Iceland, and why you need to go now
As I'm sure by now you've seen copious amounts of Icelandic promotional advertisements. Maybe a friend or two that have been? Shit the Beebs even filmed a music video there so it must be awesome right!?.. Well it is... for now.
The main allure of Iceland is it's raw uninhabited nature. You could go days without seeing another human, seriously Jeffrey Dahmer would have starved in Iceland. No Tim Hortons, no cops sitting around the corner waiting to catch you speeding, no fences along the gorges to save you from falling in, it's just you and nature. Unfortunately it won't be that way for long. Soon to be regulated, permitized, governed, authoritized (I think you get my point) all in the name of protecting it from...You guessed it, humans. Countless visitors and so called "adventure enthusiasts" have traveled to Europes most western country and exploited it. Graffiti on plane wrecks, off-roading on environmentally sensitive agriculture and just being typical human assholes.
Since visiting in May 2014 I've had several friends make the trek over the pond based soley on my experiences. Each time something new has been built or blocked off for various reasons. Iceland is making huge pushes to up their economy through the travel and tourism industry; inevitably ruining the best things I found about Iceland. 10 years from now Iceland will be as commercialized as Niagara Falls: You know.... that giant amusement park bordering Canada and the US? Packed with tourists, assholes and oh a waterfall somewhere?! Sure it brings in money for the city of Niagara, but let's be honest, it loses it's beauty as it's tainted by shitty souvenir shops and sidewalks packed with no room to even view the falls. The beauty I found in Iceland were the adventures you needed to go on just to see the gems like Haifoss, or the crazy drive along the black sand beach aimlessly wondering if you'd ever find the remnants of the Crashed DC3.
Soon all we'll have to look forward to is paying some Viking in a pimped out Land Cruiser a ridiculous amount of money to drive us there with 300 other gawking tourists. Where's the excitement in that?!. Ever been to the Antelope Canyons in Arizona? or better yet the Grand Canyon? Nothing more breathtaking than smelling some hillbillies BO while standing on the edge of one of the most spectacular views in North America with 20 million other people. I think you get my point, as the years pass Iceland is becoming more accessible and less elusive, soon to be ruined by earths cockroaches.... Humans.
I'll save the pessimism for another time, but below I've outlined my top must see/do things in Iceland.
In no particular order..
Abandon DC3 - South Iceland
Parking Coordinates: 63.4912391,-19.3632810
Coordinates : 63.4592626715, -19.3649955000001
At the time of writing this you could drive from Ring Road down the beach to the coast as well as the aircraft. I've been told by friends who have visited since that the access has been closed and the 4 km drive now has to be hiked. It's an exciting find so enjoy the adventure you go on to find it.
No better place to camp than on a black sand beach next to an abandoned aircraft in a pimped out land rover.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon - South East Iceland
An absolute must visit; Located 3km north of ring road in south east Iceland. The canyon is 300 ft high and almost 2 km long. Take your time and explore this one as much as possible, follow along the right side of the canyon to the end and you'll get amazing views of the waterfalls that feed the river below.
Dyrhólaey - South Iceland
Just west of the small town of Vik I thoroughly enjoyed walking up to the top and peering over the keyhole. Depending on the time of year you'll make some new friends with some Icelandic Puffins.
Grjótagjá - North Iceland
A lava cave located in Myvatn north Iceland is a must visit. Take a dip too, if you can take the heat, the temperature fluctuates year by year. I could only swim in it for 5 minutes before it felt like my skin was melting off me. That being said there's another swimming spot very close by. I couldn't find any information about it on the web and the temperature was much more bearable. It seemed as though it was setup by locals hidden deep in a crevice south of Grjotagja. Haven't decided if I want to release the coordinates for it yet. I rather enjoyed the exclusivity it provided. (Picture below)
Haifoss - South Iceland
Icelands 2nd tallest waterfall is a must visit if you have a 4x4 vehicle. 6 km of unpaved off-roading is needed just to enjoy the incredible beauty, which makes it just that much more special. *Note photos do not do this place justice.
Standing on the edge across from Haifoss
gives you a true scale of the size of the landscape.
Seljavellir Abandon Pool - Southern Iceland
An abandon geothermal pool hidden comfortably amidst the moss covered mountains in Southern Iceland. The hike in, although fairly short, is extremely scenic and such a surreal place to stop for a dip. Be prepared to cross a small waterfall/river on the way.
**Tip** For the warmest part of the pool you'll want to stay as close to the pipe feeding the pool as possible.
Gljufurarfoss - South Iceland
Although gaining in popularity this gem is often left in the shadow of its neighboring big sister Seljalandsfoss. Both are a must visit but I find Gljufurarfoss much more gratifying . How often do you experience a waterfall inside a cave? Almost convinced this location inspired J.R.R Tolkien to write those novels about the walking elves and the mountain.
Þingvellir National Park
