Thirty students and three teachers traveled on an unforgettable journey to the land of fire and ice, ready to discover the wonders of one of the world’s most unique landscapes. Over the course of our journey, we experienced Iceland’s dramatic landscapes, learned about the country’s unique culture, and created memories that will last a lifetime.
After a 3-hour flight, we arrived at Keflavik Airport and met our amazing guide, Nick Taylor. Our first adventure was to the “Bridge between Continents”, where we stopped between two tectonic plates and experienced Iceland’s bipolar weather. One minute sun the next minute lashing hail and strong wind.
The next destination was Gunnuhver, where we watched the bubbling mud pools. That evening we stayed at Hotel Vatnsholt and enjoyed a warm meal together. However, the day hasn’t just ended, we experienced a beautiful moment after dinner where the northern lights had surprised us on our first night.
The second day we went to Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. We saw Strokkur (a geyser) erupt, shooting hot water into the air every 5-7 minutes. After the Golden Circle we made our way to the Gullfoss waterfall, we felt the mist of the water up close. After an astonishing view of the waterfall, we made our way to Fridheimar greenhouse, where we enjoyed an amazing bowl of tomato soup along with mouth-watering, freshly baked bread. Then we visited Þingvellir National Park and learned about Icelands amazing history, later on that night we arrived at Hotel Laugarvatn and enjoyed some downtime.
The third day was all about Iceland’s southern coast. We roamed behind Seljalandsfoss waterfall, explored the immense Sólheimajökull glacier and visited the renowned black sand beach and Vík, which is known to have “sneaker waves”, these waves can unexpectedly sweep people off the shore. The towering basalt columns at Reynisfjara captivated us, however, we enjoyed the view from Dyrhólaey cliff. By the end of the day, we stopped at the LAVA Centre, a museum made for Iceland’s volcanic activity, before settling in at Hotel Örk.
On our very last day we walked through Reykjadalur Valley, known for its steaming hot springs and explored Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Station to gain insight into Iceland’s renewable energy. Further on, Nick had given us a tour of the capital city (Reykjavík) which familiarized us with the city’s attractions, including the famous Hallgrímskirkja Church and the Sun Voyager Sculpture. We enjoyed our last dinner together at a Hamburger factory before going back to Hotel 201. We arrived back to the netherlands with unforgettable memories of Iceland’s natural beauty and geothermal wonders. This journey left us all inspired.
