Iceland is known for its dramatic scenery: waterfalls, glaciers, geysers and mountainous terrain. We were fortunate to get a glimpse of its grandeur during our recent trip to this island of rugged beauty.
Following a day spent touring around Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavik we ventured out for tours along the South Coast of the island and the Golden Circle Route, an inland circuit.
The windy and rainy weather made it challenging to photograph, but I managed to get a few good shots. We stopped to visit the Sólheimajökull Glacier on our South Coast tour, where I captured this scene featuring hikers approaching the tip of the glacier. Many were destined to hike on the glacier itself; I was content to get the picture and slosh my way back to the bus.
We visited two spectacular waterfalls in the course of our South Coast trip, including my favourite, the Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. It is possible to get in behind this waterfall, where I was able to get this picture looking outward.
Day 2 of our island touring took us inland to our first stop, a mountainous area south of Þingvellir National Park. Our guide, Kent informed us that scenes from the television series Game of Thrones were filmed in this area.
Moving on to Þingvellir NP. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian. My next photo was taken from a vantage point that offers a good view of a fault area. You can see a number of fissures in the rock where the two plates are separating at a rate of 2.5 centimetres (1 inch) per year. If you’re planning a trip to Europe, book now! It isn’t getting any closer.
One of the most scenic and spectacular waterfalls in Iceland is Gullfoss. The water drops in two steps, a total of 32 metres (105 ft). Although not a huge drop, the quantity of water going over is impressive, averaging 140 m3/sec (almost 5,000 ft3/sec).
Along the way, we encountered some Icelandic horses, a breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are small, at times pony-sized, most registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Icelandic horses are long-lived and hardy. They also have nice hair.
Our last stop was at the Kerid Crater, a volcanic crater lake located in south Iceland. It is one of several crater lakes in the area, but it is the one that has the most visually recognizable caldera still intact. The caldera, like the other volcanic rock in the area is composed of a red (rather than black) volcanic rock. The caldera itself is approximately 55 m (180 ft) deep, 170 m (560 ft) wide, and 270 m (890 ft) across. I enjoyed a pleasant walk around its periphery, getting several good shots including this one.
Very nice! Dale spent time there in the Air Force..
Really enjoying these photos of Iceland, Pete.
I know Hank told you his grandmother was born there;we must visit there one day. Looks very cold.
Enjoy.
Peter – I really enjoyed viewing each of these photographs, in which the skill of the photographer is in clear evidence. Nice compositions and lines; fascinating subjects; clever use of perspective. Importantly, most of the images left with with a strong sense of what it would be like to be there – where the image was constructed. Thanks for the commentary also.