K – I recently traveled to Iceland for a glitzy wedding of a close family friend. Recently, Iceland tourism has skyrocketed. I feel like whenever I peruse Facebook or Instagram, I see friends in galavanting around Reykjavik. After seeing countless amazing Iceland pictures on social media, when I heard the wedding was in Iceland, I immediately thought, “we must go!!”
Iceland is a completely unique vacation and the natural wonders are absolutely incredible! The #1 tour in the area is the Golden Circle Tour where you hit 3 main spots: the Tectonic Plates, the Geysir and the Gullfoss Waterfall. I had a great time on this tour and I want to write about my experience so if you find yourself in Iceland, you will book this tour as well!
Here is a review of the Golden Circle Tour Excursion in Iceland
Spot #1 – Tectonic Plates
Where the Eurasian plate meets the North American plate
Iceland was formed by the turbulent interactions between the Eurasian tectonic plate and the North American tectonic plate. During the first tour stop at the tectonic plate ridge, you are able to walk between the drifting tectonic plates – Iceland is the only place in the entire world where the effects of two major tectonic plates drifting apart can easily be observed above sea level…so walking in between the ridge is VERY COOL!
If you are a daredevil or if you are a scuba diver, you are able to snorkel/dive and see the tectonic plate ridge under water. We had friends who did this and they LOVED it!
To learn more about the creation of Iceland and the formation of the plates click here
Spot #2 -Strokkur Geyser
Geysir geothermal area where the geyser shoots a column of water up to 98 ft.
I was not able to get a good picture of the Geysir shooting high into the air BECAUSE the explosion was like a tidal wave and soaked my camera…
However, it was very cool! The water in the Geysir bubbled for about 3 minutes then shot straight into the air! The vertical stream of water reached around 90 ft. I would estimate. My hair smelled like sulfur and my coat was drenched…but it was worth it!
Spot #3 – Gullfoss Waterfall
Waterfall that plunges 105 ft. deep
Our third and last stop on the Golden Circle Tour was the Gullfoss Waterfall. The waterfall is located in the canyon of the Hvita river in Southwest Iceland. A rainbow appeared for almost the entire time we visited the waterfall (see the first photo). It was gorgeous and good for the fitbit…lots and lots of steps.
Make sure and save time to go across the street to see the cute horses!
We booked our tour through Reykjavic Excursions and our guide was AWESOME! She made the time pass so quickly and we learned about Icelandic history and daily Icelandic culture.
Here is a link to Reykjavic Excursions: Click Here
