Iceland is a magical place that gives the heavenly feeling to the tourists with its several natural attractions such as geysers, hot springs, lava fields, volcanoes, waterfalls, beaches, glaciers, northern lights, and golden circle much more. Besides the fact that it is a densely populated country with a population of only 3, 23, 000 people, Iceland is a plethora of things and places to explore. Iceland is truly a magical tourist destination having the most amazing and breath-taking landscapes and sceneries in the world. It is also known as the land of fire and ice having plenty of natural attractions such as lava fields, volcanoes, geysers, hot springs, massive glaciers, rugged terrains, and much more.
Tourists are attracted to the country due to its breath-taking landscapes and sceneries that are a much bigger attraction for the photogenic and photographers. Iceland has something or the other to offer in its every corner, it is a dream destination for everyone, which will surely make you stop at every corner to admire the beauty of nature and of course, to click some pictures. Iceland has a lot of hidden gems to explore. Iceland is a beautiful place that offers a lot to explore and a plethora of memories to cherish.
Travel facts of Iceland
There are several travel facts of the Iceland travel guide, which you need to know before visiting Iceland. These include:
- The Icelandic language is majorly used in the country. However, some locals also speak English.
- The krona currency is used in Iceland.
- Iceland is a small nation having a very dense population of only 3,23,000 people.
- Iceland is the most popular tourism spot. It receives a huge number of tourists every year from around the world. The number of tourists in Iceland increased from a million to two million in 2018.
Best places to visit in Iceland
1. Akureyri
Akureyri tops the chart in the Iceland travel guide. It is a quint, small and a perfect place for photogenic people providing them with the most stunning and jaw-dropping views. Located in the northern part of Iceland, it requires a 5-hour drive from Reykjavik to reach here. It is further located at fjord end between the high mountains providing majestic views of the landscapes. It is the best place to visit in winter for those who love skiing and adventure. Moreover, it consists of some beautiful attractions such as Myvatn Lake, Dettifoss and a small village of Husavik for those who love fishing. The Akureyrarkirkja church on the hilltop gives a breath-taking view of the landscape below.
2. Isafjordur and the West Fjords
Most of the people might be unaware of this beautiful West Fjords and the small town of Isafjordur in the Iceland visitor’s guide. a trip to this place will make its money and time worth. It provides the most beautiful views, which are not something you should miss. This place is generally less populated and sceneries are soothing to the eyes while travelling through the stunning Fjords and lands.
3. Stykkisholmur
Located in west Iceland, it requires a travelling time of two hours to reach here from Rekjavik. This place in Iceland tourist guide is rested on a peninsula with small Islands surrounding it. This place provides you with plenty of things to explore such as the lighthouse, boat tour to various islands, birdlife, fishing village and a great place to have a meal.
4.Vik
Located in the southern part of Iceland, this place in Iceland tour guide requires a travelling time of 2.5 hours from Rekjavik to reach here. This small village is popular for several unique things such as rock formations, ocean views and black sand beaches. Moreover, if you visit here, you will get a chance to visit a tiny restaurant named Sudur-Vik, which provides majestic views of the sea and mountains from the hilltop.
5. Husavik
located in the northern part of Iceland, it takes 1.5 hours to reach here from Akureyri. This small village consists of beautiful coastlines, homes, and buildings. It is a perfect place for those who love fishing and whale watching.
6. Snaefellsnes
Traveling to Snaefellsnes would surely be a great adventure for you as it provides stunning coastal views and sceneries, making it the most beautiful place in Iceland travel guide. Moreover, the Snaefellsness peninsula is popularly known for having a mystical glacier, which is said to have some magical powers in it. This is not enough, it is also known as the entry point to the center of the earth, making it a must-visit place in guide to Iceland tours.
7. Hofn
hofn is located in the eastern part of Iceland. It requires a travelling time of around 6 hours from Rekjavik to reach here. While travelling from Rekjavik, you will come across the various southern part of Iceland including Vik, Jokulsarlon, Skaftafell Park and the big Vatnajokull glacier. Hofn is further located in the quaint village on the ocean providing best restaurants to spend the night. Do not forget to visit the Glacier Lagoon, it gives an incredible view of iceberg breaking and passing to the nearby oceans. There are more stunning places to visit here such as the city centre, Pakkhus, Humarhofnin and more.
8. Hvammstangi
Hvammstangi is a small place having a total population of just 580 people in Iceland tourist guide. But it’s beautiful rolling hills are something, which you should not miss. Located in the north-west part of Iceland on the Vatnsnes peninsula, this place consists of stunning rolling hills and ocean on each side. It is a good place to spend a night watching the beautiful coastal views. Visit this place in guide to Iceland tours to make your holidays memorable.
Egilsstadir
Egilsstadir is known to be the smallest town in Iceland tourist guide surrounded by majestic sceneries. It provides great hotels to stay at and watch heaven like views. Choosing a hiking tour from the multiple tours from Egilsstadir would be a great decision to make. Don’t forget the visit the Lagarfjot lake at the edge of Egilsstadir, which is famous for having a mythical creature to the Lochness monster in Scotland, which can give a chill in the bones. Moreover, the landscapes here are very similar to that of Canada having the beautiful views of evergreen mountains and trees. Egilsstadir also makes a perfect picnic spot in guide to Iceland tours to chill and watch the amazing rivers.
Reykjavik
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland is the most popular place in the Iceland travel guide, which receives tons of tourists every year. This place provides a plethora of activities to do in both seasons. With longer days in summers, you can enjoy parades, poetry, and even party in the night with no worries of chilly winter. Moreover, if you wish to dance inside the glacier, head to the secret solstice.
Scuba diving
One of the best water-based activities are offered at the Silfra in Iceland visitors guide. Silfra, which is considered as the world’s top dive site is located on a rift between the tectonic plates, these plates grow for about 2 cm every year, which enables the tourists to enjoy swimming between the Eurasian and American continents. This activity in Iceland tour guide is not for the weak hearts as it offers freezing glacier water of temperature between 2°C- 4°C even in a dry suit. Moreover, it is popular for its stunning visibility, where tourists can enjoy amazing neon colours and otherworldly topography. Scuba diving in Silfra can provide you with a chilly adventure like never before.
Snowmobiling
When it comes to exploring stunning glaciers in Iceland, Snaefellsjokull is considered one of the most famous glaciers due to its reputation in the whole country.
Snowmobiling on these famous Snaefellsjokull glaciers in Iceland travel guide would be a great adventure to remember for a lifetime, where you can enjoy racing across the icy fields and between the snow mounds while enjoying majestic views of the glacier and the stunning summits of around 1,446 meters above the sea level.
Sea Kayak on the Fjords
Located near the Reykjavik, The Hvalfjorour is placed deep below the encircled mountains, which ranges for about 300 feet above the sea. Visit Hvalfjorour to have a great experience and enjoy sea kayaking over the calm and cool water of rough glacial fjords. Moreover, some professional guides will also assist you with paddling the sea kayak around the coastline and exploring the stunning glacial fjords up to the shores of the idyllic Icelandic countryside.
Exploring the lava tunnel
Iceland, which is also known as the ‘land of fire and ice’ consists of icy glaciers as well as some amazing volcanic eruptions in Iceland travel guide. Deep in the heart of Iceland, you can explore the subterranean playground and the windy lava tunnels while witnessing the twisted rocks formations made out of furious volcanoes. Located near the Reykjavik, visit the Leidarendi lava tube to explore this half a mile-long tunnel whose stretches will force you down on your knees and crawl due to its crooked formation. These formations occurred when the surface lava hardened. Moreover, if you are lucky enough, you also may experience the bone-chilling volcanic eruption, which most of the tourists are not able to witness on their visits.
Festivals in Iceland tour guide
To avoid any kind of inconvenience in the end, make sure you go through all the national holidays that take place in Iceland every year. Some of the holidays are very common and people are very familiar with them, these include Easter Monday, Christmas and New year holidays in Iceland. Apart from these, there are several more unique festivals celebrated in Iceland that offers a national holiday in Iceland. These include:
Þorrablot in February
Porrablot is a festival in Iceland that is specifically celebrated to honor the god Porri. Moreover, this festival is celebrated in midwinters to look forward to during the lunar time of the year. To celebrate this festival, restaurants are packed with the Icelanders enjoying the special menus and several locals throw parties to enjoy the traditional food of Iceland such as hakarl and svio.
Sjomannadagur on June 4:
this festival involves the Icelander’s taking part in swimming races, mock sea-rescue and tug-of-war events. Just after this festival, the Icelanders celebrate Independence Day on June 17 every year.
Verslunnarmannahelgi in August:
It is a traditional festival in Iceland where locals head to the countryside and enjoy the holiday by camping, drinking and partying.
Culture and etiquette for Iceland visitors guide
The Icelandic culture revolves around the hidden people that are also called the huldufolk. These hidden people are analogous to elves and many people believe in this Icelandic culture. Moreover, there are several museums in Reykjavik that showcases the history of hidden people. This ancient belief of Iceland is respected by all the locals in Iceland.
Iceland is found to have the most approachable and friendliest people. There are endless opportunities for you to socialize and make new friends during the journey. As soon as you step on to the cool environment of Iceland, you will receive a very warm welcome from the locals of Iceland. Iceland is found to have the friendliest locals who make you feel like home and even share fairy tale stories and mystical folk with you. Moreover, you do not face any awkwardness while hitting the club alone, as the locals in Iceland are super friendly.
The Icelanders follow some basics etiquettes and expect their visitors to do the same by doing several things such as taking off their shoes before entering a private room. Moreover, people are not expected to tip in Icelandic restaurants, there is a separate tipping jar in many restaurants.
Best time to visit in Iceland
Both winters and summers are very different in Iceland, as both offer different types of activities to explore in each equally amazing season. Iceland has something or the other to offer during both the season. Some activities in Iceland can only be done during the winters such as exploring the northern lights, taking a dip in therapeutically beautiful hot springs and much more, while other activities belong to the summers in Iceland. Several adventurous and thrilling summer activities in Iceland will satisfy your craving your adventure and fun. The summers in Iceland are magically warmer and gives an equally enjoyable time as during winters. As compared to winters, the summer season in Iceland is considered to be the best time to go for a tour due to several reasons.
The weather in Iceland is surprisingly warm during summers. With longer days and more time of sunshine, you are provided with an endless list of activities and places to visit during summers, which includes camping, glacier excursions, road trips, hiking, watching midnight sun, puffins watching, and much more.
Accommodation in Iceland visitors guide
As the tourism rate in Iceland is flourishing with every passing year, the tourism industry of Iceland is coming up with new hotels, restaurants, guesthouses, and apartments to provide a long and comfortable stay to their visitors. With increasing demand every year, Iceland is now booming with the best places to provide a stay for tourists. There are several accommodations in every part of Iceland. These include:
Accommodation in Keflavik and Reykjavik: Reykjavik is the capital city of Iceland and the most popular place that receives tons of visitors every year. It offers a wide range of accommodation in the country that best suits your demand and budget.
Accommodation on the south coast and golden circle: the golden circle is the most visited place in Iceland, which is popular for its three locations i.e. pingvellir national park, geyser geothermal area and Gullfoss waterfall. Several hostels and hotels are available for the tourists who wish to have a full day tour at the Golden circle.
Accommodation in Skaftafell: the Skaftafell natural reserve has its hotel that gives accommodation to the visitors visiting the incredible places here such as glaciers and waterfalls ion a full-day tour.
Gear and packing list for tour to Iceland
If you plan to visit Iceland, make sure you pack every necessary items and clothes regardless of the season, in which you are visiting, as the weather of Iceland is quite unpredictable. Here is a list of the necessary items that you would need on your trip to Iceland.
Clothes
list of clothes would be needed on the trip to Iceland would include one pair of jeans, shorts, bathing suits, six t-shirts, eight pair of socks, one long-sleeved t-shirt, one pair of hiking boots, one pair of sneakers, and other necessary items such as toothbrush, toothpaste, a bottle of shampoo, razor, shower gel, dental floss, towel and deodorant.
Medical kit for safety purposes
Accidents are unenviable, so it is advisable to carry a small medical kit with you on the trip, which would include Band-Aids, antibacterial cream, earplugs, hand sanitizer, hydrocortisone cream, and Tylenol.
Miscellaneous items
to be on the safer side and avoid any kind of risks while you are heading to your dream place, there are some more miscellaneous items that you should carry with you on the trip, these include a combination lock, plastic bags, zip-lock bags, charger, and LifeStraw.
Blog source: https://www.discover.is/icelandtravelguide2021/
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