The Lat 65° N Dream

Why Iceland?

It's all started with Björk and Sigur Rós, both are the biggest Icelandic music export whom I love very much. Their soundings do share some similarities, wintry and ethereal which intrigue me to find out more about Iceland. Iceland is an unique land of contradiction where fire and ice co-exist. I want to be here personally to see its rugged, untouched and eerily remote wilderness and the awesome diversity of ice and fire, which I can only appreciate from the National Geographic channel. Most importantly, I want to visit this piece of geological active land, to feel the pulse of our mother earth. Sounds pagan huh?

Brief Facts of Iceland

Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km2. Out of which 62.7% is tundra, 14.3% are lakes and glaciers and only 23% is vegetated. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to some two-thirds of the national population. Iceland is not as cold as its name suggests. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, Iceland has a temperate climate relative to its latitude and provides a habitable environment and nature. There is a saying in Iceland on its notoriously variable weather: "If you don’t like the weather right now, just wait five minutes." For example, it can be sunny, cold and windy in the morning, rainy, cold and windy in the afternoon, and foggy, cold and windy in the evening. The vibrant geologic activity that creates the volcanoes provides an endless supply of geothermal energy.

Unlikely Union of Fire & Ice

Iceland is formed by volcanic eruptions just 20 million years ago, as magma poured from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a tear in the seabed that marks the boundary between the North American and European continental plates. As the liquid rock oozed out of the tear and cooled, it produced the island we see today. However, volcanic fire isn’t the only elemental force shaping the island. Ice, too, plays a key role. Less than 8,000 years ago, geologists believe the entire island was buried beneath miles of ice. As these massive glaciers melted away, they carved Iceland’s remarkable steep-sided valleys and fjords, long, narrow glacial valleys that have been flooded by the sea. Iceland’s construction is far from over, there are more than two dozen active volcanoes that regularly erupt, adding more lava and ash to the landscape and new land forming; and the glacial ice continues to carve and smooth the land.

My Notes

I have spent nearly 2 years blogging this trip intermittently. During this period, there are a lot of revisions which photos are added and/or removed, write-ups amended. This may be far from perfect, but I hope this blog will be able to showcase, thru my eyes, my sentiments on Iceland. Enjoy reading.

The Journey

After a couple of months of research, planning and online reservations, finally we are on board SQ A380 13 hours flight to London, where we transit to Iceland on its national carrier, Iceland Air for another 3 hours of flight.

On board Iceland Air


The first glimpse of Iceland


The barren land of Iceland


Landed safely on Iceland


Our Itinerary

This map chronicles the 15 days itinerary clockwise of the island, beginning from the capital city of Reykjavik ending at The Blue Lagoon. The details of the itinerary are in the links listed below. The colour of each place matches to the route map above for easy reference.

For better visuals, please do click on any photos or pictures in this blog to see them in enlarge format.

Southwest Iceland

10th - 12th May 2008
Day 1 & 2: Around in the capital, Reykjavik ( Click here to see photos )


Northwest Iceland
12th - 17th May 2008
Day 3: Reykjavik → Ósar ( Click here to see photos )

Day 4: Ósar → Húsavík ( Click here to see photos )

Day 5: Húsavík ( Click here to see photos )

Day 6: Húsavík → The Mývatn District ( Click here to see photos )

Day 7: The Mývatn District ( Click here to see photos )

Day 7: The Mývatn District cont'd ( Click here to see photos )

Day 8: The Mývatn District ( Click here to see photos )


East Iceland
17th - 18th May 2008
Day 8: The Mývatn District → Seyðisfjörður ( Click here to see photos )

Day 8: Seyðisfjörður ( Click here to see photos )


Southeast Iceland
18th - 20th May 2008
Day 9: Seyðisfjörður → Skaftafell National Park ( Click here to see photos )

Day 10: Skaftafell National Park ( Click here to see photos )

Day 10: Skaftafell National Park cont'd ( Click here to see photos )


Southwest Iceland
20th - 25th May 2008
Day 11 Skaftafell National Park → Vik ( Click here to see photos )

Day 11: Vik ( Click here to see photos )

Day 12: Vik → Gullfoss → Geysir ( Click here to see photos )

Day 12: Geysir ( Click here to see photos )

Day 13: Geysir → Þingvellir → Blue Lagoon ( Click here to see photos )

Day 13/14: Blue Lagoon ( Click here to see photos )

Day 15: Keflavík International Airport ( Click here to see photos )