Long summer days in Iceland’s highlands

Devastated by extreme weather and volcanic activity, Iceland’s mountainous regions are almost entirely barren. But National Geographic Traveler’s Daniel Stables said the area had a “desolate beauty” that has long captured the imagination and inspired legend and folklore.

Spanning more than 16,000 square miles, the highlands make up 40% of the island’s land mass, but snowfall makes them inaccessible by road for much of the year. The time to explore them is summer, when more than 21 hours of sunlight during the day “cast the landscape in a soft glow.” The days “feel like an endless dream” and you don’t have to go far on foot or 4WD over the hills to leave all obvious signs of civilization behind.