Iceland was on our bucket list for a long time, and with good reasons. Active volcanoes, hot springs and geysers, pristine black sand beaches, rainbow framed waterfalls, blue glaciers and iceberg lagoons. These and the allure of the Northern lights are just some of the many reasons to visit this unique island. The good news is that most of these can be easily seen on a Golden Circle day trip from Reykjavik.
We booked a 3 day small group tour with Troll Expeditions. It included a day trip to the Golden Circle and two days on the south coast. The first day on the tour had plenty of sightseeing stops. We were lucky to have clear blue skies, a rarity in winter. And also a knowledgeable guide who shared lots of information about Iceland and the sights.
You can tick off the following on a Golden Circle day trip, whether with a guided tour or self drive.
Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir national park was our first day trip stop. Here you can experience geology, history and nature all in one place. It’s where the Euroasian and North American tectonic plates have been drifting apart for thousands of years. The result of this motion is a rift valley that you can walk and even swim through.
Indeed, our guide told us that the best location to see the faults is underwater, in the Silfra lake. There scuba divers and snorkelers can experience crystal clear glacial water and breath-taking views of the rock formations. Excursions are organized also in winter, if you are not afraid of the cold. You will be using a dry suit, therefore you might need an advance certification.
Challenge: dive in Silfra lake in winter to get the best view of the tectonic plates clashing
Visiting the park in winter does have its charm. The landscape is covered by a thick layer of pure white snow, something we miss a lot after living in Dubai for so long. However, we imagine in spring and summer the area transforms, and the snow gives way to lush vegetation. We could have easily spent a couple of hours walking around, but the guided tour allowed just 45 minutes to explore the area.
Thingvellir National Park – some history
The park is also historically significant. Indeed, in AD 930 it was chosen to be the seat of the “althingi” (or National Assembly in English) by the chieftains of Iceland’s major clans. Established few decades after the colonization of the island by the Norwegians in AD 874, it was officially used until the 18th Century.
The park actually derives its name from the old Norse “thingvollr” from “thing” (assembly) and “vollr” (field).
The site is currently identified by a tall flag, visible from the parking area where buses usually offload visitors and it is easily reachable by walk.
Vígðalaug Hot Pot
Iceland literally sits on a lava field. You can easily spot signs of the presence of the hot magma everywhere you go, like the hot springs. On our way to the geyser from the national park we stopped at the Vigdalaug hot spring. The site is better known as the area where the first Christian Icelanders were baptized.
It smells like rotten eggs and there’s not much to see around, but it’s ok for a quick 10-15 minutes stop.
Ice cream farm and Icelandic horses
Another quick stop on our day trip was at Efstidalur II, an ice-cream farm on the way to Geysir. The farm produces the ice-cream locally, with fresh milk from their cows. There is also a restaurant where you can stop for lunch. There are many ice-cream flavours to choose from – we tried cinnamon and caramel, which were both delicious.
Back on the road we also stopped to pet some Icelandic horses. We learnt that they are a unique breed, kept pure since the first Nordic settlers brought them over more than 1000 years ago. They are small, almost like a big sized pony, but they are sturdy and their long fluffy fur helps to keep them warm in the cold Icelandic winters. They now mainly serve for riding and there are many organized tours that offer horse riding experiences.
Geysir
Ever wondered where the term geyser come from? The answer is in this spouting hot spring, which derives its name from the Old Norse verb “geysa” (to gush). The water eruptions are said to be mesmerizing, with boiling water hurled up to 70 meters even though our guide told us that in very exceptional occasions they can surpass the 150 meters (the last time it was recorded was in 1845 though).
Unfortunately, the geysir eruptions are not very common. For this reason, most visitors stop at a smaller geysir named Strokkur, 50 meters south of the great geyser. Here eruptions are every 5/10 minutes and the maximum height is “only” 30 meters. Despite the smaller size, it is fascinating to witness the waves in the small pond starting to bubble up until it explodes into a column of water and steam. Try to not stay too close or you might get splashed. Be patient – it took us a few trials until we got the perfect shot.
There are many small hot springs with bubbles and steam coming from everywhere in the area surrounding the Strokkur soil. In winter the effect is even greater because the steam persists for longer in the air and it looks much denser than it would in summer.
As all popular tourist spots, the area is well equipped with toilets, shops and restaurants.
Gullfoss
Gulfoss is probably the most fascinating stop of our golden circle day trip and certainly one of the most impressive waterfalls we saw in Iceland.
The waterfall originates where the Hvita, a wide river that flows from the Langjokull glacier jumps into a 32 meters deep crevice. During winter, the area surrounding the waterfall is covered by snow and the cold temperature reduces significantly the water flow that nearly doubles during the summer, as our guide explained.
Unfortunately, we only had about 30 minutes to explore the area. However, we would recommend to stay a bit longer if you want to avoid taking photos and videos in overcrowded areas. We skipped the observation areas that are closer to the parking and climbed the stairs up to the higher observation point and enjoyed more privacy and tranquility.
The view from the upper level is simply breathtaking. The river literally jumps in the crevice spraying water in the air, which in turns reflects the sunlight creating mini rainbows. The sound of the water falling in the depths of earth is almost hypnotic, as if you were listening to an app with calming sounds from the wild to relax and ease your sleep.
Kerid crater
Our last stop before we reached our hotel in Selfoss was the Kerid volcanic crater, which is an almost intact volcanic cone filled with a lake. When we visited, the lake was frozen, but we could clearly see the shape of cone and we managed to walk all the way around the edge of the crater in about 20 minutes. In the summer, the blue water of the lake is supposed to contrast with the red rocks of the volcano.
Selfoss town
The last stop of the day trip was Selfoss town. A small group stayed at the Selfoss Hotel, ready to start a two days exploration of the south coast. The others returned to Reykjavik as the day trip was over.
We ended the day taking a walk by the river bank and enjoying one of the most stunning sunsets we saw in Iceland before having dinner at a cute local restaurant.
Tips for the Golden Circle Day Trip
In winter, make sure to be extra careful when walking on ice as it’s very slippery. We saw many people falling during our stay in Iceland, some of them ending up with fractures. We would recommend to wear proper shoes with a high grip sole. If you don’t have, you can buy crampons from any petrol station for extra safety. It is also important to be cautious by avoiding the riskier paths.
Last but not least, we learnt that walking penguin style is the key to walk away without a fall.
Silfra – we snorkeled in a dry suit. So beautiful, fascinating experience! We went in June, so the warm summer. It’s freezing cold water, because it’s pure glacial ice melt, but you only feel it in your hands and face, and your body adjusts
Oh wow! That is good to know! Thanks for sharing!
We definitely need to get dry suit certified as we don’t like cold water 🙂