Iceland- The Golden Circle
Our travelogue today is on Iceland: The Golden Circle
We started our journey on Iceland Air. The travel time was five hours from Chicago to Keflavik Airport, Iceland. We had decided to drive while in Iceland so our first order of business was to pick our rental car, a Citreon, from Saga Rental. It was just a few minutes away from the airport. Still, we took a shuttle to the rental place. The service was friendly but very slow.
On this trip, we planned to drive around the Golden Circle on the South West of the Island and visit the three most iconic landmarks on this route, Gullfoss Waterfall, Haukadalur Valley- Strokkur Geyser and The Thingvellir National Park. The roads were well kept and in good condition. In Iceland, you drive on the right side of the road. As it was summer we didn’t have to worry about ice. The temperature was nice around 60° F. The roads were not crowded so we had a pleasant drive.
The Golden Circle starts from the city Reykjavik. We took route # 1, then #35 to Gullfoss and to Strokkur, from there #37 to Thingvellir. From there onto route# 36 back to Reykjavik.
Iceland, the land of Fire and Ice proved to be a beautiful and fascinating country with waterfalls, Ice capped peaks and geothermal activity. What caught my attention and reminded me of the Hawaiian Islands was the surrounding land and the rock formations during the drive on the Golden circle. As Iceland was formed by volcanic eruptions this seemed apt.
Gullfoss Waterfall:
After a long drive of an hour and a half, we arrived at Gullfoss or Golden Falls. This is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland and is also the largest in the volume of the waterfall. It falls in two steps. The first fall is a shorter 11 meters and the second fall is about 22 meters. The White River, a glacial river feeds Gullfoss.
From the parking, lot of steps lead to the waterfall. As soon as you climb down the steps, you are greeted by the spectacular sight of the waterfall. If you are interested in a close view, a narrow trail gets you to the viewpoint. We went to Gullfoss in the afternoon. The narrow trail was crowded. As you get closer the path gets wet and slippery due to the spray from the fall. One needs to be careful here since some people walk slow and some are in a rush. You don't want to be shoved on the the wet and slippery surface. Needless to say, you too get fully drenched. The viewpoint is rocky and slippery. You basically need to climb on the rock to view the fall up close, but it is worth it. There was a beautiful rainbow the entire time we were there.
There is no entrance fee to the fall. We drove past the information center to a parking lot. I think if you park at the lot near the information center you might not have to climb down all those steps. Going down was easy but climbing them back up was tiring.
Strokkur Geyser:
The Strokkur Geyser is located in the Haukadalur valley just 5 to 10 minutes from Gullfoss. It is a very active geyser that spouts water every five minutes. Since it goes every 5 minutes or so we were able to watch the eruptions several times. That was good because it doesn’t spout high every time. The highest we saw must have been about 20 meters. Therefore, it is a good idea to spend some time here and watch the geyser spout a few times. Also, hold the camera-ready, patiently between each spouting to capture the live image of the geyser and you won’t be disappointed. There is a fence around the Geyser to keep people at a safe distance.
Around the geyser, you can see steam rising from the earth and bubbling mud pits.
Again, there is no entrance fee to the Strokkur geyser. We parked at a small lot closer to the geyser, about a five- minute walk.
Thingvellir National Park:
It is said the first Icelandic Parliament convened at this site several centuries ago. Most probably the first parliament in the world. Later, the national park was created here. This is also where you can see and actually walk on the Mid -Atlantic Ridge that separates the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. A boarded walkway has been constructed for visitors to walk on in between the two continents.
Oxararfoss Waterfall: This is in the Almannagja gorge located in the Thingvellir National Park. We took a shorter route to the fall and parked on a small lot. From here it was a short climb of ten minutes. It is a small waterfall, probably about 15 meters high. It is said to be man-made.
Oxararfoss is not a great waterfall. When we visited, there wasn’t even much force in the fall. What is great about this place though is the atmosphere. It has an otherworldly beauty. We went there in the late evening and there was not much sunshine. It looked dusky and there were less than 10 people. The waterfall, the gorge, the dark rocks and the tectonic plates on either side and the silence gave a mysterious feel. Kids will easily believe in elves and fairies at this place. People who are in awe of the mighty works of Mother Earth will love it here.
There are several more small attractions on this route. If you have a lot of time you can stop at each one.
While driving on this route we saw the landscape change from rocky land to verdant plains with small lakes and ponds to mountains.
After visiting Thingvellir National Park we returned to Reykjavic invigorated by the clean air and beauty of the country.
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