WanderLex

Category: Iceland

  • Hraunfossar Waterfalls and parting with Iceland

    Hraunfossar Waterfalls and parting with Iceland

    I stopped by at Hvitserkur and Hraunfossar Waterfalls as I made my way from Akureyri to Reykjavik. The past 3 days in Akureyri were time well spent and eventful. For I get to visit some of the natural wonders in Northern Iceland and catching the Northern Lights in action. It’s a long drive so I have to refrain from pulling over for photo taking too frequently. That alone is an immense task as there are so many photography opportunities in the “Land of Fire and Ice”. But I have to stick to my plan in order to return the rental car on time. As it’s the final day of my 8 days Iceland Road Trip before departing for Berlin tomorrow morning.

    I would love to visit Iceland again! The diverse landscapes here are amazing and stunning. These captivating experiences will remain vividly imprinted in my memory for a long time.

    Nice view along Ring Road to Hvitserkur

    The rock formation of Hvitserkur

    The morning drive started bright and sunny before the fog and rain joined in. It’s almost a 3 hours’ drive from Akureyri to Hvitserkur. Henceforth, I had a break at the modern church of Blonduoskirkja before continuing. From the Ring Road, I turned into Route 711 followed by Route 713 before arriving at the surprisingly empty parking lot of Hvitserkur. I then followed a short walking path which leads to the rock formation of Hvitserkur.

    Foggy Ring Road to Hvitserkur

    Blonduoskirkja church in Iceland

    Walking path to Hvitserkur

    View of Hvitserkur from atop

    The Black Sandy Beach at Hvitserkur

    According to Icelandic folklore, Hvitserkur is the evil troll which had been turned to stone. But to me, the basalt stack rock formation looks somewhat like a creature standing on three legs. It’s amazing how it manages to withstand the powerful Arctic Ocean. It’s even possible to walk right next to it during low tide.

    Hvitserkur in Iceland

    The Lava Waterfalls of Hraunfossar

    The next stop was Hraunfossar, commonly known as the Lava Waterfalls. But the drive there was slow and stressful because of a thick fog that morning. It was a great relief to get through all that and seeing the lava fields thereafter. The cautious drive drastically reduced the time which I could spend at the waterfalls. Safety comes first! I ended up skipping Barnafoss altogether in favour of Hraunfossar to remain on schedule.

    Thick Fog to Hraunfossar Waterfalls

    The drive towards Hraunfossar

    Lavafields near to Hraunfossar

    Lavafields near to Hraunfossar

    Lavafields near to Hraunfossar

    Hraunfossar is a series of small waterfalls cascading down a lava cliff and into Hvita River. The waterfalls are so wide that it’s impossible to capture all of them in a single frame shot!

    Signboard of Hraunfossar waterfalls

    Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland

    Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland

    Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland

    Hraunfossar waterfalls in Iceland

    STAY: Airport Hotel Aurora Star

    I returned the Hyundai Tucson to the rental company and walked over to Airport Hotel Aurora Star. The main reason to stay here was none other than its close proximity to Keflavik international airport for my departing Berlin flight at unearthly hour. The hotel was pleasantly comfortable amid the noise from the airport, which is expected. I was informed by the friendly staff that their breakfast starts very early too. I ordered a sandwich for dinner before my well-deserved rest. The room was functional and it’s rather spacious. The bed was comfortable enough for a one-night stay. And I would probably stay here again for the same reason.

    Sandwich dinner at Airport Hotel Aurora Star Iceland

    Bedroom of Airport Hotel Aurora Star Iceland

    Bathroom of Airport Hotel Aurora Star Iceland

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    What are your thoughts about Hraunfossar? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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  • Northern Lights in Iceland and a painful lesson

    Northern Lights in Iceland and a painful lesson

    Northern Lights aka Aurora Borealis was one of the main reasons for me to visit Iceland. The other being the diverse landscape dotted with natural wonders. In fact, I feel that Iceland’s landscape alone has already made my trip so worthwhile as I move around the island. But surely, seeing the Northern Lights would be an icing on the cake. It will be a nice consolation for the Lofoten trip last year where the cloudy nights diminished any of my chances. I had a déjà vu feeling since the first night in Reykjavik because the cloud cover forecasts have not been favourable. That’s until I arrived at Akureyri where the odds had finally tilted to my favour, I thought.

    Seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland

    I have initially planned to do the lights chasing on my own for all 3 nights. But I ended up joining a local Northern Lights tour for the first 2 nights. As I wanted to tap on the local expertise while maximizing my chances when the clouds were least expected. The first night’s KP index was really low and the local guide said we might not get to see any actions at all. More so when some clouds decided to show up uninvited.

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Still, he drove us to various locations in his minibus to check out the night sky. And before we know it, a very faint green glow appeared on the horizon. It’s the Northern Lights! I finally get to see it happening live!

    The natural phenomenon happens when the Sun’s solar wind carrying charged particles, get trapped in Earth’s magnetic field. These particles will then ride on the magnetic field to either the North or South Poles. Once they enter the atmosphere and interact with either oxygen or nitrogen, an energy in the form of light will be released. These shows are known as Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and Southern lights (Aurora Australis).

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    However, it was a very brief showing of what this natural phenomenon is capable of. As the clouds decided to bring down the curtains on the show. “That’s all folks!”, I could almost hear them saying. Perhaps sensing all our disappointment, our friendly guide told us to join him for tomorrow’s tour and it will be free of charge.

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    The Northern Lights and a painful lesson

    I was in for a treat on the second night. The Northern Lights showed up brightly and danced across the sky. It was doing all sorts of curling and twisting while occasionally fading away, only to reappear with more actions. I was split between taking crazy loads of pictures and staring admirably at the show, for the fear to miss out on either. I thought there will be plenty of nice pictures for me to edit back in the hotel after this aurora show.

    But instead, it was a rude shock that almost all the pictures were out of focus and blurry! What a memorable night with such mixed feelings. I was so excited that I forgot to preview the captured images by zooming into the distant objects… It was indeed a rather painful lesson learned after seeing such a wonderful show on display. Anyhow, here are the disastrous photos. I have pieced some of them together as GIF file to illustrate how beautiful the Northern Lights were that night.

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    Northern Lights in Iceland

    I wanted to redeem myself on the third night but the clouds have other thoughts. It’s just not going to happen. I have to wait till the following year to see the Northern Lights again, but in Canada.

    Northern Lights in Iceland

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    What are your thoughts about the Northern Lights in Iceland? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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