“Iceland:  Land of Ice and Fire” by Kim Brooks

Iceland is hard to describe without sweeping hand gestures. It is Montana with an ocean – sky and mountains everywhere, plus a ridiculous surplus of waterfalls and fjords. It is familiar European charm on top of a landscape so alien that astronauts practice moonwalking there.

In 2019, Iceland was my 14-year-old’s dream destination because it checked all their introverted adventurer boxes:  uncrowded; waterfalls; not too hot. Iceland’s popularity has soared in recent years. Its exotic terrain starred on Game of Thrones, and Icelandair has made Reykjavik a hub to Europe – their passengers have the option to add a few days layover.

We began in Reykjavik, a city that holds 2/3 of Icelanders. It is charming and walkable, small enough to see on foot in a couple of days. We loved the museums, the cemetery, and the harbor – but we were eager to start circumnavigating the island.

We drove clockwise out of the city. Iceland is circled by one highway – the Ring Road. Our first stop was the Snaefellsnes peninsula, famous for dramatic black beaches and cliffs, and the Snæfellsjökull glacier. We loved the breathtaking waterfalls here – plummeting hundreds of feet from glacial peaks before turning into streams that crossed meadows.

From Snaefellsnes, we took a ferry to the wild West Fjords. We drove up and over the mountains that cover the peninsula – we didn’t see a single store for hours. The views at the ridgetop reveal endless mountains and complicated coastlines.

We stayed at a stunning horse ranch on the ocean. Their remote farm was at the end of a one-lane dirt road. We played in their volcano-heated hot tub and got to meet 2 arctic foxes she had rescued – a truly wild experience. We hiked for hours and didn’t reach the end of the ranch property, but found seals, eagles, a lighthouse and more.  My teenager walked the whole way with binoculars, breathlessly spotting something new at every bend.

We zigzagged around fjords, back to the Ring Road towards Aykureyi, a charming Scandanavian town. We kept going to Husavik, the northernmost town and a seaport for ships headed to the North Atlantic. Tourists also go here for whalewatching – we went out on an old tallship. Even in July, passengers wear head-to-toe cold-weather gear – it’s very close the Arctic Circle!

We stayed on another farm here — the fields were criss-crossed with waterfalls and streamlets. We stayed up to catch the night sun – it was sunny until 11 PM, and never got fully dark. The hours-long twilight was magical.

From Husavik, we headed to the volcanic region of Myvatn. Stops every few miles included hot springs, craters filled with turquoise water, and geysirs. Iceland is dotted with active volcanoes: Under its tranquil green, the gods are roiling. The area is also home to huge waterfalls – Godafoss, Selfoss, and Dettifoss — roaring water in a wall of noise and mist. Massive clouds of spray rise up and create waves of rainbows. We could only stare wide-eyed.

From the drama of Myvatn, we headed East through miles of flat volcanic moonscape to reach the next section of coast:  The East Fjords.

We settled in Seydisfjodur, a little village nestled in a green valley on a bay. Kayaking is popular on the glassy bay, but we opted to borrow bikes (a friendly neighbor let us have his for the day). The town is postcard-perfect with a charming rainbow walk through the center. There is a ferry to the Faro islands and to Denmark, but we were content to crane our necks at the dozens of waterfalls across dramatic valley slopes. It was very difficult to leave.

We continued over mountains to the famous South Coast. We were getting closer to Reykjavik, which meant the roads and sites were more crowded. Diamond Beach was breathtaking – turquoise icebergs in a glacial bay, washing up jewels on the black sand. We were also impressed with the Geysir area – despite the crowds. The Blue Lagoon is here, too, although we skipped it because it can be difficult (and expensive!) to get a ticket in July.

Maybe we had spent too much time in the empty spaces to the north, but we found this area overtraveled. We ended up fleeing to a quiet farmland area, just South of the Ring Road on the coast. It was an amazing choice – we stopped at a beach lighthouse and had the whole place to ourselves. We met a farmer raising heritage Icelandic sheep.

Finally, we meandered back towards the airport. With some hours to spare, we pulled off the highway to catch an impressive view from the top of a black cliff. We scrambled down to the shoreline where the waves and thousands of birds competed for loudest. My teen threw rocks, like they have done at every beach ever, while I took it all in. There wasn’t another person in sight – even though we were only 20 minutes from tour busses, traffic, and the airport.  This is my last snapshot of Iceland: The magical charm of its remoteness and stunning natural beauty, even when civilization is just around the corner.

Travel tips:

• Iceland is very Food is pricey and restaurants are sparse outside of cities: Take advantage of grocery stores and keep snacks when traveling.
• Gas is over $7 per gallon, but for exploring the countryside, there are not many other options. There are tours to the South Coast from the city, if you don’t want to drive.
• Accommodations were affordable and options were plentiful, even in rural areas, thanks to the farmers welcome guests. We stayed in homes and on farms and found them all fun and inviting. We used AirBnB, booking as we went.