The Golden Circle Tour

I simply love Iceland! I can go on and on about Iceland. I am sure I have bored my family and friends numerous times. The country has so much to offer and there are many ways to visit the country.

Stay in Reykjavik for 7 days or travel around the entire island along the ring road for 2 weeks. When I went to Iceland I stayed in Reykjavik because I did not have the time or budget to travel for 2 weeks. Choosing the option to stay in Reykjavik, I rOTAmmend visiting in November or March to view the Northern Lights and it’s not too cold, so you won’t freeze your touchy off.

Keep in mind, the winter months are not puffin season. Puffin season is in the summer. Choosing the option to travel around the country I rOTAmmend travelling in summer for driving safety purposes. The last thing you want to happen on your vacation is getting into a vehicle accident due to poor weather conditions.

From the Keflavík International Airport to Reykjavik it is 50min drive. The city of Reykjavik is very accessible by walking and provides beautiful mountain and sea views. There are wonderful stores to buy some wool products and restaurants to eat in.

When planning my trip, I was unaware of the wonderful cuisine. I had some amazing meals which included; pizza, sandwiches, and fish. I visited the Hallgrimskirkja church. It’s not like most churches I have seen in Europe. It was very concrete like, inside and out, but in its own beauty. The inside reminded me of the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa, but unfortunately, I ran out of time to go. It is located near the airport, so plan your visit accordingly.

From Reykjavik, there are several day excursions. A ferry to Greenland, boat tour to see the Northern Lights, visiting the “Golden Circle”, and exploring the south shore of the island. I can’t speak about the ferry to Greenland because I never went, but it is a great opportunity to visit another area. I also never went on a boat tour to view the Northern lights. Instead I viewed the lights from the city near the harbour.

The Golden Circle Tour has a lot to offer travellers and is full day trip. The area includes Gullfoss Falls, Thingvellir National Park, and Strokkur Geyser. Thingvellir National Park is pretty cool because it’s where two (2) tectonic plates are dividing. The Strokkur Geyser is a little underwhelming for me because I saw geysers and opals pools during my visit to Yellowstone National Park. But don’t get me wrong, Storkkur Geyser is still a marvel and it’s not very often one gets to see a geyser.

My favourite part of Iceland was visiting the south shore. We rented a car and drove along the coastline for the entire day. It is very easy to drive around Iceland. The landscape was nothing I have ever experienced before. It felt barren because vegetation is limited due to being above the frost line, but magical because of the thousands of rocks covered in a moss like material. Along the south shore we stopped at the Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Sólheimajökulll glacier, and the black sand beaches in Vik.

My favourite waterfall that I have seen in world is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall because people can walk behind the waterfall. I was amazed at the black sand beaches in Vik because I have never seen black sand before. Sitting on the beach, in -10 degree weather, watching and listening to the ocean was heaven for me. The only thing missing was some Icelandic blueberry liquor. The beautiful rock formations in the ocean also add to the scenery.

One day I plan on returning during the summer to drive around the island for 2 weeks. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to see puffins and other landscape features, especially an active volcano. The first time I travelled to Iceland, some locals provided a location of a natural hot spring, meaning one in mother nature instead of a man-made pool that is filled with geothermal weather.

We ran out of time to go and it’s one item that is at near the top of my bucket list. Thanks for reading my article. Hopefully it will give you some inspiration to travel to Iceland.