Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2007, Side 23

8_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 13_007_THEN & NOW REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 13_007_DESTINATION_9
There are numerous ways to explore Iceland’s
natural wonders, but to view the wilderness
from the air is probably the most comfortable
and panoramic journey of them all. No sore
feet or traffic-jammed highways will ruin the
fun of admiring the rugged outdoors, not to
mention the chance you’ll get to capture unique
photographs of the natural beauty some 4000
feet above the ground.
On a sunny afternoon, together with two
other passengers, one pilot and a tour guide,
the Grapevine photographer and I climbed on
board a tiny single engine aircraft located at
Reykjavík Airport. With our seatbelts fastened
and our headsets in place, the guide explained
that the one-and-a-half hour tour of the day
would lead us around the southwest part of Ice-
land and offer a stunning view of the country’s
glaciers and volcanoes as well as various touristy
spots. That proved to be no overstatement.
The aircraft had room for only seven pas-
sengers so claustrophobics (me included) might
see it as the transportation of hell. As the plane
climbed higher up in the sky and the view over
Reykjavík became more picturesque, I tried to
calm my nerves by searching for the roof of
my home. Thankfully, the small space soon
became the last thing on my mind.
In a matter of minutes we flew over Þingvel-
lir national park, where Alþingi, the oldest
parliament in the world, was established in
930. After we passed lake Laugavatn we circled
above the geothermal hot-spring area in Hau-
kadalur valley waiting for the geyser Strokkur to
erupt. It finally did, somewhat unimpressively
though. More admirable was the spectacular
Gullfoss waterfall, and with Langjökull gla-
cier on the left side and the majestic volcano
Hekla ahead, it reminded me how powerful
nature truly is. We passed Háifoss waterfall
before flying over the yellow mountains of
Landmannalaugar highland area and muddy
Mýrdalsjökull glacier.
The beautiful Þórsmörk valley, nestling be-
tween two glaciers, was our final destination
before turning back to Reykjavík. The pilot flew
the plane safely over the south coast, giving us
an incredible view of the grassy lowlands and
the numerous farms on the way, which from
my seat looked like tiny Monopoly houses.
Much too soon, the capital appeared in
the distance and we landed smoothly at the
airport again. With barely a cloud in the sky
and a scenic bird’s-eye view of the incredible
contrasts in the country’s landscape, featur-
ing small craters, glacial rivers, volcanoes, hot
springs, steep mountains, lava fields and grassy
valleys, the flightseeing tour was worth every
claustrophobic minute.

Tour provided by:
Eagle Air, Reykjavík Airport
Tel.: 562 4200, www.eagleair.is
Flightseeing
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
Photo by Gulli
Two unique exihbitions:
The Settlement of Iceland
and
Egils saga
Open daily from 10 am to 7 pm
R E S T A U R A N T
Open from 10 am to 9:30 pm
Tel: +354 437 1600
www.landnamssetur.is
A must do
for the visitor...
SetTlement
centre
the
I N B O R G A R N E S
In 1978, cars were considered a commodity. Today, parking spots are considered a commodity.