Fire. Ice.
Darkness. Light.
Iceland.

Reykjavík (population 130,000 city, 370,000 metro — the northernmost capital city in the world at 64°N — settled by Norse chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson c.874 CE — the name means “Bay of Smokes” from the steam rising from the geothermal springs Arnarson observed on first landing) is the world’s most northerly capital city and the smallest capital city in Europe, functioning simultaneously as a city of genuine cultural weight (the per capita book publishing rate is the highest in the world — 1 in 10 Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime) and as the world’s most convenient base for one of the most geologically extreme landscapes on Earth. Hallgrímskirkja (the 74.5-metre Lutheran church whose concrete expressionist silhouette dominates the Reykjavík skyline — designed by Guðjón Samúelsson in 1937, construction completed 1986 — the form inspired by the columnar basalt formations of the Icelandic landscape (the same hexagonal geometry as the Giant’s Causeway, but used as architectural grammar) — the viewing platform at the top of the tower provides the finest 360-degree view of Reykjavík and the surrounding bay). The Harpa Concert Hall (the hexagonal glass facade designed by Henning Larsen and Olafur Eliasson — completed 2011 — the interior panels catch and reflect the changing Arctic light across the harbour, appearing different at every hour — the building is as much a light installation as a concert hall). The hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (the kiosk on Tryggvagata — operating since 1937 — Bill Clinton ordered one in 2004 and the photograph hangs inside — the correct order is “eina með öllu” — one with everything — raw onion, crispy fried onion, ketchup, mustard, and remoulade on a steamed lamb-pork-beef sausage — ISK 600 — the most value-dense food experience in Iceland). The Reykjavík nightlife (the most concentrated bar scene per capita of any city in Europe — Laugavegur Street, the main artery — the bars do not fill until midnight and function as social clubs until 5am — the Icelanders’ relationship with winter darkness and communal warmth produces a specific sociability that has no equivalent in cities at lower latitudes).

• Hallgrímskirkja tower — basalt-inspired concrete, 74.5m · best city panorama
• Harpa Concert Hall — Eliasson hexagonal glass · sunrise reflections on the harbour
• Hot dog at Bæjarins Beztu — since 1937 · “eina með öllu” · AUD$2.80
• Laugavegur bars — midnight to 5am · highest bar density per capita in Europe
• National Museum of Iceland — Viking Age artefacts · free for children

The Golden Circle (the 300km triangular route from Reykjavík through Þingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss and back — completable in a single long day (9am–9pm in summer) or spread across two days for greater depth) contains three of Iceland’s most significant sites. Þingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site — the rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart — the Almannagjá rift (the “All Men’s Gorge” — a 5-metre-wide, 40-metre-deep cleft in the lava field that is the visible eastern edge of the North American plate — walking through the gorge means walking on the American continent) — the Law Rock (Lögberg — the flat-topped basalt prominence from which the Lawspeaker of the Alþingi recited the law from memory every year from 930 CE — the world’s oldest parliament, not in a building but in a natural outdoor amphitheatre of volcanic rock — the acoustics of the rift valley meant that the recited law could be heard across the assembly plain without amplification — a 10-minute walk from the visitor centre, and perhaps the most genuinely important patch of flat ground in European democratic history). Silfra fissure (the crack between the plates filled with glacially filtered groundwater — visibility 100+ metres — the most transparent freshwater on Earth — snorkelling or diving in Silfra means being in the gap between two continents in water 2–4°C). Geysir (the original geyser, from whose name all geysers derive — the Great Geysir itself is dormant after seismic activity in 2000 reactivated and then stilled it — Strokkur, 50m south, erupts every 5–10 minutes to 15–40m — the guide explains that watching Strokkur from the correct angle — with the sun behind you — produces the internal iridescent turquoise bubble of superheated water expanding before the eruption). Gullfoss (the 32-metre two-tiered waterfall on the Hvítá River — the history of Sigríður Tómasdóttir’s campaign explained — the viewing platform above the upper falls, the walkway to the lower viewing point where the spray drenches you within 30 seconds in wind).

• Þingvellir — walk through the Almannagjá rift on the North American plate
• Silfra fissure — 2–4°C · 100m+ visibility · snorkel between continents
• Strokkur geyser — erupts every 5–10 min · watch from upwind
• Gullfoss — 32m cascade · Sigríður Tómasdóttir saved it from hydroelectric
• Secret Lagoon, Flúðir — 40-min south of Geysir · oldest public pool in Iceland

Iceland’s South Coast (the Ring Road south from Reykjavík to the Vatnajökull glacier — approximately 370km — the most concentrated stretch of Iceland’s major natural landmarks accessible from a single road without a 4WD) delivers more photographic and experiential material per kilometre than any comparable route in Iceland. Seljalandsfoss (the 60-metre waterfall where a path leads behind the curtain of falling water — the narrow ledge requires waterproof clothing and a head torch in poor light — the view from behind the curtain — the light filtering through the falling water — is one of Iceland’s most unusual perspectives). Skógafoss (the 60-metre, 25-metre-wide waterfall at Skógar — a double rainbow in the mist on sunny afternoons is routine — the staircase of 527 steps to the cliff top leads to the Fimmvörðuháls trail, the multi-day hiking route connecting Skógar to Þórsmörk through the lava field produced by the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption — the still-steaming black lava field on the ridge, the most visibly recent geological surface on the South Coast). Reynisfjara (the black basalt sand beach at Vík — the Reynisdrangar sea stacks (three basalt columns rising from the surf — in Icelandic folklore, trolls turned to stone at sunrise while dragging ships ashore) — the hexagonal basalt columns of the Garðar cliff face — and the sneaker wave warning signs that are genuine and must be heeded). Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon (the glacial lake at the terminus of Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull — the icebergs calved from the glacier face drifting through the lagoon — blue, white, and occasionally black from volcanic ash layers — the seal population on the ice floes — the short river channel to the ocean where the icebergs wash onto Diamond Beach — the black volcanic sand beach strewn with translucent ice fragments like scattered glass — the most photographed beach in Iceland). Vatnajökull glacier hike (the glacier tongue accessible from the car park at Skaftafell — crampons provided — the blue ice cave beneath the glacier, accessible October–March when the ice is stable).

• Seljalandsfoss — walk behind the waterfall · waterproof clothing essential
• Reynisfjara — black sand, sea stacks · never turn back on ocean
• Jökulsárlón — iceberg lagoon · seals on floes · Diamond Beach
• Vatnajökull glacier hike — crampons on ice · blue ice caves Oct–Mar
• Skógafoss 527 steps — leads to the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull lava field

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula (a 90km-long peninsula extending into the North Atlantic from the western fjords — 3 hours from Reykjavík — sometimes called “Iceland in miniature” because it contains glaciers, volcanic craters, lava fields, black sand beaches, fishing villages, bird cliffs, and mountain scenery within a single 90km drive) is Iceland’s most compact and most mythologically charged landscape. Snæfellsjökull (the glacier-topped stratovolcano at the peninsula’s tip — 1,446 metres — Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) uses Snæfellsjökull’s crater as the entrance to the interior — the mountain is a National Park in itself — the glacier is retreating: it has lost 25% of its volume since 1996 and glaciologists predict it will have largely disappeared by 2050). Kirkjufell (the 463-metre arrowhead-shaped mountain at Grundarfjörður — the mountain used as the “Arrowhead Mountain” in Game of Thrones Season 7 — the Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall in the foreground provides the compositional anchor for the most replicated Iceland landscape photograph — the best time for photography is autumn, when the aurora frames the mountain from the north, or winter when snow covers the summit). The Djúpalónssandur black pebble beach at the base of Snæfellsjökull (the lifting stones used by fishermen to test their strength — four stones of 23, 54, 100, and 154kg — “Fullsterkur” (fully strong) required lifting the heaviest stone onto a ledge — only those who could lift the 100kg or 154kg stone were considered strong enough to work on the fishing boats). The Lóndrangar basalt pinnacles. The Arnarstapi sea arch.

• Snæfellsjökull — Jules Verne’s descent entrance · glacier retreating since 1996
• Kirkjufell — Game of Thrones “Arrowhead Mountain” · aurora framing in winter
• Djúpalónssandur — lifting stones · 23, 54, 100, 154kg test weights
• Arnarstapi — sea arch · Arctic tern colony · best puffin beach on the peninsula
• Stykkishólmur — the colourful fishing village · ferry to the Westfjords

The Westfjords (Vestfirðir — the large peninsula in the extreme northwest of Iceland — the most remote and least visited region of Iceland — 950km of fjord coastline — accessible by road via the 1.9km-high Ísafjarðardjúp fjord crossing or by flight (45 minutes from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður — the world’s shortest regular commercial runway at 1,250m, the approach between vertical cliff faces requiring one of the steepest civilian landing angles in commercial aviation — not for the nervous)) contains the experiences that repeat visitors to Iceland cite as their finest: the complete absence of other tourists, the scale of the unmodified landscape, and the wildlife at Látrabjarg. Látrabjarg (the 14km-long, 440-metre-high sea cliff at the Westfjords’ far western tip — the westernmost point of Europe — home to 10 million nesting seabirds including razorbills, guillemots, fulmars, and the largest puffin colony in Iceland — approximately 1 million Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) nesting in burrows at the cliff’s top — the puffins are remarkably unafraid of humans and will approach to within 30cm on the cliff path — the most reliably close wild puffin encounter available anywhere in the world — the correct season is June–August when the birds are present before their late August departure for the open Atlantic). Dynjandi (the “Thundering One” — the largest waterfall in the Westfjords — a 100-metre, 30-metre-wide fan-shaped cascade that broadens from 7 metres at the top to 30 metres at the base, with six smaller falls below it — accessible via a 10-minute walk from the car park — the most photogenic single waterfall in Iceland by the assessment of most Icelandic photographers). Reykjarfjörður geothermal hot pots (the collection of unofficial outdoor hot pools accessible to any visitor — ISK 0 — the geothermal water emerging from the hillside at 40–45°C, collected in stone basins above the fjord — the correct Westfjords experience is sitting in 42°C water watching the Arctic light change colour on the fjord opposite, with no other visitors in sight).

• Látrabjarg — 1 million puffins · Jun–Aug · approach within 30cm
• Dynjandi — fan-shaped 100m waterfall · 10-min walk · no crowds
• Reykjarfjörður hot pots — free geothermal pools · Arctic light on the fjord
• Ísafjörður — tiny town, kayaking the fjords · ski in April
• Best combined with Snæfellsnes via the Stykkishólmur ferry

The Icelandic interior (the central highland plateau — accessible only via F-roads requiring a high-clearance 4WD vehicle — the roads open approximately June to September depending on snow conditions — road.is provides daily road status updates) is the most remote and most geologically extreme landscape accessible to a visitor in Iceland without a snowcat or aircraft. Landmannalaugar (the highland valley at 590m altitude in the Fjallabak Nature Reserve — the rhyolite mountain landscape of pink, red, purple, green, and yellow volcanic rock (rhyolite — a silica-rich volcanic rock produced by slow-cooling acidic lava — the oxidation of different minerals produces the colour range) — a natural geothermal pool at the base of a lava field where the river emerges at 38–40°C — the starting point of the Laugavegur Trail (the 55km, 4-day hiking route connecting Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk — the most celebrated multi-day walk in Iceland — the route crosses two glaciers (on snow bridges), the obsidian lava field of Hrafntinnusker, the red and yellow rhyolite mountains of Brennisteinsalda, the green valley of Álftavatn, and the sand desert of Emstrur before descending into the birch woodland of Þórsmörk — mountain huts at each stage, bookable at fi.is — sell out months ahead for July and August)). Askja (the remote caldera in the northeast interior — accessed via the Sprengisandur F-road through the central desert — the Víti crater lake (“Hell” — the acid-blue, 22°C geothermal lake in the caldera — swimmable in summer) — the Öskjuvatn caldera lake (the second deepest lake in Iceland — 217m — formed during the 1875 Askja eruption that deposited ash across Iceland and prompted mass emigration to North America)). Mývatn (the lake in the northeast whose surrounding landscape is Iceland’s most concentrated geothermal display outside Þingvellir: the Námaskarð sulphurous fumarole field, the Krafla volcano (last erupted 1984), the Dimmuborgir lava castle formations, and the Mývatn Nature Baths — the geothermal bathing pool often described as the quieter, less expensive, equally beautiful alternative to the Blue Lagoon).

• Landmannalaugar — rhyolite mountains · geothermal pool · Laugavegur trailhead
• Laugavegur Trail — 55km, 4 days · book mountain huts at fi.is months ahead
• Askja caldera — Víti crater lake (swim!) · 1875 eruption · remote F-road access
• Mývatn Nature Baths — quieter Blue Lagoon alternative · Krafla volcano nearby
• F-roads open Jun–Sep · 4WD essential · check road.is before departing