From the inside of a classroom it can be difficult to impress on students the scale of the geography they are learning about. An Iceland school trip provides the perfect opportunity for teachers to help pupils get to grips with important concepts and ideas by seeing, touching and walking on the land they are studying.

Here, are three themes which your students will explore during an Iceland school trip: volcanic energy, waterfalls and climate change.

Things that smoke, explode, cause chaos and go bang have always been popular with children. However, building a papier-mâché volcano is nothing compared to seeing the real deal in person. Our trip includes a visit to the natural wonders of the Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Baths. These mineral-rich waters have been used by locals for thousands of years for cooking, healing and heating. The students will be able to explore the area and experience the effects of geothermal activity for themselves.

You will also visit the Lava Centre, a state-of-the-art educational centre with interactive exhibitions demonstrating the impact of volcanic activity on the country of Iceland over millions of years. This is an ideal opportunity for pupils to expand their technical knowledge of both volcanic and geo-thermal activity. The centre covers topics such as lava flows, volcanic and rift systems, glacial floods and eruptions in Iceland. School trip attendees can also learn about the country’s system for monitoring volcanoes and earthquake zones.

Over the course of the trip you will visit several waterfalls including Seljalandsfoss, a beautiful cascade you can walk behind. We will also see the Skógarfoss and Gullfoss waterfalls. The latter is truly iconic, tumbling down between the walls of a canyon formed by glacial outbursts millions of years ago. This is an ideal spot to illustrate the drama of glacial geography.

Learning about climate change has never been more important than it is today – however, its effect can seem very distant from the classroom. The Sólheimajökull glacier is an ideal tool for explaining this significant topic. This shrinking glacier clearly demonstrates the effects of global warming as it has retreated almost a kilometre in the last ten years alone. Seeing this glacier in person will impress your students with the immediacy of the threat to the natural world that climate change represents.                                                      

An educational tour of the physical geography of Iceland can provide your students with more than just the knowledge they need to do well in examinations; this fabulous experience can also foster a new passion and excitement for the wonders of the natural world.