Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2007, Side 26

Check it?
There are numerous ways to explore Iceland’s natu-
ral 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.
The company Eagle Air, located at Reykjavík
Airport, offers various daily air trips around Ice-
land. On a fair-weathered afternoon, a Grapevine
photographer and journalist climbed on board the
company’s tiny single engine aircraft for a one-
and-a-half hour tour that would lead us around the
southwest part of Iceland.
The aircraft had room for only seven passen-
gers 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 parlia-
ment in the world, was established in 930. After we
passed Lake Laugavatn, we circled above the geo-
thermal hot-spring area in Haukadalur valley wait-
ing for the geyser Strokkur to erupt. It finally did,
somewhat unimpressively though. More admirable
was the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall, and with
Langjökull glacier on the left side and the majestic
volcano Hekla ahead, it reminded me how power-
ful nature truly is. We passed Háifoss waterfall be-
fore flying over the yellow mountains of Landman-
nalaugar highland area and muddy Mýrdalsjökull
glacier.
The beautiful Þórsmörk valley, nestling be-
tween two glaciers, was our final destination be-
fore 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 dis-
tance 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, featuring small craters, glacial rivers,
volcanoes, hot springs, steep mountains, lava
fields and grassy valleys, the flightseeing tour was
worth every claustrophobic minute.

Eagle Air, Reykjavík Airport, Tel.: 562 4200
www.eagleair.is
Flightsee-
ing
Reykjavík seen from above. Photo by GAS