One thing I’d like to say here before I give you guys a few more awesome adventure to behold. All these places in Iceland I’m suggesting are aboslutely free. Just show up and enjoy. That being said: please take care of the environment. Pick up your trash. Stay on the trails (ok mostly, just don’t damage things). And leave the place better than you found it.
Dettifoss, Selfoss, Hafragilsfoss, and the Jökulsa Canyon
Pictured above is me jumping over Europe’s most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss. Ok not exactly jumping over it. But pretty damn close to the edge. This spectacular site can be reached in the north west corner of Iceland about 7 hours from the capital Reykjavik.
Personally I like the less famous but in my opinion more beautiful Selfoss just a short walk upstream from this waterfall. Its the same river with the same volume of water spread out in a horseshoe shape with numerous falls separated by small rock islands.
Further downstream from both is the Jokulsa Canyon and the Hafragilsfoss, both of which I haven’t visited yet. Supposedly the canyon is one of the most beautiful spots in Iceland and I will be sure to update you guys when I go!
Even further down is the Ásbyrgi Canyon which is supposedly amazing too (the pictures appear so!).
Learn more about this are on the official website here
Glymur
Glymur is arguably the tallest waterfall in the country of Iceland. It is also an abdolutely gorgeous canyon with well marked, excellent hiking trails and is not too far from Reykjavik to the north. The photo above shows me looking over the cliffs downstream from Glymur itself. The gorge is filled with greenery and flowers, and up above is a beautiful stream cutting its way through a large meadow surrounded by mountains. The hike is about a two mile loop that involves a river crossing if you want to see both sides and a lot of uphill climbing. Not for the fain hearted but requiring no special skills either.
Jökulsárlón – Glacier Lagoon
Jökulsárlón is a large lake at the base of Iceland’s largest glacier, Breiðamerkurjökull. The lake then spills into the ocean allowing icebergs of various sizes to float into the oncoming waves. The waves the wash these icebergs onto the beautiful black sand beaches of Jökulsárlón Ice Beach. Its a spectacular site. Off in the distance you can see the tallest mountains of Iceland towering over a mile above the beaches below (see the photo above). \
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Truly off the beaten track. Have not seen anyone else post about these places yet.
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Thanks! I love getting off the trail. These are all accessible if you drive around the entire ring road, a trip well worth doing. My journey was a bit rushed but hopefully doing it again and taking a couple of weeks to really soke it in.
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Oh yes, but that would take time. We understood the road outside the city is gravel, so assume you rented a 4WD?
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Hey there, I love your blog! Iceland is extremely high on my places to visit, so I really appreciated reading all your posts about it. It seems you have been there several times. How much time would you recommend there for a first trip?
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Thank you for checking it out! Its super new so lots more to add! I have been to Iceland only twice but am going back a 3rd time in March so I’m researching new places to go. I’d go for at least a week for a first trip although I went for 5 days and had a blast. If you want to drive around the whole island you need a week minimum
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Love your photos of Iceland. We were able to visit Iceland and Loved it.
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You are lucky. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world I think. what did you love most?
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