Angeline Kwan’s Golden Circle trip

Here’s a short account of Angeline Kwan’s trip to Iceland from June 2010.  Angeline took a tour our of Reykjavik for 8900ISK and gives it an 8/10 overall with a few critiques.

Text and images from AngelineKwan.com with permission (images placement by editor)

The “must-see” attraction of Iceland where tourist are able to experience the power of nature – waterfall, geysir, green national park. We decide to get a tour instead of driving for this one as it was almost the same price besides we get more tour info. We picked Go travel Iceland as it was kinda of the cheapest 8900ISK and it has really good rating from TripAdvisor. Thanks to Evelyn that helped us to arranged everything from tour booking to car renting and even help us to wash our dirty laundry. Good day out of the misty city and enter to the nature. Weather was perfect for the outing.

Gulfoss, the largest waterfall in Iceland was amazing. It feels almost like Victoria fall (I think as I haven’t been there). When you stand on top of the cliff overseeing the entire waterfall below your feet, it feels like you are on top of the world. Shame there is no rainbow cast. Watch the video to see how magnification the waterfall was.

Standing in the mist by Gulfoss

Geysir geothermal area, the place was like in Mars. Pools of mud bubble, geysers explode and weird looking rocks and the mixture of the hot water and rock makes it looks almost looks like an ugly marble. This is our favourite spot of the there. The Strokkur which erupts every 5-15 mins is a little brother to Geysir – which has stopped erupting, which is kind of sad as its eruptions where much more spectacular than of Strokkur.

Strokkur geysir, in the Geysir geothermal area

Pingvellir National Park the evergreen & lots of water filled rifts with crystal clear water perfect for scuba diving. Funny fact is people actually throw lots of coins in those rifts and it form a rather interesting and shining effect to the rifts. Pretty awesome actually.

Thingvellir National Park (view of the valley)

Coins in the water at Thingvellier

The entire trip was fun overall. Rate 8 out of 10. Probably I was expecting more tour guide on the location spot rather then the tour guide disappearing all the time once she drop us there. But she does provide random general info about Iceland during the road trip and stop at some interesting attraction along the way like the canyon volcano & blue waterfall & the Geothermal station.

Cool Day Tour Options in Iceland

The famous Geyser named strokkur

Day tours are a popular option for many tourists in Iceland.  Many people are not up for multi-day or overnight tours (even though they can be a really fun adventure).  Day tours give the traveler an experience without sucking-up too much time or money. 

If you are travelling to Iceland and interested in booking a tour, here’s a list of fun, interesting Iceland day tours, (all depart from Reykjavik) for your consideration and some websites to visit for more information:

Jeep tours
Iceland jeep tours are very popular.  What better way to see the country’s untamed outback than in a specially modified super jeep that can ford rivers, navigate glaciers and everything in between.

Glacier tours – One of the more popular tours is called Essential Iceland.  The highlight of this tour is driving onto Langjokull glacier in a super jeep.  This tour also includes a stop at Thingvellir, some lava caves waterfalls. All in all, this is an aptly named tour.   

Golden circle tour – one of the most popular day tours in Iceland.  Visits three of Iceland’s gems, Gullfoss, Geyser and Thingvellir National Park in one manageable Iceland day tour.  Here’s a link for more information on a popular Iceland golden circle tour.

Landmannalaugur – a natural wonderland in the southern highlands with amazing colors and landscapes shaped by glaciers and volcanic activity.  Here’s a link to a popular Landmannalaugur jeep tour.    

Northern lights (winter only) & the Midnight sun (summer only).  Take advantage of Iceland’s latitude by seeing either the Northern Lights or the Midnight sun.  The following links will take you to a couple popular Iceland Northern lights tour and Iceland Midnight sun tour.

For the more active types:
Glacier treks and hikes are a great choice for the more active seeking tourists.  Iceland has numerous  glaciers including the largest in Europe, Vatnajokull.  The following link will take you to a pretty extensive list of available Iceland glacier tours.

Hiking tours in Iceland are a great way of experiencing the country firsthand.  Iceland, when the weather is good, is a hiking paradise.  The following link will take you to a list of available Iceland hiking tours for people of all levels. 

Ice climbing in Iceland is pretty awesome and there are lots of spectacular locations to choose from.  The following link will take you to a list of available Iceland ice climbing tours for people of all levels.

Hot springs are abundant in Iceland because of all the geothermal activity and Icelanders have been using these natural geothermal hot springs for hundreds of years.  The following link will take you to a particularly popular Iceland hot springs tour.  

Horseback riding is another popular activity in Iceland.  The following link will take you to a list of available Iceland horseback riding tours.  

Mountain climbing in Iceland is epic.  Not in terms of altitude but in the views afforded the adventurous tourist. The following link will take you to a list of available Iceland mountain climbing tours for people of all levels.  

For the ocean-going types:
Whale watching is another popular day tour choice in Iceland.  Hop on a boat and head into the beautiful North Atlantic sea for some unforgettable Iceland whale watching.

Squaring the (Golden) Circle

Here’s a unique summary. Many references to the Golden Circle tour have the perfunctory comments. This one includes knitwear, singing, Guinness and Icelandic beer and inspired the ‘witty’ category and tag.

Quote from Stouters:

There are hazards in Iceland. Knitwear is one, singing seems to be another. So, while we were travelling round on the Golden Circle tour, the tour guide insisted on singing us the sort of traditional Icelandic songs that probably requires knitwear to be worn while performing.

The Golden Circle is one of those things that you do even though it’s touristy: some things are touristy for a reason and that’s usually because in some way shape or form they tend to verge on the epic. The Kerið volcanic crater passes in a blur, the Gullfoss waterfall is an amazing torrent of water over ice, and the Geysir thermal area is, of course, the place that christened an entire geological phenomenon. Þingvellir National Park is probably the piece de resistance though, the site of not only the oldest existing parliament in the world but also where the North American and Eurasian continental plates are being ripped apart by plate tectonics at the stately rate of 2cm per year. Under azure skies, you gaze down from a basalt cliff at the flagpole which marks where the Lawspeaker used to stand and recite the law and settle disputes and then across a 7km wide rift valley. Aside from a couple of islands (several off the Icelandic coast) this is some of the youngest land in the world.

We celebrate by finding an Irish pub and downing a couple of Guinnessi. Now, this may sound like cultural imperialism but, to be honest, the only thing Icelandic beer has got going for it is the complete absence of flavour (which, considering the aforementioned putrefied shark or sheep’s head is probably a good thing). It’s cold, it’s vaguely fizzy, comes in strong and astoundingly weak varieties, and the head brewer at the Vífilfell Brewery rejoices in the name Baldur. Insert your own Tolkein joke here.

Golden Circle Tours

This post is about a featured Golden Circle Tour operator, and Iceland Tour experts, Iceland Rovers.

Since 1997, Iceland Rovers has served thousands of happy customers and helped them explore the natural and unspoiled beauty of Iceland. Iceland Rovers offers a wide variety of exciting adventure day tours, overnight tours and corporate incentive travel packages, all from our headquarters in Reykjavik.

Iceland Rovers is owned and operated by a group of guides and professional mountaineers with years of experience in outdoor activities and the Iceland tourist industry. We offer adventures into the fascinating nature of Iceland in specially outfitted Land Rover Defenders, Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruisers, vehicles having a reputation worldwide for reliability and sturdiness. All our vehicles are mounted on 38 or 44 inch tires, equipped with a GPS and VHF-Radios and other necessary equipment for summer and winter expeditions in Iceland’s remote and rugged landscape.

Each vehicle will comfortably accommodate five to seven passengers for road and track touring. For glacier or snow driving, the maximum number is 4 to 5 passengers so as to limit the total weight.

Why take a Golden Circle Tour on a crowded bus when you can go with a small group in a rugged, comfortable 4×4? Skip the crowds and see more of Iceland. After all, it’s your vacation, right?

To book a tour, click the image or text below. These links go to a page that looks like this, highlighting the Classic Golden Circle Tour.  The site will request your travel dates and after booking, Iceland Rovers will contact you to follow up and confirm details.  They’ll take good care of you.

Book a Classic Golden Circle Tour.

Iceland Rovers: Golden Circle Tour

Golden Circle tour in January

Whitemeister’s experience of Iceland included a new years eve hangover, (which also means it was a winter season vacation), the Blue Lagoon and the Golden Circle tour.  Both of these run year round though some may consider an Iceland vacation only for the most hearty among us.

Overall impressions: Cold, expensive food and not overrun with tourists!

Quote

Iceland Pt Tveir – Blue Lagoon & Golden Circle Tour

After only a few hours sleep 2008 kicked off with a 45 minute morning bus journey to Blue Lagoon which wasn’t so agreeable with our new years hangovers. I didn’t feel too good but Sherwood even went as far as saying it was the worst 45 minutes of his life!

Obviously it was bl*ody freezing outside and the short walk from the door to the lagoon was far from comfortable to say the least. As warm as the water was it was still difficult being in the nations number one tourist attraction as the wind and occasional hail seemed to be forever in our faces. An interesting experience for sure.

On January the 2nd we were up early doors to do a ‘Golden Circle’ bus tour of some of the country’s top natural sights which started with us arriving at Skalholt church in the foreground of some mountains in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. Lunchtime saw us arrive at Gullfoss waterfalls; Icelands most spectacular falls flowing down in three different levels. After that i paid nearly a tenner just for some lamb soup which is supposed to be some kind of Icelandic speciality. Admittedly it was nice though no soup could ever be worth that kind of price!

Next up was the nearby geyser which erupted every few minutes and waiting for this natural phenomenon to occur was absolutely freezing while i was poised with my camera hoping to capture the perfect image. As the photos show i didn’t quite get the reward i deserved for freezing my butt off!

Our final port of calls were Kerio volcano crater lake (which was frozen) and Pingvellir National Park where there was a rift valley caused by two of the earths plates being separated…apparently! The water was so clear that you could see right down to the bed of the river thing with ease.

More expensive food (Icelandic lobster pasta for about 30 quid!), half a dozen beers and a few hours sleep rounded off an eventful few days in Europe’s most remote country and though things certainly never went to plan we experienced what we were kind of after in terms of a place not flooded by tourists.

You can see my Iceland photos here

Rose Appleby’s Golden Circle trip – 1995 (2/3)

Iceland – The Golden Circle

We drive past Geysir, fluffy white puffs of steam rising from the ground, and turn off to Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall. I’m looking forward to this. Hope my fear of edges doesn’t prevent me from seeing everything. The coach pulls into a parking area, and from the window I catch a glimpse of the falls, making me stop breathing for a minute and press my hands to the window. Before we disembark, we’re warned to watch our step because of the ice. Last year someone slipped and fell in, and they haven’t been found yet. I wonder if I’ll join them. There’s a narrow gravelly stone path going across, then up sharply (well, it looks sharp to me) to a craggy peninsula. I stand for a moment at the edge of the car park and smile at the view, then gingerly make my way up the path, stopping halfway for a blissful view of the churning white torrents, and feel a moment of dizziness as the force draws me to lean forward. I check myself and carry on up the path, hardly daring to breath, watching for slippery bits. As I near the top I can hear and feel the power of the falls, and I scramble awkwardly up some rocks, eager for the view.

Well. About the view. About the roar of the water; about the delicate, quiet spray, softly rising and drifting in the breeze; about the atmosphere; about the clean, sharp air; about the beauty, the grace, the sheer unstoppable power. My automatic camera packs in, so I’m forced to the unfamiliar manual one, probably none will come out. Well, hold the memory. It won’t be difficult. The falls go in steps, turning a corner, and the water is that beautiful, milky green of glacial water. Remember this. When I’m on my last legs, about to pop my clogs, bring me to Gullfoss and throw me over the edge. Let the falls finish me off, and let the tiny once-me-bits be spread the length and breadth of whatever route this river takes. I’m moved.

Then I move, a moments panic at the climb back down the rocky bit. I can see myself slipping over the edge crying ‘Not yet….!’. I slither down awkwardly on my bottom, as the others spring down gazelle-like around me. Bugger them. I walk slowly back up the path.

This is the Silver Waterfall today; all around the edges of the falls and on the slopes the spray has landed on the rocks and mossy ground and frozen, turning everything into a miniature forest of delicate silvery white crystals. And now I’ve climbed up the steps and am on top of the world, but still dwarfed by the surrounding mountains. I can see the falls in their entirety and everything is beautiful. I’m the last one, and I feel like the last person on earth; I turn in slow circles listening to the chill wind that bites my ears and nose, hearing the roar of the falls, and feeling the power and peace of the land around me.

The bus starts its engine, rudely interrupting my dreaming, so I jog back down the icy steps trying to avoid the bird droppings on the handrail. They’re purple.

—–

This is part 2 of 3 from Rose’s 1995 diary entry.  Posted originally at Rose Appleby.

<<<  Rose Appleby’s Golden Circle – Part One

>>> Rose Appleby’s Golden Circle – Part Three

Rose Appleby’s Golden Circle trip – 1995 (3/3)

Iceland – The Golden Circle

A quick drive downhill and we arrive at Geysir. Geysir itself is a huge wart-like bump with tiny streams of water dribbling down it. The rock is streaked with slippery looking, whitish deposits and quite hollow; when you jump up and down, you expect it to crack, or a little goblin to lift up a crusty flap and ask you to keep the noise down. In the middle of the water there’s now a dead pool of crystal clear water with a rude looking hole in the middle, its ejaculations quenched by a tourist in recent years who chucked a load of gravel down it to tempt it into action. Instead, it killed it. I wonder if it was the same tourist who was swept away at Gullfoss. Maybe the ground recognised the murderer and shrugged slightly, making him loose his balance and plunge into the eager waters. I hope so.

We continue in our broken, straggly crocodile to a blue pool. Silica again. The water level is exactly the height of the ground, and so clear it’s disconcerting; you can see the bottom perfectly (and it’s quite deep), but it looks like there’s no water there at all. If you didn’t know you could easily walk straight into it. A very faint line of the same whitish deposit on the rock marks the edge of the water, as you get close. This is the only water here you can put your hand in (the rest is too hot) and people do, sending ripples across the surface, distorting the clarity. I have a go. It’s hot. Weird.

And on, past little holes bubbling and spitting and steaming, each with their own name politely displayed on a wooden plaque a safe distance away. Then we join the crowd around Strokkur, with a gap in the circle down wind. Apparently the spray is so hot we’re advised to keep out its way. Strokkur means ‘the churn’, because it does. It churns now; cameras are raised, then lowered. Then raised again as the water level in the huge, gaping hole suddenly bulges; then lowered when the water recedes.

The people who’d backed away shuffle forward again, joking nervously, but they don’t come quite as close as they were before. The water level rises again, swirling slowly, and some of the tourists start chanting; it hears them and goes back down again. It rises again, and again, then suddenly it just keeps on rising and swelling, forcing a huge green bubble of water up and up and with a massive rush up into the sky it goes in a steaming white billowing jet.

This is nature! This is rude! Four times, then it sighs back down its hole, exhausted. There’s a rush to the hotel for dinner and I stay a while to look for some bubbling mud, but can’t find any.

A baby hole, quite deep, makes me jump back with a squeak when it plops loudly and fingers of boiling water spring out at me. I’m wary of them all – couldn’t any of them suddenly do a Strokkur? I pick my way over the fragile crust of ground, worried about stumbling inadvertently into a blowhole, and retire to the hotel for my fresh salmon, watching Strokkur perform for each new wave of tourists from the window.

—–

This is part 3 of 3 from Rose’s 1995 diary entry.  Posted originally at Rose Appleby.

<<<  Rose Appleby’s Golden Circle – Part Two