Iceland was one of the first countries in Europe to invite fully vaccinated tourists to visit in the summer of 2021. As soon as we heard the good news, we jumped on the opportunity to revisit one of our favorite countries on earth. Upon arrival to Keflavik airport, we were given a free PCR test and told to go quarantine at a hotel of our choice until we received a text message with the results of our test. Once we received our negative COVID-19 test results, we immediately made a beeline for Iceland’s newest volcano of Geldingadalir. This volcano has been erupting since March 19th and we were so excited to see it in person. The week before we arrived, the closest hill top was completely engulfed by lava which meant we had to hike up to the second closest vantage point but it was still phenomenal, with fiery lava explosions every 10 minutes or so much to the crowd’s delight and awe. What an incredible welcome present to Iceland! Back in Reykjavik, we did a self guided walking tour of the street art that has sprung up in the capital. From Reyjkavik, we made our way to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, stopping en route to hike Iceland’s second tallest waterfall of Glymur. Back in 2014, we had complete white out conditions when we visited Snæfellsnes, so it was such a treat to revisit it and be able to see how beautiful this section of Iceland is. We spent two full days exploring the peninsula before making our way over to the Westfjords as we were keen on seeing if the puffins had made it to Latrabjarg yet. Unfortunately, it was still too early for the puffins but the drive out to the westernmost section of Iceland was still worth it for spectacular scenery as well as a repeat visit to Dynjandi waterfall. From the Westfjords, we backtracked towards North Iceland, with highlights being the Kolugljúfur Canyon, numerous turf roofed houses, Tröllaskagi Peninsula and the Mývatn Nature Baths. What an action packed first week in Iceland and we are thoroughly enjoying our time here!
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Hot lava spilling behind Robby from Geldingadalir volcano
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Lava spewing from Geldingadalir every few minutes - what a spectacular sight!
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Becky at the edge of the lava flow
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Hallgrimskirkja church; Reykjavík
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Fast food restaurant Drekinn (the dragon); Reykjavík
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Sun voyager, a steel sculpture of a ship in Reykjavík
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Concert hall Harpa, famous for its glass facade
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Street art called “The Masquerade” by artist Phlegm of 27 masked figurines; Reykjavík
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Girl with cello street art; Reykjavík
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“Man of the house” mural; Reykjavík
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Duck girl “Home is where you take it. Family is who you make it”
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Girl playing with a caterpillar; Reykjavík
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Water carrier statue in downtown Reykjavík
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Rainbow street to celebrate gay pride in Reykjavík
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Street art abounds on Laugavegur, Grettisgata and Skólavörðustígur streets in downtown Reykjavík
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Pretty coastline on the drive from Reykjavík to Glymur waterfall
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The small roadside waterfall of Sjávarfoss
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Small cave that we hiked through to reach Glymur, Iceland’s second highest waterfall
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Looking back at the spectacular scenery to reach the waterfall
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At long last, we reached Glymur waterfall and had it all to ourselves!
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Gerðuberg Cliffs; Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Moss campion, a common wildflower in Iceland
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A sheep and lamb by the roadside
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Harbor seals at Ytri Tunga; Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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The tiny black church at Budir, the often photographed Búðakirkja
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A curvy road on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Entrance to the Rauðfeldsgjá Gorge
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It was a bit of a scramble but Robby made it inside the ravine; Rauðfeldsgjá
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View looking back towards the coastline from the Rauðfeldsgjá Ravine
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Stunning roadside scenery on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Robby standing at Bárður Snæfellsás (half man, half troll), the mythical protector of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Rhodiola Rosea (Golden Root), a wild succulent seen near Arnarstapi
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The fishing village of Arnarstapi with Mount Stapafell in the background
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Kittiwakes nesting on the Arnarstapi bird cliffs
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Hellnar, a tiny hamlet on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Mt. Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss in Grundarfjörður, the most photographed waterfall on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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The tiny coastal town of Ólafsvík
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Old fishing boat Tindur SH-179; Ólafsvík
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The lovely church of Ingjaldshólskirkja
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“Sauðfé” mural painted in only 5 days in the village of Hellissandur
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“The Myth of Bárður” mural painted by Camilo Arias
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Puffin mural; Hellissandur
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Mountain avens, an arctic alpine flowering plant
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A fish drying shed at Gufuskálar
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The curvy road leading to Öndverðarness and Saxhólsbjarg Cliffs
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The road soon becomes gravel and requires 4WD
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Skálasnagaviti lighthouse
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Djupalon Lake (also known as “Svörtulón”, black lagoon); Snæfellsnes
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Three horses; Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Spectacular drive on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Emergency mountain hut; Snæfellsnes Peninsula
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Road cutting across the 4000 year old Berserkjahraun lava field
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Colorful Icelandic houses in pretty Stykkisholmur
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Becky at the top of Grábrók Crater
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Turf house of Eiríksstaðir, which is the former homestead of Erik the Red, birth place of his son Leif Eiriksson
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Carved pole at Lake Haukadalsvatn
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Gorgeous scenery on our drive to the Westfjords
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Soaking in the hot pot of Hellulaug; Westfjords
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Road construction workers often build a monument after completing an especially difficult section of the road. This is called Kleifabui, ‘inhabitant of Kleif’, Kleifaheidi Pass
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Garðar BA 64, the oldest steel ship in Iceland; Patreksfjörður
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The road leading out to Látrabjarg Cliffs
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Látrabjarg Cliffs are Europe’s largest bird cliffs
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Razorbills; Látrabjarg Cliffs
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Another view of the amazing Látrabjarg Cliffs - sadly it was too windy for puffins the day we visited
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Old fishing boats outside the Hnjotur Museum
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The pretty fjord town of Patreksfjörður
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Arctic tern aggressively defending its nest
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A family of common eider ducks
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The village of Bíldudalur
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Arnarfjörður is a large fjord in the Westfjord region of Iceland
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Roadside waterfall off road 63
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Abandoned car at Arnarfjörður
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The largest waterfall in the Westfjords, Dynjandi is a sight to behold
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Emergency hut; Westfjords
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The rugged coastline of the Westfjords
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Another view of the fantastic Kolugljúfur Canyon
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Kolugljúfur Canyon is 60 meters wide, 40 meters deep and 1 km long - definitely a highlight of north Iceland
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Hvítserkur, a 15 m (45 foot) basalt stack on the Vatnsnes Peninsula
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Eastern shore of the Vatnsnes Peninsula
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Robby making friends with horses; Vatnsnes Peninsula
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Friendly and curious horses checking us out
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Icelandic horses by the roadside; Vatnsnes Peninsula
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Black beach of Sauðárkrókur
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Turf roof house near Reynistaðakirkja
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Glaumbær historic turf roof farm
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View of the turf roofs of Glaumbær
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Víðimýrarkirkja turf church in North Iceland
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The stunning drive into Hólar
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A traditional Icelandic turf house called Nýibær is a must see in Hólar
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Rear view of Nýibær; Hólar
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Grafarkirkja is Iceland’s oldest turf church
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A gorgeous day to drive one of Iceland’s most scenic routes - the Trollaskagi Peninsula
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View of the Skagafjörður fjord as we drove around the Trollaskagi Peninsula
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Siglufjörður’s picturesque harbor
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Wooden sculptures of three men chatting; Siglufjörður
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The Herring Era Museum; Siglufjörður
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Mountain road leading out of Siglufjörður
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Lupine view of pretty Siglufjörður
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Fishing vessel in Ólafsfjörður
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We really enjoyed our drive around Trollaskagi Peninsula
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Historic buildings of Arngrímsstofa
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The Blaa Kannan Cafe on Hafnarstræti street is Akureyri’s prettiest building
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Christmas House located 7 km away from Akureyri is packed with Christmas trinkets all year round and reputedly Santa’s workshop
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Built in 1855, the Saurbæjarkirkja church was designed to withstand the weather
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Late afternoon drive past Eyjafjörður fjord
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Lower river section of Goðafoss
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The Skjálfandafljót River near Goðafoss
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Goðafoss or “waterfall of the gods” is one of Iceland’s most famous and popular waterfalls
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Since it was snowing heavily all day, we decided to spend hours soaking in the warm alkaline lagoon of Mývatn
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By late afternoon, the snow finally eased up and we had a winter wonderland to discover in Mývatn
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Bubbling pools of mud and sulphurous mud springs; Hverir
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Steaming fumarole; Hverir
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Snowy road leading to Hverfjall Crater
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Snowy road leading to Hverfjall Crater
Grjótagjá Cave became famous in 2013 because of Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow and Ygritte’s post sex skinny dip
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Becky standing in the lava crust fissure above Grjótagjá Cave
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Hiking around Dimmuborgir (Black Fortress) lava field; Lake Mývatn area
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Robby strikes a pose in Dimmuborgir
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The famous turf farm of Grenjaðarstaður
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Advertisement for Netflix’s tv show “Katla” at the base of Geldingadalir, Iceland’s newest volcano
