Iceland’s remote location and harsh climate aren’t exactly welcoming. But its striking scenery, draped with glaciers and punctuated by craggy peaks and steamy geysers, makes this destination increasingly attractive to nature-loving travelers.
On one of my trips from Europe back to the US, I took advantage of Icelandair’s free stopover and spent several days exploring the island. Besides touring the capital city, Reykjavík—where 60 percent of Iceland’s 370,000 citizens live—I took time to seek out the more isolated areas. The country’s interior is basically uninhabited, but its perimeter is encircled by an 800-mile-long Ring Road, also known as Route 1. This road—not completed until 1974—makes it possible to visit the country’s more remote geological oddities.
