This Snorkeling Expertise Between 2 Tectonic Plates in Iceland Was Simply Named One of many Greatest Experiences within the World

Waterfalls, geysers, and volcanic formations greet your eyes at each flip in Iceland, so when our tour information pulled as much as a nondescript lake in the course of a somewhat muddy patch of land in Thingvellir Nationwide Park, I used to be somewhat unimpressed. Skeptically, I adopted his directions placing on a dry go well with and snorkeling gear, and lowered myself down the metallic staircase into the water.

However the expertise that unfolded in entrance of me within the subsequent few moments was utterly out of the strange. Right here we had been in Silfra, a rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates stuffed with glacier meltwater. As a substitute of feeling like I used to be underwater, it was as if I used to be suspended in mid-air above a dramatic rocky valley. 

Whereas I went on that journey with a non-public information practically a decade in the past, extra Icelandic guests have additionally been taking a dip into the expertise, which was simply named one of many high experiences on the earth in Tripadvisor’s Vacationers’ Alternative Awards.

Incomes the No. 10 spot, the successful tour is operated by Dive.is. Assembly on-site, the two.5-hour tour contains all the mandatory tools, the snorkeling tour with a PADI-certified information, the Silfa entry payment, and scorching chocolate and cookies to heat up afterward. 

Whereas within the water, guides will level out the 4 principal options of Silfra. First, there’s the Massive Crack, the narrowest part, the place the 2 plates are so shut which you could virtually contact them. It then opens up into Silfra Corridor, stuffed with all of the pure colours of the formation. There’s additionally the Silfra Cathedral, with sections as deep as 75 toes — the realm the place I felt like I used to be flying. Lastly, there’s Silfra Lagoon, the place visibility appears to float by eternity.  

Day by day excursions begin at $139 per particular person and may be booked on-line. For security causes, restrictions could apply for sure vacationers, so make sure to learn the small print earlier than committing. 

Different iconic experiences to earn spots on Tripadvisor’s high experiences record this yr embody Machu Pichcu’s Inca Path hike, Amsterdam canal cruise, and a champagne balloon journey in Cappadocia.