Iceland Wild Winter Adventure

Clues of Reykjavik’s tectonic past are everywhere. ‘Smoky Bay’, as its name translates, hints at the seething geology that has shaped the world’s northernmost capital, while the bone-white Hallgrímskirkja soars like a ziggurat above the city, its spire evoking the mighty basalt columns that define this rugged landscape. But beyond the epic scenery, the pint-sized Icelandic capital has made a name for itself with a buzzing nightlife scene and cool, contemporary museums, while a host of home-grown chefs put gourmet spins on humble Icelandic fare.

Set along the rushing waters of the Ölfusá River, the southern town of Selfoss is a charming taste of local Iceland, and even has a museum dedicated to skyr, the superfood yogurt. It stands at the southern tip of the Golden Circle, a bracing tour of the country’s spectacular geology. Geysir spews its boiling jets up to 200ft in the air, while the waters of Gullfoss roar over a cliff in a postcard of Iceland’s wild, wintry beauty.

Protruding into the Atlantic south of the capital, the coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula is strung with pretty, colorful fishing villages, but ultimately this is a land defined by the heat that lies beneath the surface. Eerily beautiful in its untamed primitiveness, this wild landscape is where volcanoes tremble with the threat of letting off steam and hot springs simmer in the heart of ancient lava fields, the Blue Lagoon the most famous of them all.