ICELAND

Destination extraordinaire, Iceland is the stuff of fantasy and fables. Fundamentally exciting, Iceland is for those of us who take pleasure in the world that nature intended: throbbing with seismic activity, vulnerable to volcanic eruptions, this is a land where glaciers shimmer even as geysers simmer; this here is a land to stupefy the senses.

The sea around, the mountains within, the intricate filigree of rivers and fjords, the unending daylight of the summer months, the unrelenting nights of the winters, the wonder of aurora borealis when the northern lights blaze through the sky and into your memory forever…Iceland – less icy than you think, more fiery than you imagined!

Capital: Reykjavík

Best time to visit:

  1. If you are looking for the best time to visit Iceland, you cannot ignore the time period from Late May to Early September.
  2. May through June, is the perfect time to witness the natural phenomenon known as the ‘Midnight Sun’, a beautiful natural event for which all Scandinavian countries are popularly known for.
  3. June is also the suitable time to visit the Island of Grimsey on the Arctic Circle in order to experience the ‘polar days’, in all their glory.

Min Days Required:  6 days

Places of Interest:

  1. Reykjavik – Golden Circle, Harpa, Viðey, The Sun Voyager, Elliðaár
  2. Blue Lagoon
  3. Gulfoss
  4. Askja
  5. Hallgrímskirkja
  6. Perlan
  7. The Icelandic Phallological Museum
  8. Dynjandi
  9. Vatnajökull National Park
  10. Blanda

Climate:

  1. The climate of Iceland is cold oceanic (Koppen climate classification: Cfc) near the southern coastal area and tundra inland in the highlands. The island lies in the path of the North Atlantic Current, which makes the climate of the island more temperate than would be expected for its latitude just south of the Arctic Circle. This effect is aided by the Irminger Current, which also helps to moderate the island’s temperature. The weather in Iceland can be notoriously variable. The aurora borealis is often visible at night time during the winter.
  2. The Icelandic winter is relatively mild for its latitude. The southerly lowlands of the island average around 0 °C (32 °F) in winter, while the highlands tend to average around −10 °C(14 °F). The lowest temperatures in the northern part of the island range from around −25 to −30 °C (−13 to −22 °F). The lowest temperature on record is −39.7 °C (−39.5 °F).
  3. The average July temperature in the southern part of the island is 10–13 °C (50–55 °F). Warm summer days can reach 20–25 °C (68–77 °F). The highest temperature recorded was30.5 °C (86.9 °F) at the Eastern fjords in 1939. Annual average sunshine hours in Reykjavik are around 1300, which is similar to towns in Scotland and Ireland

Currency: Krona

Things to carry:

  1. Between May and September, it is enough to carry light woolens and maybe one slightly heavy sweater for the evenings.
  2. Those unaccustomed to the cold should pack medium weight woolens even if they are going in July, which with an average maximum of 14°C is the warmest month of the year.
  3. Winters are
  4. Your luggage will depend on the season and the area that you will be visiting.
  5. cold and you’ll need to carry heavy sweaters and jackets to keep the pinch out. Carry a raincoat or umbrella no matter when in the year you are going.

How to get there:

Air:

  1. The only international airport is the Keflavik Airport in Keflavik near Reykjavik. The national carrier, Iceland air offers the most number of international connections to Iceland.
  2. There are flights from Washington, Boston, Minneapolis, Baltimore, New York, Orlando and Halifax in the US. From Europe one can fly to Reykjavik from London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Paris, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid and Barcelona.
  3. There are flights also from the Scandinavian countries and also from Ireland.
  4. In the summer there are flights from Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Leiffur Eriksson Terminal at Keflavik International is small but neat and well equipped with passenger services.