon and Ygritte consummate their relationship. The water inJaskyňa je dostatočne teplá na to, aby plávala a bývala verejným bazénom.
Ďalším bazénom síry je Hverir. Páči sa mi kontrast medzi modrou vodou a červenou zemou.
Myvatn Nature Baths. Tichšie a lacnejšie ako známa modrá lagúna mimo Reykjavika. Vzal som tu sám viac ako hodinu.
Severné svetlá. Bolo to od začiatku noci, keď práve začali vyjsť. O nič menej krásne.
***
Počas môjho 11-dňového výletu sa mi podarilo vidieť iba zlomok Islandu, ale moja návšteva splnila moje vysoké očakávania.
Žiadna fotografia ani film, ktorý som videl, to neurobil spravodlivosť. Osobne to bolo ešte lepšie a dúfam, že tieto fotografie vás inšpirujú k premiestneniu Islandu do vášho zoznamu vedier.
Získajte rozsiahly rozpočtový sprievodca na Island!
Chcete naplánovať ideálny výlet na Island? Pozrite sa na môj rozsiahly sprievodca po Islande napísanom pre cestujúcich v rozpočte, ako ste vy! Vyrezáva chmýří nájdené v iných sprievodcoch a dostane sa priamo k užitočným informáciám, ktoré potrebujete. Nájdete navrhnuté itineráre, tipy, rozpočty, spôsoby, ako ušetriť peniaze, na vychodených cestách, ktoré treba vidieť a robiť, a moje obľúbené neoplnkové reštaurácie, trhy, bary, tipy na dopravu a oveľa viac! Kliknutím sem sa dozviete oveľa viac a získajte svoju kópiu ešte dnes.
Zarezervujte si cestu na Island: logistické návrhy a triky
Zarezervujte si svoj let
Na nájdenie lacného letu použite SkyScanner alebo Momondo. Sú to moje dva obľúbené vyhľadávacie nástroje, pretože vyhľadávajú stránky a letecké spoločnosti po celom svete, takže vždy viete, že žiadny kameň nezostane nezostáva. Začnite s Skyscannerom najskôr, pretože majú najvýznamnejší dosah!
Zarezervujte si ubytovanie
Svoju hostel si môžete rezervovať s Hostelworld, pretože majú najvýznamnejší inventár a najlepšie ponuky. Ak chcete zostať niekde inde ako v hosteli, použite Booking.com, pretože neustále vracia najdostupnejšie sadzby pre penzióny a lacné hotely. Moje obľúbené miesta na pobyt sú:
Hlemmur Square (Reykjavik)
KEX Hostel (Reykjavik)
Akureyri Backpackers (Akureyri)
Nezabudnite na cestovné poistenie
Cestovné poistenie vás chráni pred chorobami, zraneniami, krádežou a zrušením. Je to rozsiahla ochrana v prípade, že sa niečo pokazí. Nikdy som nešiel na výlet bez toho, pretože som ho v minulosti musel používať mnohokrát. Moje obľúbené spoločnosti, ktoré ponúkajú najlepšie služby a hodnotu, sú:
Bezpečnostné krídlo (pre všetkých pod 70)
Zaistite moju cestu (pre tých nad 70 rokov)
Medjet (pre ďalšie pokrytie repatriácie)
Hľadáte najlepšie spoločnosti, s ktorými ušetria peniaze?
Pozrite sa na moju stránku zdrojov, kde nájdete najlepšie spoločnosti, ktoré môžete použiť pri cestovaní. Uvádzam všetky tie, ktoré používam na ušetrite peniaze, keď som na ceste. Ušetrite vám peniaze, keď budete cestovať.
Chcete oveľa viac informácií o Islande?
Nezabudnite navštíviť nášho robustného cieľového sprievodcu na Islande, kde nájdete oveľa viac tipov na plánovanie!