Iceland, the land of ice and fire, is a dynamic landscape of volcanos, glaciers and violent geysers. Expect clear skies one moment, winds whipping up the next, and clouds loaded with snow that can obscure everything in seconds.
Volcanic eruptions continue to carve the landscape into new shapes, forcing roads to bend and communities to disperse. Exquisite in its brutality, this is a place that draws thrill-seekers alongside wellness enthusiasts seeking out its soothing geothermal pools. Just be sure to bring a raincoat.
Adrenaline-fuelled adventures
Located in the Ásgarður Valley at the edge of Kerlingarfjöll in Iceland’s central highlands, Highland Base, comprising a hotel, lodges, huts and a campsite, serves as the perfect station for exploring Iceland’s most remote landscapes. Only accessible via modified trucks known as ‘superjeeps’ in winter, this luxury bolthole – a sprawling wood and steel construction in the snow, which wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond movie – serves as a jumping-off point for adrenaline-fuelled activities like hiking, ice climbing, self-drive buggy rides and backcountry skiing.
Hike up stony, icy tracks, through snowdrifts, ascending narrow wooden stairways; all the time feeling like you’re on your way to Mount Doom in Mordor. Attach spikes to your boots and crunch across frozen plains covered with spindrift. Cross a metal bridge across a fast-flowing river and trek past boiling pools where steam vents up to the surface from below and fumaroles emit sulphurous odours.
Recovery is best experienced either in your suite, by the wood-burning stove under a blanket or in the Base’s geothermal baths, defrosting at 40°C. Don’t forget a hat – it might look daft, but ensures you can stay semi-submerged for hours while the water soothes your tired, aching muscles. Soak for long enough and you might even spy the aurora borealis.
Other-worldly luxury
Thirty miles southwest of Reykjavik is The Retreat, a swanky hotel by the Blue Lagoon. The earth spews spouts of smoke here and there, ever threatening. Hidden behind lava rock walls, the hotel lobby doubles as a lounge and casual dining space. Lofty ceilings lead on to a panoramic window looking onto the hotel’s private lagoon; this links to the Retreat Spa, free for hotel guests or accessible to day visitors from £460. Several moodily lit relaxation rooms with water acoustics are a highlight and the spa has a dedicated restaurant with a special wellness-centric menu.
The hotel itself is, of course, seriously luxurious with wooden and sandstone-hued furniture that mirrors the stark Icelandic landscape. Despite the size of the spaces, it all feels cosy and warm. Rooms have underfloor heating and are decorated in a simple earthy colour palette that allows the view to shine. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out across the lagoon’s waters and the lava fields beyond. Waterfall showers are kitted out with ultra-luxe Blue Lagoon toiletries produced using minerals harvested from the waters that bubble up from the depths below.
The hotel has two striking restaurants: Lava and Moss. Lava is carved into an 800-year-old lava cliff overlooking the lagoon through great glass windows. The food is Scandi-classic with dishes like Arctic char with cucumber, rye bread and Greek yogurt, or lamb fillet (sheep thrive in the Icelandic climate) with potatoes, parsnip and swede.
Moss is The Retreat’s Michelin-starred celebration of Icelandic food; its seven-course menu takes diners on a sensory journey through the island’s plains, seas, mountains and rivers. Icelandic chef Agnar Sverrisson cooked with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire before opening Texture in London which held a star of its own for 10 years. He returned to Iceland in 2020 to head the kitchen here. The restaurant’s wine cellar is located in a hollow volcanic lava chamber from an eruption in 1226.
Iceland is an utterly other-worldly place and a marvel of Mother Nature that is well worth visiting – even if that means raiding your wardrobe for every eventuality.
William Leigh was a guest of Highland Base and The Retreat