15 essentials: what to see and visit in Iceland in 5, 6 or 7 days

Iceland It is one of the most amazing countries that you can visit in the world.

It is not easy to find a country like Iceland mix volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, deserts and lava caves and of course Aurora borealis.

It is the youngest land in the world, which is still in formation, and a place where you feel the connection with nature.

Best places to see and visit in Iceland

The one known as the island of ice and fire It is full of places that are well worth visiting, so we are going to summarize those that for us are the essential visits After the recent trip we took with Polar Lands.

Blue Lagoon in Iceland

If there is a place that perfectly represents a country as peculiar as Iceland, it is Blue Lagoon.

La Blue Lagoon, which is the Spanish translation, are some blue hot springs due to the minerals that make up its soil.

But they are not simply swimming pools, since the biggest peculiarity is the smoke that the water gives off.

And is that Iceland is a country with a geothermal energy impressive, which comes from the earth and the volcanoes found beneath the crust.

This makes the water that flows from the interior hot, to such a point that in order to bathe in it Blue Lagoon, they have to mix the water from inside the earth that springs at 80 degrees, with cold water.

El Blue Lagoon It is a highly requested visit among those of us who travel to Iceland because it is very close to Reykjavik, and although the price is not cheap at all (nothing on the island is), it is a visit that is worth it.

Golden Circle in Iceland

El Golden Circle It is the excursion par excellence in Iceland.

It is a day trip in which they visit 3 iconic places in Iceland.

Is thingvellir, which is the first icelandic parliament and where the island arises geologically.

As well Geysir, Which is the geyser original that gives name to all geysers in the world.

Y finally Gullfoss, One Iceland's most iconic waterfalls, a magical place that was almost lost to build a power plant.

Here we leave you a video of our trip to iceland where you can see the visit to the Golden Circle.

Snæfellsnes Peninsula in Iceland

Northwest of Reykjavik is the Snaefellnes peninsula, a very good area to see volcanoes, and the fact is that Saxhóll crater It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular on the island.

Volcanoes suddenly emerge from lava flows like Saxholl, which makes up a very peculiar landscape; A perfectly formed volcano is created on a large plain.

Furthermore, on the peninsula of Sneafellsnes It's a must stop Kirkjufell, a beautiful rock formation with a waterfall at its feet.

Another attraction of this peninsula is the possibility of seeing seals in the southern part of the peninsula in Ytri Tunga, or visit the incredible black sand beach of Djúpalonssandur, where the remains of a ship that sank years ago are found.

Diamond Beach in Iceland

But if there is a special beach in Iceland, it is the one known as Diamond beach, diamond beach.

It is a beach where icebergs arrive from Jökulsárlón glacier, which perch on the beach.

The contrast of the black volcanic sand of the beach with the ice of the glacier is incredible.

It is a beach that looks like a lie, especially if you see it on a day as good as the one we had, with the sun reflecting on the ice of the icebergs.

Although it must also be said that the beach does not always present the same image, as there are days with fewer icebergs on the sand.

Its on the side Fjallsárlón, a lake with icebergs where you can also take boat trips between glaciers.

Lava and moss deserts in Iceland

Another very curious landscape in Iceland is that of the lava deserts.

It is something essential to see in Iceland.

These landscapes are formed when the volcanoes that are under the glaciers erupt, and melt part of the glacier causing enormous alluviums.

In a matter of hours they carry enormous quantities of materials, destroying everything.

In fact, when these eruptions occur, nearby areas have to be evacuated, but not so much because of the floods, which are also the case, but because of the toxic substances that come out of the earth.

On the enormous lava flows that form, a layer of moss is created that covers them.

It is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing natural phenomena on the island, which takes place especially in the southern part of the island.

Goblins, elves, gnomes and trolls in Iceland

This recommendation is a little special, because I am not going to talk to you about any place in particular, but rather about something cultural that you have to pay attention to in order to see it.

The Elves, to those who call huldufollk, “hidden people,” are beings that Icelanders believe watch and care for them, a result of the sensation they have when they hear and feel nature.

When they refer to the Elves, you don't have to imagine a elf of the Lord of the Rings with pointed ears, if not hidden beings of nature.

Icelanders say that when night comes, the light goes down, the fog and clouds arrive, that is when magical beings appear.

It is said that if you find yourself alone in nature and learn to feel it and connect with it, special magical things will always happen to you.

Icelanders believe a lot in these other beings, and hence the mini-houses that can be seen in some areas of the island, usually near mailboxes.

They are houses for Elves just in case they pass by, so they have somewhere to shelter.

The moss of the lava deserts, with its soft appearance, is considered the mattress used by the Elves.

Gljufrafoss hidden waterfall in Iceland

Iceland It is an island full of waterfalls, there are all the types you can imagine.

You can walk behind waterfalls, as in seljalandsfoss, see waterfalls with curious basaltic formationsas Svartifoss, movie waterfalls, like Skogafoss, or huge waterfalls at different heights, like the one in Gullfoss.

But if we had to choose one, we would choose gljufrafoss.

It is a hidden waterfall inside a small gorge, a unique place.

But since the topic of waterfalls is something of interest, here you have extensive information about what for us are the 5 best waterfalls in Iceland.

Glaciers in Iceland

A major natural spectacles of iceland are glaciers, which occupy more than 10 percent of the country's surface.

For that reason I am not going to highlight any of the glacier tongues in particular, since if you are touring the south of the island by car, you will not stop seeing glaciers.

But it is a mandatory visit trekking through some of them and walk to be able to appreciate the dimensions well.

El Vatnajokull It is the largest in Europe and the third in the world, but beyond the data, it has enormous curiosity.

When icebergs break off from the glacier, you can see parallel black stripes that cross them like a zebra.

These arise from the volcanic eruptions of the island, because when they occur, they release black volcanic ash that completely covers the upper part of the glacier.

With the arrival of winter, this surface is covered with snow, forming layers that can be studied to know when and with what intensity there have been eruptions on the island.

Icelandic traditional house

Unfortunately there are few places where you can still see them. traditional houses in iceland.

The traditional construction is with stone, wood, grass and moss, which makes them really fragile over time.

Most of the wood used in construction was driftwood, which is what comes from the sea from the forests of Scandinavia and Siberia.

Abandoned plane in Iceland

Curiously, one of the most recognizable icons of Iceland It is not something of nature.

And next to the Skogafoss waterfall, 45 minutes walk from the parking lot, are the abandoned remains of an old plane.

If you go to see it in winter, dress warmly as the walk can be deadly.

It is an abandoned US Army plane, which crashed in 1973 during the Cold War, they decided not to withdraw it and now it is one of the most typical photos of Iceland.

As of today, they have removed the engines and all the material that is not the fuselage, which is the only thing that can be seen.

Reykjavik

A must visit in Iceland It is its capital, Reykjavik.

And almost all international flights land near Reykjavik, so it is worth spending a couple of days getting to know it.

We are talking about a typical nordic city with colorful houses.

It has a peculiarity and that is that it is a city full of graffiti that give a lot of life to the city.

There are several must-sees, such as cathedral that crowns the city, and its shape is inspired by the basaltic formations that you find in Svartifoss.

Or explore the port area where the glass building of the harp, or Sun Traveler, a sculpture of a Viking ship.

Sulphurous waters of Krýsuvík in Iceland

The best way to understand how the force of nature is expressed in Iceland from the interior of the earth, is to visit the sulphurous waters of Krysuvik.

It is an area with a strong smell of sulfur where you can see perfectly how all kinds of materials emerge from the interior of the earth.

But beyond the smell, the landscape of the range of colors formed by the minerals that are expelled is impressive.

Lava caves in Iceland

Something that is not usually seen so easily are the lava caves.

It is believed that Iceland It must be full of caves of this style, but it is not easy or profitable to search for them.

They are the grooves through which the lava flowed when it came out from the interior of the earth.

When the magma retreats after the eruptions, there are caves that are perfectly passable.

You have to visit them with people specialized in caving because they can be dangerous.

In our case we were able to see them when traveling with Polar Lands, since the guide who accompanied us, Jack, was a specialist.

Northern Lights in Iceland

Who wouldn't be interested in seeing the Aurora borealis?

It is one of the most special experiences that can be felt, especially for nature lovers.

Living the experience of seeing the sky fill with color is something that makes your hair stand on end.

Of course, it is not so easy to see them.

Here we leave you an article in which we tell you what the experience of see the northern lights in iceland, and everything you need to know to enjoy them.

Fish Drying Plants in Iceland

And to finish, we bring you a recommendation related to the Iceland food culture.

Iceland a large cod exporter, but it also has a very characteristic way of eating it, a traditional way that consists of drying it in outdoor dryers to dehydrate it.

It is then sold in supermarkets to be eaten as potato chips.

And these drying rooms where this fish is produced can be visited.