Land of Fire and Ice

To finish your day, continue driving around the peninsula, which offers a nearly 360-degree view of the glacier Snaefellsjokull, perched magnificently atop a mountain. And just past the town of Olafsvik, don't miss the stunning beach, facing a high cliff, where a waterfall lazily splashes the black rock with white water.

Local Jokull

Ready for a long drive? This is your final day, so don't waste it.

The Icelandic word "jokull" means glacier, and here's your chance to drive right up to one. Heading east, your first destination is the huge lake Thingvalatn, where the Althing met and settled matters of state. Continuing on, two stunning natural wonders await: Geysir and Gullfoss.

Driving through Iceland, it's not unusual to see steam rising from the ground, due to the geothermal activity. Other signs of it can be found in the country's geysers -- in fact, Iceland's great one, "Geysir" actually gave its name to the geological phenomenon.

Sadly, Geysir has fallen somewhat dormant, with infrequent eruptions. However, the geothermal field surrounding it also sports Strokkur, a spectular geyser which erupts every few minutes, shooting water and steam 90 feet into the air.

A few miles up the road is the stunning waterfall Gullfoss, where the glacial river Hvita (which has its source underneath the glacier Langjokull), plunges in two stages into a canyon more than 200 feet deep. Get out of the car to soak up unbelieveable views, as well as some of the spray -- be sure to bring your rain coat.

The final stop on your whirlwind tour is the glacier Myrdalsjokull, a few hours' drive along the southern coast road.

If you're lucky and it's a clear day, you'll be able to see Iceland's major volcano, Hekla, on the way. It has intermittently wrought devastation on the country and was once believed to be the entrance to hell.

This drive also yields two more waterfalls, Seljalandsfoss, an ethereal veil of water that you can walk behind, and the more impressive Skogafoss, which is more than 80 feet wide and thunders 300 feet off a cliff.

	Snaefellsnes Peninsula

Finally arriving at the glacier Myrdalsjokull after a somewhat bumpy ride on its access road will quiet any visitor with awe. The valley this glacier has carved out upon its recession is stark, and at first glance, lifeless.

However, walking up to the glacier itself a prompts the careful discovery of colorful mosses and ground cover rife with tiny wild flowers. A small finger of the main glacier looms before you, absolutely massive in scale, the top covered in odd formations of black volcanic dirt and ash.

You can spend hours here, quietly inspecting the beautiful, translucent ice formations, every now and then hearing a sharp crack or deep rumble, eerie indications of the glacier shifting.

If you still have time, it's worth the short drive to the small town of Vik for its spectacular black sand beach and unearthly rock formations. It's an ideal place to get dinner before the drive back to Reykjavik -- a perfect time for reflecting on the remarkable sights Iceland has shown you.

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints