- New Discoveries All Year Round

Iceland is a refreshingly unconventional destination. The Icelandic nature is unspoilt, exotic and mystical with its spouting geysers, active volcanoes, tumbling waterfalls, towering mountains, vast lava plains and magical lakes. Iceland’s fjords, glaciers and highland plains present visitors with some of the most beautiful and enchanting places they will ever see, as well as a rare feeling of utter tranquillity. Reykjavík’s legendary nightlife is bolstered by plentiful cultural and social happenings in addition to an abundance of first-class restaurants. The size of Reykjavik city centre is also limited enough to allow for easy navigation by foot.

For those on a quest for action, Iceland’s pristine nature offers great potential for outdoor activities such as snowmobiling, horse riding, cave exploring, hiking, swimming, skiing, river rafting, kayaking and mountain safaris on modified four-wheel drives, to name but a few. Iceland supports a surprisingly diverse Nordic flora and fauna and is an ideal place for ornithology enthusiasts, while also offering some of the world’s best whale watching destinations. 

The country attracts visitors all year round, not only thanks to its diversity in landscape, but also its vital energy and contrast of lights, shades and seasons that offer new discoveries with every visit. Iceland is the world’s youngest country from a geological point of view and is still growing: a volcanic eruption in 1963 formed Surtsey, a new island off the south shore of Iceland, and the latest eruption in Vatnajökull glacier was in November 2004. The island is bustling with subterranean activity, and a boundless supply of geothermal heat is used for thermal spas, cheap house-heating and natural energy creation. Iceland is the world’s second biggest user of geothermal energy, producing as much as the United States of America and trailing only the People’s Republic of China. 

Icelanders, while achieving a high standard of living and education, have kept true to their Viking heritage, traditions, history and folklore. The Icelandic countryside is dotted with habitats of elves and trolls and every region has a plethora of myths and legends, many of which are kept alive by monuments and plaques. Be sure to visit one of the museums dedicated to the Saga Age or some of the sites where the Sagas took place; both are available on several locations around Iceland.

Iceland is warmer than its chilly name suggests. Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the Icelandic winters are relatively mild, with average temperature in January 2004 about -0.2 °C; the average summer temperature is around 12-13 °C with highs reaching 25 °C. During the hardest winter months, Iceland is known for its limited sunlight which, coupled with the island’s northerly location, makes it one of the best places on earth to see the Northern Lights. October through April, when weather conditions are favourable, you can see the kaleidoscopic Aurora Borealis light up the dark winter sky, a spectacular phenomenon not to be missed. Iceland more than makes up for this lack of sunlight during the summer time; May through August provides long days with bright nights, and the midnight sun is especially prevalent in June.

For more information about Iceland visit the website, www.icelandguest.com.

Population: 307,672 (Dec. 2006).
Capital: Reykjavík.
President: Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
Prime Minister: Mr. Geir H. Haarde.
Currency: Icelandic Króna (ISK), plural Krónur.
Language: Icelandic (Second language is Danish but most Icelanders speak English).
Total area: 103,000 km² / 39,756 sq. mi.
Religion: 86% Evangelical Lutheran.
Location: Iceland is a volcanic island in the North Atlantic Ocean. The westernmost point of Europe is the Látrabjarg cliff in the West Fjords, while Reykjavík is the world’s northernmost

capital.
Form of Government: Republic since 17 June 17 1944. Independent since 1 December 1918.

Getting to Iceland
Iceland is easy to get to, with flights from New York taking only 5 ½ hours or 2 ½ hours from London. Iceland Air and Iceland Express are the two airlines that currently fly to Iceland; on-line bookings can be made at www.icelandair.net and www.icelandexpress.com, respectively.

Domestic Flying
Air Iceland has regular flights to many of the bigger towns in all parts of the island. If you need to get to one of the smaller villages, there is usually a flight to a nearby town and easy bus access to the village in question.

Buses
Buses run from the BSÍ bus station (www.bsi.is) around the island all year round. However in the winter the bus service is less frequent. Buses can be few and far between so make sure you plan your bus trip thoroughly beforehand. BSÍ also offers bus tours ranging from a couple of days to a couple of weeks including accommodation. More information about these tours can be found on this website.

Driving in Iceland 
Driving around Iceland in a rented car or your own vehicle gives you greater flexibility than the bus system. Most of Route no.1, which runs around the island is fully surfaced except for a gravel run between lake Mývatn and Egilsstaðir in the north-eastern part of Iceland. Many other roads are gravel surfaced, but in the summertime they should be fairly easy to drive, although they tend to slow the traveller down a bit. To get in-depth information about the roads in Iceland, go to the web page of the Icelandic Public Roads Administration (www.vegagerdin.is).

Opening hours
Shops are usually open from 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Saturday. Opening hours of stores vary greatly between places though, especially in the countryside. Office hours are generally from 09:00 to 17:00 and opening hours of banks and post offices are generally from 9:15 to 16:00. For more information about opening hours in Iceland visit the website, www.visitorsguide.is.

General prices
Water at bars, restaurants and cafés: Free, Milk, 1 litre: 90 ISK, Coca-Cola ½ litre: 110-130 ISK, Hot dog: 150-200 ISK, A loaf of bread: 200-250 ISK, ½ litre beer at a restaurant or bar: 400-650 ISK, ½ litre beer at liquor store: 160-200 ISK, Petrol 1 litre: 90-105 ISK, Entrance to nightclubs: 0-1000 ISK. For more information about prices in Iceland visit the website, www.visitorsguide.is.

Dining out
Trying out local cuisine is definitely one of the more pleasant experiences of any visitor. There is no exception for visitors to Iceland. With its pristine natural environment, clean water and pollution-free atmosphere, Iceland in not just a place to feast your eyes on. This fresh and refreshing environment produces quality food that is the ultimate in good taste. For more information about prices dining out in Iceland visit the website, www.restaurants.is.

The Weather
Iceland cannot be considered a warm place by any normal standards, but thanks to the Gulf Stream temperatures are usually moderate all year round. Average temperatures in July are about 12 degrees centigrade in Reykjavik; it is usually a bit warmer in the north and east of Iceland. It doesn't snow as much in Iceland as you may think either, especially in Reykjavik where there is usually very little snow to be seen, even over the winter. However in the north and east of Iceland and the West Fjords, there is more snow in the winter. The biggest factor in Icelandic weather is its unpredictability, you never know what is going to happen next. A beautiful day can suddenly turn windy and rainy (and vice versa), and you can expect to see every weather imaginable in a couple of days in Iceland, especially in late autumn and early spring, so be prepared for anything. We recommend that you buy some warm and comfortable outdoor clothing from 66ºNorth (www.66north.com) for your trips in Iceland.

When to go
Iceland is beautiful in all seasons. In the summer season (from the beginning of June to the end of August), all tours run and campsites, hotels and youth hostels are open. In September there are progressively fewer tours and less countryside is accessible (generally around the 15th of September). But there are compensating attractions for the off peak traveller, the beauty of autumn colours, the changing skies and the northern lights. Reykjavik is a wonderful city for Christmas shopping with its Christmas lights reflecting in the snow.

Visas
Western Europeans and citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore do not require visas. Tourist stays are permitted for up to three months, and can be easily extended at local police stations. If you do not live in Western Europe or one of the countries mentioned above, then contact the Icelandic embassy or consulate in your country to make sure you have a valid visa before entering Iceland If there is not an Icelandic embassy or consulate in your country, you approach the Danish embassy or consulate Otherwise you will need to contact the Icelandic directorate on immigration (www.utl.is).