Incredible Iceland

Published by Bancroft's School on Tuesday 7th of November 2023

In the many centuries tourism has been around, Europe has been one of the top locations to be chosen. However, one place stands out amongst all the other locations: Iceland.

Iceland has many unique natural occurrences such as geysers, volcanic activity, and glaciers. Due to these things, it has surged in tourism providing great places to visit for geographical lovers, therefore, encouraging us to embark on the wonders of Iceland.

Once we arrived, our first visiting location was the bridge between the continents. The bridge between the continents was a place located on the grand peninsula where the Eurasian and the Northern American tectonic plates(or so it is said) meet.

It was a breath taking view from the bridge, as we looked into the fissure although the weather was not in our favour. After exploring the bridge, we visited a bubbling hot spring called “Gunnuhver” – it is said that it was named after an angry ghost that was murdered by a priest. To end the day, we journeyed to the “Natthagi Valley” to see the currently-drying magma which was still warm to the touch after three years!

On the second day, we visited our first waterfall -“Seljalandsfoss” – which had formed differently due to it having a cavern behind it because of lava flows. Our second waterfall of the day was “Skogafoss”. This waterfall was absolutely gorgeous- 60 metres in height and is a beloved attraction for many tourists. To end the day, we went on a glacier hike and the views were fantastic with interesting experiences.

On the morning of the third day, we went to a hot spring called the “Secret lagoon”- a less-popular option than its counterpart, the blue lagoon, but just as pleasant. After than relaxing experience, we travelled to the “Gullfoss” waterfall. This waterfall was most certainly the largest waterfall, as well as being the most famous one in Iceland.

We then went to the Geyser Geothermal Area which boasted a beautiful geyser that attracted a rather large crowd. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Then, after enjoying a nice ice cream from the ice cream farm, we went to the ridge of the North American plate and the Eurasian plate. This was an astonishing location as we could physically see the plates being torn apart.

On day 4, we first visited the “Gluggafoss” waterfall, it was incredibly windy but a very geographically enriching place. After that was done, we visited the Lava center- a museum about magma, magma plumes and volcanoes. Next, we went to a geothermal power plant where they explained to us the process of making geothermal electricity and hot water. For the final destination, we hiked around a volcanic crater’s edge where the lava had been replaced with a little lake with a breath-taking view from the top.

On our final day, we visited Reykjavik in the morning and explored its wonderful land marks, went to the Parlan center(A museum explaining the History of Iceland) and departed back to England.

In conclusion, Iceland was lovely trip that is most definitely recommended to people who are interested in Geography/History and we even got to see the Northern lights on the plane back!

Written by Camilla and Victoria in L4th