The best time to see the Northern Lights in Iceland is between September and April. The iconic lightshow is often visible at around midnight. Photo © Chakkree | Dreamstime.com

• Share

PRINT

Two James Bond movies were filmed at Iceland’s most famous glacial lake, Jökulsarlon, located in Southeast Iceland, about five hours from Reykjavik. Photo © Leonardospencer | Dreamstime.com

Swirling iridescent lights danced slowly across the pitch-black sky. It was only my second night in Iceland, and I was experiencing a light show unmatched since my psychedelic 60s.  

I was in Stykkisholmur in West Iceland on a two-week road trip around Iceland in September. For the first week, I traveled with my friend and colleague Michael Bennett, the founder of Seattle-based travel design company Explorer-X. On the second week, I continued the adventure on my own.  

Iceland is often called the Land of Fire and Ice. To that I would add water, rocks and the Northern Lights. Its scenery is incredibly varied: waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, fjords, volcanoes, steam vents, idyllic farmland and lava in various forms, shapes and sizes.  

The country’s beautiful, dramatic and often harsh landscape lends itself to the kind of mindful rumination I was seeking — about my life, my past, and my future, such as it is, at age 82.  

West Iceland’s national park 

Two hours after our plane landed, Michael and I were soaking in the geothermal waters of the posh Retreat spa at the Blue Lagoon.  

Before we turned into limp noodles, we got into our 4×4 SUV and drove three hours north to Stykkisholmur, a quaint, scenic town and gateway to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula.  

The highlight of our two days there was a spectacular drive around the peninsula through Snaefellsjӧkull National Park, which wraps around a massive glacier.  

On one side of the road was the sea; on the other, sharp, craggy, blown-out volcanoes with waterfalls tumbling down from the jagged heights. The Northern Lights made their grand appearance that night. 

The South’s Golden Circle  

Our next stop was the South Coast, only a couple hours’ drive from Reykjavik, the capital.

The scenery on the South Coast is just as dramatic as on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula — a vertical world of flat coastal planes ending abruptly against soaring cliffs, buttes and mountains cut by canyons and waterfalls and capped by glaciers. 

Here we saw tall waterfalls, wide waterfalls, waterfalls you can walk behind, waterfalls that morph into wisps in the wind and disappear before they reach the ground.  

On the Golden Circle, the country’s most famous scenic route, the Gulfoss waterfall’s wide, thundering falls create mist that will soak you to the bone unless you are fully encased in Gore-Tex.  

The South Coast also has an active geyser and black-sand beaches with towers of lava molded into bizarre shapes by the wind and water.  

Otherworldly Central Highlands 

My favorite destination of the trip was Highland Base, a rugged yet luxurious resort in a remote mountain range in central Iceland. Getting there required a long drive through harsh tundra, bouncing on a gravel road with one pothole after another.  

A heavy fog hung over the tundra as we drove, making the experience a bit spooky. Through the fog, I could barely make out the landscape, but what I could see looked like a cross between Mars and the Scottish moors.  

On our one full day at the resort, Michael and I hiked up a hill, then across a rocky plateau strewn with lava boulders with a 360-degree view of two huge glaciers, icy ridges and valleys.  

Later, we followed a trail alongside a river that opened up onto an unexpectedly colorful vista of yellow-green moss on the black lava slopes. This, plus the blue sky and a sparkling white glacier in the distance, made for one of the most beautiful views of our trip.  

We ended the day by soaking in the outdoor bath with views of the otherworldly surroundings. 

The North’s glacial canyon, volcanic lake 

A four-hour drive north (half on a rough, potholed road) took us to the rolling countryside of northern Iceland, then along a long fjord framed by snowcapped mountain ridges.  

The last hour of the drive was on a road with seaside cliffs on one side and equally steep cliffs on the other. This marked the end of our week together, a week filled with laughs, stories and heartfelt conversations that strengthened our friendship.  

As Michael noted later, “Despite the significant difference in our ages, it was reassuring to see that we are dealing with many of the same challenges — the highs and lows of love and loss, figuring out who we are and where we are going, and where to find a good craft beer.” 

After dropping off Michael at the airport in Akureyri, the second largest city in Iceland, I was on my own.  

I headed to Asbyrgi Canyon, part of Jokulsargljufur National Park, a long canyon with several hikes and scenic viewpoints. The walks and hikes I chose were short and easy, including one to the river at the bottom of the canyon through woods glowing gold with autumn colors.  

I also took an early morning walk to the bottom of the canyon for up-close views of lava towers shaped by cones, cubes and columns of basalt.  

Best of all was the short walk to the viewpoint for Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe. A rainbow shone through the mist rising from the pounding water. 

My final destination was Lake Myvatn, a volcanic landscape of craters, geothermal baths and steaming pools and vents. I ended the long day by soaking in my hotel’s spring-fed hot tub while gazing at the sheep and horses next door.  

The East Coast: Fjords and waterfalls 

The drive to my next stop, Egilsstadir, on the fjord-carved east coast, was the most harrowing drive of the trip — a tense, white-knuckled three hours through a driving snowstorm.  

After checking into my hotel and chilling out for a couple of hours, I got back into the car and drove along Lagerflot Lake to Hengifoss, yet another stunning waterfall at the end of a steep, uphill trail. The drive along the lake was almost as stunning as the waterfall, with the autumn colors lighting up the way. 

On my last day I drove to see the Jokulsarlon glacier, the country’s largest glacier.  

Far less crowded, though, is the Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon, just a few miles down the road. I had the beach pretty much to myself for several minutes of quiet contemplation. 

During the trip, I had plenty of such opportunities for reflection. On what, you might ask? The meaning of life? Hardly.  

But I did think a lot about the meaning of my life. Have I lived my life well? Would I change anything, if I had it to do over again? Perhaps most important, how am I doing now? 

Since I was in Iceland, hiking, soaking in hot natural baths and looking at stunning scenery, I figured that the answer to, “How am I doing now?” was, in the words of Larry David, “Pretty, pretty, pretty good.” 

If you go 

Nonstop round-trip airfare from the D.C. area is about $450 on Icelandair. 

In Stykkisholmur in the west, a double room in the Hotel Karolina (hotelkarolina.is) is about $200/night.  

On the south coast, the Skalakot Manor Hotel (skalakot.is) is about $350/night, as are self-catering cabins at Seljalandsfoss Horizons (seljalandsfoss.is).   

Highland Base (highlandbase.is) in the central highlands ranges from $350 to $800/night.  

In Asbyrgi in the north, the Hotel Skulagardur (skulagardur.com) is about $100/night. The Sel Hotel Myvatn (myvatn.is), also in the north, is about $125.  

On the east coast, Hotel Eyvindara (eyvindara.is) is about $280, and the Hrafnavellir Guesthouse (hrafnavellir.is) is $250.