Golden circle afternoon bus tour

You travel through beautiful scenery to Þingvellir National Park (Thingvellir). This is one of the most incredible geological wonders of the world and also the place where Icelandic history was made. The Icelandic Parliament, Alþingi, was founded here in the year 930, making it the oldest continuously existing parliament in the world. The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates have been slowly edging apart creating a stunning rift valley that runs right through Þingvellir. The rugged cliff of this valley forms a dramatic and atmospheric backdrop to the place where the Law Speaker, the supreme Icelandic Chieftain would stand to proclaim the law. A flag marks the law rock (lögberg) where the greatest decisions in the history of the Icelandic people were declared. What an incredible photo opportunity!

Next on the agenda is the Geysir geothermally active area. Great Geysir, the spouting hot spring whose fame gave us the English word ‘geyser´ to describe this activity, is inactive nowadays. You will see Strokkur, a nearby erupting hot spring that erupts huge volumes of superheated water every 8 to 10 minutes. These boiling water spouts often soar to 25 m but sometimes the scalding jets will be propelled 40 m skywards. Watching a geyser erupt is always a stunning and incredible moment.

The final highlight is the most popular waterfall in Iceland, the magnificent Gullfoss (the “Golden Falls). The river flowing through Gullfoss is the mighty Hvítá (the White River), this river originates at Langjökull glacier, the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland. Feel the spray in the air as the thundering torrent is forced through the canyon, dropping 32 m in two stages, pivoting as it does so. You will see plenty of golden hued spray around Gullfoss, the Golden Falls!