Travel
From speeding over black sand beaches to walking behind waterfalls, descending into volcanoes, hiking on glaciers or driving across the wild Highlands: read about our Iceland travels within.
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The Legends Of The Outlaws: Afraid Of The Men Of The Mountains
For decades, Icelandic farmers feared the men of the mountains. One of the best known of all Icelandic folk songs is “Á Sprengisandi,” by Grímur Thomsen. Therein, a rider dashes across the rocky desert of the title, pursued by increasingly outlandish creatures…
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There Can Be Only One: Iceland’s Highlands In Thoughts & Pictures
The vast, desolate highlands of Iceland are the largest area of uninhabited and largely undisturbed nature in Europe. They sit in the centre of the country, extending over much of the island’s landmass, towering above the shelf of land that forms most…
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Surf’s Up In Iceland – VIDEO
As hard as it may be to believe, there is actually a history of surfing in Iceland, albeit a fairly recent one. As Icelandic surfer Steinar explains in this, the 4th installment of the Iceland Is Weird But So Great video series,…
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Search And Rescue With Tom Cruise
Most Reykvíkingar tend to think that being born outside of the capital is some terrible accident that needs to be corrected as soon as possible, and in fact the last hundred years saw a mass migration to the big city, with new…
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One Does Not Simply Drive Into Mordor: A Trip To Askja
We were sitting in a random parking lot in Egilsstaðir when my travelmate and I realised we had to think of a plan. From the start of our road trip around Iceland, we’d had our hearts set on the remote and beautiful…
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Slumbering Volcanoes In Iceland
“No one can predict where, or with what force, an eruption might commence.” Currently, some of the 30 volcanic systems in Iceland, most of them with a large central volcano, show signs of unrest. It is ever thus, but a greater or…
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Keilir: The Cone
Elevation: 378 m Ascent time: 1.5-2.5 hrs Length: 3.5 km Map: 27 Elevation difference: 280 m One of the first sights that greets a visitor to Iceland is a cone-shaped mountain a few kilometres east of the main road from Keflavík to…
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Hestskarðshnjúkur: Unique Fjord Scenery
Elevation: 855 m Ascent time: 1.5-2.5 hrs Length: 2-2.5 km Map: 61 Elevation difference: 735 m The mountain The pretty triangle-shaped summit opposite a small fjord from the picturesque town of Siglufjörður is not a common climb, but it is a fine…
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Hafnarfjall: Fun climb at the highway
Elevation: 844m Ascent time:. 2.5-3 hrs Length: 6-7km Map: 26 Elevation difference: 800m The mountain A cluster of peaks rises to over 800 metres west of the Skarðsheiði massif and close to the town of Borgarnes (www.borgarbyggd.is). Iceland’s Ring Road skirts the…
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Meanwhile, In Hafnarfjörður: One Of Reykjavík’s Neighbouring Towns
To most people who visit Iceland, the town of Hafnarfjörður is a suburb on the way to Reykjavík, or “that bit where the city starts.” As seen from the Flybus window, the main drag consists mostly of a working harbour, a viking-themed…
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The Five Gaits Of Horsepower: A Trip To Fákasel Horse Park
A glorious, wise and spiritual creature stands calmly in the stable. His eyes are focused, his carbon-black fur is shining under a bright light, and his posture is perfect. After being properly washed, brushed and pampered like a real star, this beautiful…
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Welcome To Nowhere: An Escape Into The Icelandic Highlands
Kjölur is a long, dusty trail that winds its way through the high plains of Iceland’s western highlands. It’s a swerving route that carves through vast swathes of rough, rolling desert. Just ten minutes after passing Gullfoss, civilisation already feels far away—a…
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South By Southwest: Nature, Culture And Fine Dining In The Westman Islands
Iceland seems fantastical so much of the time. Travelling around the country, I’m always reminded of novels and films of lands that aren’t based in reality. Just when you think you’ve seen the most magnificent landscape imaginable, you’ll stumble upon something even…
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Of Ice And Men: Powering Through Þórsmörk
Super jeeps are a common sight in Iceland. These monstruous souped-up all-terrain vehicles sit dotted around the parking spaces of downtown, sticking out above the normal road cars and jutting across the kerbs. They’re a heavy-duty breed of 4x4s that have been…
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No Way In Hell Is This Country On Planet Earth
Having heard horrifying (yet somewhat amusing) stories about tourists getting stuck in the mountains in their little VW Beetles, my friends and I decided to rent a four-wheel drive for a road trip on a recent summer’s day. We packed up some…
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Searching For Bobby Fischer In Selfoss
Within minutes of entering Selfoss, Hrefna and I are lost. “I think we were supposed to take the other exit,” I say, but there are trucks riding our ass and before we know it we’re on the outskirts of town. To people…
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Street Art Came To Life In This Week’s #GVPics Competition
This week’s Instagram competition photos were so thought provoking, humorous, artistic and beautiful. We have said it before and we’re saying it again: it’s really hard for us to pick out ten pictures as our runners-up and then, of course, a #GVPics winner.…
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Blazing Trails: Meet The Volunteers Caring For Þórsmörk
Other than the Volcano Huts and a couple of small farms, one of the only regularly inhabited spots in the wild expanse of Þórsmörk is Húsadalur, on the edge of the Krossá valley. There’s not much there: a campsite, a shower block…
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Getting High: Hiking In The Otherworldly Þórsmörk
The tarmac of Þórsmerkurvegur ends abruptly, a few kilometres inland from Seljalandsfoss, with a sudden bump that rouses the bus’s passengers from their slumber. The interruption is welcome. It signals that we’re close to our destination: the sequestered, famously beautiful southern region…
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Guide: What To Do On A Rainy Or Sunny Day?
Rainy Day Guide: The Pool You’re thinking this should be over on the sunny side guide. But trust us, there is nothing better than being in a warm pool while refreshingly cold drops of rain plunk down upon you. You don’t have…
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Sigur Rós Is On The Road And Everybody Can Be Part Of It
Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós is currently on a 24-hour “slow TV” road trip around the country. A live feed of the trip is being streamed globally via YouTube and also on Iceland’s national television. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU3TYFSNybg The band started a 1,332 km…
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PHOTOS: Solstice In The Land Of 24 Hour Sun
Iceland’s light summer nights reach their peak this evening with the arrival of the summer solstice. Weather permitting, people in Reykjavík will see the sun dip below the horizon at just after midnight before rising again at 3am. If the sky is…
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Holy Solstice, Please Let Us Sleep
Iceland is known for its midnight sun—as early as May and as late as August, Iceland’s nights are as bright as its days. But beyond the initial shock of nearly 24 hours of daylight, there are some surprising sides of the solstice…