Iceland is a true dream destination for outdoor lovers and landscape photographers due to its impressive, dramatic landscape. It is a volcanically and geologically active Nordic island country of Europe, located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Traveling Iceland’s Ring Road is the perfect way to get to know the country on and off the tour’s path, but also if you have less time, you are able to see some of the coolest spots on the island with day tours, for example, the Golden Circle Route. With this post I want to show you my favorite places to visit in Iceland, with tips for short term visitors as well as Ring Road adventurers. Are you ready? Let’s get started. Of course we need to start this list with the foss as there’s no shortage of waterfalls in this country. The Skogafoss makes this list due to its powerful white water curtain you can get up really close to and take some impressive photos. On top of that, you can also walk up to a platform to see it from above.
Top 10 Places to Visit in Iceland for Short Long Trips Photo Gallery
Located close to it, you could easily visit Skogafoss as part of a day trip from Reykjavik. Don’t forget your rain jacket. Located along the Golden Circle Route, this attraction is one of the most popular ones. Just one and a half hours out of Reykjavik. Here you get to see some splashing geysers as well as the original geyser, the one where the word geyser is coming from which is unfortunately dormant most of the time. The Strokkur on the other hand is very active and shoots water into the air every six to minutes. After cold and hot water, you also need to see of course, frozen water. The Vatnajökull, also known as the water glacier in English is the largest and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland and one of the largest in area in Europe. Seeing the glacier lagoons in the south, is truly impressive, but if you want to take it a step further, I would recommend going on an ice cave tour where you also learn more about the glacier itself. An area which I wished I would’ve had more time for were the Highlands, just a bit off the Golden Circle Route. For this, you should come in summer and you would need a four by four in order to explore the many canyons, waterfalls, and mountains up here, or you go on a proper hiking trip. The Highlands center, Hrauneyjar is a good base for that. Because of the difficult pronunciation of the name and due to the fact that Justin Bieber made this place popular by posting a music post here this canyon is mostly referred to as the Bieber canyon. Located just one hour east of lake, this canyon quickly became one of my favorite places to visit in Iceland. Once there, you should walk all the way up to a platform which is shaped like a whale tail.
There, you can enjoy the best view into the canyon. Next is Anarstapi, located on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula another possible day trip from Reykjavik. Here you can see what happens when hot lava meets the cold ocean. Take your time and walk the trail along the impressive coastline where you get to see steep cliffs and columnar basalt similar to the famous Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. Even though we spent two weeks driving around the island, I totally love the part in the southeast as it is incredibly picturesque. One of my favorite spots was Stokksnes, a headland near Hofn with white black beaches in front of the dramatic mountain named Vestrahorn. As a photographer, you can easily spend hours here. Located in the north of Iceland, the Asbyrgi canyon is a bit more off the beaten path and way quieter than most of the sites as it takes some time to get here. The hike along the edge of the canyon to the waterfall makes up for the efforts, especially when you come in autumn. Then the inside of the canyon is dotted with colorful trees. It’s about time for another waterfall don’t you think? The Hengifoss is also located remotely, but the east of the country and it takes a little hike to get up to the third highest waterfall in Iceland. There’s a rounding basaltic strata with thin red layers of clay between the basaltic layers, makes up for a beautiful composition. What’s missing in this list of places to visit in Iceland? Right, hot springs. For me, the Blue Lagoon was a bit too crowded. My tip is to drive a bit out of Reykjavik to Reykjadalur and hike up a valley filled with hot springs and mud pools. Above the river, surrounded by beautiful landscape is the best reward I ever had on a steep hike and a great way to finish a trip in this beautiful country. And that’s a wrap. If you want to get more tips and personal recommendations make sure to check out my comprehensive Iceland travel guides on the blog with plenty of practical information. The link can be found in the info box below. For more posts of Iceland, you could find a whole post series named Circling Iceland on my blog, where I take you to all the places I visited. Finally, if you like this post, don’t forget to comment for new travel posts every Thursday. Thanks for reading.
