ICELAND
Between Fire and Ice
Chasing the South Coast Waterfalls
Iceland's South Coast is, among other things, a place built for chasing waterfalls. The trail from Skógafoss follows a river upstream through a canyon where the twenty six falls come one after another: some famous, some tucked away, some with no name at all.
Iceland From Above
From the air, the true scale and sharp contrasts of Iceland’s volcanic landscape come into view. A private flight may take you from crater rows and calderas formed by eruptions decades past to glacial rivers braiding across floodplains, and on to rhyolite mountains in hues of sunrise. From this vantage point, the terrain’s constant transitions become clear: black deserts shifting into green lowlands, the slow fracturing of glaciers giving way to fast-flowing currents, and sunlight breaking through storm and steam. Land in locations otherwise inaccessible on foot, where the rawness of the landscape can be fully felt.
Glacier Kayaking
The glacial lagoon of Jökulsárlón is in endless transformation. The ice breaks continually rom the face of Vatnajökull; icebergs tilt, rotate, and melt. Kayaking in these waters brings you close enough to see the air bubbles trapped in layers of ice and the blue gradients formed from centuries of compression. To hear the wind shift against hollowed ice. To feel the scale of the glacier’s fragments drifting quietly to sea. No two journeys in these waters are the same, as the lagoon rearranges itself with every shift of wind and tide.
E-Biking the Highlands
By bike, Iceland’s lava fields, ash deserts, and rhyolite mountains come within reach. Riding into the highlands through Landmannalaugar or along the Þórsmörk valley allows you to feel the beating heart of Iceland’s volcanic landscape. On these gravel routes, you can feel every shift of the wind as you cross black sand plains and moss-coated valleys, as the mist rolls in and the clouds shadow the mountains. In a landscape that never holds still, cycling brings its movement into focus.
Into The Westfjords
The women of Chinchero are keepers of the Andes’ textile traditions. They spin and weave wool using techniques passed down across generations. Dye yarn in shades of the earth, will plants like ch’illca and qolls, or dried conchineal bugs. Create intricate designs like the Luraypu, a geometric form surrounded by natural symbols. In a region known as the mythical birthplace of the rainbow, the art of weaving ties the community together and to the landscape.
The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon rests in a lava field on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. Rich in minerals, silica, and microalgae, the geothermal waters soothe the skin. Warmth rises from the geothermal pool, meeting the cold Nordic air. That contrast settles into the body, easing tension. Steam drifts across the surface, quieting the mind.
Much of the land remains uninhabited and untouched. The interior is crossed only by rough tracks, and in many
places, no infrastructure exists. In the open interior, sound fades into wind and distance stretches without
interruption. Here, the earth is experienced in its rawest form.
Iceland holds fire and ice in constant tension. Volcanoes shape the land as glacial rivers carve through it. Ice caps sit above vast black sand deserts. Hot springs rise inland while cold seas break along the coast. Sitting on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where two tectonic plates pull apart, Iceland is in constant motion: wind shifting ash plains, moss drawing new patterns across rock, and lava fields slowly fracturing over time.
