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Iceland, the land of ice and fire

6 years ago
Iceland is often referred to as the "Land of fire and ice". And for good reasons. Typical landscapes in Iceland include:

Landscapes by Ice: impressive glaciers, fjords shaped by them, sparkling icebergs and powerful waterfalls from the melting ice.

Landscapes by Earth's fire: Volcanoes, pseudo-craters, Basalt cliffs and sea stack from the cooling lava, giant lava fields and black sand beach.

This is a place where you can feel the power of the Earth, and imagine you are either on another planet or in a post-apocalyptic world.

1. The Myvatn pseudocraters were formed as lava entered a large lake (a precursor of Lake Myvatn), trapping its wet sediment underneath (they are also known as rootless cones). Skútustadagígar is the area around the pond Stakholstjorn where the famous pseudocraters can be found.

2. Gullfoss is and iconic waterfall on the Hvítá river which is fed by Icelands second biggest glacier, the Langjökull. The river rushes southward but about one kilometre above the falls it turns sharply to the right and flows down into the 32m crevice in two stages. It is part of the famous Golden Circle Iceland.

3. Sigoldugljufur: The canyon used to be filled by the river Tungnaá. The water from the lake is now forced into conducts to the power plant. But the canyon is still there for our pleasure.

4. Trollaskagi is a peninsula North West of Akureyri whose name means "peninsula of the troll". It is a very mountainous places with deep valleys carved but the glaciers.

5. Vestrahorn is a dramatic spot where vertiginous cliffs meet a flat black sand beach. It is 454m high and sometimes called Batman Mountain.

6. Hagragilsfoss is name after the Hafragil ravine created by the Jokulsa river. The waterfall is 27 meters high (79 feet), 91 meters wide (299 feet).

7. Kirkjufell: Located just two and a half hour drive from Reykjavik, on the North Coast of Snaefellsness peninsula, Kirkjufell and its waterfall Kirkjufellsfoss have become an Icelandic icon.

8. Dimmuborgir: There are many lava fields in Iceland, but none of them are like Dimmuborgir located near Lake Myvatn. The formations you can admire in that field are intricate and have triggered the creation of many stories with elves, trolls and other mystical creatures.

9. Jokulsarlon beach is known for its large glacial lagoon with icebergs floating around. Most people stop there. But many do not venture on the other side of Road 1 towards the sea where some of those icebergs are pushed by on the black sand beach by the waves.

10. F208, also called Fjallabaksleid Nyrdi, is a 4WD access only road that leaves the Ring Road along the South Coast and drives through the Central highlands reaching the famous Landmannalaugar area. From the North it starts at the powerplant and goes through a drier area before reaching Landmannalaugar.


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