Get Here: Iceland
Iceland has some of the most arresting scenery in the world. Within an area about the size of Kentucky, glaciers, geysers, deserts and eerie opalescent blue-white lakes compete for attention — along with isolated waterfalls amid spires of volcanic rock, like the ones pictured. Named Dverghamrar, or "Dwarf Cliffs" after the purported inhabitants, this basalt canyon lies a little more than 150 miles east of Reykjavík. But it's only one stop on the scenic drive along Iceland's southern coast. In fact, once you fly Icelandair from New York or other major U.S. hubs direct to Reykjavík, and once you set off eastward on the famous Ring Road, you'll pass so many "Stop the car!" vistas that you may not even make it all the way here. Try. Continue east roughly 40 miles past Vík on Iceland's southern tip, heading toward Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. The coastal scarp drains the ice-covered inland mountains, creating a myth- rich land of a thousand waterfalls. Many maps do not show Dverghamrar, so once you do reach it, you may not have to share this magical place with anyone. Except the dwarves. visiticeland.com
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