Why Iceland looks like another planet is a question many travelers and photographers ask the first time they set foot on its soil. From its black volcanic sands to steaming geothermal fields and massive glaciers, the country holds a landscape that feels more like science fiction than part of Earth. Scientists, astronauts, filmmakers, and explorers have long been fascinated by Iceland because it captures extremes that are hard to find anywhere else.
The first impression of Iceland comes from its contrasts. On one side you find moss covered lava fields stretching endlessly, while on the other, glaciers and ice caves reflect bright blue light in the middle of the dark Arctic winters. These changes are not small differences but sharp and dramatic, creating scenery that feels unreal. Walking across a lava plain in Iceland can easily feel like walking across the surface of Mars.
Another reason Iceland looks so different from the rest of the world is its volcanic activity. The country sits on the Mid Atlantic Ridge, a place where tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart. This movement creates constant eruptions, new craters, and steaming geothermal areas. In some parts of Iceland, boiling mud pools bubble under the open sky while clouds of sulfur rise, giving the land an alien look and smell. It is no surprise that NASA has trained astronauts in Iceland to prepare them for lunar missions.
The highlands of Iceland are another part of this otherworldly setting. These remote areas have very few trees, no towns, and almost no sign of human life. What you see instead is endless desert like ground, rivers that have carved deep canyons, and volcanoes that look like they belong to another world. Driving into the highlands feels like leaving Earth behind.
Filmmakers often choose Iceland when they want to show another planet. Movies like Interstellar, Star Wars, and Prometheus have used the country’s scenery because it does not need special effects to look alien. The landscapes already give the atmosphere of a place untouched by time. Even the light in Iceland adds to this. Long summer days with midnight sun and dark winter months with only a few hours of daylight create moods that add to the strange character of the country.
Glaciers in Iceland also play a role in why it looks so different. They cover large parts of the island and shape the land beneath them. Meltwater creates turquoise lakes, massive ice caves, and black ice mixed with volcanic ash. These patterns are unique and cannot be seen in the same way anywhere else. Standing inside an Icelandic ice cave feels like standing inside a frozen cathedral.
Tourists often say Iceland feels empty and vast, as if they are the only ones in the world. This emptiness, combined with dramatic nature, makes it easy to understand why so many describe the island as another planet. The silence, broken only by wind and waterfalls, adds to the illusion of being far away from Earth.
