Why should you brave the cold and visit Iceland in the winter?
For those of you who hate cold weather, I’m sure the very thought of traveling to a cold destination in the winter is unthinkable. But Iceland in the winter, especially close to the Christmas season, offers enthralling and delightful activities, best enjoyed in cold and snowy conditions.
Northern Lights
The Northern Light sightings are more plentiful in the winter months. The cold nights, when the conditions are clear and the night is long, increases the likelihood for success on your lights hunt. I remember standing in the middle of a remote, snow covered road in December, feeling like my toes would go numb at any moment. The coldest I could ever recall being, actually. But, overhead, dancing across the sky were the elusive blues and greens of the Northern Lights. For a time, I forgot about the cold, and stared mesmerized by the ebbs and re-appearances of the fluid rows.
Snowy Wonderland
The natural wonders of Iceland are also beautifully striking in the winter. The waterfalls ice over, creating shimmering, frozen waterslides for the water still liquid enough to flow. The geysers erupt like clockwork, spraying the sidewalks with mist, quickly turning to ice. Or, set out for some glacier hiking, armed with crampons and ice picks. While in a lot of places, you can still hike in warmer months, the cold weather lets you marvel at the ice walls and snow packed terrain.
Additionally, Iceland is a very environmentally conscience place. Iceland’s power infrastructures are able to tap in to geothermal energy harnessed from the plentiful hot springs. Driving outside of Reykjavik, you can see lines of zig zagging pipes, transporting the water. As you might expect, the water comes out of the ground at incredibly hot temperatures. So, the pipes transporting the water zig and zag at sharp angles, in order to drop the temperature before it reaches the energy plants. What that translates into is cleaner heating and electricity. And even though Iceland sees as little as four hours of sunlight a day in the winter, the houses and streets are well illuminated. With the snow covered walkways and houses, the lights shine out brightly, like a winter wonderland. In the summer, with roughly 21 hours of light at summer’s peak, the warm glow of light isn’t as spectacular.
Yule Lads
In December, the Christmas markets are in full swing, as are the tales of the Yule Lads. If you are interested in folklore, Iceland’s Yule Lads are a special treat. Iceland is full of tales of trolls living in caves and river spirits, but the Yule Lads only seem to be mentioned closer to Christmas. In the US, I grew up with the stories of Santa Claus and his elf helpers. But in Iceland, the 13 Yule Lads take on the role of Santa-like elves; though they are far from what you would consider helpful. Each of the lads has a specific mischievous tendency, like one who would hide in the rafters of houses and steal sausages. They are each devoted a day within the 13 days leading up to Christmas. So, on their designated day, along with their mischievous behavior, they would also leave gifts in the shoes of the children of the town. If the child was good, sweets would be left. But, if the child misbehaved, the child would find a rotten potato in his or her shoe the next morning.
Winter Deals
In addition to things to do around lceland, travel deals for winter are much more plentiful than for summer months. Flight prices drop a bit, and IcelandAir tends to run a lot of specials around this time.
During my time in Reykjavik, I met a nice Swedish couple also on vacation. As the conversation turned to the weather, I recall telling them about the many layers I piled on to go outside. Coming from a colder climate, they were quite amused by my newfound appreciation for layering. And they imparted a saying to me, which I will pass on to you. “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.”