If you like thermal baths and the wild nature, always challenging, then you must visit Iceland. The Prime Minister already announced that they have plans to reopen the country to foreign tourists from the 15th of this month.
How? A rapid test for Covid-19 will be done at the airport, upon arrival, and if it tests positive there are 14 days of quarantine. There is no more information yet, but there is hope that the trips will gradually return to normal. So you want to make a fantastic trip to iceland?
Iceland
It is in northwestern Europe, it is a island country from the Atlantic Ocean, and its capital is Reykjavik. Has a lot volcanic and geological activity and to this it owes its landscapes of mountains, glaciers, plateaus and rivers.
The first men who dared to set foot on the island and inhabit it were Nordic and Gaelic and the island was also in the hands of Norway and Denmark throughout its history, until its final independence, already in the twentieth century.
Iceland it is a democracy that still lives within a certain Welfare State. Despite the fact that its economy is a market economy, it does provide free education and health for its inhabitants. It had a very big economic crisis in 2008, thanks to the banks, and now it has recovered, although as tourism is a key element, the pandemic has the country in check.
Iceland Tourism
The classic postcard that the country promotes is that of its outdoor geothermal pools, so that's where we're going head first. The geological activity of the island means that there are many hot springs, but it is true that it was not until well into the twentieth century that this was oriented to tourism and stylized.
The most famous geothermal pool is that of Blue Lagoon. It is located on a lava field on the Reykjanes Peninsula, near Reykjavík. There is even a beautiful white sand beach and warm ocean water, which reaches this temperature with a little injection of thermal water. Can you imagine that paradise? I leave all wrinkled from the amount of hours I stay ...
For a spa day in which Lagoon you have to book and you can either spend a day or stay in a hotel. You can also eat at the Lava Restaurant, which is inside a wall of lava on the west bank of the lagoon, with a great view. You ask yourself why the lagoon is blue? For the content of silica it has and reflects visible light.
Visible light is the spectrum of electromagnetic energy that the human eye can perceive. It moves at 300 thousand meters per second in waves that are roughly the head of a pin. Beyond that, the entire color spectrum of light only looks white.
It is easy to see this with the help of a prism, as we did in school. Returning to silica and the Blue Lagoon, the truth is that silica is a mineral compound of silica and oxygen, a bioactive mineral that remains suspended in the water and hence the reflection. It only reflects the wavelength of visible light, the rest of the colors are absorbed and hence the lagoon is very blue.
Another great option are Mývatn Natural Baths. The lagoon has water that flows directly from the Landsvirkjun well, at Bjarnarflag. It arrives through a pipe, goes to a tank and from there, through five pipes, it mixes with the hot water in the tank.
Then, the lagoon is artificial but it has a soft bottom of sand and very fine gravel. This water has alkaline minerals, and it is great for bathing since it does not have disinfectants since the composition of the water itself makes bacteria impossible.
Yes, it has a lot of sulfur so it is advisable to remove the jewelry. But for asthma it is wonderful and for the skin too. Added to the lagoon are two saunas, whose steam reaches the surface from the screams on the floor, so they are natural saunas with temperatures rising to 50ºC. This temperature with 100% humidity is fatal, but luckily you can jump into the cold showers, right in front of the saunas.
There is also a cafeteria and an outdoor area to hang out. You can have a soup of the day with homemade bread, salads, coffee, tea and cakes. Nowadays there is an offer for the reopening and two go and pay one. Cool! An adult pays 5.500 ISK, although you pay separately for the rental of towels, bathing suits and bathrobes. This site open all year and if you visit their website you will find all the information in Spanish.
Glacierworld is a spa located in Hoffell, a place of wonderful nature, with towering mountains and a frozen glacier. Precisely, the hotel with a spa it is only 3 kilometers from the glacier, art in turn from Vatnajókull, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland, with walkways to walk and enjoy the landscape. It offers three types of rooms / casitas and geothermal hot showers, free of charge. If you are not a guest you can pay a daily rate and enjoy them.
Geosea is another of Iceland's geothermal meccas. It is to the north of the island and its waters are a unique mixture of mineral-rich and salty seawater with water that comes from the bowels of the earth. It is on a cliff overlooking Skjálfandi Bay and the Arctic Circle. From here you can see whales and even the beautiful Northern Lights.
Estos son los de algunos spa destinations that Iceland offers, but the island offers us much more in terms of landscapes and outdoor activities. For example, the Vatnajökull National Park, the largest in the country. It was established in 2008 and has the glacier of the same name and its surroundings that before that date were already national parks as well. Thus, it is one of the largest in Europe.
Much of the park is under the glacier ice cap, but the landscape is diverse by volcanic activity. And this is precisely what makes it so attractive. You can see the water draining into the sea, a volcano, mountains, black sands that are born in the volcano and are brought to the river bank by glacial floods, a huge lagoon with floating pieces of ice ... The truth is, you must not stop visit this destination because it absolutely completes the trip to Iceland.
If you add gastronomy and walks to a thermal bath, Iceland becomes an excellent travel destination.