If you visit Iceland for the first time, I have no doubt that like me, you will visit the Golden Circle, a route passing by various natural attractions on a day’s drive from Reykjavik. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with following this path – part of the reason it’s so popular is that the waterfalls, geysers and mountains are out-of-this-world beautiful.
We headed out on a snowy grey day – Iceland was definitely living up to its name! Our first stop was the incredible Þingvellir National Park. Those imposing black cliffs to the left of the photo above? That’s the edge of the North American continental plate, slowly edging away from the European plate. It was amazing to stand there and picture these huge landmasses oh-so-gradually pulling apart.
But Thingvellir isn’t just famous for its geography – it is also the site of the Althing, Iceland’s original general assembly. Amazingly, this first met around 930 AD and continued in the same spot until 1798! The Nordic settlers of Iceland had started arriving in numbers from 800 AD onwards. As the population grew they realised there was a need to centrally establish laws and settle disputes. Thingvellir was chosen as it was convenient for two of the main settlements, and had water, food, and the large plain on which to camp.
How incredibly clear is that water?!
Our next stop was the magnificent Gulfoss Waterfall. The largest in Europe, it plunges 32 metres in two stages and is awe-inspiring. With its beautiful colours and raw power, it was one of my favourite sights of the trip.
Our next stop took me right back to home. New Zealand has an active geothermal area around the city of Rotorua in the North Island and the smell is, let’s just say… distinctive. Walking into the Geysir Thermal Area we were greeted with the same strong aromas and bubbling springs right by the path. With the low cloud alternately mingling with the steam and then swirling around us to hide it all from view, the place certainly had atmosphere!
Any minute now…
Although the original Geysir that gave the area and the phenomenon their names is no longer erupting, conveniently the nearby Strokkur Geysir erupts about once every 6-7 minutes. Check out my video for the full shebang – and a few tourists taken by surprise!
A portal to another world?
I said Gulfosss was my favourite, but stunning Faxi Waterfall was a close second – isn’t she a beauty?
If you have a car you could drive the Golden Circle yourself, and I believe all the attractions are free to enter. We opted to take a coach tour given the conditions – at one stage we were driving through a white-out! We went with Grayline and had a great guide with some entertaining anecdotes that meant we could almost forget the children kicking our seats behind us…
For more of my Iceland trip, check out my video!
