We Heart Iceland

Remember when we told you that our challenge for 2017 is to travel to 12 countries in 12 months? Well, guess what? Iceland is our first of the 12 countries in 12 months, so 11 countries left to go and we still haven’t decided it yet. The later the better!

Here we go!

We spent 4 days on the spectacular island with our gorgeous friends but wish we could stay a bit longer to explore more. We flew with Icelandair for almost 3 hours and apparently, there was 50cm snow. You have no idea how excited we were! Iceland has been turned into winter wonderland we can’t describe how beautiful the island is. We stayed in Fosshotel Reykjavik, honestly, that was the best hotel we’ve ever stayed in. It is brand new, awesome surroundings and amazing facilities which is a bonus (the heated floors in the bathrooms made us very very happy haha)  They have a cool beer garden too! The city is packed with bright colourful houses, the downtown area is full of great shops, places to grab a bite to eat, and a beautiful and quirky outdoor area to explore. Whilst we were there at the end of February, the weather is extremely changeable and unpredictable so you should always be prepared for the unexpected. Luckily, the weather since has been a lot better with days of plenty of sunshine.

Starting our private 4×4 experience tour bright and early the next day was perfect because Iceland in the winter has a limited hour of daylight so we were lucky because we were able to see all of the sights at the right time. Our tour guide was lovely. He took us to the south of Iceland all the way to Vik from Reykjavik. This is a long trip we would say about 10 hours but the view is absolutely breathtaking whilst we were in the car. Full of snow make it even more magical.

THE SELJALANDSFOSS WATERFALL

The waterfall is very famous. It’s where you can walk behind it but we didn’t try this as it gets very icy and slippery during the winter, so the ice made it even more dramatic and dangerous. The view is wonderful, it’s a beautiful sight getting closer and closer but we found that too many tourists spoiled it for us but we were trying to get a decent shot of SELJALANDSFOSS and we did!

THE EYJAFJALLAJOKULL VOLCANO

We stopped at Eyjafjallajokull Volcano (we can’t even pronounce it haha) anyway, this is where a famous volcano in the world. It is huge and powerful, I think back to 2010 and all the flight cancellations this volcano caused. Seeing it in person is amazing.

So while driving in the full of a white countryside, all the way to Black Beach Sand. We yelled, “Stop we want to take picture of the Icelandic horse!” The tour guide knew the best place where you can see them in the middle of nowhere on the farm. The Icelandic horse is a breed developed in Iceland. They are special (something in between a pony and a horse) and adorable. They love to be petted. Did you know that the Icelandic Horse is the only type of horse breed in Iceland? Apparently, no other horses are allowed on the island. If one leaves Iceland, it is not allowed to enter back into the country. I recommend stopping whenever you see horses because it is SO worth it!

THE BLACK BEACH

After that, we headed down to Vik where the Black Sand Beach is, It is one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches on Earth. How cool is that? The beach was incredibly beautiful from the darkest sand, crashing waves and interesting rock formations. Iceland is one of those places where you are reminded that nature is awesome.

THE SKÓGAFOSS WATERFALL

This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls of Iceland in winter. It’s like a fairyland of the winter wonderland, you can walk and close to it. The sun was shining and we saw a rainbow. This actually made the whole experience seem a bit like a dream and a magical one.

WATCHING THE AURORA BOREALIS IS MAGIC. FOR REAL.

We went back to the hotel and had a quick dinner before the Northern Lights. This is another reason why Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see colourful lights dancing in the night sky. So we waited in freezing cold for two hours and there’s no light at all. Before we had to go back to the city, there they were, the lights were so incredibly bright, like magic lighting up the sky. During our stay 3 nights, we managed to see them twice which is very lucky. One of the best things we’ve ever seen, definitely worth the wait. Seeing the Aurora (Northern Lights) was a dream come true for us!

THE BLUE LAGOON

Lastly, we went to the famous Blue Lagoon on our last day (and of course it’s part of our bucket list!). It’s milky baby blue water and the view is like something out of a dream. The weather was perfection, white snow and sunny (Not warm, though. It is Iceland, after all.) We sinking into the hot water and we could physically feel our muscles relax and said AHHH! This is a perfect way to end of our trips, we stayed from 10.30 am to 4 pm, I know we are crazy but loving it every minute of it! The water was hotter than we would expect with a temperature of 38 degrees C. It had a thick and silky feel like a bath full of salts. The water is self-cleansing – it renews itself every 40 hours. The geothermal water has a unique composition, featuring three active ingredients – Silica, Algae & Minerals If you want to know more information HERE. You’ll also find as much FREE silica mud at the mud bar where we applied the mask. After taking it off, our skin felt smooth.

We really loved this place sitting in the warm water and staring up at the sky and the landscape, with the cold wind rushing through the rock walls around us.

Tip: Don’t let that water touch your hair, (haha but you can use lots of conditioner in the bathroom before you go in!)

Iceland is one of the most awe-inspiring places we’ve ever been to. What are you waiting for? GO!

Happy Weekend!