Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Qupperneq 35

Best Of Reykjavík
For your mind, your body and your wallet
34The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2017
Best Day Trips From
Reykjavík
Where to seize the opportunity for a moment in
the sun

Words: Hannah Jane Cohen & John Rogers
Photos: Art Bicnick
So, you’ve come to Reykjavík, the
elf-infested city of glacial whale-
song dreams. Let’s assume you’ve
noticed by now that pretty much
every second plot of land in the
city centre is currently a building
site coughing out clouds of dust to
a symphony of heavy machinery.
Where should you go to find the
blissful tranquility you’ve heard so
much about? Here are some ideas.
Snorkelling at Silfra
Þingvellir’s Silfra Fissure lies di-
rectly on the Mid-
Atlantic Ridge.
This means that,
theoretically, if
you touch both sides of the narrow
scuba path at once, you are in both
Europe and America. Wow! The
fissure is filled with clear, icy wa-
ter, and a relaxing current. Lazily
mosey your way down the fissure
in a warm suit that creates a zero
gravity-esque experience—a trip
that’s both figuratively and liter-
ally immersive.
Þórsmörk by Superjeep
Þórsmörk is a wild and beauti-
ful area that’s forbidden to nor-
mal road vehicles. You can get a
bus there and stay at the Volcano
Huts, but those on a
schedule might want
to opt for a Super Jeep
tour instead. You’ll be
whisked over the black sands to
the near-vertical Gígjökull glacier
tongue, and taken to dramatic
canyons, purple mountains, and
surprisingly verdant woods in a
dreamlike area of raw and power-
ful nature.

Reykjanes Peninsula
Daytrip
A fun alternative to the Golden
Circle is a tour of the Reykjanes
peninsula. You can see hot geo-
thermal water bubbling up at the
vividly coloured Seltún geother-
mal area in Krýsuvík, drive over
the tectonic divide, see a torrent of
steam pouring from Gunnuhver,
take in the dramatic rock forma-
tions at the Reykjanesviti light-
house, and still get back to Reykja-
vík in time for dinner.

Into the Volcano
Fulfil your Jules Verne dreams
by descending into the belly of a
dormant volcano. After hiking a
picturesque track to the mouth
of Þríhnúkagígar, just beyond the
Reykjavík suburbs, you’ll don a
helmet and take a suspended el-
evator hundreds of metres down
into the earth, seeing lava forma-
tions that look like they’ve just
dried, and deep, fleshy colours,
like a Rothko cave. It’s a strangely
emotional experience that you
won’t forget quickly.

Snowmobiles
There’s no better way to experi-
ence the desolate and vast Icelan-
dic glaciers than on the vibrat-
ing leather seat of a snowmobile.
Zoom through dusty badlands in a
sea of white as far as the eye can
see, while also, you know, hope-
lessly attempting to jump the ve-
hicle. Snowmobiling is surpris-
ingly meditative and soothing as
well—the perfect antidote to the
crowded Golden Circle. And don’t
worry, they provide suits and
gloves.

Rafting
“Forward!” Back!” “Stop!” “Down!”
Get ready to hear these words of-
ten. Rafting in Iceland is full of
rapids and splashes, but it’s still
relaxed: it’s action-packed enough
to induce adrenaline, but calm
enough to not make you consider
your mortality. At the halfway
point of the tour down the Hvitá
river, you can jump off a jutting
cliff into the frigid water. Do it.
You won’t regret it.
REYKJAVÍK • GARÐABÆR
AKUREYRI • VÍK Í MÝRDAL
VESTMANNAEYJAR
ICEWEAR SHOPS
Visit our webstore www.icewear.is
Enjoy the easy shopping and quick deliveries.
Grapevine Icewear 95x46,5 june 2017.pdf 1 9.6.2017 09:36
SELECTION
FROM BEST OF
REYKJAVÍK
2017
Best Shop To Pick Up Local
Design
Kraum
Laugavegur 18b
Downtown Reykjavík has seen
a boom in shops offering fancy
design products in recent years,
perhaps jointly due to a surge
in tourism—and the resultant
padded billfolds in the pockets
of Icelanders. After lots of de-
bate, and despite moving into
an unflattering location that’s
also a noodle place and booking
office, Kraum was re-selected
as the best in show with their
exclusively Icelandic range
of homewares, decorations,
clothing, jewellery and knick-
knacks. Kraum “has a clear
respect for Icelandic design,”
said the panel, and there’s a
smaller branch at the Museum
of Design & Applied Art, should
you find yourself in Garðabær.
Best Shop To Pick Up Local
Fashion
KIOSK
Ingólfsstræti 6
The KIOSK boutique is some-
thing of an institution, and won
the local fashion category for the
seventh time in 2017. The store
is run by Icelandic designers
themselves, and they take turns
working at the counter, so the
odds of you buying a piece from
the person who designed it are
quite a bit higher than in your
average boutique. “Each design-
er here helps out the others,”
said the panel. “They all pro-
mote each other’s projects. I’d al-
ways choose to invest in a piece
in KIOSK over any other store.”
gpv.is/bestof
Get to know Reykjavík
Snorkeling at Silfra
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