GEOGRAPHY: The natural wonders of Iceland

FRANCESCA HOLLAND joined around 30 sixth formers on a trip of a lifetime, where they experienced the natural wonders of Iceland first-hand, culminating in a spectacular northern lights show

I WAS lucky enough to be among around 30 students from years 12 and 13 who embarked on a five-day trip to Iceland to further our education on tectonic landscapes and experience the country’s famous natural wonders first-hand.

Inspired by our visit to the ice caves and expansion of knowledge on volcanoes at the Perlan Museum upon our arrival, we were eager to explore landscapes and phenomena surrounding us.

We first visited Gullfoss Waterfall before watching the geysers and thermal pools that occur as a result of the tectonic activity along the North American and Eurasian plates.

We later visited numerous other waterfalls which we were able to climb up and behind as well as a glacier, lava tunnel and one of the top ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches before finishing our trip with a day out at the Sky Lagoon and exploring Reykjavík.

On our final night we were lucky enough to gather along the beach and watch the northern lights throughout the sky above the mountains - a moment that I, and I’m sure everyone else, will treasure for the rest of my life.

Student Daniel Brown added: “I found it an amazing experience with seeing views I never thought I would see, like the northern lights and some of the waterfalls.

“My highlights were the swimming pool in the evening and the northern lights on the last night. Iceland seems to get everything right when it comes to the cleanliness and function of the country.”