#Katla geopark

[wanderrealms]

Found this signpost on my phone. It's from a trip to Iceland

Solheimajokull - Danger

This is a safe lookout point.

If you go further you take the risk of:

Loose and falling rocks

Quicksand

Ice collapsing from the glacier

Unexpected crevasse

Sudden water flows by collapsing ice. heavy rain or melting ice

Circumstances near the glacier are variable, unstable, and never safe. We recommend everyone to enter the glacier with a guide.

[the-danse-macabre]

 “Mossy Rocks”

Located at Katla Geopark in Skaftártunguvegur, Iceland

Photos by Amaury Laporte 

[stumbleimg]

Katla Geopark, Iceland [OC][[4032x3024]

[italm3]

KATLA Volcano Geopark Iceland 🇮🇸.... just awesome ..!!!! #mothernature #iceland #holiday #nature #wonderful #landscape #🇮🇸 #amazing #green #moss #instalike #instagood #beautiful #picoftheday #followme #likeme #oklm #tbt #magic #time #katla #volcano #geopark (à Katla Geopark Point)

[mathieu-hulliger]

Katla 🌋 . This road leading to the campsite „Pakgil“ is a stunner itself. The Katla geopark with it‘s glacier was super impressive with waterfalls coming straight out of the ice. 💦❄️ You can spot my Defender at the bottom of the picture for the scale of this place... (hier: Katla Geopark) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1VcXpiI2M1/?igshid=19bqql3zrlp4n

[unavidadeviajero]

Katla: UNESCO GeoPark - Islandia

Katla: UNESCO GeoPark – Islandia

El GeoPark Katla es uno de los “Geo-parques” o “Parques Geológicos” declarados por la UNESCO que se encuentra en Islandia. Este GeoPark destaca por sus relieves y las singulares maravillas naturales que en él se encuentran. Entre las maravillas naturales que podemos apreciar en el GeoPark Katla, se encuentran volcanes activos, glaciares, cascadas, playas de arena negra y kilómetros de musco que…

[kriztenlake]

🌊 . . . #iceland #fantastic #chill #latvian #mountains #girl #hikingadventures #photography #adventure #instagood #picoftheday #photooftheday #instagram #follow4followback #hiking #me #instapic #latviangirl #travel #travelblogger #follow #like4likes #likeforlikes #likeforfollow #instalike #instamood #wonderful #followforfollowback #thenorthface (at Katla UNESCO Global Geopark - Iceland) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5tGwa6g5Ji/?igshid=17ilsg5zivtm8

[thatsnakeman]

Nauthúsagil, Katla Geopark Iceland [3120x4160] [OC] via /r/EarthPorn https://ift.tt/2Nd7jV9

[tripstations]

5 things to do in Iceland in Summer, for the more discerning traveler

By Ryan Connolly on Jul 17, 2019 in Adventure Travel, Attractions, Europe, Featured, Food and Drink, Going Out, Iceland, Regions, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, Western Europe

Traveling to Iceland in the Summer can be both magical and tricky. On the one hand you may be rewarded with great weather and flourishing flora. On the other it is often hailed as the ‘busy time of year’ with hotel spaces sometimes being hard to come by if booking last minute. But if you plan in advance and aim to go a little off-the-beaten path you can enjoy Iceland’s raw nature while basking in the midnight sun away from the supposed crowds.

Many people already have a short list of why they want to go to Iceland but you will be amazed at what else you can find while exploring the untamed wilderness of this remote island. For every active volcano in the Katla Geopark there’s an Arctic fox hiding in the West Fjords. For every glacier at the Vatnajökull National Park there’s a newly hatched puffling along the sea cliffs at Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. For every floating iceberg at the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon there’s a playful seal swimming at the Diamond Beach.

Here is a short list of just some of the things you can experience in the Icelandic Summer:

1. The Atlantic puffin migration

Iceland is home to the biggest Atlantic puffin colony in the world with some nesting grounds sporting over 1 million puffins in the Summer. These beautiful little birds are often described as the clowns of the sea. Mainly due to their colorful beaks and propensity to spend the majority of their lives at sea. In fact the Atlantic puffin only ventures onto dry land when the mating season begins in late May. And even then, they will nest on the edges of sea-cliffs so they are never far from their fishing ground.

This makes these tiny birds difficult to get close to which adds to the wonder when you get a glimpse of one swooping past you at the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach or nesting at Ingólfshöfði in the South East. The Atlantic puffin has remained in high numbers for the past few years but due to climate change, the mating season is becoming less and less successful. They have recently been designated as Vulnerable on the endangered species list. If puffins are the reason you want to visit Iceland then now is the time to come. If you are keen to get close without disturbing them during this delicate time of year then I recommend joining an organised tour with a seasoned guide who can pick the best spots.

2. The wild West fjords are worth the drive

In the winter, the West Fjords in the far north-west of the country becomes a very difficult place to navigate. Winding gravel roads around steep cliff edges are not conducive to a stress free adventure when you add wind, snow and ice to the mix. The same can be said of the highlands of Iceland for the majority of the year. But in Summer, the winds drop and dare I say it the weather becomes rather nice.

If remoteness is what you are after when traveling to Iceland then the West Fjords certainly covers this. After all it only has a population of 6000 people spread across a region almost as big as Belgium. Most tourists will not venture this far north on their first, or even second visit so the views are often unencumbered by cars or other tourists. Aside from the odd cruise ship docking at some of the larger ports, the West Fjords can seem like it’s all yours.

I recommend spending 4 or 5 days in this area, and preferably with a local guide who knows the best spots for pictures and relaxed walks. Some of the highlights of this part of the country include the Arctic Fox Sanctuary, the 400 metre cliffs at Látrabjarg where you are likely to encounter puffins up close and the thunderous 100 metre Dynjandi waterfall.

3. The volcanic Westman Islands erupt with life

The Westman Islands in the south coast of Iceland is home to the largest puffin colony in the country and boasts the highest average temperature in Iceland. It also hosts an active volcano that erupted in 1973, almost destroying the entire town and adding 20% of land to the island. It was only thanks to the courage of the locals that destruction was kept to a minimum.

The locals astutely directed sea water with high pressure hoses onto the lava flow to slow it down and ultimately made it change direction out towards the sea saving the town. Along the coast you will see multiple bird species and, if you are lucky, some playful seals and the odd whale. You can do an easy hike to the top of the still warm volcano, Eldfell, or join a 1 hour speedboat taking you around the island. Make sure to try the ‘catch of the day’ at the scrumptious local restaurants of GOTT or SLIPPURINN.

4. Mouth-watering local cuisine

Admittedly, incredible food can be sampled all year round in Iceland but there is certainly a seasonality to some of the foods. By mid-Summer, when hiking in the wilderness, you are likely to stumble on fresh growing crowberries, blueberries and strawberries to name a few of the naturally growing edible foods in the fields.

For more weather affected fruits and vegetables the Icelandic people rely on the heat of the volcano to power their greenhouses. This allows them to grow anything from cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes to grapes, oranges, bananas and even coffee beans. The peaceful farm of Friðheimar allows you to dine on the spoils of the 21 foot high tomato plants every day inside the greenhouse itself. But make sure you book in advance as this is a very popular spot and is ideally situated in the Golden Circle area.

5. Glacier hiking and ice climbing

The exciting thing about Iceland is that there are over 400 glaciers to choose from across the country. Around 11% of the land is covered in ice, giving you ample choice to step off the beaten path to try out something a little more adventurous, especially when you do an immersive private excursion. The glaciers are mainly created up in the mountains, often on top of volcanoes, which are a perfect place for ice to accumulate, ironically. As the ice pours down the side of the volcano towards sea level, much of the snow that covers the majority of the ice higher up melts away and gives rise to a frozen crisp wilderness which, in Summer, is an ideal hiking spot for longer trips.

Before you venture onto one of these moving ice mountains, you must travel with an experienced guide with all the safety equipment too. Be careful to check the reviews of the glacier companies and the maximum number of people per tour. As a general rule, a smaller group allows you to explore more of the ice. A private trip is even better as you may get to try a spot of ice climbing too.

Ryan Connolly is Co-Founder of Hidden Iceland. Hidden Iceland specialises in private trips, taking you to some of the hidden gems of Iceland with a passionate and experienced guide.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.

The post 5 things to do in Iceland in Summer, for the more discerning traveler appeared first on Tripstations.

from Tripstations https://ift.tt/2JKZinl via IFTTT

[ondyku]

火山熔岩地形生長嘅青苔，我有保護色，你睇我唔到😜😜😜（在 Katla Geopark） https://www.instagram.com/p/BoyjCuSl-dE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=w59swqr8gpjn

[midnight-hike-blog]

🌋 the floor is lava!🌋 (at Katla Geopark)

[geoworldtravel]

Thanks Allen today we are in the Reykjanes Unesco Global Geopark - Iceland but tomorrow we will be in the Katla Unesco Global Geopark - Iceland

[nataliemariesjourney]

Iceland - February 2017

A trip to Iceland. The mysterious island of fire and ice. It’s been on our bucket list for as long as we can remember and so six months ago we finally decided it was time. We explored loads of different options but as soon as we saw Rent.is we were sold! Having the flexibility to drive wherever we wanted (except of course the highlands) so that no matter where we ended up, we would have our own little space with us – what more could you want? WiFi, you say? Look no further! There is WiFi in the van and it was ten times better than ours back home in Scotland.

Arriving at Keflavik airport, we were frantically looking out of the window, waiting to see the land we had been waiting years to see! Unfortunately, we only saw the runway and landed in weather much like the weather we were used to back home but fortunately, picking up our little home for the week was effortless and we were off on our little adventure before you could say “Eyjafjallajökull”. We grew up hearing of the sagas, being close to and regular visitors to Orkney, and they had turned us into adventurers ourselves so finally venturing to Iceland was a huge deal for us.Top Tip: Buy the Premium Insurance Package when booking your camper. 

The weather can change very suddenly in Iceland and you want to make sure you’re covered for most things. It also lowers your self risk so you don’t have to worry about credit card limits (Thanks to Eleanor for the help with that one!)

We kicked off our road trip by heading north towards Borgarnes – home of The Settlement Center and a definite must see! It’s a great place to start off where you can learn all about the first settlers of Iceland and the famous Egil’s Saga, written by Iceland’s greatest viking chieftain and poet. Here we learned about the ‘Locatify SmartGuide’ which took us to a number of cairns dotted around the town marking important locations mentioned in the saga. This is also where we did our first food shopping in Iceland. We thoroughly recommend Bónus over all the other stores as it seemed to be the cheapest!A perfect follow up to Borgarnes would have to be the Golden Circle, especially now accompanied by the Smart Guide app and lots of snacks! It guided us round the road (thanks again, on board WiFi) passing some amazing places like þingvellir national park.

We had previously read that it was home to the oldest existing parliament in the world – named Alþingi – going right back to the good old vikings, and so of course it was on our list of things to do! Then on to Geysir, home of the geyser…no seriously! This place is the reason for the other worldly natural phenomenon’s name across the globe and we probably could have stayed here all night, just watching. It’s awe-inspiring and just pretty darn cool!

THE SECRET LAGOON

We started our next day with our first dip in a geothermal pool. The ‘Secret Lagoon’ or ‘Gamla Laugin’ – meaning ‘old basin’ – is no longer a secret but has not lost it’s charm. It was an amazing experience and one which we would one hundred percent recommend! Swimming around with volcanic sand between your toes while a local geyser erupts every few minutes sending streams of more hot water into the pool – What more could you want? Word of warning though – it’s hotter than you would usually run your bath! They let us camp out in their carpark so we were first in in the morning too! It’s the oldest swimming pool in Iceland and by far the best!

After we were washed and cleaned, it was time to make our way along the southern edge of the ring road. First stop: Vík, where we stretched our legs and had a quick lunch before carrying on our journey. Vik is said to be the rainiest place in Iceland and it sure lived up to it’s reputation as it was  cold and raining both times we passed through it. (It could give the west coast of Scotland a run for it’s money!)

We have to say, the best part about the camper was waking up to absolutely stunning views – no matter what the weather and no matter the location. Best of all was probably waking up and seeing the massively beautiful Skaftafellsjökull – a huge glacier visible, like most, from the Ring road. We rose early that morning and made our way towards it, mesmerised by the sheer size of this great barrier of ice. I don’t think there could be anything better to do in the morning and we had the whole place to ourselves. A spectacular sight to behold, especially with a cup of tea in hand! On our way back to the Skaftafell Centre we made sure to make use of the facilities, including using the sink in the washing and drying room to wash our pots and pans and grabbed ourselves some coffees for the road.

JÖKULSÁRLÓN ICE LAGOON

Next up was Jökulsárlón. Probably the most popular glacier lagoon which you actually pass on the Ring road. You can take a walk from the visitor centre here down to the coast line and watch icebergs battle their way towards the sea after breaking off from the glacier, Breiðamerkurjökull. This is also one of your best chances to spot seals on your trip as they’re often seen chilling out on the ice.

The icebergs here are incredible and just standing, watching, you can hear them creaking as they move about and smash into each other. The lagoon itself is not that old and actually a result of the warming climate but at 250 meters deep, it’s the deepest lagoon in Iceland and a place we recommend you save lots of time for.

A very brief stop over in Höfn was next (probably the funnest place name to pronounce by the way!) and after realising we were too late and everything was already closed we decided to head back along the road, finally spotting a few reindeer by the road side, before setting up camp for the night.The next morning there was sun. We could actually see the sky! Deciding to make the most of this weather, we went for a walk along Fjaðrárgljúfur, a great canyon in the Katla geopark, and took in the crazy heights and views of this ancient gorge. Of course the wind had picked up by this point, as had our appetites, so we headed back to our little home on wheels for lunch. Driving east we had spotted a few huge waterfalls (including Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss) which we were desperate to visit on our way back and so we kept our eyes peeled until eventually we spotted the familiar ‘foss’ (meaning waterfall) on the road signs and made our way towards them.Top Tip: If you’re looking for a nice dry visit, maybe don’t get too close to the waterfalls. On the other hand, if, like us, you don’t care about getting wet and muddy, do a circuit of those bad boys and get behind them if possible. It’s totally worth it and a bit weird, like looking at a painting from inside the frame…

REYKJAVIK CAMPING

As we approached Reykjavik we were desperate for a nice hot shower…or maybe we could find a geothermal pool? Look no further than Laugardalslaug Swimming Pool. We wandered in like lost little lambs and out pop some very friendly locals to show us the way. A nice relaxing hour or so spent in their 40 degree baths and steam rooms and we were good to go….and get lost in the city centre.Honestly, we’re usually very good with map reading but could not make sense of where we were…Finally we found what we were looking for – The Settlement Exhibition. An original tenth century long house still stands here, although now beneath the street level, and is now surrounded and protected by an underground exhibition detailing life during Viking times.Continuing with our viking adventure, we headed towards the Saga Museum and dressed up like the locals once would have. I like to think we would have fitted in quite well…The models in this museum have all been life-casted from local people which initially can be quite scary when you turn around thinking someones standing behind you but actually, it’s just a life-casted man in his late 30’s holding an axe. The models were so real that we thought there was a man sitting watching a short film for the whole duration of our visit, obviously so enthralled by the show that he hadn’t managed to move for the past hour…

We’d been invited round for Sunday dinner at a local’s house tonight so we whipped out the Sat Nav and made our way towards her family home. Upon arrival we were gifted with lovely Icelandic woollen hats which had been knitted especially for us – perfect for the cold weather we’d expect when we returned home! A Sunday Roast in Iceland is slow cooked lamb with a delightfully creamy sauce, potatoes and an assortment of vegetables. Foodie tip: ALWAYS try the lamb!It was late by the time we left their home and so we decided to look for the campsite we’d heard about. Right next to the swimming pool we visited this morning? SCORE! Upon arrival the campsite seemed to be closed so we popped in to the neighbouring hostel to ask about it and were directed into a field full of other campers and motorhomes. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with R….RENT.is!! (By the way, it is customary that when passing another explorer in a rent.is camper van, you give a little toot and a wave – you’re family now)In the morning we were guided (thankfully) around Reykjavik with our wonderful host from the night before and her daughter who was “starving”. This meant we got a wonderful locals tour of the city AND a stop at the famous Icelandic hot dog stand. We were told to get one with ‘the lot’ on it and quite frankly, I could have eaten the whole hut they were that good! Anybody care to share the recipe?

Whales of Iceland was up next. A museum filled with life size models of these gentle giants who grace our coastlines. We would have loved to see whales for real but were told before we arrived that February wasn’t a great time for spotting them in Iceland and so instead of heading off in a boat, we headed off to the world famous Blue Lagoon for our last chance at bathing in our new favourite geothermal pools.Iceland is a mysterious and beautiful wonder of the world and one which, for us, could only be captured with the freedom we had on the road. Our camper van was the perfect accompaniment to our journey and made our whole trip easy and stress free. We wanted to stay longer so we can’t wait to one day return to this wonderful island and explore some more!P.S. I miss our wee van!

[driftwoodfoto]

Far fewer people see the sunrise than set. I'm not naturally a morning person, but for some things one has to make an exception 🌅 (at Katla Geopark)

[italm3]

The Katla is a volcano of Iceland covered by the Mýrdalsjökull, a glacial ice cap of the South of the country. It is located to the east of the Eyjafjöll, another volcano considered to be linked to the Katl . // nature is fantastic #iceland #holiday #nature #wonderfull #landscape #🇮🇸 #amazing #cloud #sky #skyporn #instalike #instagood #beautiful #picoftheday #followme #likeme #oklm #panorama #magic #time #katla #volcano #geopark (à Katla Geopark Point)

[mathieu-hulliger]

Source of Life 💧 . One of the many „foss“ (foss = waterfall in icelantic) you come across when traveling through iceland. Water, something a lot of us human see as granted. These times might soon change. When glaciers will have melted away countries like Seitzerland or Iceland might not be so rich in water as they were before...aaaand there is the plastic. plastic everywhere. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic pieces in the ocean then wildlife / fish. 🤯😢 It‘s up to us to change that course. It starts by buying fruits...why put them in a plastic bag? fruits have the best packaging already given by nature and you wash it anyways at home, so just weight it loose on the scale. voila, less plastic. Avoide one time use plastic in your daily life. That goes for coffee or lunch meals etc. drink tap water! The planet and the ocean will thank you. 🌍 🙏🏻 (hier: Katla UNESCO Global Geopark - Iceland) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OApunoUSt/?igshid=1pwjtga2h70e6