Arctic Henge
Reykjavik
Credit: Boyloso
COLORS AND LIGHTS
The brightest pops of color in Iceland are often at the fringes, painted
on lighthouses standing sentinel on the craggy coasts. The canary
yellow Húsavík Lighthouse, not far from the GeoSea sea baths, is just
one of nine accessible lighthouses along on the route. At night, their
lights connect the dots of the Arctic Coast Way.
But nothing beats the wide, often wild, Icelandic sky, where the
Aurora Borealis makes glorious appearances in dreamy, undulating
prisms. Increase your chances of seeing them by visiting between
September and March, when the sky achieves a dense, inky darkness
for long periods.
SOAK UP LOCAL CULTURE
As an island nation, Iceland is a friend to water sports enthusiasts, with
plenty of boat tours, Jet Ski jaunts, and wildlife watches — whales,
puffins, and seals, oh my — on tap. On land, immerse into the Icelandic
love of a good soak in 18 mineral-rich geothermal pools bubbling along
the Arctic Coast Way. The Beer Spa in Árskógssandur combines it with
a cold beer, providing cups of the local brew to sip while bathing in a
vat of beer and live yeast.
If you’d rather keep your own feet on terra firma, tackle more than
a dozen hiking trails on the Arctic Coast Way.
Also en route, poke into Iceland’s quirky side at the Museum of
Prophecies in Skagaströnd, with exhibitions and fortune telling;
see whale skeletons at the Húsavík Whale Museum; or linger in the
tiny fishing village of Raufarhöfn, where residents are constructing
a giant Arctic Henge in the form of a sundial to offer a visual
connection to the country’s rich mythology.
For a take-home Icelandic hug, fit yourself in a genuine Icelandic
wool sweater at KIDKA Wool Factory Shop in Hvammstangi, at the
route’s western end.
GETTING THERE
Icelandair flies nonstop from Washington Dulles International
Airport (IAD) to Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport (KEF). A one-way flight
takes approximately six hours.
It may inspire you to go full native afterwards, with a long lollop across
the northern terrain on the oh-so-comfortable back of an Icelandic
horse, available for lessons and hire at stables in Saltvík and Helluland.
SPRING 2020 41 FLYWASHINGTON.COM