West
The main attraction of the region is the Western Fjords. These places are considered one of the most beautiful on the island. If you look at the map, this region is shaped like a paw. From a geological point of view, the Westfjords are the oldest Icelandic region left from the Thule volcanic plateau. Here flows the Dinyandi River with a waterfall that drops its waters from a height of 100 m, and at the bottom is divided into five smaller waterfalls, eventually reaching the ocean. Off the coast, a ridge of Laatrabjarga cliffs stretches for 12 km. Their height ranges from 40 to 400 m. Here is the westernmost point of Iceland and all of Europe – the Bjargtangar lighthouse. This place is perfect for bird watching, among which you can see the symbol of the country – the puffin bird.
In addition to the Western Fjords, you should go to Flatey Island, whose name means “flat” in Icelandic. Its surface rises above sea level by only 1.5 meters and is really almost flat. There are no trees on Flatey, but many birds.
To the east of Reykjavik, 70 km from it, the Hvita River flows, on which the Gullfoss waterfall is located. It is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. Its waters fall from a height of 32 m into a deep canyon (its depth is about 70 m, and its length is 2.5 km). A hiking trail leads to the waterfall, which is surrounded by lush vegetation. According to TOP-MEDICAL-SCHOOLS, the Blue Lagoon is on the Reykjanes Peninsula where you can swim. It has a smooth clay bottom and a depth of one and a half meters. The water temperature in the lagoon reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and there are steam rooms on its shore. It is believed that this geothermal water has healing properties and a beneficial effect on the skin. On its basis, cosmetics are produced in Iceland, and psoriasis is treated with it. In the west is the highest waterfall in Iceland – Glymur, its height reaches 198 m.
In the northern part of the region is the Husafell Natural Park. Birch groves grow on the territory of the park, lava fields stretch, the Kalda River flows, and there are also geothermal springs. Four kilometers from Husafetl is the cascade of Hrainfossar waterfalls., which flow directly from under the frozen lava fields. Also of interest are the Barnafossar waterfall and caves, among which is the longest cave in Iceland – Vidgelmir.
North
In the northern part of Iceland, the island of Grimsey is very popular. Its northern point lies on the Arctic Circle. After visiting the island, all tourists receive a certificate of crossing the Arctic Circle. The main inhabitants of Grimsey are birds, of which there are about 60 species. Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods) is located
in northern Iceland. – one of the most famous Icelandic waterfalls. It was formed on a lava field as a result of the melting of the glacier. The stream of water falls from a height of 12 meters and is divided into three parts. Two of them are wide and approximately equal to each other. They are separated by a rocky barrier, which in turn is bisected by a third narrow stream of water.
It is worth visiting Lake Myvatn (“mosquito lake”). Trout and salmon are found in its waters, and there are about 40 small islands on the surface. The largest colony of ducks in the world lives here. On the eastern shore of the lake, the Dimmuborgir lava formations up to 20 meters high have frozen.
In the Jokulsaargljufur Nature Park flows the second longest river in Iceland, the Jokulsaa a Fjodlüm. In the south of the park, it is worth seeing the Dechtifoss waterfall.. Its height is 44 m, width is 100 m, it is considered the most powerful waterfall in Europe. There is also a horseshoe-shaped Aasbirgi canyon with Icelandic birches growing in it, the depth of which reaches 100 m. The volcanically active region of Krafla is interesting. The heart of the volcanic activity of the territory is the central Krafla volcano with the craters Viti and Leirpnyukur, which is a multi-level system of cracks. Krafla’s activity so far is manifested only in the form of changes in the local relief. East The eastern part of Iceland will be of interest to lovers of hiking. The dormant Snaefetl volcano is located here.
It reaches a height of 1833 meters. Climbing it is easy enough. The Skaftafell National Park contains an active volcano, Grimsvetn. He is famous for throwing out a column of steam 10 km high in 1998. One of the most popular hiking trails in the region is from the northern village of Borgarfjordur Eistri to the southern village of Breiddalsvik through the town of Seydisfjordur.
South
In the south of Iceland is the second largest ice sheet in Europe – Vatnajökull (the largest are the ice sheets of Greenland). It occupies about 8% of the territory of Iceland and covers the surface of the island with an almost 400-meter layer of ice. Several active volcanoes are hidden under the ice crust.
It is worth visiting the Thorsmörk valley, where flowers bloom in the summer. In the valley there is the peak Valahnukur with a height of 460 m, the ascent to which will take about an hour. Lake Kerid is very beautiful, which is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. The water in the lake is green, its shores go down steeply, the maximum depth of the lake is 55m. On the coast, it is worth looking at Cape Dirhoolaey, in which the sea carved an arch 110 meters high. At its top is a lighthouse. It is interesting to visit the Jokulsaarloon sea lagoon, where glaciers float. Iceland ‘s southern region includes the Westman Islands. This is a group of 16 islands, most of which appeared as a result of the eruption of underwater volcanoes about 10 thousand years ago. Only one of the islands is inhabited, this is the island of Heimaey. Here settles the largest colony of puffins in Iceland.
GLACIERS
The total area of Icelandic glaciers is 11.8 thousand square meters. km. They mainly cover the central parts of the island, but the largest ice sheet in Iceland – Vatnajokull – is located in the southeast of the island. This is a vast ice plateau, where the highest point of the country Hvannadalshnukur is located, which has a height of 2119 m above sea level. Vatnajokull is also the largest in Europe after the ice sheet in Greenland. It occupies about 8% of the territory of Iceland and covers the surface of the island with an almost 400-meter layer of ice. Several active volcanoes are hidden under the ice crust of the glacier. Iceland ‘s second largest glacier is Langjokull. Its surface rises to 800 m above sea level. Also interesting are the glaciers of the so-called “cold valley” in the center of the island. These are Eiriksjokull, Langjokull and Ogyokudl, the highest point of which is at an altitude of 727 m above sea level.
HOT SPRINGS
The most popular geothermal area in Iceland is located 60 km from Reykjavik. This is the Valley of Geysers. It should be noted that the word “geyser” was once a proper name, it was used in Iceland to designate a gushing hot spring, which is just located in the Valley of Geysers. Later this name spread throughout the world. Now the same Geyser is not very active, it gushing about once a day, throwing out a column of water to a height of 55 meters. Next to it is another hot spring Strokkur, which hits a height of about 20 meters about once every 10 minutes. Among the large geothermal areas, one can also distinguish the area of the Torfa glacier to the east of the most famous volcano Hekla, the area of lakes near the Vatnajokull glacier, as well as the Landamannaleigar mountain plateau in the center of the island. There are practically no hot springs in the east of Iceland.
