Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where two tectonic plates meet, which gives it a landscape like nowhere else on earth: geysers, hot springs, volcanoes (one or two erupting at any given time), glaciers covering 10% of the country's surface, black sand beaches, and lava fields that stretch to the horizon. The country has no trees to speak of — the Vikings cut them all down — which makes the scenery feel ancient and elemental.
Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where two tectonic plates meet, which gives it a landscape like nowhere else on earth: geysers, hot springs, volcanoes (one or two erupting at any given time), glaciers covering 10% of the country's surface, black sand beaches, and lava fields that stretch to the horizon. The country has no trees to speak of — the Vikings cut them all down — which makes the scenery feel ancient and elemental.
Reykjavík is the world's most northerly capital, a city of 130,000 people with a remarkable concentration of musicians, artists, and geothermal heated swimming pools. The Ring Road (Route 1) circling the island is one of the world's great road trips — 1,332km through each geographical extreme. Iceland is expensive, remote, and occasionally dangerous (glaciers, volcanic activity, rapidly changing weather), all of which contribute to a travel experience that feels genuinely extraordinary.
