Volcanic adventurous Iceland

Iceland is a country which was in my bucket list for long time. Reykjavik is the capital and largest city of Iceland. One of the must see places in Reykjavik is the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa near the village of Grindavik. Besides that its a nice city to hang around for couple of days with nice restaurants and churches.

Thingvellir is a historic site and national park in Iceland and has attracted the fascination of geologists since its situated on the border of two tectonic plates: the Eurasian and the North-American plates which makes the landscape unique and has a fissure filled with fresh spring water.

A geyser is a spring with an intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam. The formation of geysers is fairly rare, and is caused by particular hydrogeological conditions that exist only in a few places on Earth!! The temperatures are around 80 to 100 C.. Iceland has numerous such geysers!!

Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or underwater, usually at temperatures from 800 to 1,200 °C (1,470 to 2,190 °F). The volcanic rock resulting from subsequent cooling is also often called lava.

Having seen many waterfalls around the globe, Gullfoss is certainly one of the mother of all waterfalls. Unbelievable breathtaking serene beauty and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. There is a hike between the upper and lower viewing platforms takes up to 30 minutes. If you are visiting Iceland in winter, you will get to see the waterfall partly frozen and glistening with ice.

Hekla is an active stratovolcano in southern Iceland, known for being one of the country's most frequently erupting volcanoes and the "Queen of Icelandic Volcanoes". Historically, it was believed to be a gateway to hell, but it is now a popular hiking destination, though with inherent risks due to its active nature. 

Reynisfjara is a popular black sand beach in southern Iceland near the town of Vik Myrdal. It is part of the Katla UNESCO Global Geopark on privately owned land. Conditions on the beach vary greatly and can change quickly. Reynisfjara beach attracts large numbers of visitors year-round due to its striking black sand and dramatic basalt sea stacks, but it is also the site of unpredictable sneaker waves that can surge far inland without warning.

Kirkjufell is a high hill on the north coast of Iceland’s Snaefellsnes peninsula near the town of Grundarfjorour and is supposed to be claimed as the most photographed mountain in the country. Its one of the filming locations for Game of Thrones season 6 and 7. It contains a volcanic rock but is not itself a volcano. Thanks to my friend Prasad who accompanied me in this trip and made it even more memorable.  

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S