Image Credit: Jonatan Pie

By: Steven Chin

Magnificent landscapes and breathtaking waterfalls, Iceland is no doubt a must-go country for the nature lovers and explorers alike. From cascading waterfalls, rugged coastlines, dramatic mountainscapes to glittering glaciers, a trip to Iceland will leave you in awe and fell in love with these beautiful gem of Mother Nature.

Here's a 7-day itinerary that will bring you explore some of Iceland's best nature wonders, with a little trip through Scandinavian history and culture. While these destinations may just be a tip of the iceberg (pun unintended), but following this 7-day tour around major parts of Iceland will be sufficed to feast your eyes with some Icelandic nature goodness!

Day 1: Reykjavik

Image Credit: Evelyn Paris

The Reykjavik International Airport is probably where you'll be arriving at upon your landing. Reykjavik is the capital and largest city of Iceland, and the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity.

·Viking Museum

National Museum of Iceland, Image Credit: Pinterest

In Reykjavík, there are numerous museums and exhibitions where you can soak up some knowledge about Iceland, particularly those of Vikings and Scandinavians. Some notable Viking Museums in Reykjavik include The National Museum of Iceland exhibiting treasures of Iceland history, the Árbær Open Air Museum displaying ancient Icelandic houses, and also the Settlement Exhibition, an underground museum which houses the oldest remains of human habitation in Reykjavík.

You can purchase a City Card which will get you free admission, or a discount, to most of the museums in Reykjavik. The card will also give you a discount to numerous restaurants, free admission on the city buses and a free entry to Reykjavík's swimming pools.

You can read more about Reykjavik Viking museums here.

·Downtown Reykjavik

Mural Painting in Laugavegur. Image Credit: Guide to Iceland

Visitors often named the street arts scattered all around Reykjavik a highlight of their stay in Iceland. Most of the street art in Reykjavík is part of a project called Wall Poetry organised in 2015 and 2016 as a collaboration between music festival Iceland Airwaves and German art institution Urban Nation.

You can read more about the street art of Reykjavik, as well as pictures of some of the best murals here.

·Hallgrimskirkja Church

Image Credit: LinedPhoto

The 74.5 metres high Hallgrímskirkja is the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. The landmark is visible throughout the city, and the design is said to be inspired by Iceland's trap rocks, mountains, and glaciers.

Some highlights of the church beside its amazing architecture is the large pipe organ by the German organ builder Johannes Klais of Bonn, and also an observation deck that gives visitors a full view of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains.

You can read more about Hallgrímskirkja at their official website.

·Perlan

Image Credit: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

You can end your 1st day in Reykjavik by visiting Perlan, a prominent landmark in Reykjavik which hosts an exhibition, a planetarium, an observation deck, and a restaurant. The building is composed of an immense glass dome that sits on six hot-water tanks, each carrying 4 million litres of geothermal hot water supported by a colossal steel frame.

You can read more about Perlan, as well as their shows and exhibits at their official website.

`Day 2: Golden Circle

Image Credit: Extreme Iceland

After a day of trip of history and culture around Iceland's capital it is time to breath in some fresh air! You can spend your second day in Iceland by traversing the Golden Circle, a tourist route in Southern Iceland, covering about 300 kilometres looping from Reykjavík into the southern uplands of Iceland and back.

·Þingvellir National Park

Image Credit: Gunnar Sigurðarson

Þingvellir National Park is one of the three primary stops of the Golden Circle. Þingvellir is a natural wonder on a international scale, with the geologic history and the biosystem of Lake Þingvallavatn forming a unique entity, a magnificent showcase.The Þingvellir area is part of a fissure zone running through Iceland, being situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

You can read more about why Þingvellir National Park is a sought-after tourist attraction here.

·Strokkur Geyser

Image Credit: Gian-Reto Tarnutzer

The second highlights of the Golden Cirlce, Strokkur is Iceland's most visited active geyser, and the greatest active geyser on site. The geyser erupts regularly, each time blasting water to heights of around 15 to 20 metres every 5 to 10 minutes.

You can read more about the history and science behind Strokkur's activity here.

·Gullfoss "Golden Falls"

Image Credit: Sead Dedić

Found the Hvítá river canyon in south-western Iceland, the third stop of the Golden Circle, Gullfoss is a two-stage waterfall cascading at 32 meters. Aside from getting splashed by the water surging down the waterfall, other activities that tourists can partake in are exploring ice tunnels or snowmobiling.

You can read more about Gullfoss at their official website, or here.

·Faxi Waterfall

Image Credit: Adam Jang

After visiting the previous three stops, you can take a detour to Faxi Falls, a wide, serene waterfall approximately 12 kilometres away from Gulfoss. Home to wildlife such as Icelandic horses and birds, hiking through the countryside searching for the animals, or salmon fishing in the falls are some of the popular activities at Faxi Falls.

·Kerið Crater

Image Credit: Balazs Busznyak

Another nearby attraction of the Golden Circle, Kerið is a volcanic crater lake in the Grimsnes area of South Iceland. The approximately 3,000 years old crater spots crimson rocks contrasting to the azure waters and the verdant vegetation.

You can read more about Kerið here.

Day 3: Southern Iceland

Image Credit: Iceland Air Hotels

The Golden Circle is just the tip of the iceberg (pun unintended, sorry) to fully explore the nature wonders of Southern Iceland. There's a lot more to explore in this beautiful gem of Mother Nature and here's 4 more for your third day in Iceland!

·Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Image Credit: John Salvino

Situated on the South Coast of Iceland with a drop of 60 meters, Seljalandsfoss is a majestic and picturesque falls that can be fully encircled. The cascade of the falls is relatively narrow but falls from a tall cliff that once marked the country's coastline. The cliffs behind the falls have a wide cavern, and rocks and paths allow guests to fully encircle it in summer.

You can read more about Seljalandsfoss here.

·Skógafoss Waterfall

Image Credit: Martin Robles

Skógafoss is often visited alongside Seljalandsfoss. Dropping at 60 meters (similar to Seljalandsfoss), but with an astounding width of 25 meters, Skógafoss is one of Iceland's biggest and most beautiful waterfalls. And because of the amount of spray the cascade produces, it is really common for guests to see at least one rainbow any time it's sunny.

You can read more about Skógafoss here.

·Reynisfjara Beach

Image Credit: Ruslan Valeev

Famously known as the black-sand beach, with enormous basalt stacks, roaring Atlantic waves and stunning panoramas. Found around 180 kilometers from Reykjavik, taking approximately two and a half hours from the capital. Aside from various folklore surrounding the basalt sea stacks, these columns are also featured in a few scenes of HBO's Game of Thrones!

You can read more about Reynisfjara here.

·Fjaðrárgljúfur River Canyon

Image Credit: Agnieszka Mordaunt

Fjaðrárgljúfur is a beautiful, dramatic, but yet little known canyon, thus it is far less crowded than other sites in the area. The canyon is about 100 meters deep and 2 kilometers long, with sheer walls dotted with many waterfalls. While the contrasts between the dark rocks, foaming waters, and verdant moss make a magnificent scene already, but what awaits you when the midnight sun or northern lights are surely out of this world!

You can read more about Fjaðrárgljúfur here.

Day 4: Eastern Iceland

Image Credit: Our Wanders

Characterized by many fjords and surrounded by steep mountains, Eastern Iceland is home to the remote and beautiful East Fjords, many small fishing villages, and an array of wildlife.

·Svartifoss Waterfall

Image Credit: Atanas Malamov

While Svartifoss is just 20 meters tall and not particularly powerful, what makes the falls a popular tourist spot is its dark, hexagonal basalt columns that surround it and lay shattered at its base, thus giving Svartifoss the name of "Black Falls". It is said that Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Reykjavik featured above, drew its architecture inspiration from this falls.

You can read more about Svartifoss here.

·Skaftafell National Park

Image Credit: Isabella Jusková

Notable for its rich flora growing between sands and glaciers, Skaftafell is a nature reserve and a collection of cascading waterfalls, glacier lagoons, geological formations, and black sand deserts. The nature reserve is also a hiking paradise, with the easy treks leading you to the nearby Svartifoss. Experienced climbers can also try their hands on ice climbing or glacier hiking with a qualified guide.

You can read more about Skaftafell National Park here.

·Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Image Credit: Rory Hennessey

Jökulsárlón is Iceland's most famous glacier lagoon, conveniently located halfway between the Skaftafell Nature Reserve and Höfn. The lake is filled with the melt water from an outlet glacier, with stories high icebergs breaking off from the glaciers. The icebergs are also notable from their dyed electric blue with black streaks coloration.

You can read more about Jökulsárlón here.

·Diamond Beach

Image Credit: Eleni Afiontzi

Located by Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, the Diamond Beach is a strip of black sand with icebergs from the glacier washed up on shore. The dazzling of the washed-up icebergs dazzle in contrast to the black sand beach, giving the ice a diamond-esque quality and glow.

You can read more about the Diamond Beach here.

Day 5: Heading North

Dettifoss, Image Credit: Intrepid Travel

Northern Iceland is a beautiful region, hosting some of the best attraction on the island.

·Námafjall Mud Pots & Fumaroles

Image Credit: Alfonso Moreno

Námafjall Geothermal Area is home to smoking fumaroles (opening in the planet's crust which emits steam and gases) and boiling mud pots, surrounded by sulphur crystals of many different colors. These geothermal processes also caused the soul in the area to have little to no vegetation.

You can read more about Námafjall Geothermal Area here.

·Grjótagjá Cave

Image Credit: Andrés Nieto Porras

Grjótagjá is a small lava cave located near lake Mývatn, famous for featuring a beautiful geothermal hot spring in its depths. Before the 1970s, the cave was used as hot springs, until the volcanic eruptions between 1975 to 1984 that made the water's caves to boil and make it unstable. As such, bathing is no longer allowed, but tourists are still allowed to feel the water and dip their feet in to relax.

You can read more about Grjótagjá here.

·Goðafoss "Waterfall of the Gods"

Image Credit: Mahkeo

Goðafoss is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland, falling from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. The waterfall got its name from the idols of the Old Norse Gods thrown into the waterfall after the declaration of Christianity as the official religion.

You can read more about Goðafoss here.

Day 6: Western Iceland

Image Credit: James Kerwin

Yeap, you should be back to West Iceland, where the capital Reykjavik is located for the last day of your hunt of nature wonders. But as you've already explored Reykjavik and the city's rich cultural and historical values, we'll be focusing on the natural sites of West Iceland in this day.

·Grafarkirja the Oldest Church

Image Credit: Geoff Buck

In the olden days, Icelanders used to live in turf houses and the churches were made of turf. Now only a handful of turf churches remain in Iceland, most notably Grafarkirkja, the oldest turf church in Iceland. Sitting in the midst of greenery with a gallant mountain as a backdrop, a trip to feast your eyes with the sight of the church is undeniably worth your journey, despite the church is no longer opened to the public.

You can read more about Grafarkirkja here.

·Hvitserkur Sea Stack

Image Credit: Rostyslav Savchyn

Known as the Troll of Northwest Iceland, Hvítserkur is a 15 meters tall basalt rock stack protruding from Húnaflói Bay. A folklore suggests that Hvítserkur was originally a troll from peninsula, determined to rip the bells down from Þingeyraklaustur convent, and was petrified for eternity when it was so enraged that it did not notice the sun rise.

You can read more about Hvítserkur here.

·Seal Watching

Image Credit: Pascal Mauerhofer

The golden beach of Ytri Tunga is one of the best seal watching spots in Iceland. Just offshore, on some rocks protruding from the water, at least a few individuals from the local colony can be seen hauling out all throughout the year. But the best time to see seals is in the summer.

You can read more about seal watching and Ytri Tunga here.

Day 7: Heading Home

Image Credit: Ross Hughes

With that, that's a wrap to your Icelandic nature wonders journey! You can read more about Iceland tours, trips, as well as information about the attractions and spots by visiting Guide to Iceland's website.