Come with me as we drive around Iceland's famous Golden Circle route...
(Top Left) Thingvellir National Park, (Top Right) Geysir Hot Springs, (Bottom Left) Gullfoss Waterfall, (Bottom Right) Kerid Crater
Iceland is home to an abundant amount of natural beauty, from waterfalls to geysirs, natural spas to glaciers, canyons to craters, Iceland really has it all! One of the main things tourists do when they visit Iceland is either hire a car or go on organised tours, and a trip around Iceland's Golden Circle route is normally top of the list! We start off from Reykjavik, let's go!
Thingvellir National Park:
Just a short 45 minute drive from Reykjavik, we arrive to our first stop on the Golden Circle: Thingvellir National Park. The Þingvellir area is part of a fissure zone running through Iceland, being situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The faults and fissures of the area make evident the rifting of the earth's crust. Here the plates are diverging, pulling apart, approximately 2cm each year. The park offers a 3-4km path that takes around 1-2 hours to explore, depending on how far you walk. The path begins near a viewpoint outside the visitor centre and leads down into Almannagja, a large rift that marks the boundary of the North American tectonic plate. The other boundary, Hrafnagja, is located about 5km to the East, and the whole area in between is a rift valley.
(Left) Walking between two tectonic plates: North American on the left and Eurasian on the right, (Centre Left) Oxararfoss, (Centre Right) Thingvellir Church, (Right) Part of the fissure
After a short walk on the path, you will come across Logberg, a large slope with an ancient circular podium that served as the focal point of the old assembly area (Alphingi). Here laws were recited and announcements made. Continuing on you will reach Oxararfoss, a waterfall located in a rift called Stekkjargja, named after a sheep-milking pen that was built in it. The rift was also a site for hanging convicted thieves in later centuries, and one of the main roads to the assembly went through it. If you backtrack slightly, you can cross the Oxara River and explore the other side, where you will find Flosagja, a water-filled rift, and the old Pingvellier farm and church buildings. Head back up towards the visitor centre and it's time to go to our next stop on the tour! By the way the only fee here is for the parking, about €7. For information check out the national park's website: Thingvellir National Park - Heart of Iceland.
Geysir Hot Springs:
Continue driving for about 50 minutes and you'll come across a favourite stop along the Golden Circle. Experience the highly active Geysir Hot Spring Area with boiling mud pits, exploding geysers. The most active geyser is the Strokkur geyser which spouts water 30m (100ft) into the air every few minutes or so. Nearby you can also visit the Geysir Centre which offers exhibits and informative presentations all year round. Take your time to walk all the way round the geothermal area, Make sure you visit the Old Geysir, Blesi, Konungshver and the Hot Springs, but of course as I previously mentioned, the Strokkur Geysir is the most famous one so watch a few eruptions! Once your done its time to head back into the car and drive just 10 minutes away to our next destination on the route...
For more information check out: Geysir Hot Spring Area & Strokkur, Golden Circle | Iceland Travel
Gullfoss:
We have reached probably the most anticipated part of our Golden Circle journey, as we arrive at the breathtaking Gullfoss Waterfall. Traverse a narrow path providing close-up views of the massive, two-tiered waterfall below. In winter, the view is spectacular when the waterfall freezes over into undulating waves of glistening ice. On sunny days you are treated to thousands of rainbows, a natural reaction with the clouds of spray from the tumbling falls. Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Iceland; many people consider the waterfall one of the most beautiful in Iceland. The water cascades down in two stages, then into the long crevasse below. Gullfoss is the largest volume waterfall in Europe, with the average flow being 130 m³/s in the summertime and 80 m³/s in the wintertime. If you want to explore the upper and lower viewing points, walk the 2km of pathways (it takes about 30 minutes), and stop in the café for a bite to eat... For more information: Gullfoss Waterfall Tours - Golden Circle | Iceland Travel
Gullfoss Waterfall
Friðheimar Tomato Farm: Head down south for 25 minutes to a place called Friðheimar, a tomato farm which grows tomatoes in their greenhouses powered directly using Iceland's geothermal energy. At Friðheimar, they grow tomatoes all year round under artificial lighting in greenhouses, despite the long and dark winter. Visitors are shown how the tomatoes are grown, and then they can sit down next to the tomato plants and enjoy an excellent menu based on tomatoes. You can take home delicious food souvenirs made from tomatoes and cucumbers. Whilst we were here we enjoyed a delicious tomato soup and drank and strange but also delicious tomato beer - it was actually quite nice! They also had other fun and creative things on the menu like:
Tomato iced late
Tomato cheesecake
Tomato ice cream
Tomato and apple pie
Tomato coffee, and so much more!
In the end we bought some homemade tomato sauce to take home to make a a yummy pasta. To be honest this wasn't actually on our initial itinerary, but this impromptu spontaneous visit here was actually one of my favourite things of the day... To learn more about this place, head over to: Home | Friðheimar (fridheimar.is)
(Left) the tomato greenhouse, (Centre Left) the menu, (Centre Right) Tomato Soup & Tomato Beer, (Right) fresh tomatoes
Kerid Crater:
Continue south for another 25 minutes and unfortunately we reach our final stop on the Golden Circle. Kerið is a volcanic crater lake located in the Grímsnes area in south Iceland; it is one of the most visually stunning geological wonders in the country. This vibrant blue gem is one of the most recognisable volcanic craters in Iceland. Visitors to Kerið will be able to hike down one of its sloping walls blanketed with deep green moss, and admire the stunning aquamarine lake at the bottom. The lake is shallow, but its vivid colour is due to minerals from the soil. Contrary to popular belief, Kerið was not formed by a volcanic explosion, but rather a cone volcano that erupted and emptied its magma reserve. The weight of the cone then collapsed into the empty magma chamber, creating the current crater. Visitors tend to spend up to 1 hour here; you can head down to the lake or walk all the way round the crater, it takes about 15 minutes to do so... There is a small fee of about €4 to enter the site (although its mainly for the parking). You can find more information at: Kerið Crater Official Website - A Geological Wonder of Iceland (kerid.is)
What a great day out it has been driving through Iceland's Golden Circle route! Now let's go and explore the South Coast!
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