The Iceland Most People Don’t See

The dark skies along the southern coast of Iceland are peaceful, punctuated only by lights of stars and planets. But without warning, the Northern Light’s energetic tentacles of green and red can burst through, like they’re trying to pull you up into their celestial world. It’s unrelentingly captivating. It’s also a fairly normal night at the luxury getaway of Hotel Rangá. 

About one and half hours from Reykjavík, Hotel Rangá rests in the picturesque countryside of Iceland’s Route 1, also known as Ring Road, which circumnavigates the island. Its rustic log cabin image built from Canadian cedar suits its remote location on the mostly treeless island. It’s not on the famous tourist route of the Golden Circle, though it can be a homebase for it. But what made my experience stand out was the chance to explore the island in a way that helped me, even if brief, to appreciate the Icelander’s world.

Hotel Rangá provides unique touches throughout, like hand-painted Icelandic art in the rooms, a stuffed polar bear to greet you at the door (Iceland doesn’t have polar bears), and master suites themed after the seven continents. Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Rift, meaning part of the island is on the North American plate and the other part on the Eurasian plate, making it a bridge between two continents. 

This was technically my third time in Iceland, with the first two being very brief one-day excursions: one mostly spent on a tour bus and the other with me ditching the bus to hike into Reykjavík. This visit was longer, more meaningful, and a deeper dive into the many layers that are Iceland.

Experiencing authentic Icelandic traditions ranged from downing a shot of cod-liver oil in the morning—Nordic countries partially attribute their famous health and longevity to the oil’s benefits—to drinking Flóki’s Single Malt Sheep Dung Smoked whiskey (a centuries old Icelandic method). I ate fermented shark, known as Hákarl, a traditional Viking way of preserving the meat that is toxic to human beings raw. Don’t smell it—just don’t—but do chew it, and down a shot of Brennivin (commonly called “Black Death”) afterwards. The name comes largely from its original black label with a skull on it, which was intended to discourage consumption. Now it’s considered “the country’s signature distilled beverage.” Hotel Rangá’s owner and manager, Friðrik Pálsson, loves to provide these moments for intrepid guests wanting more of Iceland’s traditions. 

I did see a few traditionally touristy things, but who can argue with occasional waterfall chasing, like seeing massive Gullfoss Waterfall or visiting the basalt columns at the notoriously dangerous Reynisfjara Beach in Vik. Instead of visiting the Blue Lagoon, however, I stopped for a soak at the newly opened and wonderful alternative, Laugarás Lagoon. Soaking in a lagoon, it turns out, is one of those activities that Icelanders generally don’t do. It’s expensive and usually only for special occasions, so instead, they are members of the far more affordable local pools.

I was happiest though with off-road excursions into Iceland’s more rugged and textured natural habitat. This meant two things: a glacial hike to see Katla Ice Cave and hopping into ATVs for a drive into the backcountry roads with Southcoast Adventures. 

The Katla Ice Cave is below the Katla Volcano, which last erupted in 1918, is considered due for an eruption. Iceland’s reputation as the land of fire and ice is more than a metaphor. The ride there is a bumpy trek across the volcanic plains to the Kötlujökull Glacier, an outlet of Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which covers the volcano’s caldera. Life in Iceland is living with the reality of volcanoes. If this one blows, it will create massive flooding. For the last three years, the ice cave has been slowly closing in on itself. It’s a slick hike up, but the views in and around the cave are stunning. 

Another kind of off-road adventure very much hands-on. Southcoast Adventures supplied our group with 4×4 buggies and we immediately tore off along mud-coated roads, drove through rocky and flowing rivulets, and cut through the blistering winds across the tundra. It’s a sweeping adventure to the infamous Eyjafjallajökull glacier and landscapes transformed by eruptions—stopping briefly at a Básar campsite for Icelandic hotdogs on the grill. 

This is the stuff I love when I’m traveling. Let me take a bite of that rotten shark, let me try that dung-smoked whiskey, or take me off to the wild for an adventure. Forget being trapped on a bus only to exit for pull-offs, I’d rather be challenged, brought to the places where the icy ground teaches me how to walk again, or where I can accidentally taste the mud my tires just kicked up,  or where my fingers go numb because I can’t turn my camera away from the call of the Northern Lights. 

On my last night, I had dinner in an ancient man-made cave that possibly predates the Nordic Vikings. The caves are owned by the family behind the Caves of Hella tours, but Hotel Rangá rents them for guest’s “Viking Feast in an Icelandic Cave” experience. We ate only using a wooden spoon and imagined what it must have been like to cross the roadless rugged and glacial tundra of Iceland before it was stripped of trees centuries ago. What would it have been like to face-off the mystery of the Northern Lights in the evenings and the long dark nights of the winter by candlelight. 

Iceland has always been a magical and otherworldly place to visit, but it is especially captivating when you spend some time exploring its many layered world and letting it take you on a ride of the imagination. 

Unlike Reykjavík, there aren’t as many food options in this more rural setting of Iceland. For that reason, Rangá Restaurant has a great menu and bar, including boxed lunches for day trips. But if you’re out exploring, stop at The American School Bus Cafe, a short distance away in the town of Hella. (Yes, it’s in an old school bus.) They have pastries, a panini, and fantastic coffee. If you’re in Vik, check out Smiðjan Brugghús, which has great food and brews. For an elevated meal, see Ylja restaurant at Lagaurus Lagoon north on the Golden Circle.

If you have time in Reykjavík, don’t pass up a chance to get cinnamon rolls from Brauð & Co. I still dream about them. Pick up coffee just across the plaza from Brauð at Reykjavík Roasters and lunch at ROK around the corner from Hallgrimskirkja cathedral.