The Golden Circle begins and ends in Reykjavik making it a very popular day trip for tour buses. It is also a good option if you are visiting Iceland for only a few days. Different buses make different stops along the way, but they all stop at the three highlights: Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss and Geysir.
This is the route that we took:
Route
- Thingvellir National Park
- Efstidalur 2
- Geysir
- Gullfoss
- Kerið crater
- Reykjavik
Thanks to jet lag we were on the road very early. For breakfast we made a quick stop at Mosfellsbakarí outside of Reykjavik. This worked out great as food is somewhat more expensive in Iceland than I am used to and bakeries seem to be the best option for a quick, great tasting meal at a reasonable price. After filling up on delicious baked goods, we were off to Thingvellir.
Thingvellir
Thingvellir national park sits on the fault line where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are tearing away from each other. The evidence of this is visible in dramatic rock formations and fissures around the park.
The park is on the north end of Þingvallavatn Lake. The visitor center sits near the top of Almannagjá Gorge, one of the largest fissures in the park. From there you get a great view of the lake and the top of Almannagjá.
A footpath leads down into Almannagjá and around to the nearby Lögberg (Law Rock) where the Icelandic Parliament originally gathered over 1000 years ago.
Further down a path the leads off to Öxarárfoss. The rock formations caused by the rifting create a dramatic setting for this waterfall.
Paths throughout the park lead to other formations and fissures. While wandering around we came across this one which we later identified as Peningagjá.
The name Peningagjá means “coin fissure”. This fissure has been used as a local “wishing well” for the past century. The water on the bottom is extremely clear allowing the coins to shine and reflect the sun. I imagine there are some very old coins sitting there at the bottom.
After wandering around the various paths in the park, we decided to get back on the road for our next stop.
Efstidalur 2
Iceland is well known for its volcanoes and glaciers, but I think not so many people would consider it a destination for ice cream and swimming pools. And yet, these are two things Iceland does well. Efstidalur 2 is a dairy farm that makes and serves its own ice cream. Inside the shop there is a window facing the dairy cows making it a fun location for eating ice cream.
After filling our bellies with the delicious homemade ice cream, we headed to our next stop in IceCreamLand, Geysir.
Geysir
The Geysir geothermal area contains two geysers, Geysir and Strokkur, although Strokkur is the only one currently erupting. Every 5 to 10 minutes Strokkur shoots boiling water over 100 feet into the air. The entire area is venting steam all around you, and a stream of hot water rolls through the footpath leading to the geyser.
Gullfoss
The easternmost point on the golden circle, and our favorite by far, is the waterfall Gullfoss. Paths lead around the waterfall which give views of the waterfall from a lot of angles. You can walk right up to the edge of the upper cascade and feel the mist as the waterfall runs right around you. From another side you can peer down into the canyon where the final cascade falls. There the Hvítá river makes a sharp left turn to continue downstream. From the upper cliffs overlooking the waterfall you will find a great view of the entire series of falls and the surrounding landscape.
Kerið
Kerið is a volcanic crater with an oddly colored blue lake in the middle. A trail goes around the crater, and stairs take you down to the edge of the lake. The contrast of aquamarine water against the red rock of the volcanic crater is very striking. By the time we arrived, our ice cream tester was fast asleep. So, I did a fast hike around the crater and opted to skip the stair climb down to the lake.
After Kerið we headed back to Reykjavik to rest up and for the next day’s journey.
The Video
The link below is the full video of the golden circle loop. Total time is just over 3 hours.
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