The Land of Fire and Ice

Day 6: Into the Lava - Tunnels, Crater Hikes, Volcanos and Alien Landscapes With this as our last full day in Iceland, we headed southwest toward the  Reykjanes Peninsula , a stretch of land full of lava fields, steaming vents, and geological oddities that look like they belong on another planet—or at least in a sci-fi movie. Raufarhólshellir: Lava Tunnel Tour But first up:  Raufarhólshellir , one of Iceland’s largest and most accessible lava tunnels. We had booked a guided tour inside this massive cave carved out by flowing lava thousands of years ago. Helmets and headlamps on, we followed our guide down a long metal walkway into the dim, eerie underworld.  The temperature in the tunnel dropped significantly.  As I walked down a set of steps, I noticed my warm breath turning into mist in front of me.  The cave was damp, with condensation constantly dripping from the ceiling.  Some formed upside down icicles on the cave floor. The walls were streaked with r...

Day 5: The Golden Circle – Geysers, Waterfalls, and Tectonic Plates The original plan on this day was to check out of our Selfoss place early and beat the crowd to Iceland's most popular tourist destinations.  However, after a physically (and mentally) grueling Day 4 and a late night, I told everyone to sleep in and we'd try to check out by 10.   We had planned for a more relaxed Day 5 by exploring one of Iceland’s most iconic tourist routes: the Golden Circle.   You can drive the Golden Circle clockwise or counterclockwise. Hoping to avoid Reykjavik crowds coming from the west, we opted for the latter. Here was our driving path for the day:   To enhance our experience, we used an app I bought called   GuideAlong , which uses GPS to narrate local history, Viking tales, folklore, and fun facts as you drive. It also suggests off-the-beaten-path stops that might not make it into typical brochures. It was like having a witty Icelandic tour guide in the car with...