Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Travel Photography
  3. Drone Photos of Iceland That Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation

Drone Photos of Iceland That Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation

By Erika Owen
April 25, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES
Iceland seems more like a dream than an actual vacation destination. Having spent a week driving across the southern coast of the country, I can vouch. With waterfalls literally around every corner, black sand beaches just begging for a photo op, and floating glaciers setting the slow, steady pace of the day, it's hard not to fall in love with The Land of Fire and Ice.

You could spend a lifetime living next to a bubbling waterfall—and many do. But it's easy to miss the constant chatter of sidewalk talk, bar close, and meal times at restaurants that you become so accustomed to in a more urban setting. Reykjavik is the perfect balance for travelers (or locals) looking for a bit of civilization. From tapas restaurants to sushi bars serving up the freshest of fish on a conveyor belt, there's a level of global culture you'd never expect in a country so small. That being said, you can't skimp on the local legends: a lean slice of whale steak is downright delectable, puffin is a surprising treat, and fermented shark is one for those looking to put a check on their bucket list.

Even the hostels rival the highly starred hotels: Kex Hostel is a must-visit for hip globetrotters looking to make a friend at the bar (which is popular even for the locals!) and Loft Hostel comes with a prime near the foot of Reykjavik's main street—each inn channeling some major Pinterest board decor inspiration and offering some of the city's best live music. And those are only the two hostels I personally experienced.That being said, Iceland knows how to do luxury. The iconic Ion Hotel—which is located between a number of mountain ranges in Thingvellir National Park—has been named on of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights. The best part: the staff will ring you in the middle of the night if the elusive light show happens to make an appearance—an amenity I was lucky enough to experience during my visit in mid-March.

A trip to Iceland during the winter and early spring months isn't all about the Northern Lights. Iceland is a country of many bucket list experiences: snorkeling between two tectonic plates, driving among active volcanoes, riding Icelandic horses through streams in a field made of volcanic rock, attending a secret concert in a dormant volcano, exploring the every-changing architecture of the Crystal Caves, finding the abandoned airplane wreckage of the DC-3 flight on Sólheimasandur beach—the list goes on and on. During the summer, the country's tourist high-time, you can better explore the rugged terrain minus a few layers of clothing. 

The following drone photos show a different side of the country—from above, dangerous snowstorms become a gentle filter between you and the volcanic rock below. On the road, well, trust me: You don't want to be stuck driving any distance once one of the country's infamous weather turns hits. The unofficial Iceland motto is, after all, "If you don't like the weather now, wait five minutes." While it's hard not to take a gorgeous photo of Iceland, the following images take wanderlust to the next level.

Erika Owen is the Audience Engagement Editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @erikaraeowen.
Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake Myvatn

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Lake Myvatn in Kalfrastrond, Iceland from above looks more fine art print tha geographical formation.

1 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Flowers in Reykajavik

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

A field of Lupines in full bloom makes Reykjavik one of the prettiest spots to visit come springtime.

2 of 20

3 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fjallsarlon Lagoon

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Iceburgs floating in chilly Icelandic waters—the ultimate photo op for those not worried about bundling up.

3 of 20

Advertisement

4 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Grass-Topped Farmhouse

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

This is one of many grass-topped farmhouses in East Iceland.

4 of 20

5 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Black Sand Beach

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

The waves falling upon the black sand beaches are at the same time beautiful and wildly unpredictable.

5 of 20

6 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Traffic Circle and Lupines

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

You know you're entering a city when the traffic circles start popping up.

6 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Sheep at Sunset

Credit: (c) Arctic-Images

Even the sheep like to take advantage of the stunnung sunset scenes in Eastern Iceland.

7 of 20

8 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Hraunfossar Waterfall

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Proof that fall may be the best time to take in the country's many waterfalls.

8 of 20

9 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Highway

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Even Iceland's highways are pretty.

9 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mt Esja

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

10 of 20

11 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Washed Up Glaciers

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Glacial ice from Jokulsarlon Glaciel Lagoon often washes ashore on Breidamerkurfjara beach in Eastern Iceland.

11 of 20

12 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Skutustadagigar Pseudocrater

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

These craters at Lake Myvatna were formed by steam explosions and boiling lava flowing over wetlands.

12 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Swimming Pool

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Iceland is all about swimming—this Olympic-size swimming pool in Kopavogur, Iceland, a suburb of Reykjavik is not a rare sight.

13 of 20

14 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Elevated Traffic Circle

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Being a driver in Iceland is tough, mostly because you can't constantly take photos of the gorgeous countryside.

14 of 20

15 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crowded Parking Lot

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Parking lots became chaotic scenes in reykjavik near Christmastime.

15 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Fishing Trawlers

Credit: © Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson - www.arctic-images.com

A group of fishing trawlers rest in Dalvik Harbor in Eyjafjordur, Iceland during the winter.

16 of 20

17 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pancake Ice

Credit: © Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson

They don't call it the "Land of Ice and Fire" for nothing—this is an aerial shot of "pancake ice," a series of round pieces of ice that make up a formation that could pass as wall art from above.

17 of 20

18 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Grafarholt Neighborhood

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Reykjavik's Grafarholt neighborhood lights up at twilight during the winter.

18 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Reykjavik

Credit: (c) Arctic-Images

Reykjavik is a true fairytale during the wintertime—snow, charming houses, and lots of hot chocolate.

19 of 20

20 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

A Bonfire on New Year's Eve

Credit: Ragnar Th Sigurdsson / ARCTIC IMAGES

Bonfires are a tried-and-true New Year's Eve tradition in Iceland.

20 of 20

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Erika Owen

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 20 Lake Myvatn
2 of 20 Flowers in Reykajavik
3 of 20 Fjallsarlon Lagoon
4 of 20 Grass-Topped Farmhouse
5 of 20 Black Sand Beach
6 of 20 Traffic Circle and Lupines
7 of 20 Sheep at Sunset
8 of 20 Hraunfossar Waterfall
9 of 20 Highway
10 of 20 Mt Esja
11 of 20 Washed Up Glaciers
12 of 20 Skutustadagigar Pseudocrater
13 of 20 Swimming Pool
14 of 20 Elevated Traffic Circle
15 of 20 Crowded Parking Lot
16 of 20 Fishing Trawlers
17 of 20 Pancake Ice
18 of 20 Grafarholt Neighborhood
19 of 20 Reykjavik
20 of 20 A Bonfire on New Year's Eve

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Travel + Leisure Sites
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

Drone Photos of Iceland That Will Have You Planning Your Next Vacation
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.