Nature places in Europe

Somewhat misleading, the main attraction at Geysir is not actually Geysir, but Strokkur. Both are of course geysers, derived from the Old Norse 'geysa', meaning 'to gush'. While Geysir is very irregular and much smaller than it once was, Strokkur erupts like somewhat unreliable clockwork (every 4-8 minutes or so) to an impressive height of almost 20 m. And there is no way to adequately describe how cool it is to see a geyser erupt from just a few metres away. It’s worth walking around the Geysir area for different views of the erupting Strokkur and bubbling, boiling water in various other holes and crevices. Geysir is one of the busiest tourist sites in Iceland, and part of the Golden Circle tourist route, so expect big crowds throughout summer. Visiting during the light summer nights is a great alternative for anyone wishing to experience this wonder of nature without the throngs of other visitors, although you would have to do without the souvenir shops and restaurants. Crowds or not, though, this is one attraction you simply cannot miss!

Does going deep inside a volcano sound a bit crazy? Well, the volcano in question – Thrihnukagigur – hasn’t erupted for over 4000 years ago, and odds are pretty good that it will stay dormant for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, this is a unique and absolutely mind-blowing experience – the feeling of being lowered down 120m on an open elevator (of the kind used to clean windows on skyskrapers) is quite intense, to say the least. The magma chamber is large and colourful, and walking around inside it feels more than a little bit surreal. The elevator set-up has only been present since 2012, when a National Geographic film crew needed to find a way to access the chamber. The volcano is within easy reach of Reykjavik, although obvious safety issues means you can’t visit it independently, and is an excellent choice for a half-day trip from the capital. But the trip does involve a one hour walk each way, and it can (given the usual Icelandic weather) be windy, wet and muddy.

Goðafoss, or waterfall of the gods, is one of Iceland’s most spectacular, and one of the easiest to access (being located only a few hundred metres from the Ring Road). Located between Akureyri and Lake Myvatn, Goðafoss has a fascinating history. It was here that, in the year 999 or 1000 CE, the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði (good luck pronouncing that!), after making Christianity the official religion of Iceland, threw his statues of the old Norse gods. The falls are not particularly big (12 m high and 30 m wide), but they are very beautiful. It is possible to get right up to the edge of the falls on either side of the river, and you can visit any time of the day or night. Since it receives countless busloads of tourists every day, visiting at night is your best bet for a more peaceful, and perhaps a more holistic, experience.

Although Grjótagjá could be lumped in with Lake Mývatn, being located no more than a kilometre away from its shores, it is spectacular enough to deserve its own entry. An underground geothermal pool, contained in a cave with only two small openings large enough to enter – carefully, as there are plenty of places to bump your head. Once inside, make your way into the far right corner for a magical view of the mirror-like surface, steam rising from the water and meeting the light as it enters through the openings to the side. Grjótagjá won’t take very long to visit, but is a very special place to see.

The beautiful Golden Falls are different from most other waterfalls in Iceland, consisting of a two-step plunge into a narrow crevice. From the distance it simply looks as though the water is swallowed up by the ground. However, a closer inspection will reveal that it "only" falls 32 meters into the crevice. The wateralls are a part of the Golden Circle - Iceland’s most popular tourist trail, which also include Geysir and Pingvellir - and can be very busy during high season. There are several viewing platforms, and to properly appreciate the majesty of Gullfoss it is worth going to all of them as well as following the path down to the water.

If you have ever suffered from an irresistible urge to watch mud boil or walk through sulphur-scented steam, Hverir is the place for you. Located right off the Ring Road, you could probably take in a number of the sights here without even getting out of your car. But you really should. You can also take a stroll up the nearby Namafjall for an overview of the area. But the colourful mineral deposits, steaming vents and fissures, belching mud cauldrons and the bizarrely ochre-coloured ground are all best views from up close. As at nearby Krafla, sticking to the marked paths is a good idea if you don’t want to end up getting cooked. The stench of sulphur can be a bit overwhelming at first, but don’t let it deter you from exploring this wonderland of geothermal splutters and splashes.

Krafla is a caldera, 10km across, north-east of Lake Mývatn. There are several things of interest here, all to do with past volcanic eruptions and the current underground sea of magma that you will be standing upon. In fact, the ground is so hot in places that walking outside of the marked paths might lead to the soles of your shoes melting, so it’s best not to try it. There are two sites of main interest: the various craters, fissures, steaming vents, mud pools and lava fields to the west of the Krafla road and the Viti explosion crater at the end of it. Unlike Hverir, you’ll need to do a fair bit of walking to take in the sites. But it’s really, really worth it. Although there isn’t as much bubbling mud here as at Hverir – which is not to say that the area is devoid of it – the otherworldly landscape of misshapen black lava is something to behold, and it is made even more bizarre by the occasional sheep strolling across the spluttering ground.

A basic knowledge of Scandinavian might lead you to think that the name of this lake means 'a lot of water'. Unfortunately, the 'my' in 'Mývatn' is Icelandic for 'midges', and anyone attempting to get out of the car near the lake in summer will soon be made aware of why it was so named. That is no reason to stay away though; Lake Mývatn has justifiably become one of Iceland’s top attractions, and the area holds a lot of interest to travellers. Like so much else on Iceland, it is the result of relatively recent volcanic activity, and the shore is lined with lava pillars and rootless vents. The eastern side of the lake is particularly rich in geothermal activity, with plenty of steaming vents easily accessible from the side roads – great for photographs if you want to give your friends at home the impression that you have just visited another planet. The area around the lake can also provide oddities like geothermally baked bread, and together with nearby Mývatn Nature Baths, Krafla and Hverir, you’ll need at least a full day to take in everything on display here. If you can put up with the midges.

Mýrdalsjökull is one of Iceland’s biggest glaciers, although much smaller than Vatnajökull, and its relative proximity to Reykjavik makes it a popular destination for adventure tours. This is particularly true for the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue, which is where most of the glacier hiking, ice climbing, snowmobiling and other activities take place. Beneath Mýrdalsjökull lurks Katla, an active volcano that usually erupts every 40 to 80 years and is now very overdue – the last eruption was in 1918. Parts of the glacier are visible from the Ring Road, although you won’t get a chance to appreciate the scale of it unless you get up close and personal.

When solar storms enter our atmosphere, they create this amazing natural light show. You can never really know in advance where you can spot the beautiful northern lights. There is a big portion of luck needed but by travelling to polar regions between roughly September and April you have a pretty good chance of seeing them. You can also try to find a place without a lot of light pollution, especially in the northern direction. Mostly, you will see green lights slowly "dancing" and moving across the sky. The lights can have different colours, from red to blue but green is definitely the most common.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a pretty accurate aurora borealis website where you can check the aurora activity in all polar regions of the world.