Breathtaking Iceland by Clare
Part 2: The Golden Circle
After a fantastic time at the Blue Lagoon (Part 1), Hannah and I couldn’t wait to see what our second day in Iceland would bring. The sun was shining as we left our hotel just after breakfast and transferred to the main depot where we boarded the Golden Circle tour bus.
The Golden Circle tour is very popular among visitors, with good reason. It’s a great way to see some of Iceland’s most iconic sights with the benefit of expert commentary (while you stay warm and dry). We don’t recommend hiring a car in Iceland because the weather conditions can be so changeable but there are loads of guided tours available (both on and offroad) so it’s not difficult to get around safely and make the most of your visit to this incredible country.
Our guide for the day was Siggi with ‘Trusty’ the driver. Siggi was wearing an authentic Icelandic jumper made by his Grandmother and was a brilliant guide – knowledgeable and very funny. We really enjoyed the trip but if a coach tour isn’t for you, we can also arrange private tours with your own guide and personalise the itinerary for you.
Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park.
Thingvellir is where the early settlers established the country’s first national assembly in 930AD and it has been at the heart of Icelandic culture and heritage ever since. It is also where the American and Eurasian continental plates are pulling apart at a rate of 2cm a year. It’s a beautiful place. The coach dropped us off at the Visitor Centre and from there we walked to a high platform overlooking Thingvallavatn – Iceland’s largest natural lake – the views were stunning.
We were lucky to have amazing weather – there wasn’t a cloud in the sky – but the wind was still cold and there were icy patches on the trails. The coach was going to pick us up from another car park about a kilometre further into the park so the idea was to walk down the trail to see the Law Rock (Logberg) and The Drowning Pool (Drekingarhylur).
Hannah and I decided to take a slight detour to go and see Silfra. Silfra is a fissure between the tectonic plates and is the only place on earth that you can dive between two plates. The water is glacial meltwater and is incredibly clear and pure. This is one of the best spots for diving in Iceland and changes all the time as earthquakes create new tunnels and caverns as well as the fissure widening as the plates move apart from each other. You need a PADI Dry Suit Certificate to be able to dive here but you can also snorkel if you aren’t a qualified diver – we can arrange either option for you. (View our Scuba Diving Packages)
Unfortunately, we hadn’t realised that it was such a long walk to get there and we ended up having to run back to the coach and collapsing in a sweaty mess as we made it just before the coach left! (Another visitor did miss the coach so they just radioed the next coach along to pick her up later – so don’t worry if this happens to you). As we got our breath back (and everyone laughed at our red faces) the coach drove past Silfra on its way out of the park! So, top tip for the day is not to do what we did, stick to the path and you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the park.
Anyway, after that we were off to the world famous Geysir – site of the Strokkur Geyser.
Strokkur is the most active geyser in Iceland blasting boiling water high into the air every 5-10 minutes. You don’t have to wait long for a spectacular show. The ground in this area is so hot it can melt your shoes so make sure you stick to the paths. There’s a strong smell of sulphur in the air adding to the unworldly feeling on the site.
Apart from Strokkur itself, there’s a gorgeous gift shop there full of incredible Icelandic handknits and homewares. A bit pricey for family souvenirs but there were also plenty of the usual fridge magnets and soft toys so I stocked up with a few things for the children. There was also a lovely café so I grabbed a smoked salmon Lava bread roll (which was delicious even though the bread was completely black!).
From Strokkur it is a relatively short drive to the Gullfoss waterfall which was my favourite part of the tour. It is a dramatic sight – the water from the wide Hvita river cascades down two levels before thundering 32 metres into a deep narrow canyon. The sheer power of the water takes your breath away. There was a rainbow haze surrounding the waterfall as the spray sparkled in the bright sun, I could have stayed watching it for the rest of the day!
You can walk right down a narrow path to the waterfall and watch from a natural rock platform (this may be closed in extreme weather). You pass very close to the water (and there’s no barrier) so be careful. There are a number of steps down from the visitor centre and it isn’t readily accessible but the walk down is well worth it if you are able to. There is also a lower level parking area for wheelchair users so you can still see the falls even if you aren’t able to walk down. There’s also a café and giftshop at Gullfoss and you can stop for a more relaxed lunch there if you have time.
Back on the coach, Siggy entertained everyone with stories of Icelandic folklore as well as social history (there were families still living in caves only 100 years ago – you can visit a cave museum near Laugarvatn which shows what life may have been like). Did you know that Icelandic is the closest language to Old Norse, the language of the Vikings, and there are no regional accents on Iceland?
He also told us the best known joke in the country – “what do you do if you get lost in the Icelandic forest? Stand up!” (Which doesn’t sound very funny until you realise that there are virtually no trees on this windy island and most of the shrubs are no higher than knee height!)
In Part 3 of the blog we’ll explore our final stop of the day – the Secret Lagoon – and also look at some of the options for eating out in Reykjavik.
To book your trip to Iceland and to see some of these incredible sights just give us a call on 01793 939035 or email sales@arcticdirect.co.uk
