This main island is clipped in the Arctic Circle’s south, and serves as a treat for every traveller. Come and experience the northern lights, thrilling outdoor activities and its unrivalled rugged beauty
Being known as one of the most developed and the wealthiest countries across the world and also a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean, this country is a hub of natural hot springs. On roughly comparing its size, it is same as U.S. state of Virginia or slightly bigger than Ireland. Irrespective of its area, Iceland still manages to fit easily within the Colorado’s states borders. Many glaciers including the Europe’s largest one i.e. Vatnajökull expand to over 10% of the Iceland.
Area: 103,000 sq. km
Population: 337,780
Capital: Reykjavik
Iceland has such an unpredictable weather that it can even change in another five minutes. However, officially it experiences four seasons. Don’t go by the name, as the weather there is milder than what its name suggests, still you will find it cool. The warmth is brought in from the Carribean by the Gulf Stream. In winters, the average temperature is 1-2°C (33-35°F) and in summers it is 12°C (54°F). Comparing the temperature with Canada and Russia, the country is less cold than these two during the wintertime.
The people in Iceland are indulged in speaking ‘Icelandic’ language. However, majority of them are also fluent in English as it is compulsory in this country to educate the children about the English language during their schooling. Approximately, 98% of the Iceland’s population knows English speaking. Icelandic is considered to be an Indo-European language. People having the Scottish or the Irish origin are known as belonging to Iceland.
Time: The currently followed Standard Time Zone in Iceland is the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The country is 7 hours ahead of the Pacific Standard Time
Electricity: The Standard Voltage in Iceland is 230 V and its frequency is 50 Hz. The kind of plug used in the Iceland’s electrical devices is the Europlug with two round shaped prongs. If your country experiences 220-240 V as its standard voltage, you can use your electrical appliances here easily
Weight & Measurement: Metric System is used as a standard unit for weight and measurement in Iceland.
Telecommunications: The Iceland Telecom, Vodafone Iceland, Farice and the Vortex are confirmed as the largest internet service providers in Iceland. The country also facilitates the international networks with an intention of enabling calls to rest of the world.
The official currency of Germany since 2002 is ‘Euro’ that is symbolised as “€”. There are eight varied denominations of Euro and they are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent, €1 and €2. Many architectural designs belonging to the history of Europe are featured on all the denominations of Euro. Talking about the cents, it was notified that there are 100 cents comprised in 1 Euro. You shall easily witness many ATMs in the regions of Germany, thus facilitating easy withdrawal for you that too with mixed denominations. For using the banks’ services, you can visit your bank’s branch between 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Are you a fan of traveling? Do you love exploring the beaches and ioslands? In addition to this, are you an animal lover too? And are little confused about where to travel next? Then Indonesia is the perfect choice for you!
The culture of Iceland dates back to the 12th century. It is majorly accepted as being diverse and with a variety of traditions comprised in the same. Thus, apart from its scenic landscapes, exotic beauty and mouth-watering cuisines, Iceland is also considered to be a nation with vibrant culture and abundant etiquettes. It is without any doubt, ‘the happiest place on the earth.’ Despite of the unpredictable weather conditions, cold and dark winters, the people living here know how to live a life and that too without any worries. They know how to stay happy. Icelanders carry an accepting nature. They never discriminate between the different genders and also provide equal importance to the gay rights. Apart from this, you will also witness many women in the high- earning positions.
Icelanders are really conscious about their health. It’s there in the highest priority. Majority of the Iceland’s population is educated with 98% of them fluent in English speaking. Apart from this, you will experience that many people here have arts, knitting, designing and music as their favourite hobbies. Iceland is one of the most advanced countries on the basis of technology as it has the largest Internet broadband connections per capita.
The culture festival of Iceland is none other than the Reykjavik Winter Lights Festival that incorporates many activities like outdoor performances, poem reading etc.
Near about 70% of the Iceland’s population is an ardent follower of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland and the rest follow Christianity, Islam and other minor folk religions.
In case, you are really an independent traveller, then nothing’s better than a self- drive for you. Due to its capability of offering ultimate freedom to experience the natural wonders of Iceland with the traveller’s own comfort and speed, self- drive has become the mostly preferred option in this country. Iceland’s ring road serves as a perfect companion to a traveller’s overlanding trip. During summers, you might witness less accommodation in Iceland due to its increased demand at that time, thus, it’s better for you to start your drive as early as possible.
During your self-drive, you can witness the Húsavík harbour, Whales’ show, do horse riding, see the beautiful views along the way, and hike to Svartifoss waterfall and many other fun-filled activities too. The list of all the results of such a perfect road trip is endless. Also being named as the fly drive holidays, the self- drive trip in Iceland is enough to add crystals to any backpacker’s enjoyment. If you are driving here for the first time, you should then visit the southwest and the hotspots of the Golden Circle for a best experience.
Situated 600 m above the sea level, Landmannalaugar is considered to be the Iceland’s favourite spot for hiking, adventures, trails through the hill sides, glaciers and witnessing the geothermal pools. This place becomes a risky one during the winters and hiking here during the wintertime shall be done at your own risk. The famous Laugavegur hiking trail commences from this place. The fun that any adventure seeker can attain here is incomparable to any other tourist destination in Iceland. The hikers cannot seek for any hiking experience in Central Highlands during winters, thus you have to wait till June. Once you are done with your activities and you need to have some rest, you can stay in the six mountain huts which are operated under the guidance of Icelandic Touring Association.
Have you already done the ‘ice-climbing’ at the Sólheimajökull Glacier? Well, that’s not enough. Since, the glaciers melts, re-freezes and takes a new shape, you will gain a new adventure experience each time you visit this beautiful place. Apart from its beauty and the pleasurable landscapes, this fourth largest glacier is also consisting of a blunder of hiking and ice climbing opportunities. Due to its different landscapes which are icy in nature, your adventure will always prove to be a more exhilarating one. Once you visit this place, you shall surely need a seasoned guide just because the surface there is too slippery to handle and stand their being constant. This place is never boring!
Also known as the “the pearl of the central highlands”, the Landmannalaugar is surrounded by exotic hot springs, snow covered mountains which not only facilitate a beautiful view but also provide great camping opportunities to varied travellers seeking for adventure. Set up your camp here at night on the edge of a lava field with the services of outdoor cooking areas and the shower blocks. You will also surely witness peace during your camping with a spectacular view of moon emerging over the shimmery mountains.
The amazing Lava caves and the craters are waiting for you to be explored. During the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010, some of the lava is still flowing underfoot but some are ready to be visited by the travellers. This is because they are not at all comprised of any kind of scalding lava. They are colourful, rugged also experiencing cold temperature. Wear your hiking boots before entering this place. You will for sure get to see a picture perfect scene here due to the presence of tall ceilings, lava formations and walls of different colours. Thus, the experience that the adventurers will be getting here are no less than an amazing and a quite antique activity as this is not available easily in other countries.
Silfra is an underwater diversion between Europe and the Northern America that is acting as a major adventure spot for those who love swimming, underwater activities and majorly the Scuba Diving. This is considered to be one of the best scuba diving adventure spots not only in Iceland but all around the world. Once, you dive under water you will surely feel that the water is too cold and also, the marine life there is too beautiful and peaceful. The divers here will get to see a fantastic view of the underwater landscapes and millions of species present there. Apart from this, the underwater caves and the lava formations will steal your heart. Scuba Diving is the most adventurous activity one can ever try!