We climbed over sharp, black lava rocks to watch the waves crashing. A bitter wind followed us as we headed towards the cliffs and up a narrow path to the top, where we could see the little island Eldey, where the seabirds nest.

NORDICA: Seltún + Gunnuhver

The geothermal fields were otherworldly, volatile, and apocalyptic - with soil and mud ranging from white to blue to bright yellow and red, bubbling, boiling, and steaming. The air was thick, and the smell of sulphur overpowering. We tiptoed across the vents and hiked further up and over a moss-covered hill until we were nearly able to see to the coast.

NORDICA: Raufarhólshellir

Our day in the Reykjanes was unforgettable - from ice caves and sea cliffs to geothermal vents and lava fields. We started off by climbing into the Raufarhólshellir, a 5000+ year old lava tube filled with ice stalagmites and mountains of snow. Shielded from the wind, it was calm and quiet in the cave - the only noise was the dripping water from the icicles hanging above us.

THE HIDDEN POOL: Seljavallalaug

One of the most memorable experiences I had in Iceland were swimming at Seljavallalaug. It is one of the oldest outdoor swimming pools in Iceland, and is filled with hot spring water that drips down from Eyjafjallajökull.

It's only accessible by short hike, so it's fairly quiet. While we were swimming there were only a few other locals there, including the family whose uncle had built the pool in 1923, and a handful of other visitors.

INTO THE ICE: Svínafellsjökull

After driving further east, we arrived at Skaftafell National Park to begin our climb up the Svínafellsjökull glacier, one of the outlet glaciers of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Iceland, which covers more than 8% of the country. After strapping on crampons and grabbing ice axes, we started on our way upwards into the ice.

The view was alien and unbelievable - in the short moments when the clouds cleared you could see all the way to the ocean. Along the way we dodged crevasses and moulins - vertical shafts that are formed when rocks melt straight through the glacier.

THE BLUE LAGOON

We spent a day down in the Blue Lagoon in the Reykjanes. It's a gorgeous geothermal spa surrounded by black lava rock and filled with sulfur and silica that's amazing for your skin but really awful for your hair! My hair ended up getting soaked because I had a massage (and felt like straw for a day - think beach hair but three times as dry) but two or three hair masks later it was back to normal.

With an in-water bar stocked with plenty of prosecco, bars filled with silica mud and algae masks all around, a waterfall, and a steam room behind a rock door - I would have been happy spending half of my trip here!