5 Places in Iceland that will Transport You to Another Planet, Beyond the Dot, Iceland

5 Places in Iceland That Will Transport You to Another Planet

Iceland has often been described as a special place with landscapes that will make you wonder if you are on another planet. On my second visit to this unique country in November this year, I had more opportunities to explore more off worldly locations in Iceland. It’s no wonder that many movies are filmed in Iceland, especially movies with scenes on alien planets or exotic landscapes. So here are 5 places on my recent trip which will make you think that you are on another planet.

Hverir

Geothermal areas are fascinating and can resemble landscapes from other planets. Iceland, with its volcanic activity, offers numerous geothermal areas to explore. One such location is Hverir, where you will find a striking landscape adorned with vents and craters. The sight is so mesmerizing that it may transport you to the Moon, or perhaps the scorching surface of Mercury or Venus.

Numerous vents and boiling mud pools send steam and sulphureous smoke into the air. It does look like the surface of some alien planet.
One of the many boiling mud pools along the path. Visitors are advised to keep to the marked paths to avoid falling through thin ground into these pools of boiling acid and mud.
One of the fumaroles spewing sulphur fumes. Yellow deposits of sulphur can be seen on its sides. Surprisingly, visitors can walk right next to this one.

Lake Mývatn

Not far from Hverir is Lake Mývatn. This is a lake filled with many small islands and craters. The craters were formed not from lava coming out of the ground but from steam explosions when lava flowed over the lake eons ago. You will be surrounded by numerous craters, just like if you are on the surface of the Moon.

Part of Lake Mývatn with craters rising from its surface.
Next to Lake Mývatn is the lava field of Dimmuborgir where you can see the large volcanic crater of Hverfjall.
A bird’s eye view of Dimmuborgir lava field and Lake Mývatn.

With its craters and lava fields, its no wonder that movies that were filmed here in the Lake Mývatn area. These include Game of Thrones, Fast & Furious 8, and Noah. The lava fields and craters definitely lend a fantasy world vibe.

Jökulsárlón & Diamond Beach

Jökulsárlón also known as the Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach are popular tourist spots in Iceland. Their natural beauty is well known and besides they also look very exotic in an alien way.

Ice bergs which have broken off the glacier float in the glacier lagoon forming these stunning green and blue blocks of ice. Depending on the season, the whole lagoon can be covered by them.
Further down along Diamond Beach, blocks of ice which float out of the lagoon with receding tide are washed back up onto the black sand beach. The stark contrast of white ice on black sand is absolutely stunning.
Even more stunning are the numerous blocks of ice bergs washed up along Diamond Beach. Its an alien world with diamonds strewn along a black sand beach.
The black sand beach stretches for miles. It really looks like another planet, or even an imaginative world from fantasy.
One of the cool activities that can be done here during winter months is to go explore a natural ice cave in the glacier. Tours will bring you there safely with experienced guides and proper equipment. The surface of the glacier is covered with black volcanic ash and crevasses run through its surface.
A natural ice cave inside the glacier. This has to be the coolest thing you’ll ever see and do. You’ll never think that you are on planet Earth.

If you wanted to visit an ice planet and wondered how it would look like, this is the place to be. In fact, numerous Star Wars movies were filmed in Iceland like Rogue One and The Force Awakens. The ice planet of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back was filmed here too. Lara Croft Tomb Raider had scenes filmed at Jökulsárlón.

Gígjagjá (Yoda Cave)

This is a small cave found along the south coast of Iceland. While this cave itself isn’t that much of an off world wonder, once you are inside you will see the light, literally.

The cave is found underneath a small mountain along a black sand beach. It doesn’t look like much from the outside and you might be wondering why its called the Yoda Cave?
Once you are inside and you look out towards the sea, you will see Master Yoda’s silhoutte in the cave’s entrance. How cool is that? With rays from the setting Sun, streaming into the cave, this is something magical.
Feel the Force and channel your inner Jedi.

This cave was actually featured in the opening scene of Rogue One and many Star Wars fans visiting Iceland make it a point to stop here.

Reynisfjara

This is the famous black sand beach near the town of Vik in South Iceland. Usually when people say they visited the black sand beach in Iceland, they are referring to this one.

There is a cave with angular basalt columns along the beach. Large waves pound the beach and occasionally reach the rocks. This beach is not only beautifully alien but also dangerous.
The cave is a popular tourist stop on the Ring Road. The angular basalt columns gives an out worldly look to the cave. Was it natural or was it made by humans?
Strange rock formations also appear out of the waves giving this beach its strange alien look.

Scenes from Captain America Civil War were filmed around Vik. I can’t seem to remember any familiar places, so maybe a rewatch is in order.

There are many more places in Iceland that would make you think you are on another planet. But I think these 5 places are not only out worldly enough but they are also easy to get to, as they lie along the popular Ring Road.

Published by

Edwin Tan

Citizen of Earth.

5 thoughts on “5 Places in Iceland That Will Transport You to Another Planet”

  1. Wow you went to Iceland last year! I’m always intrigued by this country. Those are out-of-this-world photos! Is that you with the light saber? This is amazing! Did you go with a tour group?

    Reply

    1. We did follow a local small group tour with Troll Expedition which lasted 6-7 days. For the rest of our stay we were on our own and rented a car for some exploration to the south coast. That’s my niece with the lightsaber, but it’s added in photoshop 😂 she’s actually holding a selfie stick as an impromptu lightsaber prop.

      Reply

      2. For this particular tour I would recommend it. It does the Ring Road of Iceland so you do get to see most of the sights of Iceland including a whale watching tour and ice cave tour.

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