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Wow Air Puts California Routes On Sale
WOW Air’s new California routes went on sale this morning, with limited one-way fares to Los Angeles and San Francisco available for $99. Wow Air have invested in new long-range planes to accommodate the West Coast journeys, which are the latest addition…
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ROAD TRIP: Reading The Grapevine All Over Iceland
Whilst the Reykjavík Grapevine is mostly written — and printed — in Reykjavík, you know, it’s actually kind of about the whole of Iceland. People pick it up in gas stations, cafés, swimming pools, hotels, restaurants in some of the most far-flung…
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Bláfjöll: Below The Lava Field
We drove past the lava fields on a gloomy day. It had rained in the morning and the green moss gave a bright contrast to the black volcanic landscape. David, our tour guide, pointed at the mountains ahead of us and said:…
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PHOTOS: In Reykjanes, A Short Journey Into The Earth
Absolute darkness surrounds us. You can’t even see your hands—and you hear nothing but your own breathing. We stand there for a few moments before our guide, Adrien, fills the silence with a story of a man who got lost and died…
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Americans Love Iceland: SATW Does Reykjavík
A couple of weeks ago I was hiking on a trail about 90 minutes from my home in Portland, Oregon, USA. I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for a year. I asked her what she’d been up to. “Oh, I…
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Top Tips for Driving Safely in Iceland
Visiting Iceland and renting a vehicle? Here are some tips to keep you and your travelling partners safe on the notorious Icelandic roadways. Stick To The Speed Limits Most rural mountain roads in Iceland are made up of loose gravel, which can…
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Verslunarmannahelgi Is Coming! What Shall I Do?
Verslunarmannahelgi (“Merchants‘ Weekend”) initially came about because the first Monday in August was designated a statutory holiday for merchants and anyone working in trade in Iceland. Nowadays, convenience stores, roadside shops and tourist shops pay their staff extra to be able to…
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Exploring The Reykjanes Peninsula
You may have noticed while looking at a map of Iceland that the Reykjanes Peninsula, where the Keflavik International Airport is situated, has a familiar shape. It looks like a boot, like a miniature version of good old Italy. You might find…
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‘Inside The Volcano’ Tour: Belly Of The Beast
Einar Stefánsson is the kind of man who whistles while descending into the mouth of a volcano. I’m standing in an open elevator system with him and two other strangers, dangling—it would seem—above the 120-metre deep magma chamber of a dormant volcano.…
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A Tour Of The Northern Lights: Light A Pyre In The Sky
You know those pictures you see of the Northern Lights? The ones where they engulf the night sky and the hues of green and red are really intense…You know they’re not exactly accurate, right? Of course it’s the Northern Lights you’re seeing…
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Arctic Adventures: Pioneering Iceland’s Wild West
When Torfi G. Yngvason started working at a river rafting company in 2001, Iceland was host to 300.000 tourists annually—compared to 540.000 today—and hardly any of them were going rafting. “There’s been a huge increase in tourists since I started, but the…
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Réttir: NO SHEEP LEFT BEHIND!
Come end of September, the days grow noticeably shorter, the grass turns yellow and it’s time to bring the sheep in for the winter. This is a two-part affair beginning with the act of rounding them up in the mountains—‘að smala’—and ending…
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The (Hidden) Wonders of Reykjanes
“Have you ever been to the Reykjanes Peninsula?” our tour guide asked. I thought to myself: “Of course, I took the scenic drive from Keflavík International to Reykjavík and even went to the Blue Lagoon twice”. He gave me a smirk, and…
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Five Places You Should See / Trips You Should Take
Esja—That big mountain over there Close to the heart of every Reykjaviking—literally as well as metaphorically—is the mountain range Esja, located just north of Mosfellsbær, about a 20 km drive from the city centre. The most popular destination, the Þverfellshorn peak, can…
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Ten Mundane Things You Can’t Really Do In Iceland
While there are a number of totally wild and out there things to do in Iceland (at least fifty, according to the book), there are also a number of seemingly mundane things you can’t do. Well, you can technically do them, but…
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Swimming In Iceland: The Iceland Aquaphiles
If you’ve seen the Icelandic Tourist Board’s new ‘Inspired by Iceland’ video campaign, you may be under the impression that Iceland is always sunny and Icelanders are super-hip-dancing-machines. While that’s debatable, the scene where the tanned couple goes skinny-dipping and makes out…
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Reykjanes Peninsula: Romping Through Lava Fields
A walk through customs plus a small wait for suitcases at the Keflavík International Airport plus a dip in the Blue Lagoon just about sums up the Reykjanes peninsula for many tourists who then hop on a bus to Reykjavík. But that’s…
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Thank God For Hot Water – The Reykjanes Pool And Some Of What Makes Life Bearable
One of this country’s best redeeming qualities are the pools of hot water found sprinkled all over it. Those pools somehow manage to make life on the edge of the inhabitable world somewhat bearable-to-goddamn awesome when all else fails, especially when temperatures…