ICELAND is not a place where I would have expected to go to in my lifetime. It is nicknamed the “Land of Fire and Ice” because it has many active volcanoes, and you wouldn’t call it Iceland if it didn’t have ice—as in huge glaciers.
Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic and is located between North America and Europe. Despite its isolation, Iceland is actually quite modern. Almost all homes are connected to the Internet.
Icelanders are well-educated and speak good English. The country is also a center for scientific and medical research. Iceland is famous for its Northern Lights or aurora borealis. Iceland has no army because there is virtually no crime there. During summer, there are hardly any hours of darkness due to Iceland’s location near the Arctic circle.
Rocky terrain
Iceland’s rocky terrain calls for a special kind of transport: the Super Jeep. We took a Super Jeep tour around Iceland. Riding a Super Jeep was truly a remarkable experience. It was comfortable and fun. The drivers were very experienced and they handled the unique terrain very well.
Their tires are inflated more than usual so they can climb different types of terrain easily. They can go across water and rocky ground.
Some of the other vehicles operated on our tour were Land Rover Defenders, Nissan Patrols, Toyota Land Cruisers, Ford Econolines and Mercedes-Benz Vans. The jeeps are equipped with first-aid kits, 38-inch tires, GPS, snorkels and all sorts of security equipment.
First, our group went to the Sólheimasandur Black beach. This site is where a US Navy aircraft, a Douglas Super DC-3, was forced to crash land on the beach in November 1973.
To get there, the Super Jeeps had to travel across small rivers similar to the flashfloods in the Philippines. They rumbled across effortlessly. It was like riding a supersized Jeepney or an FJ Cruiser.
We crossed black sand (so called because the sand is made from lava), narrow rocky rivers and extreme terrain. When our company got there, we all got out of the jeeps and took a closer look at the plane wreckage. I wandered in half expecting to see Steve Rogers inside. I was a little disappointed when I didn’t.
Truly magical
Following that, we travelled to the Eyjafjallajökull glacier (E-15 for non-Icelanders). A huge volcanic eruption there in 2010 caused delays in air traffic worldwide. There was a little hail when we got there, but the scenery was worth it.
Indeed, Iceland is a truly magical place, and the experiences you will find there are truly unforgettable. From its breathtaking scenery to the amazing fauna, Iceland is one of the most amazing places on Earth.
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