The 10 Best Travel Experiences in Iceland

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon is a breathtaking glacial lake in southeast Iceland filled with icebergs that have calved from the Breidamerkurjokull glacier, which is an outlet of the massive Vatnajokull ice cap.

The icebergs range from small chunks to cathedral-sized masses and drift slowly out to sea past Diamond Beach.

Skogafoss is one of Iceland's most dramatic waterfalls, with the Skoga river plunging 60 metres over a cliff edge into a pool below, generating so much spray that a rainbow forms on sunny days.

A staircase of 527 steps climbs to the top of the falls, giving access to a scenic riverside trail.

Route 1 loops 1,332 kilometres around Iceland, stringing together nearly every landscape it's famous for: black sand beaches, glacier lagoons, geothermal fields, and waterfalls beside the road.

The south coast alone delivers Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss and the icebergs of Jokulsarlon within hours.

Further round, the route crosses lava deserts and fishing villages, then the geothermal north near Lake Myvatn, before looping back to Reykjavik.

Gullfoss, meaning Golden Falls, is Iceland's most famous waterfall, where the Hvita river thunders down two impressive tiers into a rugged canyon below.

Part of the iconic Golden Circle tourist route, its power and the spray it generates mean that on sunny days you can often see several rainbows arcing across it simultaneously.

One of Iceland's most famous waterfalls drops 60 meters into a misty pool, with a rare path that lets visitors walk fully behind the curtain of falling water.

Right off the Ring Road and framed by green cliffs, it's striking in any weather, and lit up at night in the darker months.

A dramatic canyon in Vatnajökull National Park, carved by catastrophic glacial floods, home to the thunderous Dettifoss waterfall and the horseshoe-shaped Ásbyrgi depression.

Dark basalt cliffs and moss-covered riverbanks make it one of Iceland's starkest, most powerful landscapes.

The glacier-capped volcano whose unpronounceable name became a household word after its 2010 eruption grounded air travel across Europe for days.

Beneath the ice cap, hiking trails on its lower slopes cross black volcanic sand plains and moss-covered lava fields, with views toward the glacier itself and, on the south side, the LAVA visitor centre explaining the eruption's science and impact.

It's more a dramatic backdrop for South Coast road trips than a single standalone hike.

Iceland's most famous attraction is a geothermal spa set in a lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where mineral-rich waters at 37-40 degrees create a milky blue pool against a backdrop of dark volcanic rock.

The silica mud face masks, steam rising in the cool air, and dramatic volcanic landscape make it a unique bathing experience.

A 55km highland traverse from the rhyolite hot-spring valley of Landmannalaugar to the birch forest of Thorsmork, crossing black lava fields, steaming fumaroles and glacial river fords along the way.

Colour shifts constantly underfoot, from mineral-streaked mountains to green moss and white snow patches even in summer.

Mountain huts break the route into four days, though camping is also allowed alongside each hut.

Iceland's compact and colourful capital sits between the mountains and the sea as the world's most northerly capital city.

Rainbow-painted corrugated iron houses, the soaring Hallgrímskirkja church, and a bar and music scene far larger than the population suggests fill a centre small enough to cross on foot.

It doubles as the base for Northern Lights trips and Golden Circle day tours.