Iceland, The Active Traveler’s Favorite

There are a wide variety of tours available in Iceland. Some of these cover large areas o the country, while others focus on smaller areas. You can have traditional trips as well as unique tours. If you choose nature tours you will see unforgettable landscapes, fresh lava fields, powerful waterfalls and grand ice caps. If this is not enough, there are day tours, as well as weekend and holiday tours with emphasis on hiking.

The uninhabited interior of Iceland can be visited only in July and August. There are winter tours, but these need special organization. Apart this, winter in Iceland is something you will never forget: you can go ice fishing, take glacier tours on snowmobile or practice your skiing skills.

Iceland is an ideal destination for active tourists. There is a great choice of activity vacations, from touring glaciers to hiking, white river rafting, hiking, fishing, horse riding or swimming, to name only a few possibilities.

Glacier tours are one of the favorite options of tourists visiting Iceland. Glacier tours are made either on snowmobiles, or super jeeps. However, those who like hiking will not be disappointed: more than a half of Iceland is over 400 m above sea level, and a great part of the island is covered by lava, glaciers or sand. There are few marked walking paths, but despite this, hiking is very popular.

Water sports enthusiasts will also enjoy their stay in Iceland: they can choose from kayaking on inland rivers or rafting in glacial waters. Swimming is also popular, and the water of hot springs is used in indoor and outdoor swimming pools everywhere. Water temperature is about 29 degrees Celsius, but there are also jacuzzis, saunas, solariums and hot spots with temperature between 36 to 44 degrees Celsius.

Iceland is a great place for salmon and trout fishing. The main season for salmon fishing is from the middle of June to mid-September. For salmon, permits have to be reserved well in advance. Trout fishing opportunities differ from one river or lake to the next, but usually the season lasts from April/May until late September/October. Permits for trout fishing can be obtained more easily, usually in only one day. Ice fishing is very popular in the winter. A lot of people do sea angling: the beginning of the season is in late May and lasts until the end of August. The end of season is marked by tournaments in different parts of Iceland.

Iceland is the perfect spot for whale watching. The North Atlantic encircling Iceland is full of whales of various sizes and species. There are whale-watching ports all around the coastline, and thousands of tourists enjoyed the spectacular whales.

Iceland is also the heaven of bird watchers: the largest birdcliff in the West Fjords is Látrabjarg. Here one can find numerous cliff nesting species. Látrabjarg is also famous because the world’s largest razorbill colony lives here. Westman Islands are also popular, because here are many kinds of seabirds and this is the largest puffin population in Iceland.

Isabella Olsen is a travel writer who has toured major destinations worldwide, including many European countries by car. To book a car hire Norway, or learn more about cheap car hire worldwide, visit www.zencarhire.com