Wild, Rugged, and Beautiful: Summer in Southwest Iceland

Looking for the adventure of a lifetime that is fairly easy to pull off? Consider Iceland. Specifically, consider immersing yourself in Iceland’s mighty southwest. You’ll find glaciers, history, mountains, hot springs, waterfalls, wilderness, and a landscape like no other.

Living Like a Local

Many would-be visitors to Iceland are tempted to tackle it all in one go. After all, it looks small on a map – just right for a driving tour. That’s one way to do it. Or, you could find a rental house or apartment in the southwest – just a short-ish drive from the sole airport on the island – and live like a local. Which means that, rather than spending your days slogging from point A to point B, you might slow down enough to get a sense of authentic Iceland.

Living like a local has other advantages, too. First, you save a lot of travel time by posting up somewhere like Hveragerdi or Selfoss, which are 1-1.5 hours away from Keflavik Airport. Both have grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies, and great restaurants, and both are set in gorgeous locations, tucked between mountains and the sea. Also, you’ll have bandwidth to visit one of the local pools, for which Iceland is famous. For a fraction of the price, you’ll have access to a place that is better than most spas.

What to do in Southeast Iceland

This list could be a dozen items long (and longer, if you included the capital city). But if you want to get a sense of Iceland in all its wild majesty, here are three places to start.

1. Take a glacier tour.

Glaciers are crucial for Iceland. Along with volcanoes, they shape the country on an almost daily basis (they don’t call Iceland the land of fire and ice for nothing). They are also rarer and rarer nowadays. Getting the chance to tour a glacier will help you appreciate the beauty and utility of these incredible chunks of ice.

So sign up for a glacier tour. While a lot of people are interested in Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull, I would recommend Mýrdalsjökull. It’s smaller, less touristy, and a fairly short drive from the Selfoss region (if you’re using that as a base). Plus, the drive to the glacier is amazing: You’ll ride in a custom giant van across a savage landscape that goes right past where one of the opening scenes from Star Wars’ Rogue One was filmed. It’s like what driving across the moon must be like.

When you get to the glacier, make sure you’ve brought a positive attitude and a sense of adventure. Because you are about to strap on crampons and spend a couple of hours exploring icy mountainsides and awesome ice caves.

2. Go for a horse ride.

Some of you may not like horses. I’m not usually a big fan myself. But Iceland’s horses are…different. Literally. Icelandic horses are directly descended from the horses the Vikings brought when they showed up a thousand years ago. Since then, no other type of horse has been brought on to the island. And when Icelandic horses leave, they can never return.

The result is a horse population that is patient, strong, sure-footed, likes heavy loads, and tolerates terrible weather. Which means that whether you’re a greenhorn or an experienced cowboy, you’re basically guaranteed to have a smooth ride. And if the sun graces you with its presence, you’ll find that there is no better way to see Iceland than on horseback. Tours are widely available.

3. Hike to hot springs.

Iceland is also famous for its volatile geology. Volcanoes still erupt frequently, and white smoke from thermal vents can be seen all over southeast Iceland. Icelanders make good use of this heat: They’re world leaders in using geothermal energy to produce electricity.

They’re also world leaders in soaking themselves in hot springs, and you would do well to see why. Spend a couple of hours hoofing it through a rocky, mountainous landscape, and you’ll be ready to soak for a while when you get there.

Two tips: First, make sure you bring a suit and a towel. There will be places to change at most official hot springs, and it’s frowned upon to not wear a suit. You’ll also want the towel when you get out of the water, because summer is cold and windy on most ‘nice’ summer days. Secondly, make sure you only use designated hot springs bathing areas. There are plenty of other hot springs that are way too hot to soak in: They are highly dangerous, and are to be avoided.

Essentials

• Getting to Iceland is straightforward. Many reasonably priced direct flights depart from the European mainland.
• Once you’re there, renting a car is essential. There are plenty of good car hire options at Keflavik Airport. Take care while driving. Fog and rain can strike pretty much anytime, anywhere. And it’s serious stuff. Take Google Maps ETAs with a grain of salt.
• Bring good rain gear, and even cold weather gear. Average summer high temperatures are between 10-15 degrees Celsius (50-59 degrees Farenheit). And on a glacier, summer feels like winter.