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Top 5 Compelling Reasons to Visit Iceland: Essential Travel Tips

The land of fire and ice, Iceland is one of the most beautiful countries on Earth.

Its landscapes are breath-taking and its position makes Iceland the perfect destination to spot the Northern Lights.

Here are the most important 5 best reasons to visit Iceland:

1. Northern Lights

Seeing Northern Lights should be on everyone’s bucket list!

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It is the most extraordinary natural phenomenon I have ever seen!

The location of this island makes from it the perfect place to see Aurora Borealis from late September to mid-April, this period is also the best time of year for northern lights in iceland.

Detailed guides for choosing the best time for northern lights in Iceland:

The best 5 reasons to visit Iceland
Northern Lights in Iceland

To hunt Northern Lights you need a car! I would recommend a 4X4, just to be sure you won’t have unpleasant surprises in the middle of the night.

We rented a 4X4 SUV and everything went smooth and it was the best thing we could do to maximize our time spent in Iceland.

Get the best price for your car rental today

Choose the best car, pick the best time of year to see northern lights in Iceland and you are set for a great Iceland adventure where you can take plenty of photos.

2. Blue Lagoon

I guess this is the most famous spa in Iceland.

It is located very close to Reykjavik and it is the perfect way to experience Icelandic life.

The place is very popular and very crowded, especially in high season.

You’d better book tickets in advance if you want to have guaranteed access to this magnificent place.

The best 5 reasons to visit Iceland
Blue Lagoon Iceland

This geothermally-heated pool has the same temperature all year round making it a very popular destination all year round.

Enjoying a day at the spa is one of the best reasons to visit Iceland!

Just think about it!

Outside is snowing and are about 0 degrees Celsius and you are in a hot bath, enjoying the view and a glass of beer!

You can reach Blue Lagoon by public transport from Reykjavik or by rented car.

You don’t need to rent a 4×4 or an SUV.

You need a small car to help you move from Reykjavik to Blue Lagoon.

You even can spend the night at the Lagoon!

In 2018 a very fancy hotel, was open inside the Lagoon! Sleeping there is a memorable experience!

3. Waterfalls

Iceland has many powerful and impressive waterfalls.

There are more than 10.000 waterfalls across the country.

Most of them are located in the south part of the country.

It is almost impossible to visit all the waterfalls during your trip to Iceland. Gullfoss, Barnafoss, Godafoss or Detifoss are just some of the waterfall which should be included on your list.

All these waterfalls impress with their power, beauty and wilderness.

The 5 best reasons to visit Iceland
Skogafoss Waterfall Iceland

We rented a car and we drove along the Ring Road for almost 10 days.

We included on our tour many beautiful and emblematic waterfalls like the ones mentioned above, but we saw many other interesting waterfalls along the Ring Road, waterfalls unknown for tourists.

To some of them, we stop and take beautiful pictures.

4. Glaciers are one of the best reasons to visit Iceland

11% of Iceland is covered with ice. More than 50.000 km2 of land is covered with ice.

Most of the glaciers lie above volcanoes.

Grimsvotn, Bardarbunga and Vatnajokull are good examples of glaciers above volcanoes.

The best 5 reasons to visit Iceland
Iceland Glacier

There are specialized tours and guides who organise day trips on the glaciers.

The experience is unique, interesting and very demanding for your body.

The tours are available from mid-November to late March.

During summer, the glacier is not safe for inexperienced visitors.

5. The volcanoes

The most famous volcano from Iceland is Katla and the highest one is Eyjafjallakojull.

In total, in Iceland, there are about 130 volcanoes active and inactive.

The best 5 reasons to visit Iceland
Katla Volcanoes

Katla is the most well-known volcano from Iceland thanks to its small eruption from 2011.

The eruption was so small that did not break the ice cover.

Still, it managed to disturb the air traffic for almost 3 weeks.

Many consider that volcanoes are the elements that attract most tourists in Iceland.

It might be the truth, but the landscapes of the country are unbelievably beautiful and Iceland should be on your travel bucket list!

Geysers, waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers are just some of the best reasons to visit Iceland.

The country amaze us with its untamed nature and incredible landscape!

Our holiday in Iceland was one of the best holidays we ever had!

Logistical tips and tricks for your trip

Book your accommodation

We always use Booking.com as they have the best price-quality ratio and they offer a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, apartments, and villas to choose from.

You will find here all types of accommodations, from the cheapest ones to the most luxurious.

Don't forget travel insurance

We never leave home without HeyMondo Insurance or Safety Wings Insurance as they offer the best services and a good value for money, plus COVID coverage.

When we go for longer trips around the world we get Globelink Insurance as it offers a good cover for an affordable price.

Travel insurance will always protect you against unexpected events and cost like illness, COVID, injury, theft, or travel cancellation.

We never go on any trip without travel insurance and there were many cases when we had to use it.

Renting a car
We like to explore a country on our own and a car gives us the mobility and freedom to do that.

We always rent our car from Discovercars as they have free cancellation 48 hours prior to starting date and a wide range of car rental companies and options to choose from all over the world.

Tours and attractions
When we are looking for some adventure or we simply want to break up the monotony and discover new places, we always use GetYourGuide.

We love it because we always find the most amazing experiences, with free cancellation and a large variety of activities and tours to choose from.

Airplane tickets and holiday packages
Expedia is our ally when searching for the best price for airplane tickets as it works as an aggregator for a huge number of airlines and we always find the best price for our flights.

Travel tip: use Expedia when you are searching for holiday packages as they have many last-minute offers and great discounts for hotels, flights, and even the whole holiday packages.