Continuous daylight

One does not really sleep in Iceland, during summertime. How could you, when there is no real night? If it weren't for all the splendors surrounding us at each step, constantly engaging us, we would have been crushed by weariness after only one day. 
There are a handful of transport possibilities when arriving in Iceland. If you plan on staying here more than a few days, and you probably are, you would want to travel a bit outside Reykjavik's comfort zone. Renting a car or caravan is the best choice because it gives you that freedom to stop whenever and wherever you want. There are plenty of camping places, specially dedicated to cars and caravans, with everything you need for a decent (luxurious even) stay. If one is after the true and complete Icelandic experience, biking is definitely the choice. We have encountered many people along the road that biked the country. Many of them were here for months, going around the island. 








If you prefer not to travel to much from one point to another, there is the possibility of hoping on a plane and flying. Every (major) town in Iceland has its own airport with several flights a day.
If one is really lazy or is not used to hiking, trekking or camping, there is always the option of taking on a guided tour, that takes you only through the most renown places in the country, with no real taste of what the country is really like.

Skogafoss


We spent three days on the south coast. There are literally dozens of places you can go to like glaciers, volcanoes, mountains, beaches, valleys. It is a fabulous area with an entire range of natural landscapes. Imagine walking at the foot of a dying glacier, surrounded by high glacial walls and within a half an hour, gazing endlessly in the distance and seeing nothing but a faded horizon.



Iceland is not very fertile, given the volcanic soil, but efforts have been made to remedy this. Plants have been introduced in the ecosystem to regenerate and fertilize the soil. Such a successful effort is the introduction of lupine (brought from Alaska) to help soil erosion.
Sólheimajökull






The 1973 US plane wreck 
 As mentioned, the landscape is more than interesting. From mountains swallowed in perennial snow and ice to volcanic plains, spreading to kilometers in each direction. Continue walking and you'll reach black sand beaches and high cliffs, washed by fearful oceanic waves.
Dyrholaey




The black sand beach of Reynisfjara

 One thing is certain, one week is not enough. Once here, we felt that calling, those inner voices that were luring us further inland and upward. It's very hard to keep to the plan when you have every excuse not to.

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