Iceland and Greenland: The Ultimate Adventure Combo
Iceland and Greenland. We love them both so much that we wanted to put them together in one trip, so that's exactly what we did!
In this post, we want to shed some light onto some intriguing historical questions and let you in on the chance to be part of an incredible journey: hiking in two, epic Arctic countries. Come and see these lands for yourself and whether or not they deserve the names that their history has dealt them. At the same time, get yourself ready for one heck of an adventure. Iceland and Greenland, taken together, are the ultimate adventure combo!
Iceland vs. Greenland Infogrpahic
How different are Iceland and Greenland? Well, pretty different, in our estimation. To lay it all out, we put together this little infographic:
Why is Iceland called Iceland?
Iceland has had many names, and the first Norseman to discover the country was Naddoddur Ástvaldsson from Norway in 800AD. He saw snow fell on the mountains (and his own boat) after allegedly deviating from his course to the Faroe Islands. He decided to call the country Snæland (‘Snowland’).
The Landmánabók, the Book of Settlements, an incredible historical account of how Iceland was settled and by whom, detailed that one of the first settlers was Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðsson, who sailed to Iceland from Norway in 865AD. It is told that Hrafna-Flóki hiked up the fjord where he settled and found a considerable amount of pack ice. Hence, he names the land “ísland” or “Iceland”.
What about Greenland?
Greenland owes its name entirely to Erik Thorvaldsson, also known as Erik the Red. He settled in Iceland, having been exiled from Norway, then he settled in Greenland after being exiled from Iceland.
Leading a fleet of 25 boats, 14 of which survived the journey. Erik the Red named the Land Greenland because of the green, fertile valleys he found in the first places that he and the rest of the first Norse settlement population found when they landed.
It is told that Hrafna-Flóki hiked up the fjord where he settled and found a considerable amount of pack ice. Hence, he names the land “ísland” or “Iceland”.
An Adventure in Two Incredible Lands: from Iceland to Greenland
If you have got your eye on the Nordic region, and you can’t choose between Iceland and Greenland, you really don’t have to: choose both!
Iceland is a geothermal land. Watch the land steam, sear and bubble, with towering rhyolite peaks as you hike through the highlands on the Laugavegurinn hiking trail, which takes you from Landmannalaugar into the verdent kingdom of Thorsmork. Then, watch it transform into the verdant kingdom of Thorsmork, a land carved out by networks of glacial rivers and volcanic eruptions, also one of the greenest places in Iceland. Over 5 days and 4 nights, you will watch the land transform in more ways than you thought possible.
Starting with Iceland is the perfect way to lower yourself into the Arctic landscape, a sense of scale to warm you up for what awaits you in Greenland; because If you thought Iceland was big on landscape, just wait until you get to Greenland. When you trek from the Qinnertivaq fjord over to the Sermilik fjord, with gigantic alpine granite mountain on either side, you get a sense of how enormous they really are. How about stopping to fish some fresh, wild Trout as well? Not as weird as it sounds, there is plenty of it, and someone has to eat it!
When on the other side, you can visit the tiny, tiny hunters village of Tiniteqilaaq, population 134 in 2010 and you can get more than a glimpse of the Greenland Ice cap, the second largest ice cap in the world!
Erik the Red named the Land Greenland because of the green, fertile valleys he found in the first places that he and the rest of the first Norse settlement population found when they landed.
Be a Pioneer!
Whether you choose Iceland, Greenland or both; stay thirsty for adventure, be courageous and be a pioneer!
You can browse a wider selection of tours of Greenland and find exactly the right kind of trip, or if you can want to go all in, join us on the ultimate adventure combo and see the full itinerary for more.
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