ICELAND: The Land of Ice and Fire in 5 days

Iceland is a Nordic island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it is known for its stunning natural beauty, unique landscapes, and vibrant culture. The land of fire and ice, of imposing volcanoes, of the largest glacier in Europe, of the magical northern lights, of waterfalls that leave you speechless, of hot springs, of whales, of puffins...

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ICELAND: LAND of FIRE and ICE

The Arrival: Keflavík Airport

Keflavík International Airport

@aroa

On this trip, rent a car at the Keflavík Airport itself, there are many options so it won't be a problem to find something that fits your trip.

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Guesthouse Pavi

@aroa

I slept at Guesthouse Pavi in Reykjavik for a couple of nights, the first to get to know the city the next day and the second to head out to the Golden Circle. The treatment was unbeatable, it also has kitchen, a private bathroom in the room and the facilities are very well maintained and clean.

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The First Day: Discovering Reykjavik

I woke up and started to discover the city.

One of the places that you cannot miss on your visit is the Hallgrimskirkja Church and the main street Laugavegur. It is a relatively small city and one day is enough to have a fairly complete idea of the Icelandic capital.

Hallgrimskirkja

@aroa

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Laugavegur

@aroa

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Tjörnin

@aroa

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The Second Day: Heading to Golden Circle

Thingvellir National Park

@aroa

The first stop is Thingvellir National Park, a place where the Eurasian and American tectonic plates form a huge fault line surrounded by impressive rock cliffs.

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Geysir

@aroa

Geysir is the oldest known geyser and one of the most impressive examples of this phenomenon in the world. It is located in the Haukadalur valley, located on the Laugarfjall hill, where we can also find, 400 meters further south, the Strokkur geyser. When I went Geysir was asleep and the park guides explained to me that it is very rare for it to wake up, Strokkur is another geyser that is right next to it and it is awake.

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Gullfoss Falls

@aroa

Gullfoss is a waterfall located in the canyon of the Hvitá River. When the sun rises, an incredible rainbow is created with the drops that the waterfall splashes.

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Kerid Crater

@aroa

Kerid is the most photogenic crater in Iceland due to the contrast of colors between its turquoise lake and its red walls.

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Secret Lagoon Iceland

@aroa

To end the day well, stopping at the Secret Lagoon is almost mandatory. Perfect hot springs to relax after an intense day in the Golden Circle. The Secret Lagoon, known locally as Gamla Laugin, is the oldest swimming pool in Iceland. It was made in 1891 at Hverahólmi, a geothermal area near Flúðir.

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Hotel Vatnsholt

@aroa

This hotel is perfect for seeing the Northern Lights at night. There is no type of light pollution since it is quite isolated, and the hotel staff turned off the lights in the entire complex when the northern lights appeared to admire them in all their splendor.

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The Third Day: Waterfalls day

Urriðafoss

@aroa

Today is waterfall day, starting with Urridafoss. With a flow rate of 360 m³/s, it has the highest average water flow of all waterfalls in Iceland and the second highest in Europe behind Rheinfall.

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Gluggafoss (Merkjárfoss)

@aroa

This waterfall is not so touristy and is smaller than the rest, these reasons may be what make it so special and beautiful.

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Seljalandsfoss

@aroa

These two waterfalls are next to each other, each one more incredible. It marks the boundary between the Highlands and the rest of the country.

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Gljufrabui

@aroa

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Skógafoss

@aroa

Skógafoss is one of the largest waterfalls in the country at 25 meters wide and 60 meters high. Due to the amount of foam it constantly produces, a single or double rainbow is usually visible on sunny days.

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Sólheimajökull

@aroa

Sólheimajökull, one of the glacial tongues of the giant Mýrdalsjökull, the fourth largest glacier in Iceland and under which the powerful Katla volcano is located. Of course, just because it is accessible, does not mean that you can venture out on your own. If your idea is to walk through it, YOU MUST HIRE AN EXPERT GUIDE! Going on your own is very dangerous.

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Parking for Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck

@aroa

To go see this crashed van you have to walk about 6km from where you leave the car. If you have enough time, don't hesitate to go see it!

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Vik

@aroa

The town of Vik (Iceland) has some more incredible landscapes such as the Dyrhólaey cliff or the incredible black sand beach of Reynisfjara.

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Dyrhólaey

@aroa

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Reynisfjara Beach

@aroa

The sunset on the beach is one of the moments that I best remember from the trip, it is simply magical. If you're lucky you can even see puffins!

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To end the day I headed to The Barn, very close to the previous location.

The Barn

@aroa

The facilities and atmosphere are great. There is a fully equipped kitchen and a dining room with incredible views.

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The Fourth Day: Ice Day

Fjaðrárgljúfur

@aroa

Fjaðrárgljúfur is a canyon in southeast Iceland. The Fjaðrá River flows through it. The canyon has steep walls and winding water. It is up to 100 m deep and about 2 kilometers long.

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Skaftafell

@aroa

To get to this waterfall in Skaftafell National Park you have to walk about 3-4km through the park. The path is beautiful and the reward when you reach the waterfall is priceless.

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Jökulsárlón

@aroa

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon is one of the most iconic places in Iceland. Jökulsárlón is located on the southeast coast of the island. Icebergs breaking off from the Vatnajökull glacier drift over the lagoon, creating an otherworldly landscape. Jökulsárlón is the largest glacial lagoon in Iceland and its beauty is incomparable. One of the animals that can be easily observed in this lagoon are seals!

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Diamond Beach

@aroa

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Guesthouse Húsið

@aroa

Once we arrive at the last stop, diamond beach, we turn around to return to the west of Iceland and sleep at Guesthouse Pavi, halfway back.

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The Last Day: Fire Day

Reykjadalur Hot Spring Thermal River

@aroa

To start the day off right, we headed to some free hot springs with changing rooms and a cafeteria. You have to walk about 4km from where you leave the car to the bathing point. The walk is beautiful and worth it.

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Fagradalsfjall Volcano

@aroa

The Fagradalsfjall volcano is one of the last to appear in Iceland.

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Reykjanes Guesthouse

@aroa

The last location to sleep was Reykjanes Gesthouse, perfect for heading out to the airport the next day. It's a pretty quiet area and there's a restaurant with great Icelandic food!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aroa López

🌎Hey! I'm Aroa, a biologist which greatest passion is traveling and seeing the world. I have always been the one who has organized the endless PDFs of group trips and I have thought that more people could take advantage of them, that is why I am in this project. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or want more information! Insta: @aroals Email: aroals@gmail.com

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