10 Travel Wonders in Iceland That Will Take Your Breath Away
Sep 26 2016 Tags: Sea glass
1 Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. The spa is located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwestern Iceland. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis.The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 37–39 °C (99–102 °F)
2 Asbyrgi Canyon
Inside Ásbyrgi there are anything from 30 minute to 7 hour hiking trails. Walk across the canyon floor and enjoy the honeycombed basalt rocks, or traverse the cliffs and marvel at the sheer scale of the rock formation itself. The most adventurous routes involve both, clambering up cliff passages on a series of ropes.
3 Kirkjufellsfoss
This small and charming waterfall is situated near the impressive mount Kirkjufell, at Grundarfjordur, on the Snaefellsnes peninsula. For photographing, it is particularly scenic when you capture the fall, the clearness of the water and the mountain in the background, best experienced in the light of the midnight sun in midsummer.
4 Gullfoss Waterfall
Gullfoss is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvítá river in southwest Iceland. Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland. The wide Hvítá rushes southward, and about a kilometer above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into a wide curved three-step "staircase" and then abruptly plunges in two stages (11 m and 21 m) into a crevice 32 m (105 ft) deep. The crevice, about 20 m (66 ft) wide, and 2.5 km in length, extends perpendicular to the flow of the river. The average amount of water running down the waterfall is 140 m³/s in the summer and 80 m³/s in the winter. The highest flood measured was 2000 m³/s.
5 Hornstrandir
The very north of Iceland is considered one of the most remote places in Europe. In this remote location, the Westfjords peninsula is home to Hornstrandir nature reserve: an isolated and unspoiled example of the undisturbed arctic.
6 Grjótagjá
Grjótagjá is a small lava cave near lake Mývatn with a thermal spring inside. In early 18th century the outlaw Jón Markússon lived there and used the cave for bathing. Until the 1970s Grjótagjá was a popular bathing site
7 Skaftafell Waterfall
Svartifoss is one of the extraordinary waterfalls in South-Iceland. It situated inSkaftafell, which belongs to Vatnajökull National park. Skaftafell is a true oasis after driving through the vast sands of Skeiðará "Skeiðarársandur".
It is a breathtaking waterfall, 12 meters high, with black columnar basalt formations which beautifully frame the waterfall and give it its name, Black fall. From afar it looks like a big heart.
8 Strokkur Geyser
Strokkur is a fountain geyser located in a geothermal area beside the Hvítá River in Iceland in the southwest part of the country, east of Reykjavík. It is one of Iceland's most famous geysers, erupting once every 6-10 minutes
9 Reynisfjara Beach
The world-famous Reynisfjara shore, near the village Vik in Myrdalur on Iceland's South Coast, is widely regarded as the most impressive black-sand beach in Iceland.
Reynisfjara is a black pebble beach and features an amazing cliff of regular basalt columns resembling a rocky step pyramid, which is called Gardar. Out in the sea are the spectacularly shaped basalt sea stacks Reynisdrangar. The area has a rich bird life, including puffins, fulmars and guillemots.
The waves at Reynisfjara are especially strong and unpredictable, and fatal accidents have occurred at this beach, so people are advised to take extra care when visiting the area.
10 Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón is a large glacial lake in southeast Iceland, on the edge of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, it developed into a lake after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the glaciers. It is now 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean's edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). It recently became the deepest lake in Iceland, at over 248 metres (814 ft), as glacial retreat extended its boundaries. The size of the lake has increased fourfold since the 1970s.It is considered as one of the natural wonders of Iceland.
