Iceland-Land of Fire and Snow

Iceland is not the most obvious destination for a holiday, with the active volcanoes, -20 degree weather the language barrier. Despite this, Iceland offers so much to the enquiring, curious tourist; you just have to be prepared to search for what you are looking for.


I was not sure what to expect from this trip other than it being a trip of a life time. So many people I had spoken to were exceptionally jealous of me and spoke at length of their desire to travel and see this part of the world. Iceland is most famous for its geographical delights such as glaciers, waterfalls, mountains and volcanoes that punctuate the arctic landscape. Iceland is completely and utterly unique. The combination of its wilderness, scenery and purity has a life changing effect on all who travel to this part of the world. I can say with all truthfulness that anyone who travels to Iceland leaves wanting to return to experience the close connection with nature that occurs whilst you are there.


I travelled to Iceland as part of a geography trip making the landscape and geographical features our main focus. This did not stop us from having fun and in fact we probably had more fun as we were guided around the country by experts who knew so much and had been to Iceland year after year. I was able to find out that what I had been calling stalactites for the whole day had actually been icicles. What an embarrassing moment but it made sense seeing as though I was in Iceland.
We stayed at a large hostel called Guesthouse Húsid in Hvolsvöllur run by Hinrik and his wife. It was an ideal place because it was so close to all the main attractions in Iceland. It offered a warm, clean and homely escape from the biting icy weather. The rooms slept 6 in bunk beds and there was a big clean communal bathroom down the hallway. There was also a large games room with table tennis, a dining room, sitting room and boot room. It was the perfect place to stay and the owners we so hospitable that one morning we found a mouse that had stayed the night in one of our suitcases. We were a little shocked and cautious to what else we might find in our luggage but once we had told Hinrik, he saw to the problem and even offered to show us the mice (he found three in total) that he had caught in traps as proof that he had caught them. Despite this strange occurrence, we could not have asked for better accommodation, it suited our needs perfectly.

Iceland’s water is heated by geothermal energy providing Iceland with health spas and heated outdoor swimming pools. The most famous is the Blue Lagoon, which is actually a pool of industrial waste from the Sudurnes Regional Heating Company. The company produces a large amount of hot brine as a by-product of its industrial activities. The water produced is rich in silica mud found on the floor of the lagoon which is an amazing exfoliant and a green/blue algae is found in the water itself giving it its nourishing and soothing properties. Large buckets of the silica mud are provided at stations in the lagoon so that you can apply it to your skin as you swim. It was such an amazing experience to swim outside when it is snowing on a late October evening; however you have to get over the sulphurous stench produced by the water and the large boulders on the floor of the lagoon that you can easily trip over if you’re not paying attention. Swimming in the Blue Lagoon is an unforgettable experience, nearly as unforgettable as the changing rooms which are communal and the locals have no fear about changing completely in front of you. The showers even have signs in them telling you to shower naked and there are wardens standing there making sure you do so. This was a complete culture shock as I was so used to changing in a cubicle when in a public place and the only cubicles in the Blue Lagoon changing rooms had glass doors.

We spent a day in Geyser and Gullfoss looking at the most amazing geysers and waterfalls. The Strokkur geyser has erupted every 10 minutes since 1963 and the eruption does not disappoint as it bursts from the ground so powerfully and quickly. The geyser was purely breathtaking and I stood in awe of this natural spectacle for ages whilst trying to figure out the science of it. After freezing to death outside I ventured inside the visitors centre to the shop where you can buy Iceland related products. I bought a scarf made from Icelandic wool as I travelled to Iceland without a scarf, not a very clever move! We also went to see the Solheimajökull or the Black Glacier in English, situated just east of Hovolsvöllur. It was so amazing and it is not until you get up really really close that it actually begins to look like ice and not rock. Because it wasn’t melting too much whilst we were there we were allowed to climb up inside it. This was one of the scariest things on the whole trip because it was so uneven underfoot and the rocks were very prone to falling away once you had stepped on them. One of my friends on the trip was so amazed by the glacier that she broke away a small piece of the glacier and put it in her rucksack to take home to show her friends. I guess she didn’t realise that ice melts in warm places!

Iceland is such a remarkable country that words fail to capture the real essence of the place. It is so unlike anything else in the world with its black beaches, geothermal swimming pools, Northern lights and “Lego” like houses. It may not seem like the most luxurious holiday destination but it certainly has a unique charm that delights tourists year upon year.