The first thing you notice in Iceland isn’t the cold, it’s the color. Bright green moss spreads across miles of black volcanic rock like a living blanket, while misty rain hangs in the air. As our plane touches down in the land of fire and ice, we have exactly 48 hours before our next flight leaves for Amsterdam. Just enough time, we hope, to see what makes this remote island unforgettable.

 

Iceland is a popular country for layovers. Sitting between North America and Europe, Iceland has become one of the world’s most convenient layover destinations. Icelandair offers something special for all travelers passing through: extended layovers. Purchasing a ticket to fly with Icelandair, you can extend your layover for many days. It's the perfect addition to any trip.

 

At 6:00 am, we jump into our rental car. We started driving southeast of Keflavik, where we landed. I predetermined a route for us to take to see some of Iceland's most iconic features. Within minutes of leaving the airport, the landscape opens, revealing distant mountains engulfed by mist.

 

Our first stop is Skogafoss, a 200-foot waterfall with the water gushing directly from two glaciers. Anyone can walk to the bottom of the waterfall to enjoy the splash zone from the wind carrying the mist or one can view it from above with a 370-step climb to the top.

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About a 30-minute drive away is Reynisfjara Beach. Famous for its black sand, perfectly round rocks, and a hillside built on basalt columns lined up like steps. This beach is rigand itoutside of a small town, Vik, which is the start to the exploration of the many places where you can find these tall dark gray towers. Though we didn’t have time to keep heading east, there are many more black beaches and canyons filled with these rocky formations.

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Standing at the base, I was overwhelmed by the size of the Sólheimajökull Glacier; it’s easy to understand why nearly 11% of Iceland is covered by ice fields. There are 269 named glaciers, so we decide we must climb one, why not. It’s now 3:00pm and we are starting our climbing tour of Solheimajokull. Which is a smaller ice cap, a part of a larger glacier Myrdalsjokull. We bundle up in our warm clothes and raincoats, slide on our boots with ice spikes on the bottom, strap on our harnesses, tighten our helmets, and grab our ice picks. It's time to start the journey.

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Starting off, we walked next to a body of water that leads up to Solheimajokull. Smaller chunks of ice float around like ice cubes in my morning coffee. After walking on volcanic remains, we make it to the entrance of the glacier. Climbing gets steep, with each step ice crunches beneath us, and the views get more breathtaking as we move on. A trickle of water appears, and it leads us to a small flowing creek on the glacier. I bend down, cup my hands, and scoop up the water. Bringing it to my lips and take the crispest sip of water I have ever had in my life. Memorable, that's for sure.

 

 

 

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Ice under my feet crunches as I kick my shoe spikes into the cold surface. Our group continues walking around the glacier. As we do, we are hiking next to crevasses ranging from 20 feet to 150 feet in depth.

 

Just 24 hours earlier, I was back in my home state, Colorado, going on a hike with my friends as a farewell before leaving on a 4-month journey across the world. I went from hiking in shorts next to pine trees, chipmunks, and burnt sienna colored dirt, to hiking a cold light blue and white glacier, 3,600 miles away from home.

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We make the climb down the glacier, and now it's time to move onto the next waterfall on my list, Seljalandsfoss. If you’ve seen pictures of Iceland, I’m sure you’ve seen this 197-foot cascade. Famous for having a hiking trail all the way around the back side of the waterfall and out the other side making the perfect 360-degree view.

 

At this point it is 6:30pm, the wind and rain are picking up. Now we stand wet not just from the rain, but the waterfall blowing at us. At the backside of the waterfall, the greenery bright and vibrant with a variety of plants and moss.

 

As the day winds down, we make our way to a small hotel in the town of Selfoss. Selfoss is about an hour west, heading back towards Reykjavik. We stopped at a random coastal town for some dinner. I enjoyed one of the most delicious seafood casseroles I have ever had, still dreaming about it today. The sun has now set at 9:00pm as we prepare for our remaining 33 hours.

 

The next morning, we finished our drive back to the capital, Reykjavik. We wandered through the city looking for historical landmarks including: the rainbow road, Hallgrimskirkja church, a hotdog at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, the view at the harbor, and visiting a grocery store to find some Icelandic snacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As the hours start to dwindle away from our time, one last big stop weighs on our list, the Blue Lagoon. I’m sure you’ve heard of it as it is on National Geographic's 25 Wonders of the World list. The Blue Lagoon is the world's largest man-made mineral pool, known for its baby blue water full of minerals that make it cloudy. They serve each guest with a mineral filled clay face mask and a swim up bar for refreshments. It’s warm, it’s relaxing, and it is one of the best stops you could take on your extended layover. I am happy to cross this destination off my bucket list.

 

 

 

 

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At 9:50pm on our way back to Reykjavik, out of the darkness we saw something bright orange glowing. A volcano erupting. We pull over on the side of the road, just outside the town of Grindavik to watch the glowing magma spurt out of the distant ground. This volcano started erupting in January 2024, it is now September 2024. The road is lined with cars; the volcano now has an audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nearing 11:00pm as we settle down in our hostel near the airport. Our flight is at 7:00am the following morning and we are all feeling satisfied. Satisfied with all we saw and completed. Though we experienced just a taste of what Iceland has to offer, we were able to experience more than just a simple layover.

 

In just 48 hours, Iceland gave us waterfalls, glaciers, black sand beaches, and even a glowing volcano on the horizon. What began as a simple layover became a reminder that sometimes the best adventures aren’t planned destinations, they're the stops in between.