My wife has wanted to go to Iceland ever since we watched the hit History Channel show titled Vikings. The landscapes and history were just too enticing not to make Iceland our next adventure.

We started our trip at the Blue Lagoon in near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located in a lava field in Grindavik. The Lagoon has a rich blue color because of its high mineral content and it has an average temperature of 99-102 °F making it ideal to relax your mind and body. We went to the Lagoon right after our plane landed letting us recharge and get ready for the adventures to come.

We spent our first night in Iceland at a very nice hotel called Hotel Borg. It was located across from Austurvollur, a small city park, in downtown Reykjavik. We only stayed in Reykjavik one night before we left for the Golden Circle where we would stay 2 nights. The Golden Circle is a region in southern Iceland that has many popular tour destinations. The places we saw were Gullfoss waterfall, a geothermal area in Haukadalur which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur, Kerid Crater Lake, and Pingvellir National Park. We stayed in a hotel called Hotel Grimsborgir which was by far my favorite hotel we stayed in during our trip. The hotel featured separate buildings that held multiple rooms which all had beautiful views of Alftavatn lake and far off mountains. At the Hotel Grimsborgir, we had our first sightings of the Northern Lights! Although they only lasted for a few minutes, we were able to grab a few shots on our cell phones.

Our first stop in our tour around the Golden circle was Kerid Crater Lake. The lake is a volcanic crater that you can hike down to the water or all the way around its perimeter. One of the things that stood out to me was the range of vibrant colors you could see. From bright reds in the dirt to colorful greens in the moss growing along its slopes. Walking around the perimeter gives you a sense of awe; you can see snowy mountains in the far-off distance and then you contrast that with the volcano you are standing on.

Our second stop in the Golden Circle was Gulfoss water fall. Gulfoss is the largest waterfall that I have ever seen. It flows over multiple drops giving you breathtaking scenes of the powerful force of water rushing over the rocks and stone. The terrain around the water fall is mostly flat giving you incredible views of the mountains and the source of the river in the distance. Although Gulfoss was the largest water fall I have seen, it was not my favorite on the trip.

Our next stop in the Golden Circle was Haukadalur and the geysers Geysir and Strokkur. As soon as you pull close to the geysers you can see steam emanating from the flowing hot springs water and from the ground. Geysir is the larger of the two main geysers and it erupted about every 5 minutes and it shot out at varying heights. From the same park, we hiked up Haukadalur which is a very large hill. On the other side of Haukadalur you can see an amazing vista of small town and mountains in the background. You can also get a different perspective of the geysers as they erupted.

The next day in the Golden Circle, we travelled to Pingvellir National Park and went snorkeling in between two tectonic plates (North American and Eurasian) in a lava field at Silfra Diving. The views from the cliffs at the park were incredible. You could clearly distinguish the North American and Eurasian plates from each other. The snorkeling was like nothing I have ever done, I have never even snorkeled before so to have my first time in Iceland in between two tectonic plates was amazing. The water temperature was in the 30s °F and the diving company outfitted you with a thermal base layer, and full covering neoprene dry suits so for me, the cold temperature of the water wasn’t an issue. The water we were snorkeling in was crystal clear. It was impressive how clear the water was. The main attraction below the water was the rock formations and the depth to which you could see.

After our time in the Golden circle we traveled around the south-eastern tip to our destination of Klaustur. Along the way, we stopped at two water falls Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, the Black Sand Beach near Vik and Fjaorargljufur which is a beautiful canyon.

Seljalandsfoss is an amazing water fall that has a huge drop and boasts the ability for tourists to walk behind it into a small cave. This water fall was my favorite waterfall that we saw during our trip. I loved walking behind it and enjoying the uniqueness of the experience. I can’t describe how incredible the experience was. This area also has a small cave you can walk to and peak inside to see a small waterfall.

After Seljalandsfoss, we went to Skogafoss. Skogafoss is a huge water fall in width and in height. You can walk right up the fall and experience the power of the water or you can hike up the side of the cliff to see the top of the water fall and the coastline. This water fall was incredible. I really enjoyed being able to climb to the top to see a different perspective of the fall and walking along the river.

We then ventured to the Black Sand Beach near Vik. You can see the Black Sand Beach in two ways. You can first drive on top of a cliff adjacent to the beach or you can go to the beach itself. We did both. The view from the top of the cliff was incredible and well worth the hair-raising drive up the steep and narrow road. While you’re on top, you can also see an amazing naturally carved stone archway standing in the North Atlantic Ocean.

On our final stop before we reached our hotel in Klauster that night was the incredible canyon of Fjaorargljufur. While we were there it was covered in snow creating a winter wonderland like scene for us. You can hike along the top or there is a passage you can maneuver to get to the river bed below. We went to the canyon later in the day and ran into relatively few other tourists giving us almost the entire canyon to ourselves.

The next day in Iceland we had plenty of more activities to do from glacier hiking ice cave touring in Skaftafell to vising a glacier lagoon at Jokulsarlon. Hiking on the glacier was a unique experience. The glacier we hiked on is a part of the Vatnajokull Glacier which is one of the largest and most voluminous ice caps in Iceland. We donned ice cleats on our hiking boots and trekked up a sloping hill at the foot of the glacier. On our trek, we saw crevasses and huge ice falls. The ice cave that we toured was inside the glacier. Many glaciers have tunnels and caves dispersed throughout themselves, similar to swiss cheese. The ice cave was an awesome place to be in, seeing the smoothness of the walls and the contact between the rocky soil and the glacier was very interesting. You could also see trapped air bubbles in the glacier that you knew have been trapped for thousands of years.

The Glacier Lagoon at Jokulsarlon was something special. The Vatnajokull Glacier meets the salty water of Jokulsarlon which melts the glaciers and creates icebergs. The icebergs then eventually float underneath the draw bridge along route 1 and out to the North Atlantic. The view was absolutely magical and it was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

While at our hotel in Klauster, we saw an amazing display of the Northern Lights! Erin and I stayed up until midnight before we started seeing the lights in the sky. They almost looked just like clouds but once we turned the camera to the proper settings, the sky light with vibrant green colors. The display lasted on and off for about 2 hours with the best display occurring outside our hotel window. It was incredible seeing the lights move and wave at us, it was truly amazing.