6 Insane Things You Can Only Do in Iceland (2024)

September 5, 2016 by Matt

Photo: Iceland Tourism

Iceland is a bold country for bold people. It’s for travelers who want to dive directly into nature, party until the sun comes up (even when it never goesdown), and dine on some of the sea’s most freaky creatures.

The Land of Fire and Ice is a place that continues to wow its visitors whether it’s their first visit or their fiftieth. However, these six insane thingsto do in Iceland are ones that most visitors, even the most seasoned Iceland travelers, have never done.

Surf Among Icebergs

Photo: dalli58 / Flickr

There are few places in the world where you can surf among icebergs, and only one where the waves are considered world-class. Iceland, which is home tojust a handful of surfers, offers many of the perks most of the world’s surfers dream about — peeling point breaks and minimal crowds. Ten surfers in thewater is considered a packed lineup. Even better, there’s no need for dawn patrol, because the sun never sets during the midsummer surf season.

The increasing popularity of surfing in Iceland and around the world has brought rise to coastalsurfer-friendly resorts and companies offering guided surf adventures. Summer sea temperatures around 12-degree Celsius and improved wetsuit technologiesmake jumping into the chilly (but not frigid) waters much less of a concern.

Snowboard in the Winter Darkness

Photo: Iceland Tourism

Icelandic winters are synonymous with darkness, but that’s what makes snowboarding in the Nordic island nation so special.Mount Hlíðarfjall has been one of Iceland’s top ski and snowboard resorts for more than 40 years. Powdery snowand a location 5 kilometres outside of the town of Akureyri makes it a favorite among Icelandic locals and tourists. Floodlighting on the main trails meansskiing in the pitch black evenings of winter is possible.

Although, you don’t have to leave the Reykjavik area to ride at one of the country’s top resorts. The Blafjoll Ski Resort is famous for its family-friendlyatmosphere, off-piste trails for advanced riders, and glowing lights that keep the trails open in the darkest months. Even more adventurous snowboarderscan venture into deep fjords and towering mountains with Arctic Surfers, a mountain guide company takingadrenaline junkies on Surf & Snow trips into the country’s most rugged terrain.

Cruise an Icelandic River at High Speeds

Photo: Iceland Riverjet

You don’t have to be an action sports enthusiast to get your thrills in the Land of Fire and Ice. Iceland Riverjet is Europe’s only whitewater jet boat company. Grip the handlebars with white knuckles asyour professional jet boat driver flies through the whitewater rapids of the Hvita River while doing 360-degree spins, jumping waves, and squeezing throughsome of the country’s most scenic canyons. There’s only one whitewater jet boat company on the continent, and the high-speed thrills are aonce-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Snorkel Between Two Continents

Photo: Anosmia

Iceland’s temperatures aren’t as frigid as many travelers assume, averaging between 10- and 13-degrees Celsius in July and reaching 20- to 25-degreesCelsius on warmer days. While you probably won’t feel like diving into the sea the moment you set foot on Icelandic ground, you may change your mind whenyou hear about snorkeling in the Silfra rift.

The Silfra rift is part of the Thingvellir National Park UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It’s the onlyplace in the world where travelers can dive or snorkel between two continental plates. The lesser-known natural wonder offers 100 metres of visibility,bright blue waters, and a rainbow of colors that make snorkeling the chilly glacial waters, from nearby Langjökull, unlike anywhere else in the world.

Stay Up All Night in Reykjavik

Photo: Dan Nguyen / Flickr

The nightlife never really stops in Reykjavik, and it can be difficult toknow when night actually falls during summer evenings full of sunlight and winter days of darkness. Icelanders are known for heading to their favorite barsand pubs after midnight and staying until at least 5 a.m., on weekends. Many cafes morph into bars in the evening hours, then into clubs in the wee hoursof the night. It’s essential to spend one night drinking Icelandic craft beer and local schnapps at the famous Kaffibarinn bar or thelow-key artist hangout, Ölstofa Kormáks og Skjaldar.

See the Northern Lights from the Top of a Glacier

Photo: Iceland Tourism

Iceland isn’t the only place in the world to admire the northern lights, but it’s the only place where you can watch nature’s greatest light show from atopthe fastly-fading Sólheimajökull glacier. This south Iceland glacier is accessible to all levels of hikers and serves as an ideal viewing point for thegreens, purples, and blues of the northern lights.

Guide to Iceland offers a number of glacier tours in Iceland,including a jaw-dropping adventure to the Sólheimajökull glacier tongue, the Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and an unbeatable viewing point for the aurora borealis. Iceland’swild and sparsely populated landscape coupled with the pitch darkness of winter makes it one of the best places on earth to see the dancing northernlights.