Day 1
We arrived in Iceland and headed straight to the “Bridge between Continents” on the Reykjanes peninsula.
We then travelled to Gunnaver Hot Springs and learned about the Icelandic Saga of Gunna who’s bubbling hot pools are supposedly a gateway to the underworld.
A pizza buffet in Grindavik went down very well with everyone, and we arrived very tired but happy at our hotel for the evening.
Day 2
Hello, today was a busy day!
We started at Hellisheidi geothermal power station, where we learned that Iceland produces 30% of it’s electricity using geothermal energy. They have also developed carbon capture and storage technologies to minimise their environmental footprint.
We then went to the Warm River Valley where we felt the river water warm up as we got closer to the hot springs. The sulphurous smell was … interesting!
Next stop was Hveragerdi Town where we stopped at a tourist centre with bakery, supermarket and earthquake simulator! There were a few squeals as the students experienced a 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
On to Skogafoss waterfall where we climbed to the viewing platform to see the waterfall from above before getting a drenching as we got up close and personal with one of Iceland’s most famous sites.
At the folk museum at Skogar we found out about Icelandic culture and viewed the turf houses where Icelanders lived for centuries.
A shopping visit to Vik, and then onto the hotel for our evening meal.
Finally, we visited the Lava Show in Vik which was spectacular, as we found out about the risk to the village from Katla volcano, and felt the heat and heard the noise of real lava!
The evening was topped off by a faint view of the Aurora Borealis.
Day 3
After a delicious breakfast, we left the hotel at 8am to go to Reynisfjara black sand beach to see the basalt columns, then to Dyrolaey to view coastal stacks and sea arches.
The wind and rain that started the day disappeared in time for the glacier walk at Solheimajokull.
We then visited more incredible waterfalls walking behind Seljalandsfoss and then into a narrow canyon to Gljufrabul a hidden waterfall.
We then went to Selfoss, where a new urban centre has an old Icelandic feel. Everyone enjoyed the shops and Halloween 🎃 fun.
Finally, we arrived at our guesthouse accommodation for the evening, where we had a great evening meal and have everything crossed for a strong northern lights sighting. 🤞
Day 4
Wednesday started with an Icelandic bathe in the naturally geothermally heated Secret Lagoon, the oldest pool in Iceland. This was followed by a visit to witness Strokker geysir erupting hot steam at Geysir National Park.
We then witnessed the incredible power of Gulfoss, the golden waterfall, before heading to Thingvellir where Iceland held the first national Parliament in Europe. It is also where the horst and graben of the mid Atlantic Ridge is visible above the sea as North America separates from Eurasia at about 2cm per year.
We arrived back in Reykjavik in time for a quick photo stop at the Sun Voyager, then our final communal dinner at the famous Hamburger Factory.
Day 5
On Thursday we had a short lie in, and were able to spend a small amount of time in Reykjavik and then our final activity Flyover Iceland which was spectacular!
We’ve all had a wonderful time!