golden circle tour
With so much to see and do, don't put Iceland's Golden Circle tour on ice.
With so much to offer its visitors, Iceland's Golden Circle will introduce you to the wonders of Reykjavík. If you've never heard of it and are wondering what it is, the answer might surprise you. Iceland's Golden Circle is a sightseeing route to three main attractions of natural beauty in southern Iceland: the heritage-rich Thingvellir National Park, Geysir geothermal area, and the nationally protected Gullfoss waterfall. Instead of driving back and forth, the preferred route is to drive a short circle that's just under 230 kilometres (143 miles). Dozens of Icelandic companies offer tours across the route, which are wildly popular with first-time tourists. It is also possible to drive the route yourself and take in the sights at your own leisure; it really is up to you.
The main areas of the Golden Circle can become crowded, but despite this it is still one of the most memorable routes in the world. Although winter days in Iceland mean drastically shorter daytimes and prolonged darkness, the colder seasons appear to be only slightly less popular than the summer months with tourists, when the sun sets late and rises early. With that in mind, the chance to explore the Golden Circle in the midnight sun makes it the best time to visit to ensure you get the most out of your trip.
The first major stop-gap on the Golden Circle tour is usually the Thingvellir National Park, which sits in the rift valley of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, separating the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. With many major events in the history of Iceland having taken place at Thingvellir, the park is Iceland's national treasure. Among the sublime landscapes, the national park plays a vital role in Icelandic history as the location of the first open-air parliament in Althing, the location where Viking settlers first decided upon the laws of the Icelandic nation. At the site of what is considered to be the oldest parliament in the world, its first sessions were held around the year 930, around a rock (appropriately named by the settlers 'Law Rock'), which still stands today. A single Icelandic flag planted in the rock by the park's operators marks the exact location for the sake of visitors keen to trek to where Icelandic civilisation began.
Between the winter and summer months, Iceland's rich landscape can change drastically, meaning that be it spring, summer, autumn or winter, the area has something new to show off every season. In summer, charming freshwater streams highlight the park's vibrant khakigreen fields as they wind along the Ridge's rugged terrain. The beautiful Silfra fissure (a crack in the earth that was ripped open by the movement of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates) borders the Thingvallavatn Lake and offers scuba divers an opportunity to swim between two continents at the same time. When the harsh, cold winter months set in the park is covered with a blanket of white snow and ice, changing its landscape once again as the tendrils of freshwater freeze and the sub-zero temperatures invade Thingvallavatn Lake, which eventually becomes partially frozen. The park evolves from a thriving spring oasis to a winter wonderland in just a few months.
The famous hot springs of Geyser are also a popular stop along the Golden Circle route, attracting thousands of visitors every year. Located in southwest Iceland, the geothermal area of Haukadalur Valley is home to multiple hot springs and geysers. Strip off and jump into the natural springs and experience the relaxing open-air pools. The Great Geysir, once known for propelling water up to 70 metres (230 feet) high, is rarely active these days. Nevertheless, there are plenty of hot springs and geysers for visitors to sink into, including the powerful and infamous Strokkur, which spurts jets of hot water up to 40 metres (131 feet) high every five to ten minutes. Keep your camera close as you will not want to miss the amazing display of nature.
In terms of size and volume, the Olfusá River is Iceland's largest by volume, carrying more water to the Atlantic than any other river in the country. Don't believe us? Then visit Gullfoss, or Golden Falls, and watch the rapids of Olfusá thunder 30 metres (98 feet) down to a valley floor and feel the fresh spray against your skin. In the early 20th century, land owners considered selling the waterfall to foreign investors who intended to harness the energy of the waterfall as a way of generating electricity. Thankfully the plan fell through and the government stepped in, turning it into a protected site to ensure that Iceland's beauty wouldn't be harvested by any eager energy tycoons in the future.
As well as the three main attractions of the Golden Circle, there are also multiple other stop-off points that can be explored along the way, such as soaking in the geo-pool that is Reykjadalur's hot river, or the elusive Secret Lagoon natural pool located in the village of Flúðir. If you're looking for something more educational, then a visit to the fascinating (and frankly quite impressive) hydropower museum known as the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant is definitely worth doing. Located a short drive from the Hengill geothermal area and Thingvellir National Park, the power station, which serves the Greater Reykjavík area, produces around 120 megawatts of electrical power and around 1,110 litres of hot water (80 to 85 degrees Celsius / 176 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit) per second, and gives the opportunity to explore an approximately 3,000-year-old explosion crater lake - Kerið volcanic crater. Thanks to a natural change in Iceland's landscape (created as the land moved over a localised hotspot), the area commonly known as Iceland's Western Volcanic Zone includes several crater lakes such as Reykjanes Peninsula and the Langjökull glacier. However, Kerid is the one that has the most visually recognisable caldera still intact.
The Golden Circle trail could be done in a matter of hours, or a day tip. However, with this much natural wonder to see, we recommend you spend a lot longer soaking up the spectacular sights, alien landscapes and truly fascinating history of Iceland.
The Northern Lights
Once you've finished the Golden Circle route, there's every chance you'll be hooked on Iceland's natural beauty and be craving more. If that's the case then a complementary tour to the Golden Circle is to go in search of the world's most stunning natural light displays: the Northern Lights. While the Golden Circle might be more preferable in the summer, this is one advantage to visiting Iceland in the winter, when the dark nights highlight the aurora borealis -a dazzling result of particles in the air, reacting with one another to give off colourful light patterns. Many travellers will tell you that this is a must-see when you visit Iceland, and they're not wrong. Check out a tour and marvel at the fluorescent greens, purples, oranges and reds as they fill the night sky for what could be a few minutes, but if you're lucky, it could be a few hours.