Contents:
- What’s Midnight Sun in Iceland?
- Does Iceland have 24 hour daylight all summer?
- What can you do during Midnight Sun?
- Sleep routine of Iceland
You are sipping a can of chilled beer, staring at the fascinating blends of colours in the sky, and it’s midnight. You do not see any darkness or signs of darkness. What would that be like? ‘Midnight Sun’ is what you call this natural phenomenon, and it is a whole 24 hours of daylight in Iceland.
Iceland is one of the few countries that experience Midnight Sun. The name itself says everything as it brings bright nights and almost 24 hours of daylight.
What’s Midnight Sun in Iceland?
While the earth rotates at a tilted axis related to the sun, the north pole where the Arctic Region is situated is angled in a different direction during a particular period of the year. The midnight sun occurs because the earth’s axis tilts towards the sun in summer.
So, the sun never sets in the places above the Arctic Circle and the areas situated around it.
Even though Iceland is not technically situated within those barriers, it experiences Midnight Sun since it is located in the Arctic region.
Does Iceland have 24 hour daylight all summer?
Of course, during summer, on June 21st, the sun is visible for 24 hours in the Westfjords.
In May, June, July and early August in Iceland, the days will have the most daylight, nearly 15 to 22 hours daily.
The sunsets are averagely for 3 hours, but there is light for 24 hours.
What can you do during Midnight Sun?
Endless lights lead to endless possibilities. There are cool activities and festivals on the days when there is no darkness.
There are plenty of activities that you could make the most of your time during the Midnight Sun like,
- The Summer Secret Solstice Festival
- The Midnight Run in June at Laugardalur valley
- Midnight Sun Tours, like Golden Circle
- Hiking
- Whale Watching
- Glacier Walk
Wait, what about sleep?
There is no clear boundary between the end of a day and the beginning of the next day. Yet, whether we agree or not; we need darkness to pause ourselves at the end of the day, relax, and rest to begin the next day with enough energy.
The Icelanders simply use blackout curtains to hide all the light to sleep.
Don’t people get bored of being in the light all day long? Yes, but they also experience dark hours in Iceland during winter. So there is a balance.
If you are a person who lives in a place with wholesome days and nights, it’s hard to live in Iceland during summer days, in reality, you would be losing track of time. But, there are no restrictions such as ‘get home before dark’ in Iceland during summer.
So, when you land in Iceland in summer, rent a car, spend a few days of your vacation during summertime in Iceland, and use as much as 24 hours of daylight to lighten up your inner darkness. You will not regret it!
Even if you do not get the chance to visit Iceland to experience the Midnight Sun, you can also visit Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, or the U.S. state of Alaska, where the Midnight Sun occurs.
