For most, Iceland probably conjures images of frozen landscapes and Vikings, or maybe you have no images at all. I am here to say that you must see Iceland and a great way to do it is with a jeep tour.
I recently got back from a trip to Iceland. My wife and I went for 10 days and while there we decided to do what most tourists do - take a tour. But instead of taking the boring bus tour to all the normal locations, like Gullfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir, we decided to see what few do, Icelands outback. Believe me it was worth it.
Iceland is like no place else. It is a sparsely populated island out in the North Atlantic not too far below the Arctic Circle. During the winter, Icelanders only get about 5 hours of daylight but, in the Summer, when we were there, the sun didnt set till like 3 am. The landscapes are amazing and diverse. You can explore lava fields, deserts, mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and lakes. And it is so clean and pure; thats what struck me about Iceland, how clean the environment is.
Anyways, my wife and I found a tour company and booked a day trip to visit the waterfalls, dont ask me to write the names down. The tour company was located right in Reykjavik, where we were staying, and they picked us up at our hotel. Our driver was a very pleasant woman who spoke English (most Icelanders do). She was not only our driver but our tour guide and we learned a lot about Icelandic history, culture, geology, geography; you name it. The tour company has these really cool Land Rover Defenders that have been specially modified to cross rivers, drive on glaciers pretty much to go anywhere. They call them super jeeps, an apt description.
The first stop was a beautiful waterfall about one hour from the capital, I thought it would be a longer drive but Iceland is a small country after all. We crossed a small stream and drove right up to the most gorgeous waterfall I have seen in a long time. Whats cool too is that you can actually walk right behind it. Theres a story that the Vikings used to hide their plunder here.
On our way to the next waterfall, we saw the most beautiful landscapes including glaciers, streams, farms, ocean views and, of course, more waterfalls. Theres sheep everywhere too, apparently they run wild until the Fall when they are herded up by the farmers and sent to slaughter.
Our tour ended in a small coastal town called Vik. We drove right on a black sand beach to look for seals. Then we stopped for a snack and some cocktails. We got to sample some Icelandic delicacies as well as something called Brenivin, a very potent schnapps.
I must say that this trip was a delight. We headed back to our hotel, a little buzzed from the Brenivin, but with full tummies and happy hearts. Our tour guide, who was not only gracious and informative, was also an excellent off-road driver. Not once did I find myself uncomfortable during our numerous on-trail excursions.
Most Iceland tours take you on the well worn path of all the other tourists. If you ever go to this beautiful country, I would recommend looking into adventure tours . David Brooks
Was this article helpful to you? Leave a Public Comment or
Question:
This Article has been viewed 133
times.
Article added to SearchWarp.com on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 View other articles written by David Brooks(1,154)
If you found this article interesting, you may want to check out:
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
