Reykjavík Grapevine - 22.05.2015, Blaðsíða 27

27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 6 — 2015 TRAVEL
Distance from Reykjavík
The flight takes you approx.
40km east of the city
It’s not as much of a fantasy as it might
sound. As well as domestic flights,
Reykjavík’s conveniently situated city
airport also acts as a base for helicop-
ter tours, offering people the chance to
feel their feet leave the ground, for a
while at least. Taking off several times
a day, the available routes cover most
of Iceland, from the Reykjanes penin-
sula to the Westfjords, Snæfellsnes,
Vatnajökull, Mývatn and beyond. Some
routes take hiking-shy travellers up to
the top of glaciers, volcanoes or other
hard-to-reach wilderness spots, while
others offer an aerial version of the
Golden Circle, or fast access to remote
areas for fishing, skiing, or just relaxing
far away from anyone else.
We meet at the Norðurflug office
to take the geothermal tour, which will
take us over two major geothermal en-
ergy plants, and various volcanic cra-
ters, lava fields and hot springs. After a
cinematic video in the waiting lounge in
which Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller extol
the virtues of Iceland’s nature, a loud
roaring sound from outside alerts us
that our helicopter has arrived.
Whirlwind, heat and flash
Our pilot for the day is Guðjón, a jovial
chap with 20 years of flying experience,
who explains our route for the day. First
we’ll fly due east to the Nesjavellir power
plant, before touching down on Hengill,
the nearby volcano that powers the sta-
tion. Next, we’ll circle over the Hveragerði
area, home of the famous Reykjadalur
“hot river,” and the Hellisheiði power
plant, before doing a flyby of some large
volcanic craters, and an aerial look at
Reykjavík’s cityscape.
After strapping in, we don head-
sets so we can hear Guðjón speak as
he warms up the helicopter. The rotor
gets louder for a couple of minutes, until
we lurch up suddenly from the ground.
Within seconds, the colourful roofs of 101
Reykjavík are sinking away beneath us.
It’s a freeing feeling, and a broad smile
crosses my face as I look out at the unen-
cumbered views to Esja on one side and
Reykjanes on the other.
Soon after, we’ve left the city limits
behind entirely, and we’re out over the
open lava plains of South Iceland. Away
from human habitations, the landscape
changes dramatical-
ly—the temperature at
ground level seems to
have taken a nosedive,
with wide drifts of fro-
zen snow punctuating
grey lava and yellowish
moss. Before long, the
distant ground is com-
pletely white, held under
a smooth icing of deep
winter snow.
Guðjón talks to us
along the way, pointing
out Iceland’s geographi-
cal position on the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge. We’re actually flying right
along the fault line between the North
American and Eurasian tectonic plates,
where heat leaks up through the Earth’s
crust, and before long we can see the re-
sulting steam pouring from the ground.
Secret valley
Guðjón takes us over some mountains
and banks steeply towards Nesjavellir,
past twin plumes of steam silhouetted
dramatically by bright sun. After the
power station, we hover
down lower, towards the
foothills of the snow-
covered mountains.
“It’s time for a look at
our little secret valley,”
he says, and suddenly
we’re coming in for land-
ing through a sheet of
steam.
It feels surreal, af-
ter such a short flight,
to step out onto the side
of a volcano. The small
geothermal hotspot we
find has melted the sur-
rounding snow into graceful, undulating
natural sculptures, and the ground is
tinted umber and green from the miner-
als seeping into the soil. We take a walk
around a bubbling natural cauldron of
pearlescent water, and some vents that
violently spew out hot sulphurous steam
from the earth. There are some short red
posts sticking out of the snow nearby, in-
dicating that we’re on a hiking route, but
there’s nobody around—only foolhardy
hikers would be here at the tail end of
such a bitter winter.
Hold on to your butts
We take off again, and swoop up a deep,
dramatic valley as if in some thrilling Hol-
lywood chase. Over the crest of a high
ridge, the town of Hveragerði comes into
view with its ranks of glowing green-
houses. The road down into the town
looks like a tiny scribble in the snow
from up here, and there are conspicuous
snow-filled volcanic cones on the tops of
the mountains.
After a steep, stomach-churning
circle of the Hellisheiði power station—
apparently the second biggest geo-
thermal power station in the world—we
cross Road One and come in low over a
field of craggy, broken lava. In the cen-
tre of the lava field lie two huge craters.
“These craters are probably responsible
for much of the landmass you can see
around here,” says Guðjón, turning the
helicopter around so everyone can get a
good look. At times we’re looking straight
down at the ground, pushed back into
our seats as Guðjón manoeuvres the
‘copter for the best view.
As we start making our way back
to the city, everyone falls happily silent.
The shadows and colours on the ground
change constantly, and the roads and
houses look truly tiny from this elevated
perspective, immersed in Iceland’s vast,
wild and rugged landscape. We circle the
city centre for landing, taking in amazing
aerial views of Harpa, Halgrímskirkja and
the 101 area on the way in.
As we walk back over the tarmac,
Guðjón says he has one more flight to-
day—that very hop up to Esja’s summit
that I’ve so often daydreamed about. I
feel a twinge of jealousy—after a wonder-
ful hour spent looking down at Iceland
from above, aerial sightseeing seems like
it could become an expensive addiction.
I leave the airport feeling lighter on my
feet, and sure I’ll be back for more.
We lurch up suddenly
from the ground, and
the colourful roofs of
101 Reykjavík sink
away beneath us. Be-
fore long, the distant
ground is completely
white, held under a
smooth icing of deep
winter snow.
BOOK YOUR FLIGHT OR
DAY TOUR AT AIRICELAND.IS
ÍSAFJÖRÐUR
ICELAND’S WESTFJORDS
ARE ONLY 40 MINUTES AWAY
Let’s fly
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