Nature
- May 29, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 1, 2025
The nature that lives on the island is not only majestic but unique. The opportunities to whale watch, watch seals swim between glaciers and experience the sight of puffins is a combination of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that I have not yet seen, and never thought I would. At the world‘s largest puffin colony, although rather hard to see, there were puffins flying above and below us as their multicolored beaks could be spotted a mile away, along with the unique shape of their face. I never realized how small puffins were until I saw them up close. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might not be able to spot them, they are faster than I imagined. Driving along the coast in the open lush mountains that are lined with greenery and filled with sheep, horses and goats scattered around the mountains. I have never appreciated how beautiful the Earth is as much as I do now, after traveling to Iceland.
We went to several waterfalls, and each one had its own unique contribution to the landscape. The first waterfall we encountered on the trip was at Þingvellir National Park. This park was where Iceland’s parliament was established and people were brought to be punished for their wrongdoings centuries ago. Women were drowned in the park's river as a punishment and men were hanged. Another waterfall we visited, Gullfoss, is defined as the “golden waterfall” in Icelandic. This waterfall had multiple layers to it and was described as a “bridal veil.” The most exotic waterfall was the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. We followed a path that went directly behind the falls. The incredible view from behind the water arch into the ground was extraordinary. I could taste how clean the water was just from licking my bottom lip. Getting a 360-degree view of a waterfall is something I could not visualize until I experienced it and now it’s an image I can never forget.
My favorite part of nature in Iceland had to be the glaciers. The Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon boat tour took us through a jungle of ice that was beautifully sculpted by nature’s story from years and years in the making. Each angle was a different color, some white, blue and black from volcano ash. Seals popped in and out of the water while our tour guide showed us a piece of ice that is nearly 800 years old. The glacier attached to this lagoon is known to be the second-largest glacier in the world. My second favorite part of Iceland’s nature was Fjaðrárgljúfur, a canyon with a trail that paves the way to trickling waterfalls that go into streams that are bordered by mountains of green. This canyon is well-known for its feature in Justin Bieber’s music video, “I’ll Show You,” which came out in 2015. I wondered why this canyon looked familiar when I stepped foot onto the path, then suddenly remembered the visual of seeing Bieber walking up the edge of the canyon as a 12-year-old girl 10 years ago.
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