Into the blue with the Northern Lights of Iceland

Rashid Razaq
10 Mar 2010

We are riding in a tank-like monster truck when the radio crackles to life with the command to “step on it, boys”.

The driver slams the accelerator as the convoy speeds uphill in pitch-black darkness looking for higher ground.

We are hunting for a sighting of the Northern Lights and I'm beginning to realise just how much of a precarious endeavour it really is.

You're not guaranteed to see the natural phenomenon on any given night. The sky must be dark with clear visibility, but other factors include the speed of the solar wind with the colours of the aurora changing with the concentration of different gases in the atmosphere.

But Iceland, because of its latitude and proximity to the North Pole, is one of the best places in the world to see this celestial light show.

Planned with near-military precision by Ragnar, the manager of Superjeep, a company that specialises in expeditions using satellite mapping, we drive an hour out of the capital Reykjavik to escape the city lights.

And when we do find the elusive Northern Lights they are certainly a spectacular sight, a swirl of hazy green lights moving across the clear night sky. You can see why they were once thought to be the Dance of the Spirits.

But there is much more to Iceland than its natural wonders — which are numerous.

It seems glib, and perhaps heartless, to say the Icelandic banking collapse has made it an affordable destination.

But the value of the krona has almost halved, bringing bar restaurant prices close to the UK's, and showing how expensive it was before.

In the midst of political upheaval and economic meltdown tourism is one industry that offers a glimmer of hope. Our extended weekend started at the Hotel Range lodge in the countryside of southern Iceland.

Overlooking the best salmon fishing river in the country on one side and the Hekla volcano on the other, it is a resort catering for tourists looking to explore the sights of the Golden Circle as well as a getaway for Reykjavik's inhabitants.

The rooms range from the fairly basic to the lavish world suites themed on continents, with the Australian suite the most popular for some unknown reason.

At the traditional Icelandic Christmas buffet we got to sample the 15 different varieties of smoked salmon — from blueberry to orange cognac — as well as smoked whale and puffin, but I balked at the shark when I was told that even after being buried underground for six months it still has the distinct whiff of urine.

You really have to make the most of the daylight to fit in the sightseeing during the winter months when it doesn't get light until 9am and the sun starts setting at 3pm.

However, setting off early we saw Gullfoss waterfall, the original Geysir after which all others were named and Thingvellir — the site of Iceland's medieval parliament where all free citizens would gather twice a year to sort disputes and pass laws.

Our second night was spent at the Hilton Nordica in Reykjavik.

Despite the property slump and departure of foreign workers, the capital is home to more than two-thirds of Iceland's population and is a compact city with a bustling nightlife.

Don't let the London Underground logo on the outside of the Kaffibarinn bar put you off.

Patronised by the likes of Damon Albarn, it is one of the best spots in town but doesn't really get going till 3am. Beer was legalised in 1989 and most Icelanders don't venture out until midnight, choosing instead to get warmed up at home because of the traditionally high alcohol prices.

On our final night we visited The
Imagine Peace Tower created by Yoko Ono in memory of John Lennon in 2007. It is a short boat trip across to Videy Island where the 20-metre high white light is beamed to the heavens.

Dinner at the recently opened harbour-front Orange restaurant, brainchild of Porarinn Eggertsson, an Icelandic Heston Blumenthal crossed with Willie Wonka, was a highlight.

His Let's go Crazy set menu has “flying starters” — which literally fly on to your plate in little pots carried by helium floating balloons.

What follows is a bizarre but appetising five-course trip through molecular gastronomy. By the end it seemed normal to be sitting with white “smoke” coming out of your nostrils while playing bingo.

And if you're suffering from too many shots of brennivin (known locally as black death) then a detox in the warm waters at the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, 40 minutes' drive from Reykjavik, is the perfect revival before the flight home.

DETAILS:

THE FLIGHT

Icelandair flies to Keflavik twice daily from Heathrow, returns from £200, www.icelandair.co.uk

THE PACKAGE

A four-night break including two nights at the Hotel Ranga, two nights at the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, return flights with Icelandair and car hire costs from £725pp B&B. Optional Northern Lights Superjeep hunt costs £85pp and Golden Circle Superjeep sightseeing tour costs £160pp, www.iceland2go.com

THE RESTAURANT

The Orange, www.orange.is

www.visiticeland.com