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00:00From here in downtown Reykjavik,
00:07we'll drive 800 miles
00:09all the way around Iceland's Ring Road.
00:11Which highway?
00:12Highway 1, of course.
00:13You can't get lost.
00:15Over half the island's population
00:17lives in or near the capital, Reykjavik.
00:20It's a fun city with plenty to see and experience.
00:23But that's another show.
00:25For Ring Road trippers,
00:27this city is the starting and ending point
00:30of a week-long adventure.
00:32Leaving Reykjavik's suburban sprawl,
00:34it's striking how quickly you're immersed
00:36in Iceland's vast and dramatic landscape.
00:40We'll experience the majesty of Icelandic nature
00:43and its hearty culture.
00:45With lots of time on the road
00:46and help from Cameron Hewitt,
00:48my friend and fellow guidebook author,
00:50we'll see it all.
00:52Thundering waterfalls,
00:54steaming geothermal fields,
00:56bobbing with icebergs,
00:59fording glacial rivers,
01:01and wandering evocative black sand beaches.
01:05Quirky fjord-side towns
01:07and endearing folk culture.
01:09We'll chase rainbows,
01:11elusive whales,
01:13roaming horses,
01:15and the cutest puffins.
01:18Iceland, about the size of Virginia
01:21with just 400,000 people,
01:23sits between Greenland and Norway.
01:26The Ring Road links virtually the entire population.
01:29From Reykjavik,
01:30we explore the south coast,
01:32side-tripping up Thorsmork Valley
01:34and sailing to the Westman Islands.
01:36From Vick, we see glacial lagoons,
01:39the rugged east fjords,
01:41geothermal hot zones around Lake Mevatn,
01:44the fishing village of Husivik in the far north,
01:47and Snifelsnes Peninsula,
01:49before finishing back where we started.
01:53Driving the entire Ring Road
01:55takes about 30 hours nonstop.
01:57To do it justice,
01:58you need at least five or six days.
02:00You can go in either direction.
02:02We're going counterclockwise.
02:04And it's summertime,
02:05so it stays light really late.
02:07On the first leg is Iceland's south coast.
02:11Just two hours from Reykjavik,
02:13and we're already deep in the thrills,
02:15chalking up the experiences
02:17people visiting here dream of.
02:20Cellulensfas,
02:22one of Iceland's most accessible waterfalls,
02:24is a favorite stop.
02:26The water tumbles more than 200 feet
02:28from cliffs high above,
02:30like a bridal veil.
02:32On sunny days,
02:33the scene is like a party
02:35as everybody is suddenly waterfall-crazy
02:38and connoisseurs of rainbows.
02:43Late in the day,
02:44with the setting sun,
02:45everyone's a photographer.
02:47A slippery trail leads up
02:49behind the cascading water,
02:51and back here,
02:52the energy's palpable.
02:54And rain parkas get a good workout.
03:05Here in Iceland,
03:07we experience both the power of nature
03:09and the beauty of nature.
03:12The south coast's backdrop
03:14is a chain of glacier-capped volcanoes.
03:17This island sits at the rift,
03:19where the North American
03:20and European tectonic plates
03:22are slowly pulling apart,
03:24resulting in one of our planet's
03:26most dramatic and fiery landscapes.
03:29This country is expert
03:32at monetizing its stunning nature,
03:34making the great outdoors accessible.
03:37Each morning,
03:38rugged vehicles load up with tourists
03:40and head for the backcountry.
03:45We've hired one of these enormous trucks
03:47with a driver,
03:48eager for a thrilling experience.
03:50We're heading up a remote and rocky valley
03:53called Thorsmark.
03:55Even in this land of superlatives,
03:58Thorsmark is one-of-a-kind.
04:01Venturing far beyond
04:02where normal cars can tread,
04:04it's the land of super vehicles.
04:06But it's still accessible.
04:08There's even a public bus service
04:10of this remote valley.
04:12All must have tires that deflate
04:14with the push of a button
04:15for extra traction.
04:18Super Jeeps and buses alike,
04:20equipped with these monster tires,
04:22churn through rivers
04:24of glacial melt,
04:25giving all on board a tale to tell.
04:30People come to hike.
04:32Remote lodges provide simple home bases.
04:35Up here, nature is a great equalizer,
04:38as everyone is psyching up,
04:40prepping to create that lifetime memory.
04:44Charging deeper and deeper into the valley,
04:47I keep thinking the off-road prowess
04:49of our vehicle would make for a great TV ad.
04:53Finally, we park our super Jeep
04:59and actually work up a sweat with a short hike.
05:03Feeling small in this primeval setting,
05:06we're humbled at the majesty that surrounds us.
05:09This is yet another way to be immersed
05:12in the raw power of Iceland's nature.
05:18Highway 1 laces together a steady parade
05:21of side-tripping options.
05:24Each detour comes with a convenient lesson
05:27in the local history and a schematic map,
05:30locating every farm, place to eat or sleep,
05:32and point of interest on that smaller road.
05:35Like any road trip, doing the ring road
05:38requires multiple one-night stays.
05:41There are plenty of accommodation options.
05:43They range from big, boxy hotels,
05:46to prefab cabins, tight little yurts,
05:50remote hostels, and camping.
05:53It's been a long day of sightseeing for us.
05:56Time to settle in.
05:58Like so many farms,
05:59this family is meeting the new demand,
06:01housing more tourists and fewer animals.
06:05The welcome is warm.
06:07I'm Rick Steves.
06:08Hello, Mr. Steves. How are you today?
06:10I'm good. It's nice to be here.
06:12The rooms are simple, but plenty comfortable.
06:19And the views are...
06:22Icelandic.
06:26A major stop on the Iceland Grand Tour
06:28is the Westman Islands,
06:30just a 40-minute ferry crossing from the south coast.
06:35While locals sit inside,
06:37tourists soak up the view
06:39as we approach the craggy group of islands.
06:41The ferry squeezes into the harbor,
06:51and, tucked into the shelter of the cliffs,
06:54our port comes into view.
06:56The Westman Islands' only town
06:58is a fishing community,
07:00surrounded by sea cliffs
07:02and a rugged terrain
07:03shaped by eons of volcanic eruptions.
07:06Sightseeing boats are dwarfed
07:08and outnumbered by a fleet of fishing boats.
07:10Visitors strolling the boardwalks
07:12sense how fishing is big in this country,
07:14and the Westman Islands fleet
07:16is the leading producer.
07:20Main Street has most of the commerce,
07:23and it leads past inviting neighborhood lanes
07:26to a classic Icelandic church.
07:29But the island is best known
07:30for a fiery eruption in 1973,
07:33when its volcano blew.
07:35It was a massive event.
07:37The highland actually increased in size.
07:41The town's Volcano Museum tells the story.
07:45One frightening night,
07:47the slumbering volcano above town
07:49rumbled violently to life.
07:51Everyone evacuated by morning,
07:53but for months, molten lava flowed,
07:57slowly creeping closer and closer
07:59to the town center.
08:02The museum's centerpiece is an actual house
08:05that was completely engulfed by the lava.
08:10Fifty years ago, this was an oozing wall
08:17of red-hot molten lava.
08:19It was a slow-motion disaster,
08:21gradually consuming the town.
08:23Thankfully, it stopped right here.
08:26Back at the harbor front,
08:27we're catching a minibus tour
08:29to get a more personal take
08:30on that terrifying eruption
08:32and to explore the island.
08:34Local Guy Debi was born and raised here,
08:36knows the island, and is ready to roll.
08:40We're driving on lava,
08:42left from the 1973 eruption.
08:44So, you know, good things, bad things,
08:47with this huge eruption like this.
08:49Now, nobody died because of the eruption,
08:52which is a very good thing.
08:53We gained also about 20%.
08:55The island increased in size about 20%.
08:57And you're more famous for tourists
08:59because we had the volcano.
09:00Well, yes, it got us on the map also.
09:02Underneath us are streets,
09:0450 meters down.
09:05Underneath us, we have streets.
09:07We have houses.
09:08Actually, not far from here
09:09is my grandparents' house.
09:11And right here below
09:12is one of our schools.
09:14This marking here is a memorial
09:17about a house underneath here
09:19from a wealthy fisherman.
09:20His house was straight down?
09:21This house right underneath us.
09:23Huh.
09:24And everywhere on this lava,
09:25we have these wooden crosses,
09:27like this one here, for example.
09:29This is called Launca Gata.
09:31One of the many streets that went under.
09:34So that's the name of the street?
09:35That's the main name of the street,
09:36right underneath us.
09:37The town side of the lava ridge
09:39has additional examples of what was lost
09:41and reminders of how the entire town
09:44could have been consumed by the lava flow.
09:46The Westman Islands are famous
09:50for being the home of many species of seabirds
09:52that nest in the grassy ledges and cliffs
09:55by the millions.
09:57It's particularly well-known for its puffins.
10:01Ebby takes us to a thriving colony,
10:03popular with birders and tourists alike.
10:06So this location here
10:07is the biggest puffin colony in the world.
10:11Now, people come here to see the puffins, of course.
10:13The puffins, they live in the ocean for eight months,
10:16and they're only here during the summer
10:18just to do that one thing,
10:20and that is to make that one egg a year that they make.
10:23They make one egg per year, per couple.
10:26Now, half of the colony is right now underneath here.
10:29There are thousands of birds sitting,
10:32taking care of the egg right now.
10:34Underneath us?
10:35Underneath us right now.
10:36Underneath us.
10:37Underneath us.
10:38Everywhere is a burrow where they've digged in,
10:40and they have this like, like an apartment kind of.
10:43And half of the colony is outside now,
10:46out in the ocean, getting fish,
10:48and the other half is taking care of the egg.
10:52And people all around the world
10:54come to see the puffins, of course,
10:57and they come here.
11:04Back on the mainland,
11:06we're continuing around the Ring Road,
11:08and there's lots more dramatic natural sights.
11:12From this rugged promontory, on a clear day,
11:15you can see virtually the entire south coast.
11:21And just below is one of this volcanic island's
11:24many black sand beaches.
11:27Travelers are enthralled by this fantastical landscape.
11:31Sea stacks rise out of the briny waves.
11:35Basalt formations bring out the kid in every adventurer.
11:44A windy walk, immersed in this pristine beauty,
11:47can be unforgettable.
11:50Marking the end of the south coast,
11:52the village of Vik is the southernmost settlement in Iceland.
11:56Vik is both humble and sparse,
11:58little more than a practical pit stop for travelers.
12:02And for this village, that's nothing new.
12:05Historically, there was no harbor.
12:07A century ago, before the arrival of the road,
12:10provisions came in by boats beached on this shore.
12:14What we've done so far with Cameron Hewitt,
12:17who co-authors guidebooks with me,
12:19is all within day-tripping distance from Reykjavik.
12:25Reykjavik is three hours that way,
12:27or six days that way.
12:29I'm heading straight back to work on the book.
12:31But we'll follow Cameron and the crew,
12:34as he does his research the long way around.
12:37We'll meet up back in Reykjavik.
12:41Leaving Vik, the traffic thins out,
12:44and the landscape opens up.
12:47We've just left Reykjavik,
12:49and now we're continuing around the Ring Road.
12:51And you know already the terrain is changing,
12:53and the weather is changing.
12:54In fact, Iceland is always changing.
12:56That's why it's so important for us to go and travel in person
12:59to update our guidebooks
13:00and make sure we have the very latest information.
13:02The next stop is Glacier Country.
13:05One-tenth of Iceland is covered in glaciers,
13:08and the biggest one spreads across the top of these mountains.
13:12Its many outlets, called tongues,
13:14reach down and lap at lowland valleys.
13:18The road crosses vast plains of glacial grit and gravel,
13:22laced with milky rivers.
13:26At the foot of some glaciers are lagoons,
13:29bobbing with small icebergs that have broken off.
13:32Lagoon cruises take tourists out
13:34on these moody and beautiful waters.
13:41Passengers gear up in heavy jackets
13:44and prepare for the adventure.
13:46They climb into inflatable boats
13:48and then float through this dreamy landscape.
13:52It's an unforgettable experience, no matter the weather.
13:56Our enthusiastic guide offers a lesson in Glaciers 101.
14:02But then, of course, there's still the white ice
14:04and the blue ice.
14:05After a short explanation
14:07of why there are different colors of glacial ice,
14:09travelers get a chance to hold a chunk of ice
14:12that originally fell as snow 500 years ago.
14:16The guide explains how glaciers naturally grow and recede.
14:21In fact, this glacier used to extend
14:23all the way across the lagoon at the end of the 19th century.
14:26But it's been retreating now for over 130 years.
14:30It is absolutely natural.
14:31It is absolutely normal.
14:32That at some points, the glaciers are growing.
14:34At some points, the glaciers are retreating.
14:36But now, the glaciers are retreating way, way faster
14:39because of global warming.
14:41Even from the shore, people marvel
14:44at how glacial ice comes in a stunning variety
14:47of shapes, sizes, and colors.
14:50The wind pushes the icebergs
14:52into a traffic jam where the lagoon meets the Atlantic.
14:55Birds and seals feed in the swirling waters
14:58as the icebergs wait for their final journey out to sea.
15:02When conditions are right,
15:04chunks of ice wash up on the nearby black sand beach.
15:08Nicknamed Diamond Beach,
15:10it looks like thousands of gigantic gems
15:12scattered over black velvet.
15:15Leaving the glaciers behind,
15:19the ring road hugs the wild coastline.
15:22The churning North Atlantic surf crashes
15:24on deserted beaches and rocky shores.
15:27Soon, yawning bays grow narrower,
15:30becoming the serene fjords
15:32that slice deep into the east coast of Iceland.
15:35Driving along the east fjords is long and slow,
15:39but always scenic.
15:43And around each bend unfolds
15:45one grand fjord after another.
15:48And you'll come upon a colorful village
15:50called Seydisfjordur.
15:52Its majestic setting attracts artists
15:54and inspires vibrant murals
15:56and trendy places to eat and drink.
15:59It's a welcome pocket of quirky creativity
16:03in this remote corner of the country.
16:11Leaving the fjords and turning inland,
16:13the road crosses the vast and arid highlands.
16:17Tucked away in these rocky folds
16:19is another iconic waterfall.
16:23Arriving at what looks like
16:24just a desolate volcanic landscape,
16:26if you follow the trail,
16:28you'll hear the thundering falls
16:30before you see them.
16:33Detefas is this country's
16:35most powerful waterfall,
16:40with 50,000 gallons of water
16:43every second tumbling through
16:45an awe-inspiring gorge of basalt cliffs.
16:52The falls fill the air with mist and rainbows
16:57and fill visitors with an appreciation
17:00for the grandeur of Icelandic nature.
17:07Continuing west, the barren plateau
17:09gives way to the green oasis of Lake MÃvatn.
17:16Ringing the lake is a wide variety
17:18of volcanic landscapes.
17:20Compact and accessible,
17:22MÃvatn feels like Iceland's Yellowstone.
17:27And, looming over the lake shore,
17:29is a perfect volcanic ash crater.
17:34Bizarrely beautiful, like visiting a moonscape,
17:37it's one more indelible memory
17:39that comes with driving the ring road.
17:42Nearby, the geothermal activity keeps on simmering.
17:47Visitors wander through this mind-bending,
17:50almost-martian landscape.
17:52Mud puddles bubble in steam.
17:55Fumeroles hiss like tea kettles.
17:59The terrain is brushed in vivid colors.
18:04And everything reeks of sulfur.
18:25You know, when you come to a place as unusual as this,
18:27the real challenge for a travel rider
18:29is figuring out how to capture this sort of sense of awe
18:32and wonder and the essence of a place
18:34and then translate that into words.
18:36The landscape changes yet again
18:39up along the north coast.
18:41The ring road is a scenic spine around Iceland.
18:44And, with good travel information,
18:46you'll know which detours are worth the extra miles.
18:52And one of those is HúsirÃk,
18:54with its salty and picturesque harbor
18:56on a protected bay
18:57and a proud fishing heritage.
19:02Today, a stop here educates visitors
19:05about Iceland's whales.
19:08The HúsirÃk Whale Museum displays the bones of whales
19:11that have washed ashore from around the island.
19:17The lovingly displayed skeletons teach visitors
19:19about these magnificent mammals.
19:23The star of the show?
19:26An 80-foot-long blue whale
19:28with a ribcage as big as a truck.
19:35For a chance to watch living whales,
19:37out on the harbor,
19:38visitors choose between classic fishing boats
19:40or, for a little more adventure,
19:42high-speed inflatables.
19:44If they're lucky, they may come home
19:46with happy memories of breaching humpbacks
19:49and curious orcas.
20:16Continuing across Iceland's north,
20:19the coastal road curls around the Troll Peninsula
20:22with sweeping vistas toward the Arctic Circle.
20:27At the tip of the Troll Peninsula
20:29sits the historic fishing town of Siglufjordur.
20:32The mountains at the mouth of the fjord
20:34protect the little harbor.
20:36And behind it is an endearing museum
20:38that tells the story of how, around 1900,
20:41this became a boomtown for herring.
20:45Visitors learn how these tough little boats
20:47cut mountains of herring,
20:49a nutritious and highly-priced food.
20:51This herring harvest powered Iceland's fledgling economy
20:54through the first half of the 20th century.
20:57Cameron's learning more about the story
20:59from local guide Edda.
21:01Tell me, why is it in this town, why herring?
21:03What's special about herring to this town?
21:05The herring industry was for the longest time
21:08one of the biggest industries in the country
21:10for the most part of the 20th century.
21:12And for the longest time this town
21:14had the biggest herring port in Iceland
21:16and we often refer to this as the capital of the herring.
21:19So we are located in front of a salting station
21:22and from 1907 until 1968 herring was salted here.
21:26We had the women, the herring girls,
21:28salting and packing the herring into the barrels.
21:30So this is what we call the herring box
21:32and the fishermen coming into the fjord
21:34would start by unloading the herring into those boxes
21:37and then they would call out the herring girls for work
21:40and they would take one herring at a time,
21:42cutting the head off and pulling the guts out.
21:45Then in here they would mix it with the salt
21:47and then finally sack it into the barrels.
21:50It's inspiring to see the thoughtful ways Iceland preserves
21:54and celebrates its unique heritage.
22:00Finishing the loop and leaving the coast behind,
22:03the road swings to the south.
22:05Along the way is another artifact
22:07of this country's rugged history.
22:11In this land where trees are scarce,
22:13houses were made out of sod.
22:17Glambere is a perfectly preserved turf house
22:20dating back centuries.
22:22Under the wavy, wind-blown roof
22:24and behind the wood facade
22:26is an earthen corridor that connects several rooms.
22:30Food was stored in wooden barrels.
22:33In the kitchen, meals were cooked over a sheep-dung fire.
22:38The farmer's family had a spacious bedroom all to themselves,
22:42but the farmhands bunked in a communal living room.
22:47Workers slept true to a bed,
22:49tucked in by a wooden panel carved with prayers.
22:53People still lived here until 1947.
22:57Modern as Iceland is today,
22:59many grandparents remember growing up in houses like these.
23:03As the ring road winds its way back toward Reykjavik,
23:11there is time for one last scenic detour.
23:15A drive around the Snifel's Nest Peninsula
23:17offers a wrap-up of Iceland's dramatic natural wonders.
23:22Iconic peaks, sheltered fjords, frisky horses,
23:28glacier-topped mountains,
23:31swirling seabirds,
23:33climbable craters,
23:35and abundant waterfalls.
23:42In short, it's a microcosm
23:44of all the unique forms of nature
23:46that Iceland is famous for.
23:49This encore of Icelandic splendor
23:51caps one of Europe's great road trips.
23:56After 800 miles,
23:58the crew meets back up with me
24:00where we started,
24:01in Reykjavik.
24:05It's a lot of miles.
24:07And it takes a lot of time.
24:08But if you want to trade crowds for stunning nature,
24:11Iceland's ring road is an unforgettable drive.
24:14I'm Rick Steves.
24:15And I'm Cameron Hewitt.
24:16Thanks for joining us.
24:18Until next time, keep on traveling.
24:21Action.
24:26What kind of joke is this?
24:29You know, as more and more people discover
24:31this beautiful place,
24:32it's really more important than that.
24:34Sorry, there's a fly right in my glasses.
24:35Okay.
24:36He was literally...
24:37You better not be rolling with this hat on.
24:40There's a blue.
24:42There's a blue.
24:44There's a blue.
24:46There's a blue.
24:49.
24:51.
24:54.
24:55.
24:56.
24:57.
25:01.
25:05.
25:05.
25:06ổi
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