I & I - 2011, Síða 40

40 I&I
drawn by the mysterious novelty of unending night, the
majesty of snow-covered mountains, and the other-
worldly sight of black and white speckled lava fields,
some 85,000 tourists will venture to experience the island dur-
ing the period from November to March when the nation holds
more true to its frosty moniker.
Much like their fair-weather peers, so too will these winter
tourists experience Iceland’s magnificent nature, conquer its
crystalline glaciers, delve into the frigid waters of Silfra and dare
to tackle the ice and snow-laden Route 1. We mention only a few
of the things to do.
While the climes are more unpredictable than naught in the
height of the tourist season, those journeying to Iceland in the
winter months would be particularly wise to expect that the ever
changing forecast—snow, sleet, clouds, rain, hail, sun, repeat—is
worthy of their attention in order to guarantee a mishap-free va-
cation.
Opting for organization and smooth sailing, many tourists so-
licit the services of Iceland’s numerous tour operators, which of-
fer excursions year round for adventure-seekers and coach-rid-
ers alike. “Snowmobile tours are very popular, even diving tours,
horse-riding and ATV-riding. All those activity tours are very pop-
ular year round,” says Sigrídur Roloff, e-business manager of Ice-
land Excursions. While some excursions are seasonal and depend
on the temperate summer weather to be feasible, the company
runs 20 tours over the winter months.
Operating since 1994, Icelandic Mountain Guides (IMG) boasts
a lengthy list of wintertime tours for the more adventurous tour-
ists, from glacier hiking and ice climbing to alpine skiing and lava
caving. “The glacier hiking tours are by far the most popular ones.
A dArk
winter pArAdise
Even though most people come to Iceland in summer,
more and more are experiencing the unique
winter months’ adventures.
• tórisvAtn 85 km2 • LAke tHingveLLir 82 km2 • LAke Lögurinn 53 km2 • LAke mývAtn 37 km2 • LAke Hópid 30 km2
Lakes cover less than three percent of
Iceland, but two of them are among
Iceland’s top destinations. Lake Mývatn
with its unique bird life, and Lake
Thingvellir, which are on the UNESCO
World Heritage List. The five
largest lakes are;
like lakes