Iceland and the Non-Existent Northern Lights

Why Would You Go to Iceland other than to see the Northern Lights?

The first thing that seems to pop into most peoples minds would be to ‘See the Northern Lights’. This is precisely why we booked a few days stay in Reykjavik. It’s common to see on peoples’ bucket lists and one the most wondrous sights on the planet if it isn’t technically ‘out of this world’.

The trouble is with the natural phenomenon is that it is not always reliable and weather conditions do have a habit of getting in the way.

And with only a few days in Iceland, our window of opportunity was limited. We had three days and you can only see Aurora Borealis at night so we needed other things to do.

With that in mind, we picked a couple of popular tourist attractions to get the most out of the trip.

The Old Geyser’s Alright

An 8-hour day trip from Reykjavik starts you on a journey through this amazing country. Iceland has a population of 332,529 where 123,246 (Wikipedia) live in the capital due to the rest of the island being mainly inhabitable.

Around October/November, the weather is cutting as you could imagine so warm weather clothes are needed and you get to appreciate a good hot cup of coffee.

The Golden Circle was our tour of choice as it is with so many tourists. On the way to the geothermal area of Haukadalur, we can see the natural springs and steam rising all around us from the ground. Geothermal Power is where a great deal of Iceland’s overall power gets generated.

Looking out of the window, it looks like you could be on the surface of another planet with the jets of steam against the bright red background of the sunrise.

It wasn’t long before we reached our destination of Iceland’s Geysir geothermal area named after the geyser Geysir. A large volcanic landscape littered with tiny hot bubbling streams seem to contradict that the air around us is at around -4 degrees centigrade.

Strokkur, a smaller geyser itself is the one to wait for. A small bubbling pool of water with a circumference of a few metres teases you as it builds and falls. Every 6-10 minutes, the pressure gets too much and an explosion of water shoots up to around 30 metres into the air, much to the delight of the watching crowd quickly freezes and falls like snow.

Geysir, the largest of the Geysers is mostly dormant but used to erupt a couple of times a day to the hight of 170 metres.

Stradling Two Tectonic Plates.

UNESCO site Þingvellir National Park is home to what is said to be the world’s oldest parliament when the Vikings established Alþingi. Leaders would gather each year to pass laws and pass judgements. Only in the 19th Century did this move to the capital Reykjavik.

During the visit to Þingvellir, we walk through a valley where the walls of rock are tens of metres high on either side. This is where the Eurasian tectonic plate meets the North American tectonic plate and the mid-Atlantic Ridge rises above the ground. You get a small sense but a sense nevertheless of how mighty this place is.

Making a Beeline for the Tomatoes

The Friðheimar greenhouse is more an eco-centre with a difference. One of Iceland’s biggest greenhouses growing tomatoes using hundreds of bumblebees to pollinate the crops. Once inside the warm interior we get a tour from the owner himself and get to sample a cup the freshest tomato soup straight from the vine (other beverages are available but may as well try the goods). All this helped down by a good-sized piece of soda bread. The presentation was interesting and told us all about how they purchase and transport the bees, plus how it all runs on hydroelectricity but personally, all I was wanted was a hot drink.

One of the major attractions on the route was the stop at Gullfoss. A small waterfall in comparison to some of the worlds major fall but still majestic in its own right. With water running down from the glaciers this 62-metre drop shows how much power it has and how deafening the noise. With the route from the carpark a fair way down some very slippery and tricky steps we wanted to soak in as much of the surrounding as we could before making our way back up to the coach. This was probably one of the most crowded places on the trip but we didn’t let that spoil our enjoyment

The Golden Circle tour is available all year round for most languages and costs approximately 9.900 ISK for an adult (£71 GBP).

Blue Lagoon Spa on the Way Home

On the spur of the moment whilst in the hotel room we decided to sample some more of what Iceland has to offer. Whatever it was we needed to be squeezed in before we flew back to London later that afternoon. The Blue Lagoon in Grindavík is about 45 minutes south from Reykjavik and 22 minutes from Keflavik International Airport. Perfect for an on the way home stop off.

Man made the Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa gets very busy and is one of the most popular visitor attractions on the Island. With temperatures in centigrade in the mid to high 30’s heated by the underground lava and the cold contrast of the Icelandic air, the lagoon is like a relaxing hot bath on a cold night. The mineral-rich water is believed to help with all sorts of skin ailments and the mineral deposits that clump together forms a paste which is fun to smother all over yourself.

The water in the lagoon is renewed every couple of days and with a wooden platforms and bridges, this is an idyllic paradise.

There is a bar where you can order drinks while still enjoying the hot spa and places inside to eat and have in-spa treatments. We booked the tickets direct from The Blue Lagoon complete with transfers for £124 for two which is approximately 17,355.38 ISK.

What happened to the North Lights

We were told by staff at our hotel that the night we arrived Aurora Borealis was out in all its glory. This got us excited as we were booked in for the next evening to head out into the cold night air to see what we were there for. We were driven for an hour or so with the driver telling us he was getting up to the moment updates on where the phenomenon would occur. We then pulled off the road and continued for a few minutes more over rocks and other uneven surfaces until we came to a stop. With blankets around us, jumpers and coats pulled up so far we couldn’t tell who was who we got out of the coach and waited, and waited and …. well you get the point. At times we thought we started to see something but that was due to the fact we were concentrating so hard and every fibre of our being wanted something to appear. But sadly it didn’t and the decision was taken to head for home.

On the tour, if you fail to see the Northern Lights you get to book another free of charge and so we booked for the next night. We woke next morning to think grey skies and snow. In these conditions, there is no way we were going to see anything and the tour for that evening was promptly cancelled. Disappointed but resolving to make sure we see the lights we carried on with our trip and the anticipation for the Blue Lagoon.

I must say that even though we did miss then it was a fantastic break and would wholeheartedly recommend anyone to go and see what it has to offer.

What Else is in Reykjavik?

We were just a short walk from the main town and decided to take a walk to see what it was like and pick up a few gifts. As you would expect there are plenty of bars and restaurants and even “The English Pub” which does a great job of looking like an English pub with draft beers and live music. Or if clubbing is your thing check out Astur touted as the best club in Iceland. On our first evening in the town, we dropped our bags off and decided to walk to the nearest set of eateries. We were to end up at ‘Brasserie Askur’, Suðurlandsbraut. The food was of a good quality and plenty of it and that was what we typically found.

What tips do we have

Iceland is very expensive, the UK is expensive but we found Iceland even more so. It’s cold and windy especially in the winter months so wrap up warm. The people we found were warm and friendly. For all our tours we used Reykjavik Excursions.

If you only have a few nights, make sure you book your Northern Lights trip in the first evening. Then if they don’t appear you at least you have a chance to rebook.

What We Missed

What apart from the Northern Lights you say!

Well, we walk past the world famous “Icelandic Phallological Museum” but didn’t enter it.

One of the options for a tour was the Whale watching off the Northern coast which lasts around two hours which would have been nice to see. There are ATV/Buggy trips and also snowmobiling and super jeep tours which are jeeps with huge tires. If we were to go back through (and I really hope we do) I would love to go glacier hiking and Ice caving near Vatnajökull glacier, the largest glacier in Europe.

There is definitely plenty to do in Iceland apart from the items above and we only had three days to get as much in as we could.

Do you have any good bad or indifferent experiences to tell us about Iceland. Leave a comment below.

The I-MustDo Team