We’re launching a new special travel series here on the TRAVEL THERAPY website where our focus is featuring unique destinations around the world that can help you deal with whatever you are going through in life.
Our new feature, called TRAVEL TUESDAYS, will highlight the best travel deals of the week and unique destinations to explore for that ultimate vacation experience.
For my new book TRAVEL THERAPY: Where Do You Need to Go? I’ve traveled to more than forty countries, but I still have a long list of places on my “must see” list and one of those destinations is Iceland.
To make sure this website covers as many inspiring places as possible I’m starting to recruit some top travelers and travel writers and I’m asking them to share their TRAVEL THERAPY experiences.
You’re going to love this piece on Iceland!
TOP TEN REASONS TO VISIT ICELAND
Written By: Chris Goldberg
Photos By: Alison Diviney & Chris Goldberg
There’s never been a hotter time than right now to visit Iceland! You can thank the economic crisis, which believe it or not, hit Iceland much worse than the USA. What was once one of the most expensive places on Earth is now a doable destination.
Still, it takes a certain kind of attitude to “vacation” in Iceland. Obviously, it’s not a place for luxury beach resorts and tropical weather! But Iceland’s mind-boggling isolation, jaw-dropping natural wonders, and one-of-a-kind culture make it one of the most distinctive places in the world – and it’s only a five hour flight from New York! To top it off, due to its location close to the Arctic Circle, the days are extremely long in the summer. In fact, it almost never gets dark.
So with all of these daylight hours to burn – and no beaches with palm trees in sight – what do you do? We just spent nine action-packed days seeing most of the country. Here are our top ten ideas!
BLUE LAGOON
First stop from the airport should be Iceland’s most well-known tourist attraction (http://www.bluelagoon.com/). Sure, this man-made spa that uses natural volcanically-heated water is more of a slick corporate enterprise than a true wonder of nature, but it still doesn’t fail to impress. Minutes from the airport, overnight flights land right before it opens at eight a.m. About $50 gets you a day pass. You can secure your stuff in locker rooms with their electronic bracelet system, shower, and be in the lagoon before the crowds arrive. Not that it feels packed when they do: the thick steam rising out of the milky sulfuric water gives you some added privacy. You can rub exfoliating white silica mud on your skin, get a massage, use the saunas, and by afternoon they’ll serve you beer on the dock. It’s a visually stunning and very relaxing introduction to Iceland. Take a deep breath and enjoy it – this is your one high-maintenance moment in a very rugged land.
WATERFALL HOPPING
There are so many waterfalls in Iceland that you almost get desensitized to their incredible beauty. You might find yourself shrugging, “Oh, look honey, another majestic waterfall,” and just driving on. Don’t be so jaded! Each waterfall in Iceland has its own mood and personality. Take blissful Godafoss. According to legend when Icelandic Lawspeaker Þorgeirr Ljósvetningagoði declared Iceland a Christian nation in the year 1000 he threw his pagan statues over the falls. It’s easy to see how it inspires belief in the divine! On the other hand, Europe’s biggest waterfall, Dettifoss gives you a completely different sensation. After driving over twenty miles of rocky road, we found it in a windy barren valley, roaring ominously and punishing the ground below – reminding us of the raw, destructive power of nature. With literally hundreds of them large and small in such an unpopulated country, you can even have a waterfall to yourself – as we did. At Öxarárfoss we were alone for over an hour without a sign of another soul, which made it a very romantic waterfall!
PUFFIN PATROL
Puffins just might be the cutest birds on Earth. They mate for life and each couple has one baby puffling every summer. Eventually, the parents head back out to sea, leaving the pufflings to take their first solo flight, following the moon to the ocean. But on the Island of Heimaey, some of them get mesmerized by the lights and crash-land in town. Come August, it’s a tradition for the local children to gather the pufflings in boxes then release them into the ocean. Even if you’re not in Iceland for the Puffin Patrol, you can see them in Heimaey if you’re willing to cling to the side of a cliff. Don’t forget your camera!
HIKING VOLCANIC HEIMAEY
Heimaey isn’t just all about puffins. It’s the site of the 1973 eruption of the Eldfell Volcano which almost destroyed the entire town. Nowadays, you can hike Eldfell which is the highest point in all of the Westmann Islands. The view is spectacular and it only takes about an hour. Before you go, we suggest you stop into Heimaey Town’s little movie theater and watch the short documentary about the eruption. You’ll have a new appreciation for the resilience and character of the brave residents of the island – human and otherwise.
HORSEBACK RIDING
Known for their long flowing manes, stocky build, and general friendliness, Icelandic horses haven’t been bred outside of the country for about a thousand years. There are tons of horseback riding options all over the country. We took a stunning two-hour trip with Saltvik Riding Tours to – where else? – a waterfall. But if you’re truly hardcore you can book a 5-day or even a 9-day trek into the uninhabited Interior. It’s like riding a horse on another planet.
SNOWMOBILE ON A GLACIER
If horseback riding is too old school for you, why not hop on a snowmobile? Iceland is one of the few places on Earth where you can snowmobile on a glacier in the middle of July. Glacier Jeeps company in Höfn (http://www.glacierjeeps.is.) organizes tailor-made snowmobile excursions on Vatnajökull, Iceland’s largest glacier. The Activity Group (http://www.activity.is), based in Reykjavik, does snowmobile tours on Langjökull, the second largest glacier. Just don’t forget your sunglasses and sun block – we hear the glare from the snow can be brutal.
EAT LIKE AN ICELANDER
If you suffer from a boring diet than Iceland is the ultimate TRAVEL THERAPY for you. Surviving in Iceland through Viking times made Icelanders …well… quirky as far as cuisine. Don’t be surprised to see whale, horse, reindeer, or puffin on the menu. Their holiday special? Fish or meat smoked in sheep droppings (AKA poop!) Merry Christmas! Trust us, that goes down easy compared to Iceland’s most infamous dish: Hákarl, or fermented shark. Star chef Anthony Bourdain called it “the single worst, most disgusting and terrible tasting thing” he has ever eaten. (Download his “No Reservations” show on Iceland on iTunes.) It’s actually rotten shark buried underground for months before they dig it up and eat it! Don’t dare try it without washing it down with Brennivin, a hard liquor appropriately known as Black Death.
WHALE WATCHING
The northeast village of Husavik is the best place for whale watching and there are two pretty much identical companies that take people out for three hour whale watching tours. We did the Gentle Giants tour, which lends you a toasty bodysuit to wear. There are at least a half a dozen kinds of whales in Husavik Bay, including the great Blue Whale which we saw spouting at least twenty feet in the air. Guides are proud to remind you the Blue Whale is the largest creature in the history of the planet, bigger than any dinosaur. Humpback whales are even more common and they’re known to breach, or jump out of the water.
JOURNEY TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
Iceland is your chance to do something few humans have ever done: cross into the Arctic Circle. Forty kilometers to the north is the tiny island of Grimsey, which straddles that magical line. If you’re not prone to seasickness you can take the three-hour ferry from the port town of Dalvik But the seas are rough enough to test any stomach, so Icelandair offers a quick twenty-minute flight from Akureyri and two hour day tours Make no mistake, this isn’t one of those trips you do just so you can “say you were there” and get your $2 certificate proving you did. Grimsey is a surreal place, totally infested with birds. Watch out for the squawking Arctic Terns which will circle overhead and dive-bomb you to protect their eggs! And don’t miss the easy access to puffin colonies just beyond the Arctic border.
FALL IN LOVE WITH AKUREYRI
Most Top Ten lists of things to do in Iceland would probably mention the world-famous nightlife in Reykjavik, but we actually preferred hanging out in Iceland’s second-biggest town, Akureyri. It can’t compete with Reykjavik’s size (which houses two thirds of all of Iceland’s population!) but it’s a charming college town with consistently better weather that makes a great jumping off point to a lot of the things on this list. There are excellent restaurants (like Fridrik V http://www.fridrikv.is/ and Strikid Brasserie http://www.strikid.is/) great cafés like Cafe Bláa Kannan and just a cool vibe in general. Most people who come to Iceland make Reykjavik their base, but TRAVEL THERAPY readers like to break the mold, so Akureyri is the place to be.
For more photos from Iceland go to: www.flickr.com/photos/adivs & www.flickr.com/photos/chrisgold
For the link to this awesome featured shot click HERE
TOP 10 REASONS TO VISIT ICELAND BY:
CHRIS GOLDBERG:
Chris Goldberg graduated from New York University in 2001. He’s the Story Editor in the New York literary office of a Hollywood studio. He’s written for the Huffington Post, Shecky’s.com, and Long Island City Magazine. His photos have been featured on the National Geographic blog, Gothamist, Eater, Curbed, and HotelChatter.com. For more of Chris’s photos go to: www.flickr.com/photos/chrisgold
ALISON DIVINEY:
Alison Diviney graduated from The University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 2004. She works long hours for an independent movie studio in TriBeCa. In her free time she likes to travel, take lots of pictures, find amazing bargains, and redecorate her tiny apartment. For more of Alison’s photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adivs/
Stay tuned to the TRAVEL THERAPY website for more guest travel writers & photographers sharing their TRAVEL THERAPY experiences!
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