Iceland review - 2016, Síða 116

114 ICELAND REVIEW
Experience some of Iceland’s most impressive geologi-
cal and geothermal wonders, just minutes from Keflavík
International Airport.
For most visitors to Iceland, the trip between Keflavík airport
and the capital is an awe-inspiring one, made memorable by
rocky coastlines, sprawling lava fields, and maybe even a sooth-
ing soak in the otherworldly waters of the Blue Lagoon. What
many people don’t realize, however, is that these are only a few
of the marvels that the Reykjanes peninsula has to offer. In fact,
some of the country’s most impressive geological wonders can
be found less than 20 minutes from the airport, within the new-
ly-designated Reykjanes Geopark, part of UNESCO’s Global
Geopark network and an area of astounding volcanic and geo-
thermal activity.
The Reykjanes peninsula is situated right on top of the Mid-At-
lantic Ridge, a 65,000-kilometer (40,400-mile) divergent tecton-
ic plate that stitches crookedly around the globe. It’s actually
the longest mountain range in the world, but very few ever get
the chance to see it because it lies at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean. Reykjanes is one of few places in the world where the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge is visible above sea-level.
55 GEOSITES, ALL WITHIN EASY REACH
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is one of 55 listed geosites on the Reyk-
janes peninsula. Here you’ll also find the Bridge Between Two
Continents, where you can walk across a major fissure that has,
over the course of millennia, slowly, but surely, widened between
the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. See a 20-me-
ter-wide (65-foot-wide) boiling mud pool that is surrounded by
steam vents and very likely haunted by a 400-year-old ghost at
Gunnuhver, or watch sea birds dip and dive around the Hafnar-
berg sea cliffs. Check out two 6,000-year-old volcanic craters
now filled with emerald green lakes, Grænavatn and Gestsstaða-
vatn, or take a walk to Brimketill, a coastal, pool-shaped lava
formation, which has long been one of the peninsula’s most
Your Icelandic adventure starts in Reykjanes.
Will
Wonders
Never Cease?
SPECIAL PROMOTION
REYKJANES