Iceland tourism. Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights. Iceland tours

The Northern Lights become visible when solar particles enter the Earth's magnetic field in the upper atmosphere and ionize. The intensity of the northern lights depends on the solar activity and the speed of the particles themselves. It looks like lights dancing in the sky. Usually they are green, but there are other colors: purple, red, pink, orange and blue. Color depends on the chemical element whose particles are ionized.

The nature of the Earth's magnetic field determines the fact that the aurora is visible only near the north and south poles, usually above the 60th parallel of the north latitude and below the 60th parallel of the south latitude (the "southern lights" in Latin are called aurora australis, and the north - aurora borealis ). Iceland's location is almost perfect. The longer you are in Iceland, the more chances you have to see the northern lights. If you only come for a couple of days, your chances of a clear sky and good weather are less - do not forget about it when planning your trip.

In winter, hundreds of thousands of tourists travel to Iceland to see flickering patterns in the blue-black sky. But at this time you will not walk here for a long time - the sun on the island in winter shines only three to four hours a day. By spending the night right under the starry sky, you increase your chances of seeing the northern lights. Campgrounds and parking lots are usually located far from cities, there is a minimum amount of artificial light. Of course, one hundred percent guarantee that everything will work out, can not give anyone. Aurora is unpredictable.

High season in Iceland lasts from June to September. In the summer, half a million tourists come to the country, although there are only 320,000 locals here. Icelandic national cuisine is very specific. Traditional dishes are Haucarle shark jerky, marinated whole Svid sheephead, Khangikhot smoked lamb meat, Blakya meat burned to coal. A popular drink is Brennivin, which tastes like vodka and whiskey. Literally translated as "burnt wine.".

Some northern Aboriginal tribes believed that the northern lights were the light of the souls of the departed. The brighter the light, the happier their souls. The ancient Scandinavians assumed that the northern lights were the shine of Valkyrie armor, the goddesses who determined who would win the battle and who would die, and who took the warriors into the afterlife.

A trip to Iceland is best to start with a tour of the capital of the country. Reykjavik is an amazing city, unlike any other settlement in the world. Small in size, very clean and comfortable, you can walk it on foot absolutely calmly. The city has many museums - the National Museum and the National Gallery of Iceland, the City Art Museum, as well as the famous Arnie Magnusson Institute. Pleasant will be a walk through the Botanical Garden, as an entertainment you can visit the famous Icelandic SPA-resort "Blue Lagoon" and swim in the hot springs. Arriving in Reykjavik in August, you can get to the most significant event of the year - the colorful Reykjavik Culture Night festival, where songs, dances, music, theatrical performances, fashion shows and unusually beautiful fireworks are waiting for you at the end of the event.

Iceland is the largest glacier in Europe - Vatnajokull. Because of the colossal size of the glacier, even its branches have their own names. Under a thick layer of Vatnajokull several active volcanoes and deep ice labyrinths hide. In the Haukadalur Valley there is an extraordinary natural phenomenon - the raging geysers Strokkur and Geysir, which spew jets of hot water to a height of 25 meters. Strokkur gushes out at an interval of ten minutes, unlike Gaysir, which can subside for several days, weeks, or months.

Traveling to Iceland will be incomplete if you do not see whales. Photohunting of sea giants is the most popular entertainment among tourists. Marine mammals are found here in abundance, and you can admire with your own eyes the games of killer whales or hear the mating songs of humpback whales. The best time for whale watching is July-August. For an additional portion of adrenaline, you can go to the open sea on a pleasure boat, and if you're lucky, a flock of blue whales, humpbacks, or white-faced dolphins will swim by you.

The four elements that shaped the face of Iceland are volcanic fire, water, wind and ice. Iceland is located in the North Atlantic, about six hundred miles west of Norway, on the Mid-Atlantic Range. North American and Eurasian tectonic plates converge in this place and from time to time as a result of the eruption of submarine volcanoes new islands arise, of which Iceland is the largest. On average, once every ten to twenty years, at least one of the Icelandic volcanoes erupts. In addition to volcanoes, there are so many hot springs and geothermal zones in Iceland that a large part of the country (including the capital Reykjavik) heats houses not by burning combustible minerals, but due to volcanic heat.

The second element that forms the Icelandic landscape is ice, which covers most of Iceland's inner plateau (the highest point is 2119 m above sea level) and lies near the Arctic Circle, which determines a rather cold climate. Rain and snow fall into the ocean along with pieces of ice breaking off the glaciers, with water flowing down from the plateaus of the rivers, which from time to time come out of the banks, or rapid streams formed during the overflow of volcanic lakes or sudden melting of ice in the event of an eruption of a volcano hidden under ice crust. Finally, strong winds blow in Iceland. The interaction of volcanoes, ice, water and wind has made the soil of Iceland very susceptible to erosion.

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