The Golden Circle - Iceland

Thingvellir National Park

Icelandic ponies

Geysir Geothermal Area

Strokkur erupting!

Gullfoss Waterfalls

A trip to Iceland would not be complete without visiting these 3 major attractions know as The Golden Circle. It is a popular day trip from Reykjavik which covers around 300km in Southern Iceland.

The first stop was the Thingvellir National Park, this site is of historical, cultural and geological importance. The mid-Atlantic ridge is where the North American and the Eurasian tectonics meet and is visible in the park. The historical importance is Althing which is the National Parliament of Iceland and was founded in 830 in Thingvellir National park.

The second stop was the geothermal area Haukadalur which is home to Geysir and Strokkur. Geysir rarely erupts but Strokkur erupts every 5 to 10 minutes and up to a height of 15 to 20m. And we saw it erupting a few times and it was amazing! Alessio liked this area a lot and the smell was rather potent indeed!

The final stop was the Gullfoss waterfall which means The Golden waterfall, we walked down to the area, quite amazing to see! It is located on river White, which is fed by Langjökull, the second largest glacier in Iceland. The water plummets 32m down in two stages into a cannon which is 70m deep. We only saw it from the top it was possible to see the waterfall from another angle.

There are many tours doing the Golden Circle and they pick you up from your hotel. I would really recommend seeing these attractions, you can also just rent a car and do all 3 by yourself too.

Have a great weekend!