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as one of the destinations for middle-class travelers to explore the world, iceland has always been very popular.

looking down from the airplane window, you can see huge towering glaciers extending to the earth, turning into broken "white floating islands" near the sea; you can also see the snow-capped tundra and the almost vertical black cliffs that constantly beat against the coast.many writers describe iceland as a land of wilderness and strong winds.

△ a drone shot of a strangely shaped river in iceland crossing a black sand beach. (photo/visual china)

but iceland's appeal to the middle class is far more than just the extreme cold. when literary and film works build up travelers' beautiful fantasies of "the end of the world and a cold wonderland", it is also endowed with many adventurous and fantastical meanings.

activities such as glacier hiking and ice cave exploration have also become options that must be checked on iceland's travel list. these highly mature commercial outdoor projects seem to make iceland the destination that everyone dreams of, where one can get rid of the smell of work and achieve a painless adventure with minimal risk.

but iceland's adventures are not always as beautiful and harmless as they appear on social media. on august 25, an ice cave collapsed in vatnajökull national park, killing one of the 23 tourists who were visiting and seriously injuring another.

△local rescue teams organized after the accident. (photo/vilhelm gunnarsson / stod2 / ap)

returning to the ice age sometimes just sounds romantic.

01

an adventure destination of ice and fire

iceland has always been a popular destination for adventure.

there is a saying here that can almost be called a national spiritual program - "thedda reddast", which roughly means "it will be solved" or "everything will work out when the time comes." montesquieu, a french enlightenment writer, believed that the character and history of every great nation can be explained by its climate.

icelanders' cool attitude towards life is also closely related to the climate they live in.as one of the filming locations for "a song of ice and fire", iceland may be one of the most qualified places in the world to interpret "winter is coming".icelandic writer jørn kalman said iceland is a desolate land, "almost uninhabitable in bad years."

△ steep cliffs on the coast. (photo/visual china)

in his eyes, the mountains of iceland are very violent, and every slope can be fatal. the shrill wind angrily throws the biting cold air at people, and the rain disappears in the lava of the volcano. people seem insignificant in the cruel nature, and the distance between heaven and earth is also very far.

growing up in such a cold environment, icelanders may be the urban dwellers with the most adventurous genes. writer jiaqian once worked and lived in iceland. she once asked her icelandic friends: what if a volcano erupts?

the locals openly view the volcanic eruption as a kind of landscape - "some people said that during the last eruption they took a helicopter to see the lava, it was spectacular, but they forgot to take a family photo in front of the volcano. they will bring a good camera if they have the chance to go next time. some people said that the volcanic eruption will make iceland's tourism industry more developed and attract more tourists."

△looking down at iceland's active volcano from a high altitude. (photo/tuchong creative)

the rich landforms and wonders also make iceland a "holy land of exploration". every year, a large number of travelers go to iceland to embark on adventure journeys, and this adventure trend can even be traced back to 1630.

in 1630, the great geyser appeared in european written records. at that time, many european explorers traveled across the ocean to iceland to watch it perform. according to records, the most powerful geyser once sprayed water up to a height of 170 meters.

iceland has opened up a lot of "adventure projects" for travelers that are unique elsewhere. for example, iceland is the only country in the world that allows travelers to hike into the interior of a volcano. jules verne, who wrote "journey to the center of the earth", did not actually go to the icelandic volcano, but tourists do have the opportunity to walk into it."entrance to the center of the earth"。

△ (photo/still from "volcano love")

in addition to volcanoes, there are also a large number of adventure projects surrounding ice fields and glaciers:blue hole adventure, glacier hiking, glacier snorkelingetc., everything you need.

although people have always wanted to conquer iceland, it is clear that any rare life experience has a price tag, and it is expensive to be an explorer in iceland for a short time. in addition to the high transportation and living expenses, the adventure projects that are most suitable for taking "life photos" are also expensive.

△a man slides into the ice cave using a rope. (photo/visual china)

an icelandic tourism practitioner said in an interview with china business news that some travel companies have launchedaerial view of the volcanothe trip costs more than $200 for half an hour. "that's the price of a small plane. if you take a helicopter to see the volcano, the price for half an hour can be more than $500."

certified by the icelandic tourism official websitevolcano hikeamong qualified travel companies, a guided volcano hiking group with 1 to 3 people, a journey of nearly 20 kilometers, and a total of 7-8 hours costs more than 10,000 yuan per day.

relatively speaking,glacier hikeandblue ice cave adventureit is a more economical adventure project, usually for a group of about 20 people, and the price is mostly just over 1,000 yuan. however, if you want to go through all the adventure projects in iceland, you will need to spend about 10,000 yuan.

△glacier hiking. (photo/visual china)

in theory, it is possible to travel cheaply in iceland, but it is difficult to do so. after all, we always follow the classic four-word mantra when traveling - "i'm here anyway." this makes all the expenses on experiences in iceland seem necessary and tolerable.

02

the country closest to the stars and myths

exploration, control and conquest have always been the way humans treat nature. standing at the end of the world, iceland, with its endless strange wonders, is undoubtedly a treasure land that people most want to try.

there are probably many reasons why iceland has such an enduring appeal to people. in summary, it may really be as the documentary "volcano love" says.“people love what they know, but they love what they don’t know even more”。

△a photographer commented: "iceland is a place blessed by god, with alien-like landforms and all the elements of landscape photography." (photo/tuchong creative)

not to mention that iceland has always been the top 1 in the niche track of "alien feeling".some people call iceland a cross between the "moon" and the "mars". people who cannot reach space can at least imagine themselves as interstellar travelers on the land of iceland.

indeed, iceland's lunar landforms have been certified. in the 1980s, nasa sent a group of astronauts to iceland for lunar exploration training.

△the country with the most "alien feeling". (photo/still from "interstellar")

the mythological color of iceland also adds a layer of mysterious filter to it.

in norse mythology, villains like the frost giants often live in cold and harsh lands, while asgard, where the norse gods live, has a more pleasant climate. the constant battles between good and evil in mythology seem to correspond to the polar day and polar night in iceland in reality.

on the one hand, iceland has majestic and rugged mountains, raging and cold seas and fjords; on the other hand, iceland's short summer is accompanied by everlasting light and lush flora and fauna. no wonder the icelanders imagined that the universe was created from a strange mixture of ice and fire.

△a waterfall covered by green plants. (photo/tuchong creative)

for modern people, iceland's landscape is also a miracle. only 1% of iceland's land is covered by forests. its land area is similar to that of south korea, but on this small island, there are more than 1,000 active volcanoes, and when the polar night comes, the sun cannot be seen for three consecutive months.

in addition, one eighth of iceland is covered by glaciers, and the glaciers melt in summer, forming karst glaciers that look like rock caves. today, the most popular place for ice cave exploration is the largest glacier in europe."vatnajokull glacier"this is also the filming location of "mann's planet" in the movie "interstellar".

from the outside, the entrance of the ice cave is not much different from that of an ordinary rock cave; but when you walk into the ice cave, you will find that it is a mysterious and magical ice kingdom. huge ice blocks hang overhead and present multiple levels of blue-green tones, with ice blue, indigo, cobalt blue, and aqua blue mixed and blended. such a complex and mysterious blue is probably hard to replicate anywhere except the mediterranean.

△the view inside the ice cave. (photo/unsplash)

in iceland, there are many volcanoes, waterfalls, geothermal hot springs, geysers, coastal desert islands, and ancient glaciers that are deeply loved by explorers. for those who practice the yolo creed, life is about experience. such wonders that are difficult to experience and replicate elsewhere may be born with a fatal and irresistible attraction.

03

the other side of beauty is actually very cruel

iceland is beautiful, but it also has a cruel side.

in 1987, andre from sweden led a three-member expedition team from the northernmost part of norway to try to fly over the north pole in a hot air balloon. but just three days later, they were forced to land on an ice floe in the arctic circle of iceland.

andre recorded the situation every day in his expedition log. after two months of survival in iceland, he wrote in his log: "daylight hours 0, the next sunrise time is february 20, 1898." but unfortunately, andre did not wait until the sunrise in february of the following year.

to this day, the glacier exploration or hiking projects that are must-do for tourists in iceland are not 100% safe and painless adventure projects.

△an explorer walking alone on the glacier. (photo/tuchong creative)

after the ice cave collapse accident on august 25, many industry insiders said,similar ice cave exploration projects have always been open from november to march of the following year. this year is the first time it has been opened in the summer. however, the travel companies that undertake hiking groups have not warned tourists about the risks of caving in summer.

a tourist who experienced the collapse said, "there was no sign when i entered, and then there was a bang. i read the introduction on guide to iceland (booking platform) and it was very safe. i also wore a helmet before entering."

△the positive comments posted by users on the platform in august this year. (photo/website screenshot)

after the accident, some tourists who were exploring caves in iceland on september 25 last year expressed "fear" because there were still some "water curtain caves" in the blue ice cave at the end of september last year.

even if you don't venture into a cave in the summer, caving is still a risky endeavor.a glacier hiking enthusiast explained that because the glacier is always moving slowly forward, the collapse of ice cliffs, ice caves and ice walls on the glacier occurs all the time throughout the year. it is just that people obviously have to take greater risks when exploring caves in the summer.

△the beautiful and dangerous blue ice cave. (photo/visual china)

the risks are compounded by a harsher climate: iceland is being affected by human-induced climate change and is warming about three times faster than the rest of the planet, according to the icelandic meteorological office.

blind explorers see themselves as supreme beings, confident that with the help of technology and tools, they can explore all inaccessible territories. however, iceland has its own natural rules, which cannot be easily flouted by humans.

the magic of dangerous places may be the danger hidden under the harmless beauty, which has always fascinated explorers. for those who still choose to go there, perhaps all they can do is respect nature and stay sober.