Until recently, the wonders of Iceland went largely unnoticed. Today, this small North Atlantic island is blossoming into a destination noted for its wealth of natural beauty — explosive geysers, gurgling mud pools, snakelike lava flows, majestic waterfalls, towering glaciers, steaming thermal baths, and magnificent northern lights.

On November 1, 2002, thirty travelers journeyed to Iceland with TravelQuest and Sky & Telescope to explore this exotic land of the Vikings. During the six-day tour, we discovered that it's true — Iceland is an amazing place. And despite clouds that came and went every evening, we saw beautiful auroral displays on each of the four nights we were under dark, rural skies far from Reykjavík.

The Blue Lagoon

After an overnight flight from the United States, there's nothing like a soak in the Blue Lagoon, a mineral-rich pool of hot (40°C, 104°F) water that rejuvenates everyone who takes the plunge. Local patrons swear by its curative powers. The pool is fed by runoff from the nearby Svartsengi power plant, which pumps the geothermally heated water up from below ground. After being used to generate both heat and electricity for nearby Reykjavík, the excess (absolutely clean) water is ejected into the lagoon for the enjoyment of all. The Blue Lagoon opened early just for us, and after a relaxing 45-minute dip followed by breakfast, we set out to explore Reykjavík.