If you have an Instagram-account, you will be posting a lot while you are in Iceland. There's something truly unique and picturesque everywhere you look so it was difficult to choose the best spots.
I'm not saying that you should base your whole itinerary in Iceland on where you will be able to catch good pics for your Instagram. The destinations that I chose are actually all very exciting and much more beautiful in real life than on pictures.
I tried to choose places that aren't too touristy, aside from one exception—which is the Blue Lagoon. I hope these gorgeous pictures will inspire you.
Seljavallalaug , Iceland's first swimming pool, was built in 1923. During its first years it was commonly used for swimming lessons and people travelled from all over the country to use it.
Seljavallalaug is not an officially in use as a swimming pool anymore but it is open for tourists and other enthusiastic swimmers. It is only cleaned once a year so don't be surprised if the water is green and full of slimy algae.
Seljavallalaug is located in a lush valley at the foot of Eyjafjallajökull Glacier , which famously erupted in 2010.
Although Seljavallalaug isn't a very touristy place (yet), there's an abundance of extremely nice photos of it all over the internet. Due to its stunning location, it seems like it's impossible to take a bad picture of Seljavallalaug.
If you want to read more about Seljavallalaug (how to get there, when to go, what to bring etc.) you can check out this article .
The Blue Lagoon is one of Iceland's best known attractions so my guess is that you might have heard about it already. In case you don't know anything about it so far; the Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa/pool characterized by its milky blue water.
There lagoon is situated in a lava field in the Reykjanes Peninsula (not far from the Keflavik Airport) and its water is said to have healing benefits for people suffering from skin conditions, like psoriasis for instance.
The Blue Lagoon is a hit amongst tourists and you actually have to book your visit in advance.
As you can see from these fabulous Instagram-posts below, the Blue Lagoon is an ideal spot for a photoshoot. The bright colored water and the contrasting lava field surrounding the water is all you need for the perfect frame—no matter what time of day or year.
As you might notice from the pictures below, some people have smeared white mud on their face. This mud is actually silica, a mineral that is supposed to enhance your skin. The Blue Lagoon is abundant of silica and you can feel its soft texture when you walk on the floor of the lagoon.
Kerlingarfjöll are a range of mountains located in the midst of the Icelandic highlands.
They are a part of a large volcano system and the area is characterized by numerous hot springs and colums of steam rising from the ground.
Kerlingarfjöll used to be a ski resort but it's not operated anymore. There is still a resort there and people usually go there during the summertime to hike and explore the area. There are some exciting attractions nearby, for instance Hveradalir geothermal area, and the Kjölur Highland road.
Hiking in Kerlingarfjöll is an unforgettable experience, you can read more about hiking trails in the area here .
As you can see, the Instagram-pics here below are stunning. The mountains are extremely colorful due to different minerals in the ground so no filter is going to be needed!
If you are going to Akureyri in the summertime, make sure you don't miss the Akureyri Botanical Gardens . Botanical Gardens aren't common in Iceland, as you might have guessed, and the plants you'll find there are limited to the somewhat harsh conditions that we are used to here in the sub-arctic. So don't expect to see any palm trees or cacti.
Still, there are over 7000 taxa growing in the plants but only about 600 of them are species of the native taxa.
The Akureyri Botanical Gardens are an ideal attraction for plant-lovers and Instagram-enthusiasts alike. Oddly enough, what seems to capture the photographer's eye aren't the plants but the huge window of the café, which is situated in the gardens. These stunning Instagram posts speak for themselves.
Svörtuloft is the name of a 4 km long cliffed coastline in the western part of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. The black cliffs of Svörtuloft are an impressive sight and looking the great big waves crashing on the steep walls is actually pretty scary.
Numerous ships have in fact wrecked near Svörtuloft, usually the kind of accidents that are impossible to survive because the waves are so extremely powerful.
There is a very pretty lighthouse on the edge of the cliff, characterized by its bright orange color.
The lighthouse has two names, if it's seen from land it's called Svörtuloftaviti but if it's seen from the ocean it's called Skálasnagaviti. I tried to find out why the lighthouse has two names but didn't suceed. If you go there, I dare you to ask the locals about the names, I'm sure there's an interesting story behind them.
Svörtuloft seems to have a scary vibe about it. The cliffs were an inspiration for Arnaldur Indriðason , one of the most famous Nordic crime fiction authors, on his thirteenth novel—called Svörtuloft.
I have spotted the beautiful lighthouse of Svörtuloft several times on my Instagram-feed, all lovely pictures.
Rauðisandur , which translates directly to 'Red sand', is one of the few beaches in Iceland that aren't jet black. Its color is kind of orange, or red, in a certain kind of light. There is a very simple explanation for this unique color: the sand is made of remnants of pink scallop shells.
Rauðisandur Beach is located in the southwestern part of the Westfjords of Iceland so it's actually very remote. If catching a good photo for your Instagram were the only motivation for you to go there, I would probably skip it all together.
But as a matter of fact, this part of Iceland is something I would absolutely consider exploring. There are many wonderful sights in the Westfjords and it's probably one of the least touristy regions of the country.
If you are driving yourself, I'll have to warn you that the road leading to Rauðisandur isn't paved. Gravel roads are actually very common in the Westfjords and the Central Highlands of Iceland. So keep in mind that you will be going slower than usually.
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