5 Reasons to Visit Iceland

What’s your first impressions of Iceland? Lots of ice, perhaps? This small island in the Nordic shows a great wonders of the nature. It’s volcanically and geologically active, and the land contains mountains and glaciers. Iceland has become a popular travel destination, and rightfully so. If you haven’t been, here are great reasons why you should travel to Iceland soon.
 

The Scenery

We can all agree that Iceland’s scenery is enchanting. Everywhere you look, it’s like a scene from a fantasy novel. The Golden Circle, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland, is a great introduction. It’s an easy day trip since it’s close from Reykjavik, continuing on route 1, route 30 and route 35. No doubt, everyone is heading to the Golden Circle one day or another. It includes
Thinkgvellir National Park, Exploding Geysir and Geysir park, Gullfoss Waterfall.

The Food

As you can imagine, Iceland is quite famous for its seafood cuisine. There are more than 400 different kinds of fish around the island. In fact, Iceland is the most fish eating country: 100kg per year. There’s nothing better than a hot bowl of lobster soup in a cold day. If you’re staying somewhere with a kitchen, try buying fresh fish from a fishmonger and cook at home! They are so cheap, and so fresh. With a bit of garlic and lemon, you can make a wonderful seafood supper. If you dare, look out for a fermented shark. This Icelandic delicacy is not for everyone, but it will make you remember Iceland for a very long time.
 

Hot Pools

Bathing in the hot springs was one of the ignitions why I decided to visit Iceland, twice, and possibly many more. Hiking and hot spring-ing is an ordinary combination in Iceland. Especially in winter, picture this – dip yourself in the steamy hot mineral water that is surrounded by snow and ice. On the top of that, the mineral water will improve the skin condition: smooth and moist! If you’re looking for more urban options, there’s Blue Lagoon, widely popular natural spring spa.
 

The Wildlife

Whale and puffin watching are amazing activities that bring visitors to Iceland. There are 23 different types of whales can be spotted from Icelandic waters. The autumn months are good time to see whales in their habitat. Puffin watching happens in small islands around Iceland, and there are lots of birdlife to watch. The biggest portion of Atlantic Puffins are living in Iceland; about 10 million. Atlantic Puffins have a bright orange beak with large feet with the same color. It’s best to go between spring and early summer.

Aurora Borealis

The aurora borealis is a scientific phenomenon that is caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere. The charged particles originate in the solar wind. It usually happens between 10° – 20° from the magnetic pole, but it can be seen in the lower latitudes during the strong solar storm. Scientific facts aside, the night I saw the northern lights in Iceland was the highlight of my travel history. I dreamt about it since I was little, and I literally dreamt about it for the several days before I actually saw them. If you’re dreaming about catching northern lights, Iceland is a great place to do so.