Room With A View

Ten Exciting Things To Do When Visiting Iceland
By Jonathan Williams

Should you happen to contemplate vacationing in Europe, you could give Iceland a try where nature that means more than beaches and resorts. Best of all, majority of the tourist spots the country can offer will require no entrance fees unlike in most other countries. Summer would be the best time to go there.

1.) Bláa Lónið

This is a famous health center with pool known as Blue Lagoon located in southwest Iceland. This happens to be a spa located in the center of lava filled with stunningly blue waters. One will find this place one of the warm spots in the country as opposed to the impression of a primarily snow-filled place that the country’s name implies.

2.) Gullfoss

One can try going east of the capital Reykjavik to be able to get to the Golden Falls. The breathtaking waterfall is fed by river known as Hvítá. This goes down a two-fold cascade to create one of the best waterfalls you could visit.

3.) Geysir and Strokkur

As mentioned earlier, Iceland is also home to several geothermal spots, and two of them are Geysir and Strokkur, which happens to be a few kilometers on the west of the Golden Falls. Between the two, it would be safer to go to Geysir since it hardly erupts, and Strokkur would do so every few minutes. But what a sight it would be and a picture worth taking only if you keep a safe distance.

4.) Skagafjordur

It is one of the cities in Iceland which offers several fun activities to tourists. One of the parks you will find here is the Historical Nature Park Island Drangey then you can go on to visit the Glaumbær, which happens to be a folk museum. And you will need to wonder no more what an icelandic horse looks like because this place is where they are bred. And yes, it’s also time to take the challenge of river rafting.

5.) Kerið

Here lies the sight of a lake within a volcano. Many times, what you will find in countries are both active and inactive volcanoes which would spew lava from time to time. This time, you get a lake instead of lava right inside the crater of a volcano.

6.) Þingvellir National Park

UNESCO has made this national park one of the world’s heritage sites for good reasons. This happens to be the place where you will find the movement of European and North American shelf plates while serving as the longest running parliamentary field there is. Again, this, too, is just about 35 miles off the capita’s east.

7.) Mývatn

On this spot, you will get to visit the desert Smajfall which gives out sulfuric steam coming from the ground. Here, you will also see Dimmuborgir which is also known as Gates of Hell or The Black City. But the name Mývatn actually refers to the lake which looks nothing like other lakes due to presence of special volcanic craters around it.

8.) Dettifoss

If you just came off the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, you might want to check this place out afterwards. A powerful waterfall awaits you at Dettifoss. This happens to be one of the best all over Europe.

9.) Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

Textbooks have talked about the midnight sun. It was even discussed in school. Iceland is the place to be to get to view this sight where the sun does not set at midnight, and you will not be able to find this occurrence in other countries.

10.) Vestmannaeyjar

When translated, the name means Westman Islands. It is actually a volcanic island with a wonderful collection of bird species and the biggest puffin colony you could find in Europe. That’s definitely something not to miss.

Jonathan Williams is the travel writer for Destination Guide TV – the place to share travel videos [http://www.destinationguide.tv] Visit [http://www.destinationguide.tv/iceland] to view or share Iceland travel videos [http://www.destinationguide.tv/iceland]

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Why Iceland Could Be a Top Destination For Tourists Wanting to Spend Less in 2010
By Sarah Maple

As 2010 is now less than a couple of months away, holiday specialists and the media are acting fast to estimate where the top holiday destinations of the new year might be. In 2009 Turkey was the surprise hit for UK tourists, but with the global economic crisis still being felt in other parts of the world, it is likely that cheap holidays may be found in a place less known for its sun and sand – and more for its fjords and dramatic icy scenery.

The reason Iceland is being tipped by Lonely Planet (amongst others) as a prime holiday destination for 2010 is simply because in comparison to just a couple of years ago, the country is now much more affordable for the average tourist – due to the recent collapse of the Króna. These financial problems have pushed the Icelandic tourism board to cut prices and to market itself widely in order to attract more visitors – and for those eager to book early deals are likely to be very satisfactory indeed.

For a country so significantly hit by financial crisis it is something of a silver lining that most of Iceland’s appeal is in no way dependent on commercialism and development – but instead on nature and geology. A geologically young and unpredictable land, Iceland boasts a number of volcanoes (such as Hekla in the south – the country’s most active volcano) and geysers and hot springs which are formidable tourist attractions all year round. The two most famous of these are Geysir in the Haukadalur Golden Circle valley (from which the term: ‘Geyser’ is derived) and Strokkur near Rekjavik – which is famed for its regular eruptions.

Consequently there is much to discover in Iceland on foot, and the country is popular with walkers and hikers. The Interior Central Highlands offer rugged trails from Landmannalaugar all the way to Skogar near the south coast. Much of the highlands are only accessible during the summer months between mid-June and mid-September.

However, there is even more to Iceland than fantastic landscape and inspiring geography. The island has a rich and individual culture to be explored in its towns and cities – ranging from the landscape inspired architecture of the Hallgrimskikja Church, to the best hot dog in Europe (as voted by The Guardian) at Baejarins Bezu Pylsur. Culture House in Rekjavik offers changing exhibitions on various aspects of Iceland’s history.

Sarah Maple is writing for Gohop.ie who offer cheap holidays and package holidays.

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