Iceland 2016

My trip to Iceland in 2016 was one of my favourites so far. Amazing views, landscapes not seen in other parts of Europe, the vastness of land, lots of birds.. I definitely will go back. :)

Day 1 - 2

First night, after arrival, was pretty brutal. We settled with a tent near Gardur lighthouse on the camping site. Given it was end of July we weren’t quite adjusted to the night temperatures on Iceland. Also the spot was very windy, so in the end, we didn’t had much sleep. But it was better on the following nights.

We got up early in the morning and started shooting the lighthouse and nearby area.

Following route 44 and then 425 we found a large colony of arctic terns. It was quite the view, a lot of young terns were sitting on the road, waiting to be fed. Unfortunately also a lot of them dies from the cars, when they don’t leave quickly enough.

We visited the site where Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. It is measured that they drift apart approximately 2cm per year.

Next stop was Gunnuhver hot springs, Reykjanesviti lighthouse and nearby Eldey Cliffs.

Here I am trying to shoot some seagulls. And our next stop - Grindavik village and it’s port.

Following the road 427 we saw vast areas with volcanic rocks covered with moss. Very unique view.

We also visited stunning Graenavatn lake with it’s amazing water colour. Not like anything else I’ve seen.

Very close to Graenavatn is Seltun Geothermal area.

We settled for a night on a camping site near Strandarkirkja church, which we also visited. There were more arctic terns feeding their offspring on the camping site which made for a nice evening for me. :) Younglings weren’t really scared much and allowed for a close observation.

Day 3

On the 3rd day we visited two caves - Arnarker and Raufarholshellir. The latter was a lot better, having holes in the ceiling giving light. Unfortunately it was also quite popular and I didn’t have my tripod with me there, so in the end - I don’t have any good photos from it.

After getting back to Road number 1 (which is the only main road on the island, it goes around Iceland in a circle), we stopped when we saw icelandic horses near the road. They can be seen and “met” in various places. They tend to be very curious creatures, coming up to the fence to check up on you, once you arrive. Beautiful animals.

Strokkur Geysir was the only one we saw actually exploding into the air. It goes off around every 10 minutes and the eruption is quick without warning signs. So imagine standing there without a tripod, with camera up in the air and holding that for couple of minutes in standby, trying to capture a perfect shot. My arms were not amused. ;) We didn’t have perfect light but were able to catch it. :)

And last stop before going to the camping site - Faxafoss / Vatnsleysufoss waterfall (not sure which name is the official one).