Iceland Things to Do

With vast glacial passes, steamy lagoons and looming volcanoes, Iceland’s otherworldly landscapes are among the world’s most unique. Even the beaches on the arctic isle are extraordinary – shimmering expanses of black sand that trace the south Atlantic coast.

Traveling around Iceland is like watching a slideshow of breathtaking panoramas but one of the country’s most iconic landscapes is the geothermal area of Landmannalaugar, a rocky valley lying at 600 meters above sea level. Situated 20km east of Hekla, the active volcano known ominously as ‘the gateway to Hell’, Landmannalaugar is a Mecca for hikers – a natural wonder of multi-hued rhyolite mountains, rugged lava fields and steamy hot springs, on the route of Iceland’s most famous hiking trail, Laugavegurinn.

With an abundance of guided tours available throughout the peak tourism months, exploring Iceland’s most famous landscapes is made easy, but if you’re visiting in the off-season or attempting a DIY excursion of more remote sights, you’ll need to consider your transport options more carefully.

Just because its name evokes images of snowshoeing and glacier hiking, doesn’t mean Iceland is only a winter destination; in fact, the summer months are one of the most popular times to explore with extended sunlight hours providing the opportunity to continue tours late into the evening. Here are a few suggestions for what to do in Iceland in summer.

With no trains, limited low season transport options and vast unpopulated landscapes, Iceland makes an obvious choice for a road trip and hiring a car or campervan to get around has become a popular option for travelers.Unless you’re arriving by ferry from mainland Europe, hiring a car on arrival is the best option and there’s a wide range of rental outlets that offer limited or unlimited mileage plans with the option to pick up and drop off the vehicle in different locations.

With vast glaciers, glistening fjords and looming volcanoes all within a few hours drive of Reykjavik, exploring Iceland’s otherworldly wilderness couldn’t be easier. To fuel your wanderlust, here are some of the best day trips from the capital.

1. The Golden circle
One of the most popular tours from Reykjavik is a circular route around the dramatic Thingvellir National Park, the geothermal valley of Haukadalur and the thundering Gullfoss Waterfalls – a 300km loop nicknamed the ‘Golden Circle’. Covering some of Southern Iceland’s most breathtaking scenery, the Golden Circle takes in the famous Geysir geyser, the Keiro volcanic crater and the Hellisheiðarvirkjun Geothermal Power Plant.