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!
