Risking it in Reykjavik

Wild beauty and a sense of danger are attracting groups to explore Iceland's sustainable MICE offerings

- By Hannah Brandler

Headlights on, and nerves on edge, we clambered down the crevasse into the 900m-long dark underbelly of Iceland. We were visiting a 2,000-year-old lava cave located in the lunar-like of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Its name - Leidarendi - translates as 'the end of the road, but thankfully our down-to-earth (pun-intended) tour guides from Iceland Travel were practised at putting us at ease. Soon enough we were confidently crouching and using our senses to navigate the jagged and slippery terrain, passing by stalactites and even a sheep skeleton along the way.

"We inspire awe when we bring people out here," project manager Mathieu Tari explained, before convincing us to turn off our headlights and soak in the absolute blackness and solitude of the subterranean tunnels. Since the pandemic there has been an increase in such requests, with these experiences proving popular with incentive groups keen to distance themselves from screens and return to Earth's roots. "It's much more about experiencing the country as a natural object. People want time to breathe in the nature," he adds.

We subsequently jumped on quad bikes and drove across the wild terrain (described as 'the playground') to reach Eldvorp, a 10km row of craters located northwest of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where we warmed our hands on steam rising from the moss while gazing in silence at the landscape. Our faces were clearly very expressive, however, our am he moss silently -ape with Tari telling us that "experiencing [Iceland] through visitors is amazing".