Photo StoryPublished : Mar 26, 2019Updated : Sep 26, 2023
Travelling the Ring Road around Iceland is the best way to experience the geographical beauty and unique landscape of this small Arctic country.
Text and photos by: Dhritiman Mukherjee
Travelling the Ring Road around Iceland is the best way to experience the geographical beauty and unique landscape of this small Arctic country.
Blocks of ice fall away from the glacier at Jökulsárlón in the south-eastern part of Iceland. They melt and are carried out to sea, where the waves of the North Atlantic Ocean trim and polish them. They are then deposited back on land at the black-sand beach of Breiðamerkursandur. This beach is nicknamed Diamond Beach, for the large chunks of chiselled ice that look like stupendous diamonds glistening on the sand.
To see as much of Iceland as possible, I spent ten days driving Highway 1, a 1,332-kilometre circular route that starts and ends in the capital Reykjavík. This two-lane road is called the Ring Road as it runs around the island connecting the main cities, towns, and villages as well as its fjords, glaciers and volcanoes. Deciding to drive the Ring Road in a clockwork direction, we drove north from Reykjavík to western, then northern and eastern Iceland, finally circling back west toward the capital. In the southern part of Iceland we also decided to enjoy one the country’s most popular tours, the Golden Circle Tour, which takes in both the site where the European and North American continents meet at Thingvellir or Þingvellir National Park and the Gullfoss Waterfall.
Given Iceland’s location at the point where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates pull apart in the North Atlantic Ocean, it is a hotbed of volcanic and seismic disturbances. Some of the most active volcanoes in the world are located in this country.
Over sixty per cent of the population of the tiny country of Iceland lives in the capital Reykjavik; that’s still only about 200,000 people. In this land of plenty of water and intense geothermal activity over eighty-five per cent of the country’s heating and electricity comes from its geothermal and hydroelectric plants.
North of Reykjavik in western Iceland is Kirkjufell a freestanding mountain, often thought of as a church. It is one of Iceland’s most well-known mountains and a popular tourist point. Iceland is a land of waterfalls and this region is no exception with several waterfalls seen on the Kirkjufellsá river; all are named Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall. Travellers to this region love to take this iconic image of a waterfall in the foreground with a clear view of Mt. Kirkjufell looming at the back.
From Kirkjufell we drove toward the town of Husavik in northern Iceland. Through the ten days on the road I spotted little to no wildlife. Except, just while we were nearing Husavik we spotted this juvenile Arctic fox. This cute rounded eared animal is called the blue Arctic fox because of its charcoal-coloured fur which is thick and dense in winter. The winter coat and is shed for a lighter coat in the summer. A similar white fox, of the same species, is also found in Iceland.
A little south of Husavik is Lake Myvatn, Iceland’s fourth largest lake. Nearby at Námafjall the stench of sulphur fills the air. This an active geothermal region, often referred to as Hell’s Kitchen, with its steaming smoking fumaroles and boiling mud pools.
Several black sand beaches dot Iceland’s southern coast. Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach is near Vik, the country’s southernmost village. The black sand, which really consists of grainy stones and pebbles, was created by volcanic lava flowing toward the cold Atlantic Ocean. Sticking out of the ocean is Reynisdrangar a series of rocky cliffs and Reynisfjell a pyramidal mountain stacked with hexagonal basalt columns at the base.
It’s a spectacular scene. From a viewing platform above, the waters of the Hvítá River, which are fed by Iceland’s second biggest glacier the Langjökull, plummet downward to create Gullfoss Waterfall. This is one of Iceland’s most famous attractions and if you are lucky and it is a sunny day, a brilliant rainbow may also be seen over the falls.
Thingvellir National park is a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Mid-Atlantic Rift is visible. It is a historically and culturally significant place for Icelanders, and an area of great natural beauty. At Silfra, a deep chasm divides the continental plates of Europe and North America. This fissure was formed during an earthquake in 1789 and the two plates continue to drift apart approximately 2 cm each year. I went scuba diving here, where the water was crystal clear and visibility at least 50 metres. Only rocks and green hairy algae were visible as fish seem not to venture into its depths.
Iceland’s most famous attraction is surely the Blue Lagoon, a man-made lagoon and popular spa. Its water is a mix of hot sulphur-less geothermal water and freshwater loaded with minerals, algae, and silica—considered great for the skin. In the summer when there are 21 hours of daylight the Blue Lagoon is the place to be. It is open until late and waitresses serve guests drinks in the water. In the winter time with barely 4 hours of daylight, visitors still come here, to catch sight of the aurora lights.
Jökulsárlón or Glacier’s River Lagoon in Southeast Iceland is a beautiful glacial lagoon filled with icebergs. It began forming in the 1930s when the glacier started retreating, leaving behind a lagoon which has a mix of fresh and sea water. Harbour seals who live permanently in the waters around Iceland can often be spotted catching fish or relaxing on an iceberg.
is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.
