Highland Base

There are two seasons at Highland Base in Kerlingarfjoll, the off-road adventure resort within a geothermal nature reserve at the frozen heart of Iceland’s mountain glaciers that opened in 2023. During the summer, overnight guests can hike and e-bike in unyielding sunlight before dipping into the Highland Baths, which include thermal pools, a cold plunge, and sauna. In winter, reaching this unspoiled moonscape of powder-coated volcanoes is a hard-earned six-hour odyssey from Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport, requiring Super Jeep transport to navigate the snowy terrain beyond the highway. The payoff is endless winter sports, including snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and backcountry skiing in virgin snow before settling back into picture window pine lodges and A-frame huts for a roasted lamb supper to whet your appetite for the evening’s star attraction: the Northern Lights.

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