Iceland is unlike anywhere else on Earth. In the best way possible, Iceland is quite surreal, from its incredible waterfalls, its strange volcanic rock formations, otherworldly glaciers, and geothermal geysers. It’s the strange beauty of the Land of Ice and Fire that pulls in visitors from all around the world each year. But what places in Iceland are the most surreal? If you’re only visiting Iceland for a short while and you’d like to make a to-do list of all the strangest, most beautiful spots, then this guide is for you. And if anything here inspires or impresses you, make sure to check out our Private Iceland Tours and our Iceland Day Trips.
Jökulsárlón (The Glacier Lagoon)
This glacial river lake can be found to the south of Vatnajökull National Park. Just beside Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, Jökulsárlón grows or shrinks depending on the glacier’s melt each year. Overall, since the 70s, the glacial lake has grown four times bigger. What makes this area so surreal, however, is the strange bright blue hues of many of the icebergs with the black volcanic rock on the shore and the snowy hills around it. This combination of features can’t be found anywhere else, making Jökulsárlón a fantastic place for even the most well-travelled adventurer in search of something new.
The Eldhraun Lava Fields
At 218 square miles, this is the largest lava flow in the world. The catastrophic eruption occurred between 1783 and 1784. The vast amount of poisonous gas and ash was cataclysmic for Iceland at the time, killing 20% of the people and between 53–82% of the domestic animal population. The fallout of ash blackened the skies around Europe and many scholars speculate that the crop failures caused by the lack of sunlight were a substantial contributor to the French Revolution. Today, however, the Eldhraun Lava Field is a site of natural beauty and serenity, with a bright green moss growing over the strange lumps and bumps of the volcanic rock underneath. If this interests you, check out our caving tour in Leidarendi Lava Tunnel.
Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel
The fire part of ‘Land of Ice and Fire’ refers to Iceland’s volcanicity. The country’s numerous volcanoes, over many millennia, have created some truly surreal rock formations and landscapes, but some of the strangest and most beautiful places are below ground. That’s why we suggest heading to Raufarhólshellir — perhaps as part of our Iceland lava tunnel tour. While Raufarhólshellir is only the fourth longest lava tunnel in Iceland, it is relatively close to Reykjavik and it has some of the most beautiful and surreal rock formations and colours.
Svartifoss
This iconic waterfall is famous. Many people will have seen images of it and admired it without even knowing which country it belonged to. What makes Svartifoss surreal, however, is the basalt columns that comprise it. Basalt columns are created when hot lava meets extremely cold water, causing the lava to cool much quicker than usual. Basalt columns are rare, but they can be found in little pockets all around the world. However, many people consider Iceland to have the most impressive basalt columns in the world, with Svartifoss standing tall as one of Iceland’s most impressive geological attractions. If you love waterfalls, check out our guide to the most scenic waterfalls in Iceland!
The Aurora Borealis
The last item to make it onto this guide isn’t a place at all, as you can see it from many places in Iceland. It is, however, one of the most surreal phenomena on the planet, so it more than earns its place on this list. The Aurora Borealis is caused by solar winds disturbing the magnetosphere around the Earth and it can only be seen very far north during wintertime. There are many spots around Iceland, outside of the city’s bright lights, that are popular for spotting the Northern Lights. We recommend asking the locals when you arrive as everyone will have helpful advice for you. We will do our best to ensure our guests can see the Aurora, but it is never guaranteed. If you’d like to learn more about it, check out our guide to photographing the Aurora Borealis!
That’s all we have time for today. We hope we’ve inspired you to add at least a couple of these surreal places to your next trip to Iceland. And if you have any questions about any of the tours mentioned in this travel guide, please don’t hesitate to contact us. What are you waiting for? Start planning your trip to Iceland today!