Rainbow road

Stony grays and mossy greens dominate many scenes here in the 'Land of Fire and Ice,' but a four-hour drive around the Golden Circle proves Iceland has plenty of colors on its palette. Driving this popular four-hour loop starting in Reykjavik, you can see red ash hills like this in the uplands southeast of town, get a dose of bright blue from glacier-fed streams and pools that dot the route, and watch whole rainbows form in the mists of Gullfoss and Geysir. Not tired of all this color yet? Take a stroll once you're back in Reykjavik, where the houses' hues are anything but humdrum.