ICELAND
Airing Date: Sep 30th, 2002
Geographically, Iceland is very small - in fact, its so tiny its about half the size of Victoria. That makes it the ideal spot to head off on a driving holiday as you can get from one side of the country to the other in a relatively short time. But before doing that, its important to remember a couple of things - Icelands speed limits range from 50-90kms and there is a zero alcohol limit.
First stop on any trip should be 40 minutes from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, at the Blue Lagoon. Icelanders have been visiting the Blue Lagoon for centuries and that continues today, only now many tourists have also discovered it. Bathers come in search of health and happiness as the water is both rejuvenating and beneficial for some conditions such as arthritis. Entry costs $22 for adults and kids under 12 are free.
Two hours up the road from the Blue Lagoon at Thingvellir is Icelands most significant historical site. Icelands parliament started here in 930AD, making it the oldest parliament in the world.
Another hour up the road is Geysir the original geyser. When Icelandic people first saw water gushing from the ground here they named it gusher and the Icelandic translation for gusher is geyser. Geyser has become the only Icelandic word to be adopted into the English language, obviously referring to water spouting from the ground. The Strokkur Geyser gushes every 5 to 10 minutes daily and although there are plenty of bus tours that run day trips to Geysir, if you drive yourself its all free!
An hour off the main drag is the Goolfoss or The Golden Waterfall and although Iceland has more than 10,000 waterfalls the Goolfoss is definitely the most spectacular.
Another tip for driving around Iceland is make sure you fill up with fuel at every opportunity. Most of the service stations are only found in the big towns, so if you wait until the next station you may well run out of juice. Also, when hiring a vehicle opt for diesel as its a much cheaper option than petrol.
Final stop on this journey is the Ice Lagoon at the base of Vatnajokull, the glacier that covers almost one tenth of Iceland. Half hour tours of the Lagoon run regularly from May to September for $38.
In a place with so much snow and ice the only thing left to do is a skidoo ride with Glacierjeeps Ice & Adventure. Tours cost $195 per person and include transfers to the glacier.
The facts:
Thai Airways International flies to London daily. Prices start from $2010 ex Sydney and $1891 from Perth. This includes government taxes and other surcharges. Conditions apply. Nordic Travel has five-day packages including return economy airfare from London with Icelandair, four nights accommodation at hotel like Fosshotel Ingolfur and five days Avis car hire start from $1659 per person twin share, including taxes. Conditions apply.
Nordic Travel
Ph: (02) 9968 1783
Thai Airways International
Ph:1300 651 960
Blue Lagoon
www.bluelagoon.is
Avis
www.avis.is
Glacierjeeps
www.glaciertours.is
Fosshotel Ingolfur and Fosshotel Vatnajkull
www.fosshotel.is
