Touring The Golden Circle In South Iceland

Home > Iceland > Touring The Golden Circle In South Iceland

Iceland is a country of marvelous landscapes with floating glaciers, mesmerizing fjords, golden beaches, geothermal fields, breathtaking waterfalls, beautiful deserts, volcanic craters, lovely villages and a number of other attractions. Travelers can enjoy a relaxing or an adventurous holiday here depending on the type of vacation the traveler seeks. One of the most visited areas is the Golden Circle in south Iceland that covers a distance of 300 km from Reykjavik and back in a circular path with some well known landmarks highlighting the route.

One can take a guided tour of this fascinating route with one of the tour buses or cars or even hire a car and tackle the road on their own. En route the Golden Circle, there are three principal stops that all tourists make a point to visit, the Haukadalur, which is a functional geothermal field, the Gullfoss Waterfall and the þingvellir national park. There are many other attractions here that include the Skálholt Church, the oldest church to mark the spread of Christianity in this region, the Kerio volcanic crater lake and the Hveragerdi green villages.

Haukadalur comprises of the ‘Geysir’, a massive geyser that spouts out steam and hot water that shoots up to an amazing height of 200 feet while its smaller counterpart the ‘Strokkur’ erupts every five minutes throwing up a steaming jet reaching up to 100 feet. Also there are paths along the hot streams that enable people to walk around and admire the beauty of the Geysir and the surrounding hot springs and the colorful and picturesque landscape. Although the Geysir is almost dormant, it does splurt out once or twice a year giving a spectacular view.

The Gullfoss or the ‘Golden Falls’ is the largest waterfall in Europe. The crystal-clear water gushes down the Hvita glacial river among a mist of clouds and a colorful rainbow marking the horizon, creating a mesmerizing effect and a glorious view that can hold everyone spellbound. Whether it is summer or winter, the Gullfoss presents a spectacular view. In winter ice forms beautifully shaped icicles that hang down the edges giving a most intriguing appearance to the falls, but the summer views of the Gullfoss are the best and the most photographed.

Þingvellir or ‘Thingvellir’ is a place where the Icelanders first formed their parliament. It is also known as the place to have established the first parliament in the world, in 930 AD, more than 300 years ago. Therefore it is a historically important place, besides it offers a rich cultural heritage and is also home to the largest natural lake in the country. One can also view the shifting of the tectonic plates with the drifting of the North American and the Eurasian plates clearly visible here. Thingvellir offers some great scenic views and along with the other two attractions on the Golden Circle route makes it a worthwhile trip for the traveler.