Is travel about to return for many of us? Is Iceland 2021 no longer a dream? Could it actually be a reality? For many of our customers it is certainly feeling that way. So with the summer just around the corner I thought it was important to give you a snap shot of some of the things to look forward to in 2021.
ICELAND 2021 | TOP 5 THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
In short, there is so much to look forward to in 2021!
So if you’re one of the lucky ones who can make it to Iceland this year, then read on. I’m intentionally going to avoid too much talk of the pandemic and visitor numbers during this blog post. I think it’s safe to say that there will be far fewer people in Iceland than normal for a long time to come. No point labouring that point too much here.
Instead, I’m going to provide a small list of some of Hidden Iceland’s favourite moments of the year. From the lambing season to welcoming the puffins to Northern Lights hunting to ice cave exploration.
It would seem that there’s plenty to look forward to in our Empty Iceland in 2021.
Lambing Season
Fun fact! Did you know that there are more sheep in Iceland than there are people. Around 480,000 in fact, compared to the 356,000 humans. So when the lambing season creeps around in late April to early June it is quite the scene to behold.
If you visited Iceland in the winter, you’d be forgiven for thinking there were no sheep at all. That’s because the farmers have carefully herded them into the barns to protect them from the cold and the snow. But come spring time, it’s warm enough to let the sheep into the fields and start the birthing process.
For these choice few weeks, predominantly in May, there will be dozens and dozens of lambs bouncing around the farms trying to find their feet with their worried mothers in toe.
At Hidden Iceland we are so eager to share this with you that on our Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon 2 Day Tour tour we make sure that our overnight hotel is on one of these farms, Lilja Guesthouse. This is a newly built, spacious and modern guest house is slap bang in the middle of the working farm.
To immerse yourself in nature all you have to do is pop around to the old farm building. If you’re lucky, the farmer may let you get involved. At the very least there’ll be plenty of lambs to play with during your short stay.
Beware though, if you come to Iceland even just a few weeks later (mid-June) all of the lambs and sheep will have been released into the wild to roam free for the summer. There’s plenty of empty land out there so why not let the sheep use it until it gets too cold. By that point, you’re more likely to see them sunbathing on the roads holding up traffic than you are to see them at the farm house.
It’s something we look forward to so much each year. It signals the start of summer so why wouldn’t we be excited!
The Midnight Sun
So the official date, where daylight is at its maximum, is the 21st of June. However, from mid May until mid August you’re not likely to get full darkness at all. This might cause some to struggle to fall asleep but for us tour guides it is such a great time of year to showcase all of Iceland’s attractions. Aside from the great weather, simply having more daylight hours to play with is a blessing. The midnight sun for Iceland in 2021 can’t come sooner really.
But what is the midnight sun?
Well, this may come as no surprise but it simply means that the sun is still in the sky at midnight. This is due to how far north Iceland is in terms of latitude (64 to 66 Degrees North). Right at the edge of the Arctic Circle. However, the term is used to cover the entire perpetual daylight season as opposed to the few weeks around the solstice when the sun is literally still up at midnight. After all, if the sun only just drops below the horizon for a few hours you’re going to have plenty of light left over to not get dark.
So where is the best place to see the midnight sun?
Aside from aiming to come as close to the 21st of June as possible, I personally recommend going north. You can see the midnight sun phenomenon from the south too but it’s only in the north that you can watch the sun touch the ocean. The sun then drops beneath the horizon for one brief moment and then rises again in one fluid motion. I can’t imagine many people being able to say they have seen a sun rise and sun set at virtually the same time.
The best way to experience this in Iceland in 2021 is to do the ring road around the island, making sure you are north on the 21st of June and travelling around the whole country. Alternatively, you can join on our 4 day Westfjords tour instead which is in the north west of Iceland. Trust me, there are plenty of tall cliffs and deep fjords to capture the midnight sun in all its glory.
Puffins Galore!
Anyone who has seen a clumsy looking puffin up close, trying to land on their precarious perch on the side of an Icelandic cliff face will know what I mean when I say that these little clowns of the sea are mesmerising. They’re also hilarious in equal measures too.