The water
Glacial groundwater — among the cleanest tap water on Earth. Tap water: Drinkable.
Iceland
Silfra at Thingvellir, where you can snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in glacial water
RegionEuropeCurrencyISKLanguageIcelandicPowerType C/F, 230VTap waterDrinkable
Good
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
With little arable land, Iceland imports a large share of its food, especially grains, fruit and vegetables, though geothermal greenhouses grow tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round and the country is self sufficient in fish…Read more
With little arable land, Iceland imports a large share of its food, especially grains, fruit and vegetables, though geothermal greenhouses grow tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round and the country is self sufficient in fish and lamb. Import dependence keeps the score low.
Local staples
Fish, lamb and skyr traditionally dominate, while geothermal greenhouses grow tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round
Markets
Reykjavik's Kolaportid flea market at weekends, with limited fresh produce markets
In season
A short summer growing season outdoors, with geothermal greenhouses producing year round
Wildlife
Iceland's terrestrial life is sparse, with the Arctic fox as the only native land mammal, no reptiles or amphibians and few endemics, but seabird colonies including puffins are spectacular and whales are common offshore.…Read more
Iceland's terrestrial life is sparse, with the Arctic fox as the only native land mammal, no reptiles or amphibians and few endemics, but seabird colonies including puffins are spectacular and whales are common offshore. Diversity is naturally low.
Found nowhere else
The Arctic fox is the only native land mammal, with huge seabird colonies of puffins and whales offshore; diversity and endemism are naturally low
Natural phenomena
Volcanic geology, aurora borealis (Sep–Mar) and near-24-hour daylight in summer; the weather is a mood.
When to go
June to August for access, September to March for the Northern Lights
Getting around
Self drive the Ring Road; there are no passenger railways
Good to know
Cards everywhere, cash almost unused; ISK. Drive the Ring Road slowly and book everything well ahead in summer.
Safety
Solo female travel: Easy. LGBTQ+: High.
Only hereSilfra at Thingvellir, where you can snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in glacial water
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
65/100
Good
The Eco Index: Iceland
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here Silfra at Thingvellir, where you can snorkel between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates in glacial water
- Forest cover
- 0.5%
- Land protected
- 20.9%
- Sea protected
- 0.43%
- Organic farmland
- 0.3%
- Found nowhere else
- The Arctic fox is the only native land mammal, with huge seabird colonies of puffins and whales offshore; diversity and endemism are naturally low
- Renewable power
- 100%
- CO2 per person
- 9.7 t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 6.48
- Cleanest air
- The highland interior and the remote fjords
- Water from
- Glacial groundwater — among the cleanest tap water on Earth.
- Tap water
- Drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 100%
- Cleanest water
- The Silfra fissure at Thingvellir, filled with filtered glacial meltwater
- Springs
- Geothermal hot springs everywhere, from the Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Nature Baths to wild pools, and geothermal heat warms most homes
- In season
- A short summer growing season outdoors, with geothermal greenhouses producing year round
- Plastic ban
- Yes; single use plastics were banned in 2021 in line with the EU directive
- Watch out for
- Aluminium smelting draws much of the cheap power, and cruise ship tourism strains small ports
- Solo female travel
- Easy
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- High
- Best months
- June, July and August, or February and March for the aurora
- Getting around
- Self drive the Ring Road; there are no passenger railways
- Power
- Type C/F, 230V
- Currency
- ISK
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 5/5 | Iceland has enormous freshwater abundance from glaciers, springs and groundwater, and 100% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2020). Full assessmentThe tap water is among the purest in the world and safe to drink everywhere. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 2/5 | With little arable land, Iceland imports a large share of its food, especially grains, fruit and vegetables, though geothermal greenhouses grow tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs year round and … Full assessmenthe country is self sufficient in fish and lamb. Import dependence keeps the score low. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 3/5 | Traditional Icelandic food is dominated by fish, lamb and dairy such as skyr, and local plant production is limited, but geothermal greenhouse produce and a strong Reykjavik vegan scene mak… Full assessmentplant based eating workable. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 2/5 | Only about 0.3% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020) and conversion is rare, placing Iceland in a low band, though a national plan targets 10% by 2040. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 4/5 | Protected areas cover 20.9% of the land (World Bank, 2024), including the huge Vatnajokull National Park, with strong enforcement, but only 0.4% of territorial waters are protected (World B… Full assessmentnk, 2021) despite vast fishing grounds. Land protection is strong and marine protection weak. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 2/5 | Iceland's terrestrial life is sparse, with the Arctic fox as the only native land mammal, no reptiles or amphibians and few endemics, but seabird colonies including puffins are spectacular … Full assessmentnd whales are common offshore. Diversity is naturally low. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 3/5 | Iceland keeps a genuinely living wool tradition, with Icelandic sheep wool spun into lopi and hand knitted into lopapeysa sweaters that are still made and worn. Full assessmentIt is a single strong fibre culture rather than a diverse one. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 4/5 | Air is among the cleanest in Europe, with a PM2.5 annual mean around 6 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), close to WHO guidance apart from occasional volcanic and dust events, a… Full assessmentd litter is low. Single use plastics were banned in 2021 in line with the EU directive. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 3/5 | A deposit return scheme recovers the great majority of drinks containers, but overall municipal recycling is moderate and a significant share of waste is landfilled or exported. Full assessmentRecovery sits in the middle band. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 5/5 | Iceland's grid is essentially 100% renewable, with roughly 70% from hydropower and 30% from geothermal energy, and geothermal also heats most homes. Full assessmentIts territorial CO2 emissions are nonetheless high at about 9.7 tonnes per person in 2024 (Our World in Data, Global Carbon Project), driven by energy-intensive aluminium smelting and the fishing fleet rather than the power grid. The country targets carbon neutrality by 2040 and hosts pioneering carbon-mineralisation projects such as Carbfix. On the clean-power measure that anchors this pillar it is a clear leader. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 3/5 | Iceland has a strong national identity rooted in the sagas and its language, and tourism is well regulated, but there is no indigenous minority and headline sites such as the Blue Lagoon ar… Full assessmenthighly commercial. Community benefit is decent but tourism is a dominant industry. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 3/5 | Iceland's living heritage centres on the sagas and a strong oral and literary storytelling culture, alongside rimur, the chanted epic-verse tradition, and kvaedaskapur. Full assessmentOlder ring dances such as the vikivaki survive in revived form, and the pre-Christian Norse spiritual path has been revived as Asatru, a recognised living religion. Ancestral belief in the huldufolk, the hidden people or elves, remains part of everyday cultural life. The traditions are genuine though modest in scale within a highly modern society. |
Before you go
Cards everywhere, cash almost unused; ISK. Drive the Ring Road slowly and book everything well ahead in summer.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area, AG.LND.FRST.ZS), 2023. source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area, ER.LND.PTLD.ZS), 2024. source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters, ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS), 2021. source
- Worldometer (Ember and EI data), Iceland electricity, 2024. source
- World Bank, safely managed drinking water (SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS), 2020. source
- World Bank, PM2.5 mean annual exposure (EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3), 2017. source
- FiBL and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture (2020 data). source
- European Commission, Single Use Plastics Directive, adopted by Iceland 2021. source
- Our World in Data (Global Carbon Project), CO2 emissions per capita, 2024. source
- Government of Iceland, Energy. source
- Low Carbon Power, Iceland electricity generation mix (about 70% hydropower, 30% geothermal), 2025. source
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Iceland: Cultural life. source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Iceland's living heritage centres on the sagas and a strong oral and literary storytelling culture, alongside rimur, the chanted epic-verse tradition, and kvaedaskapur. Older ring dances such as the vikivaki survive in revived form, and the pre-Christian Norse spiritual path has been revived as Asatru, a recognised living religion. Ancestral belief in the huldufolk, the hidden people or elves, remains part of everyday cultural life. The traditions are genuine though modest in scale within a highly modern society.
- Sagas and oral storytelling
- rimur chanted epic verse and kvaedaskapur
- vikivaki ring dance
- Asatru revived Norse ancestral spirituality
- huldufolk (hidden people) ancestral belief.
Sleep well, tread lightly
See all stays →