Iceland – Golden Circle

Throwback to Scandinavia 2013. We explored Reykjavik on our first day in Iceland. Today we would venture out to explore the “Golden Circle”

Iceland Horizon Golden Circle Tour

We had booked Iceland Horizon prior well in advanced. We didn’t want to be on a large tour bus and rather the small group feel so we booked and were picked up at our Hotel by David our guide (who turns out to be the owner of the company as well). David was very knowledgeable and allowed enough time at each stop for us to really gain a strong appreciation of the natural beauty of each place we stopped. We visited three main sites (Fullfoss, Haukadalur and Thingvellir). However we stopped along the way at random points of interest throughout the tour whenever David was able to find something cool. Of note was David pointing out the Hellisheidi Geothermal power station (the largest geothermal powerplant int he world), a visit to the faxafoss waterfall and a stop to feed Icelandic horses (off the side of the road).

Gullfoss Waterfall

Our first major stop was the Gullfoss Waterfall. You could tell that it was a very popular stop by the number of full sized tour buses that were in the parking lot. It was another reminder that we made the right choice with the small group.

The Waterfall itself is pretty amazing. I didn’t know what to expect when I had read about it, Instead of being big in height (like I would have expected of waterfalls) it was wide and stepped. There was a lot to take in and we were able to get very close to it. We also got to view the waterfall from above and was able to get a good gauge of the magnitude of water cutting through rock.

David also mentioned that during the winter its fairly treacherous to drive the Iceland ring road as weather conditions change quite drastically. There is little in the form of civilization save for a few towns, so most tend to stay within their respective cities and villages. From the top of Gullfoss you could certainly see the vastness and remoteness of this country.

We also had the opportunity to have lunch at the waterfall cafe (literally the only place that served food for miles). While the menu was limited, my sister and I were amazed that you could get unlimited refills of the meat soup (lamb)! We were all over it, and being a cold day we certainly brought our appetites with us!

Haukadalur Geothermal field (Geysers and Hot springs)

Our next stop was the Haukadalur Geothermal area. As mentioned above, Iceland is has a vast amount of geothermal activity and being able to visit this area was a great way to see it up close and personal. Our guide David suggested we make a short hike up a hill overlooking the field before coming back down to view the hot springs, pools and geysers and we did just that!  At the top, we only furthered our appreciation for the size and remoteness of Iceland, all around you don’t see much of civilization (save for the tourists).

Back at the geothermal field, we were able to view hot springs (some so hot they were boiling), colorful pools and geysers that erupted on a regular basis.

Thingvellir National Park

Our last stop for the day was Thingvellir National Park. Iceland finds itself sitting atop the place where two tectonic plates meet. Because of this, there is a large amount of tectonic activity, to the point that Iceland grows about two centimeters a year. Thingvellir is where these two plates meet, collide and separate. We made a few stops in the park, once at lake Thingvallavatn where the weather went from cloudy to clear and we gained a huge appreciation for this place.

Our second stop was at the “foot” of the rock wall. David dropped us off here and would meet us at the top of the wall after we walked up. One of the things I gained a strong appreciation for was the amount of wind in Iceland. At times it was amazingly strong and other times it wasn’t, but it was always constant and even short periods outside would chill you pretty quickly. You’ll be able to see the constant ripples in some of the pictures of water.

David explained that while the “bridge” over a small gorge is where most tour guides and tourists claim is the “divide” the truth is that the entire valley and park is technically the “divide” It makes sense that something of seismic proportions over the years would create the park which is “sunken” and probably continues to grow.

Once we made it to the top, the view was breathtaking no matter what direction you looked.  I fell in love with Iceland at this park (not to say the other parts didn’t entice me!) and knew that at some point I’d need to make my way back here.

What an amazing day, I really got a sense of how amazing Iceland was and in doing this throwback I realized how much I didn’t do while in such a beautiful place. Iceland continues to be high on the list of places I want to revisit when time and life allows.