The term “Golden Circle” is a marketing device. There are several natural wonders located close enough to Reykjavik that they can all be visited on a single day trip, and some bright hospitality executive came up a few decades ago with a moniker that shouted “must-do!”, and it has since become the cornerstone piece of tourism in the country.
The three defining components of the circle are Gullfoss Waterfall, Geysir Geothermal Area, and Thingvellir National Park. Marketing hype notwithstanding, they are all well worth visiting. It should be pointed out that they are positioned roughly on a straight line rather than any circular route in relation to each other or to the capital. However, the customary track for seeing them all on a single day from a base in central Reykjavik is a triangular-looking highway loop that allows add-ons, such as the Kerid Crater (Kerið in Icelandic spelling).
This is not an explosion crater, but rather a caldera that collapsed inward without any volcanic eruption, anywhere between three and six thousand years ago. The walking path around the rim takes about 25 minutes to navigate at an unhurried pace.
I did not remove the tiny people from either the bottom or the opposite side of the rim, primarily as an indication of scale.
The lake at the bottom of the crater is 55 meters down, accessible via a designated path, and frozen in winter. There are standard warnings not to step on the ice, but you will always find younger visitors who ignore those. I am too old and too rule-abiding for that, so I limited myself to standing on the edge of the ice when I walked down.
It is kind of curious how pieces of rock and ice are found atop the frozen surface.
Surrounding landscapes as seen from the Kerid’s rim.
The labels on this public toilet’s doors suggest adventures awaiting those who enter – be it navigating a lava tunnel, watching the whales, or scuba-diving – which I found unexpectedly humorous.
Gullfoss regularly tops the lists of most impressive waterfalls in Iceland. The name means “Golden Falls”, and its anchoring location on the Golden Circle means that the multi-tiered waterfall is the most visited of all falls in the country.
There are various viewing points on the western bank of the Hvitá River, so I got a few different angles to capture the tremendous sight.
It should be noted that the strong winds accompanying my visit to Iceland were at their strongest and coldest around Gullfoss. I could barely maintain an upright posture and avoid dropping the camera from my frozen fingers as I was taking these pictures.
The waterfall cascades into a narrow canyon, where the small river eventually adopts a relatively serene flow.
Farms breeding Icelandic horses dot the countryside. Our tour bus made a stop at Brú horse farm, not far from Gullfoss, so that we could get up close and personal with these sturdy animals.
The Haukadalur Geothermal Area – commonly known as “Geysir”, the name that gave origin to the English word “geyser”, as one might expect – is a steaming cluster of mud pits.
The headline attraction is one geyser that erupts every few minutes, the Strokkur. I positioned myself on different sides of it and waited out the periods of calm in order to capture several sequences of the signature event.
Standing downwind from the geyser turned out about as well as you might guess – once the steam came towards me, it affected the camera’s ability to focus.
I moved to another side for another sequence.
The last main component of the Golden Circle is Thingvellir National Park, but since it is a recognized UNESCO World Heritage site, it will enjoy a separate subsequent entry in these pages.
A general note on doing the Golden Circle. There are many options for joining a group chauffeured tour – the driver will provide wide-ranging commentary during driving segments, but let you explore on your own at each stop. If you are car-enabled, it is not too difficult to make the circuit on your own, and whatever you lose in the form of the driver’s narration will be plentifully compensated for by managing your own time at each stop and not wasting any on pick-ups and drop-offs.