Touring Iceland’s Golden Circle During Winter

One of the most popular tours to take from Reykjavik is the Golden Circle. There are plenty of reasons why the Golden Circle is so popular and we were amazed by the impressive sights at each of the stops. Actual driving time is about four hours, but it takes at least six to eight hours with stops and hiking around to see everything that each destination has to offer.  Assuming that you take the circle in the traditional direction, the first stop is Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir in English), the second stop is Geysir, and the third stop is the Gullfoss waterfall.  There are definitely some other stops that are worthwhile, but these three are “can’t miss” locations, each for their own reasons.

View of the National Park
Geysir Erupting
Gullfoss Waterfall

Þingvellir National Park is interesting for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost is its natural beauty, which we’re sure is spectacular in any season, but since we were there during the tail end of the winter season, we enjoyed the snow-covered scenery.  It is also home to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is where the tectonic plates of North America and Europe slowly separate away from each other.  Iceland offers several opportunities to stand in both the North American Continent and the European Continent, but obviously Iceland is a European country.  From a historical perspective, it is also the site of the first Icelandic Parliament, called Alþingi (Althing in English), in 930 AD, which we learned even more about during our visit to Borganese (more about that later).  It is just north of the largest lake in Iceland, Þingvallavatn, which was mostly frozen while we were there, but still quite spectacular.

View of the Lake
Road Leading to the Head of the Trail
Church in the Park

Having rented a car, we were doing a self-guided tour as opposed to riding one of the busses filled with other tourists.  We’re not a big fan of crowds, so we preferred to do it ourselves and do our best to avoid the throngs of tourists that were there at the same time as us.  Despite the fact that we were in Iceland in what is considered to be their off-season, we found that there were plenty of tours running everyday, so we can only imagine how busy the summer season must be.  The good thing for us was that we could wait a few minutes and the tour guides would cattle call their group back to the bus and at least for a few minutes, we would have relatively quiet access to each of the sites.  But if you do rent your own car and do the tour yourself, be careful because the environment can be very harsh and one mistake could lead to disaster.  This didn’t lead to disaster, but a tourist plowed their car into a snowdrift and we tried to help them get the car out of the drift, but were unsuccessful.  Fortunately they were able to call for help, but in these conditions it could have been disastrous.

Car Stuck in Snowdrift
Stream in the Park
View of the Stream in the Park

Geysir, also known as The Great Geysir, is a spectacular geyser and is what all other geysers are named after.  Obviously, Iceland is known as the “Island of Fire and Ice” due to all of the volcanos and thermal activity that occur throughout the island.  Hot springs and geysers can be found throughout the island, but The Great Geysir is the most famous, having been active for 10,000 years, although it can go dormant due to earthquake activity for long periods at a time.  While we were there, it was quite active, erupting several times in a twenty to thirty minute stretch.  Having been to Yellowstone National Park and seeing Old Faithful as often as we have, it was interesting to see as the water in the mouth of the geyser ebbs up and down until it reaches its crescendo.

One of the Smaller Geysers Near Geysir
Geysir Bubbling Up
Starting to Erupt

We had missed the hotel where we were hoping to have lunch, so we grabbed some fries from the cafeteria.  Since Geysir was obviously the lunch stop for the tour busses, we had no desire to sit in the cafeteria surrounded by the large crowds, so we figured we would just save our appetite for a delicious Icelandic dinner that evening.  One thing that we did learn is that finding restaurants outside of Reykjavik is not as easy as it has been in other places we’ve visited.  The countryside is dotted with wonderful little farms and small villages, but very few cafes and diners where you can grab a bite to eat, so planning ahead as to where you want to stop is a definite must.

Little Geyser
Driving the Golden Circle
Another View of Geysir Starting to Erupt

The final stop was the waterfall at Gullfoss.  This was truly the most spectacular site that we saw during the day and one that will last with us for years to come.  Despite being cold from being sprayed with the mist from the falls, it was as beautiful as anything that we’ve ever seen.  The combination of ice and rushing water made for a fascinating contrast that was mesmerizing to watch.  If we weren’t so cold, we could have hiked around the falls and captured them from every angle possible for hours.  Even if you don’t have time to do the full circle, a trip to Gullfoss is an absolute must.

Impressive Waterfall
More of the Waterfall
Frozen Elegance

We continued around the circle, surrounded by incredible beauty, with only one other site that we wanted to see along the way.  Despite the crowds that were at each of the stops, the roads were mostly empty and most of the time that we spent driving, there wasn’t another soul around, which felt a little ominous at times.  It gave us a sense of how harsh it must be to live there during the winter and how hard it must have been for the earliest settlers of the island.  Another stop worth seeing is a volcano caldera called Kerið (pronounced Kerith in English) that is along the circle, which isn’t nearly as busy as other stops.  Also, no matter where you go in Iceland you will find plenty of Icelandic horses, which are furrier than those that we find here in North America.

Windy, Harsh, and Desolate
Some of the Many Horses
Volcano Caldera
Stream in the National Park

All in all, the Golden Circle was amazing, but it was only our second day in Iceland, so there were plenty more amazing sights to see before our trip would be over.  We know that we’ve said that we don’t get pictures of sunrises because we’re just not up that early, but Iceland changed that for us since the sun rises so late.  We couldn’t have been happier with our decision to visit Iceland, it was one of those experiences that will stay with you forever.

One of the Sunrises that We Captured
Another Stream in the Park
More Horses
Another View of the Park
Beautiful Iceland

Frozen Gullfoss Waterfall

In the past few weeks, we have met several friends who were about to head to Iceland or had just returned. This is a wonderful time of year to visit since it is before the majority of the crowds arrive, the ground is starting to thaw, and there is still a good opportunity to see the Northern Lights. We went during February of 2016 and it was definitely cold, so much so that the famous Gullfoss Waterfall was still mostly frozen and yet strangely beautiful. It is one of the major attractions on the Golden Circle, a route that takes you to many of the natural wonders the island nation has to offer. Although we weren’t fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights, we did enjoy every minute of our brief trip to Iceland. For this week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Winter – Water, we couldn’t help but think of standing before the falls, ice-cold water spray freezing on our faces, and looking in awe at the beauty of nature. We are sure it is spectacular during the summer months as well, but we will always treasure seeing it in the harshest of seasons, winter.

Making a Path Through the Ice

Grand View

Freezing as it Falls

Impressive Waterfall

Don’t Fall In

Fascinating to Watch

We Were Frozen Too

 

Iceland – The Golden Circle

One of the most popular tours to take from Reykjavik is the Golden Circle. There are plenty of reasons why the Golden Circle is so popular and we were amazed by the impressive sights at each of the stops. Actual driving time is about four hours, but it takes at least six to eight hours with stops and hiking around to see everything that each destination has to offer.  Assuming that you take the circle in the traditional direction, the first stop is Þingvellir National Park (pronounced Thingvellir in English), the second stop is Geysir, and the third stop is the Gullfoss waterfall.  There are definitely some other stops that are worthwhile, but these three are “can’t miss” locations, each for their own reasons.

View of the National Park

Geysir Erupting

Gullfoss Waterfall

Þingvellir National Park is interesting for a variety of reasons.  First and foremost is its natural beauty, which we’re sure is spectacular in any season, but since we were there during the tail end of the winter season, we enjoyed the snow-covered scenery.  It is also home to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is where the tectonic plates of North America and Europe slowly separate away from each other.  Iceland offers several opportunities to stand in both the North American Continent and the European Continent, but obviously Iceland is a European country.  From a historical perspective, it is also the site of the first Icelandic Parliament, called Alþingi (Althing in English), in 930 AD, which we learned even more about during our visit to Borganese (more about that later).  It is just north of the largest lake in Iceland, Þingvallavatn, which was mostly frozen while we were there, but still quite spectacular.

View of the Lake

Road Leading to the Head of the Trail

Church in the Park

Having rented a car, we were doing a self-guided tour as opposed to riding one of the busses filled with other tourists.  We’re not a big fan of crowds, so we preferred to do it ourselves and do our best to avoid the throngs of tourists that were there at the same time as us.  Despite the fact that we were in Iceland in what is considered to be their off-season, we found that there were plenty of tours running everyday, so we can only imagine how busy the summer season must be.  The good thing for us was that we could wait a few minutes and the tour guides would cattle call their group back to the bus and at least for a few minutes, we would have relatively quiet access to each of the sites.  But if you do rent your own car and do the tour yourself, be careful because the environment can be very harsh and one mistake could lead to disaster.  This didn’t lead to disaster, but a tourist plowed their car into a snowdrift and we tried to help them get the car out of the drift, but were unsuccessful.  Fortunately they were able to call for help, but in these conditions it could have been disastrous.

Car Stuck in Snowdrift

Stream in the Park

View of the Stream in the Park

Geysir, also known as The Great Geysir, is a spectacular geyser and is what all other geysers are named after.  Obviously, Iceland is known as the “Island of Fire and Ice” due to all of the volcanos and thermal activity that occur throughout the island.  Hot springs and geysers can be found throughout the island, but The Great Geysir is the most famous, having been active for 10,000 years, although it can go dormant due to earthquake activity for long periods at a time.  While we were there, it was quite active, erupting several times in a twenty to thirty minute stretch.  Having been to Yellowstone National Park and seeing Old Faithful as often as we have, it was interesting to see as the water in the mouth of the geyser ebbs up and down until it reaches its crescendo.

One of the Smaller Geysers Near Geysir

Geysir Bubbling Up

Starting to Erupt

We had missed the hotel where we were hoping to have lunch, so we grabbed some fries from the cafeteria.  Since Geysir was obviously the lunch stop for the tour busses, we had no desire to sit in the cafeteria surrounded by the large crowds, so we figured we would just save our appetite for a delicious Icelandic dinner that evening.  One thing that we did learn is that finding restaurants outside of Reykjavik is not as easy as it has been in other places we’ve visited.  The countryside is dotted with wonderful little farms and small villages, but very few cafes and diners where you can grab a bite to eat, so planning ahead as to where you want to stop is a definite must.

Little Geyser

Driving the Golden Circle

Another View of Geysir Starting to Erupt

The final stop was the waterfall at Gullfoss.  This was truly the most spectacular site that we saw during the day and one that will last with us for years to come.  Despite being cold from being sprayed with the mist from the falls, it was as beautiful as anything that we’ve ever seen.  The combination of ice and rushing water made for a fascinating contrast that was mesmerizing to watch.  If we weren’t so cold, we could have hiked around the falls and captured them from every angle possible for hours.  Even if you don’t have time to do the full circle, a trip to Gullfoss is an absolute must.

Impressive Waterfall

More of the Waterfall

Frozen Elegance

We continued around the circle, surrounded by incredible beauty, with only one other site that we wanted to see along the way.  Despite the crowds that were at each of the stops, the roads were mostly empty and most of the time that we spent driving, there wasn’t another soul around, which felt a little ominous at times.  It gave us a sense of how harsh it must be to live there during the winter and how hard it must have been for the earliest settlers of the island.  Another stop worth seeing is a volcano caldera called Kerið (pronounced Kerith in English) that is along the circle, which isn’t nearly as busy as other stops.  Also, no matter where you go in Iceland you will find plenty of Icelandic horses, which are furrier than those that we find here in North America.

Windy, Harsh, and Desolate

Some of the Many Horses

Volcano Caldera

Stream in the National Park

All in all, the Golden Circle was amazing, but it was only our second day in Iceland (we’ll talk about our first day a little later), so there were plenty more amazing sights to see before our trip would be over.  We know that we’ve said that we don’t get pictures of sunrises because we’re just not up that early, but Iceland changed that for us since the sun rises so late.  We couldn’t have been happier with our decision to visit Iceland, it was one of those experiences that will stay with you forever.

One of the Sunrises that We Captured

Another Stream in the Park

More Horses

Another View of the Park

Beautiful Iceland