The anniversary-minded amongst you will not have missed the fact that today is the 40th ‘birthday’ of perhaps the greatest human achievement in history.
On July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the moon and changed the way we view our planet forever. But what’s lesser known is that the astronauts perfected their landing craft technique in a rather more earthly spot – Iceland.
Despite it’s name, and the fertile valleys and waterfalls that dot the country, Iceland is in fact 50% desert, though it is unsurprisingly not of the sandy variety. Rather, it is a sea of lava fields, a result of the thousands of volcanic eruptions that have marked and shaped this island over the centuries. In spots, these lava fields are almost unerringly lunar-like. Many a conspiracy theory has been hatched whilst on the coach from Keflavik Airport, surrounded by lava fields, to the capital Reykjavik!
Make your own lunar voyage to Iceland this year and you won’t only be met by undulating moonscapes, but be confronted by a whole gamut of natural wonders. Countless cascading waterfalls, wild black sand beaches, snow-capped glaciers and spouting geysers are only the start of it.
See the best of Iceland – lunar and otherwise – on one of our School Trips. Whilst we can’t offer you the moon just yet, most of Iceland’s must-sees are within comfortable driving distance, including the active Strokkur geyser and the majestic Gullfoss waterfall.
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