If you’ve only got time for one tour on your trip to Iceland make it a tour of The Golden Circle. Why this tour? You’ll experience three forces of nature in one unforgettable day – Gullfoss, geysers and geological rifts. This has got to be the best Iceland tour.
Iceland’s Golden Circle route in Southern Iceland, covers about 300 km starting in Reykjavík, before panning into central Iceland and back again taking in en-route the rugged beauty and power of mother nature in all her Icelandic glory. Ideally I’d like to take an Icelandic road trip but if you don’t have time this is the next best alternative.
The sky was still deep blue when we left Hotel Ion at 9am, around dawn, on an icy February morning. Visiting Iceland in winter has its bonuses though – you get to see the sunrise without having to get up at silly o’clock!
Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
Þingvellir National Park
Our first stop was Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir) National Park, home to the world’s oldest parliament where the Alþingi general assembly was founded in the year 930 AD and carried on convening until 1798. Þingvellir means ‘Parliament Plains’ and the views across them are breathtaking; even on a dusky morning when a vicious wind whips your face and a weak sun struggles to light the landscape their beauty shines through.
Þingvellir National Park, Iceland
The whole area is part of a fissure ribboning through Iceland where you can clearly see the drifting in the tectonic plate boundaries of North America and Eurasia – The Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The rift widens every year by a few millimetres and the faults in the earth’s crust filled with deep crystal-clear waters are clearly visible.
Rift in the continental plates
Great Geysir, Strokkur, Litli Geysir
Gullfoss Waterfall
Gullfoss Waterfall
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The powerful river tipped over the first step and roared towards me thundering and foaming, hints of turquoise shining beneath the surface, before pitching over the crevice and exploding into the canyon below leaving me feeling completely alive and invigorated. And very, very tiny.
Gullfoss from above
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I had a very brief taste of Iceland and fell in love with its wild, rugged beauty, the contrasting textures and colours of the landscape, diversity of experience and the extreme forces of nature. The Golden Circle encompassed all of that, and more, in one unforgettable day
Check out my video (below) with some Iceland highlights including a helicopter ride over the black sands of Vik and some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes and glaciers. Excuse the wobbly bits – it’s a bit tricky in a helicopter!
I love that video, what an experience from a chopper! I loved the Golden Circle tour too, but went on an organised trip so was a bit frustrated at only having about half an hour at each stop 🙁
We were a bit rushed too – I’d have liked more time to wander around at each stop.
I’m surprised that they don’t have more winter up there … but the winter has been very strange for us too.
It’s so bare and brutal the landscape and still it holds such a beauty.
Stunning, truly …
And in the summer .. the sun doesn’t go down. Fantastic post and images. Did you take a bath in the hot springs ?????
I’d love to go back in summer Viveka. The weather went from biting winds to quite mild when I was there. I went to the Blue Lagoon and one of the hotels had a a small pool heated by thermal spa – we rubbed snow on ourselves and then dipped in the warm water – invigorating!
beautiful 🙂
🙂
This looks great, Suzanne! It is one of the first things I have added to my itinerary for once we leave Reykjavik. I think the split in the tectonic plates is fascinating! Looks like you had a great time!
Ahh Bridget you are going to have such an amazing time! Looking forward to reading about it 🙂
It looks like an amazing place to visit and your images of it are lovely. 😉
Thank you – there’re some fabulous design shops in Reykjavik I think you’d like too…
It looks amazing, I just keep hearing good things about Iceland at the moment, it must be a sign for me to visit!
It does seem to be THE PLACE to go right now – I’d love to revisit in summertime. Maybe another year 🙂
It’s a spectacular looking place, Suze 🙂 I’ll await your photos from your next trip.
It’s stunning Jo – you’ll have a long wait, nothing planned until July – although I’d like to squeeze in a couple of days in Bruges with Mum and Dad 🙂
I did a similar tour in a hire car a few years back – it was November so the weather wasn’t much better! Would love to go back and see it in the summer without having to wear layers and layers of clothes!
So would I Lucy – I’m trying to plan it for next year 🙂
A geyser in Iceland seems like an oxymoron!! 🙂 I would love to go in summer too.
So would I Madhu – won’t be able to squeeze it in this year though – something to look forward to 🙂 Iceland has so much geothermic energy that even there’s even under-road heating!
Wow. These are stunning images Suzanne… Sounds like you had a mesmerising trip 🙂
It was amazing – so need to return and spend more than 3 days there 🙂
You write so beautifully…This makes me want to go to Iceland even more..
Thank you Shikha – I’ve been looking at your blog this morning and love your style too! 🙂
Iceland seems to be a popular destination at the moment. I’d like to visit and use a hire car to get around as that seems to be the best way to explore, but I think I’d prefer the summer months – I’m not so fond of freezing cold weather even if it does look beautiful in the snow and ice 🙂
I think a hire car would be the best way to go. It wasn’t too bad weather wise – the coldest was -4 and we were wrapped up warmly. I lost one of my skinny gloves and had to take my thick gloves off to take pics – couldn’t keep them off for long though!
I think that would be the main issue, trying to take photos!
Summer then! I’d love to go back in summer 🙂