Iceland review - 2016, Page 110

108 ICELAND REVIEW
SPECIAL PROMOTIONWEST ICELAND
With Into the Glacier, you can experience the man-made ice tunnel in Langjökull.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE GLACIER
Maybe science-fiction author Jules Verne was onto something
after all? No longer content with simply being the setting for
the famous Journey to the Center of the Earth, Iceland has fol-
lowed in the footsteps of fiction by forging the longest ever man-
made ice tunnel to journey inside the heart of a glacier ice cap.
STRIKING VIEWS
The team behind this unique attraction is Into the Glacier, a tour
operator which had an audacious idea and created an experi-
ence unlike any other in Iceland. This man-made glacial ice-cave,
designed by leading engineers and geophysicists in the safest
and most stable part of the glacier, is located in Langjökull, the
second-largest glacier in Iceland.
The journey to the entrance of the ice cave with Into the Glacier
starts from the Húsafell area, where in order to ascend the 1,300
meters (4,265 feet) above sea level up onto the glacier, groups
travel in former NATO missile launcher trucks, now modified for
the much more peaceful task of carrying passengers. The drive
through the glacial environment is naturally stunning, offering
striking views across the ice and the Icelandic highlands. Upon
reaching the destination, the opening of the extraordinary tun-
nel stands almost unassuming alongside these magnificent vast
glacial stretches. However, it is once inside that the tunnel’s spec-
tacular nature is revealed. Stretching an astonishing 550 meters
and descending 40 meters into the glacier’s center, it truly is
a feat like no other, showcasing the ice cap’s beauty as few
have seen it before.
GENUINELY REMARKABLE
Along the way, groups are led by highly-qualified and ex-
perienced guides, offering both knowledgeable and enter-
taining commentary as the journey is made deeper into the
glacier. There is certainly no shortage of marvels to be seen!
Groups will encounter 40-meter-deep glacial-crevasses, as
well as spectacular ice caves and caverns. In fact, one of the
ice-caves has become such a favorite that it has already been
the setting for a wedding, an engagement and what surely
must have been the world’s first sub-glacial concert, held last
summer during the Secret Solstice music festival.
What Into the Glacier has achieved is creating a genuinely
remarkable experience that should not be missed; combining
the possibilities of being able to explore Langjökull glacier
from the outside—and amazingly—from within. This truly
one-of-a-kind trip is available all year round, can be started
from either Húsafell or Reykjavík, and can even be taken in
tandem with snowmobiling tours. What are you waiting for?
intotheglacier.is