The Golden Circle

Melissa and I woke up bright and early on our second day in Iceland for a full day tour of the Golden Circle and Northern Lights. This is probably one of the most popular tours in Iceland as it is in close proximity to Reykjavik and it has several must see attractions including Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the Geysir hot spring area. There seem to be an endless option of tour companies offering tours of this area, but I’d recommend taking a tour with a company that uses small shuttle buses (<20 people). We made a lot of stops at places that the larger buses just couldn’t have gone to and I’d personally be annoyed waiting on 40 other people to get on and off the bus (what a waste of precious time!). We used GeoIceland for most of our tours, including the Golden Circle, and had an amazing experience. This particular tour was around $90, not including the 10% discount for taking 3 tours with them. They picked us up from the front door of our hostel shortly before the tour started (9am tour meant they would pick you up between 8:30am and 9am) which was nice since we didn’t have to make our way to some designated meeting point. I will also note here that the larger buses are not allowed to drive in the downtown area of Reykjavik, so you would be picked up in a shuttle bus and then transferred to a large bus somewhere else which just wastes more time. Anyways, back to our shuttle bus. It was a bit smaller than the ones you might find in the USA, and there are only three seats across with 2 on one side and 1 on the other. If you can, grab a seat on the single side so you get the aisle plus the window! And if you are tall (one of us was.. hahah sorry Mel) try to get the front seat because it has more leg room. For what to take on day tours, check out the Day Tours Packing List at the bottom of the page.

The drive around the Golden Circle was absolutely gorgeous and so unique from anything that I have ever seen. We drove through huge lava rock fields where only moss was able to grow. There were very few trees, so the landscape was barren and stark. At times it felt we were on a whole different planet. Sometimes we would have views of mountains or volcanoes, and occasionally we would pass over a river or by a lake. Once in a while, the bus driver would pull over and let us snap a few pictures before hitting the road again.

On one such stop, we got to see and pet Icelandic horses! They are so adorable with their short stature and bulky fur. Be warned though, if the horse wants food and you aren’t feeding it, it might try to eat your jacket (watch out Mel!)

Our first official  stop on the Golden Circle tour was at the “earthquake town” also known as Hveragerdir. This is mainly just a toilet stop 🙂 Rule #1, if you see a toilet in Iceland, use it. There aren’t many available (especially in the winter and on Easter weekend when places are closed) and there also aren’t many trees! There is also a little cafe to grab pastries and coffee, and there is a small but cool exhibit on the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the area in 2008.

Next up was Faxi Falls. It is a cute little waterfall, and it was nice to get out and stretch our legs again. On the left side, they have a salmon ladder, and let me tell you, Icelanders are serious about their salmon!

A little further down the road was the waterfall I had been waiting for, Gullfoss (Golden Waterfall)! Our guide dropped us off at the top of the falls and told us he would meet us at the bottom in about an hour. There were toilets at the top, but if you can wait, I’d advise you not to use these. They cost $1.50 to use and they aren’t even that nice! There is also a little cafe here, and since we had time, we decided to get something to fill our rumbling tummies. They had an assortment of sandwiches, bagels, and soups. I choose the salmon bagel since our guide had been talking about salmon so much, and it was delicious!

After scarfing down the food, we got to the main reason for the stop. Gullfoss! It is actually comprised of two waterfalls that were 11 meters and 21 meters tall. I’ve seen pictures of the falls in the summer with lush green grass all around and a rainbow arching across. While the summer pictures were beautiful, the winter scene held a certain allure of its own with the mist freezing to the cliff walls and chunks of snow mystically falling with the water every now and then. There were also fewer tourists crowding the paths and overlooks which added to the serenity of the place. There are two vantage points: the top one is just behind the cafe at the top of the falls, and the lower one that you can get to by walking down the stairs. In the summer, you can also follow a trail closer to the falls, but as you can see in the picture below, that trail was quite icy and snowy while I was there, so it was closed. Tip 1: This probably goes without saying, but there is a LOT of mist, so be sure to bring a cleaning cloth for your camera and eye/sunglasses! Tip 2: The wind and mist can be rather bone-chilling cold, so make sure you are wearing a heavy waterproof jacket! 

The next stop on the tour was the Geysir hot spring area (pronounced more like gay-ser by the locals). For a tiny history lesson, the word comes from the Icelandic (Old Norse) verb geysa meaning “to gush.” And, that is exactly what happens. Water is gushed up from the earth. The Great Geysir used to send water up to 70 meters into the air, but unfortunately hasn’t erupted since 2000. You can look at the steaming water hole though, and the nearby Strokkur geyser erupts every 10 minutes or so sending water 30 meters into the air. While we were there it was having double and triple eruptions which was cool to see. There are tons of other tiny geysers and bubbling hot spots in the area to admire. My favorite was the cute Litli Geysir.

After wandering around the hot springs area, we headed into the cafe and gift shop to warm up and wait for the rest of our group. Hindsight is always 20/20… and we probably would have been better off waiting to eat lunch here instead of at Gullfoss. We were here for a longer time, and there were more food options. There was a cafe with snack type foods, and there was a larger cafe that was more like a full restaurant. Tip: There are free and clean bathrooms here. Use it!

After getting back on the bus and riding for a bit, we made another short picture stop. The landscape was just breathtaking with the mountains and lake in the background and snow melting in a pasture in the foreground. There was even a picnic table oddly placed by the road, but I’m sure it will never be empty come warmer weather.

The next, and final, stop on our Golden Circle adventure was Thingvellir National Park. This site isn’t just important geologically (lies in a rift valley formed by the separation of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates), but it is also where the Icelandic Parliament was established in the year 930! Super clear water fills some of the rifts, and visitors throw coins in creating an awesome shimmering in the sunlight. They even have diving and snorkeling adventures here! How cool would that be to swim between the continents (pun intended)? It is definitely on my list of things to do the next time I’m in Iceland. There is a short and paved hike up the cliff where the views of Thingvellir are breathtaking. There is also a small visitor center at the top and toilets for a fee.

After spending the day exploring the Golden Circle, we were famished. Food in Iceland is very expensive, but there is an exception. Pylsurs (hot dogs) are only a few bucks, and they are really popular among the locals, so that is what we decided to try. There is a famous stand near the water called Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, but there was another one much closer to our hostel, so we went with that one instead. The hot dogs taste very similar to an American hot dog, but supposedly here they are lamb-based with pork and beef. They are served in a bun with ketchup, sweet brown mustard, remoulade (mayo + mustard + other stuff), fried onions, and raw onions. I thought it tasted good (not out-of-this-world great though like some people seem to think), but it was too saucy for me. The hot dog kept sliding out of the bun and sauce was oozing all over. Super messy! Next time I would only order it with one of the sauces.

The Northern Lights

By the time we finished eating, it was time for our Northern Lights tour! Aurora borealis or Northern Lights is a phenomenon that occurs as a result of interaction between the solar winds and earth’s magnetic field that results in burning different gases to give a range of different colors.

We went with a different travel company for this tour simply because GeoIceland didn’t offer one. So, we went with Sterna. They picked us up right on schedule in a shuttle bus and then transferred us to a waiting area for a larger bus. There were 4 large buses, and we all headed for the same destination. Seeing all the buses had me a bit concerned that it would be crowded, but once we got to our first location (they had three picked out in case we couldn’t see anything at the first stop) each bus’ guide led us to a different spot. My group went over the fence and down into a horse pasture (and, yes, we saw a stampede of horses!). Almost immediately our guide pointed over the mountains and said “It’s starting!” The light show started pretty slowly with what appeared to be a small cloud poking its head above a mountain, but it soon arched across the entire sky. It was sometimes very weak looking like white clouds, but at other times it was green and appeared to be dancing magically. So stunning and a once-in-a-lifetime moment! And, we are so lucky to have seen such a great show on our very first (and only) attempt to see the Northern Lights. After a couple hours of freezing our toes off (definitely bring foot warmers!) we wandered back to the buses and were treated with hot chocolate and kleinur (Icelandic donut). Yum! What a perfect way to end the day.

Check out the Northern Lights Packing List at the bottom of the page.

 

Packing List for Golden Circle (March):

• Snacks/water bottle/water
• Camera/extra battery/extra memory card/cleaning cloth
• Windproof waterproof heavy jacket
• Sweater
• Jeans are typically fine to wear unless it is raining
• Gloves/hat/scarf/long underwear
• Boots/heavy socks
• Sunglasses
• Kleenex
• Dramamine/ginger (long bus rides)
• Bonus: Thermos w/ hot beverage

 

Packing List for Northern Lights Tour:

• Hand and foot warmers
• Flashlight (It’s dark out)
• Camera/tripod
• Kleenex
• Blanket (It would have been fun to lie down and watch the lights)
• Windproof heavy jacket
• Gloves/scarf/hat/long underwear
• Boots/heavy socks
• Bonus: Thermos w/ hot beverage