Gullfoss

Iceland’s Golden Circle

Featuring quite a few of Iceland’s most iconic tourist destinations, the aptly named “Golden Circle” tourist route is one of the most popular excursions for anyone visiting the country.

The 300 kilometre route is a loop that takes you from the capital city of Reykjavik into the southern area of the country and then back again to the capital.

Usually completed as a day-trip, the Golden Circle is situated on a well-established route that can be visited year-round. The popularity of the route also means that tourists will have a variety of options when considering their itinerary and how they’ll get around.

The three primary stops along the Golden Circle are the Þingvellir National Park, the Geysir Geothermal Area and Gullfoss Waterfall, but there is so much more than you can see and do while making your way around the loop.

With this blog post, I will offer short introductions to some of the most popular attractions along the Golden Circle as well as provide links to the articles I’ve posted about each location.

I will also offer some travel tips and advice for getting around and making the most of your trip.

Route Map

The Golden Circle is an extremely easy route to follow - Once you get yourself outside of the capital city, its more or less a straight drive as you pass by the most important stops along the way.

There are of course other locations that you can check out, but it would be hard to argue that you’d get lost along the way. Most of the destinations are just a simple stop off the main highways.

If you are travelling by car, its likely that you’ll have access to a GPS either in the car or on your phone - Use of a GPS will ensure that you arrive at your destination and most importantly at the best parking space.

The entire route is about 300 kilometres in length, but once you get started you’ll find that each location is never more than an hour away from the previous one.

There are also many other scenic locations to stop along the way for some photos - especially the vast fields full of Icelandic horses!

Þingvellir National Park

Once you’ve left Reykjavík, the first place you’ll find yourself driving through is the historic Þingvellir National Park (Pronounced Thingvellir) which has a special place in the hearts of the Icelandic people.

The drive through the park is beautiful and there are several places where tourists can stop along the way to enjoy the beautiful scenery.


The first major destination along the route is the beautiful Öxaráfoss Waterfall.

The waterfall admittedly isn’t as big as some of the others that you’ll see during your Icelandic travels, but it is a beauty and the area was featured as a shooting location for the Game of Thrones television series.

Visiting the waterfall is free of charge and is a short walk from the parking lot.

Click here for more about the waterfall.


The second major destination along the route is Geysir Geothermal Area.

The park, which is also free of charge is known for its somewhat dormant ‘Great Geysir’ as well as the very active Strokkur geyser which erupts every five to ten minutes.

When visiting, its a good idea to stick around to see a few of the geysers eruptions, check out some of the hot spring pools and possibly also taking a walk up the small mountain for some great views of the valley.

You won’t need a lot of time to visit this area, but it certainly is an enjoyable one - especially if you haven’t seen a live geyser erupt before!

Click here for more about the Geysir Geothermal Area.


Gullfoss Waterfall is probably the most important stop along the Golden Circle day route.

The giant waterfall is one of the most spectacular in the whole of Europe and is a must-stop destination for anyone visiting the country.

The waterfall, which is known in English as the “Golden Waterfall” has well-developed walking paths and allows for visitors to get very, very close - and of course, entry is free of charge!

Click here for more about Gullfoss.


Once you’ve visited the three most important of the Golden Circle’s destinations, depending on how much time you have, you’ll likely be able to visit a few more of the destinations along the route back home.

One location which I highly recommend is the relatively unpopular Faxifoss Waterfall.

The waterfall, which shares the same water source as Gullfoss is a beautiful set of falls where you are able to walk right up to the shore or to the top of the falls.

Click here for more about Faxifoss.


Skálholt Cathedral

Quite a few people will stop in the historic significant area of Skálholt to check out the Skálholt Cathedral and some of the archaeological sites nearby.

For eight centuries Skálholt was one of the most important political and religious areas in the country. 

The current cathedral is only a few decades old, but is built in Icelandic style and visitors are welcome to go inside to check it out.

A visit to the church is a nice break from enjoying all of the waterfalls and natural landscapes that you will have already seen during your tour.  


One of the final stops along the Golden Circle route before reaching the town of Selfoss is Crater Kerið.

The giant volcanic crater was formed by a huge volcanic explosion that forced the volcano to collapse.

Visitors are able to walk around the edge of the 55 meter deep and 170 meter wide crater’s edge before eventually descending down to water-level to check out the pristine water of the crater lake.

Click here for more about Crater Kerið


Getting around the Golden Circle

If you’re travelling through Iceland, the best thing you could do is rent a car in advance and pick it up directly at the airport.

Renting a car is your cheapest option for transportation as buses and taxi’s will end up costing considerably more than driving a car would.

If you are adamant that you don’t want to drive a car, there are a variety of options to get you around the Golden Circle. You could arrange to hire a cab in Reykjavik that will transport you along the route. This will end up being quite expensive, but if you are travelling in a group or can find others willing to travel with you, you can save some cash.

The better option would be to sign up for one of the hundreds of tour options from one of the many tour groups in the capital. Reykjavik Excursions for example has quite a few options for tours along the Golden Circle. Prices there tend to vary between $60-100USD, which seem quite reasonable.

You may also want to consider Gray Line Tours, Arctic Adventures, Reykjavik Sightseeing or check out the Guide to Iceland website which has a lot of information about booking tours.

Tips for Travelling the Golden Circle

Are you driving? Driving yourself is probably the best way to get around the Golden Circle. There are a few things you’ll want to take into consideration before your trip though:  

  • Are you visiting during Summer? The roads are well-maintained and are easy to travel.

  • Are you visiting during Winter? If so, don’t rent the smallest car possible. You’re going to need a 4x4 to ensure your safety.

  • Don’t be fooled by the wide open roads. Speeding is going to cost you and there are speed traps all over the route.

  • There are roundabouts all over the country which are excellent ways to keep people from speeding especially when entering a town. If you are coming up to a roundabout, be sure to reduce your speed as much as possible. There are often speed traps nearby and if you get caught you won’t be happy with the results!

  • Make sure to have a GPS in your car or have Google Maps available on your phone so that you don’t get lost or randomly pass by one of your destinations. Oxrarfoss for example doesn’t have a lot of signage pointing in its direction. You could pass by without even noticing!

  • There are only a few gas stations along the route, so you’re going to want to make sure that you leave with a full tank of gas.

You’ll want to take into consideration the direction you’re going to start in - For example, if getting to Gullfoss early in the morning (when its least busy) is your top priority, you may want to start the route from the south. If you prefer a more leisurely drive, you’ll probably want to head directly to Þingvellir National Park.

There aren’t very many places to eat along the route, so it’d be a good idea to pack a lunch with snacks and beverages for the day. The few restaurants along the way are quite expensive. 

 Stopping along the side of the road to take photos of the beautiful scenery - and of course and Icelandic horses - is recommended but be sure to park somewhere safe that won’t impede traffic. There are many public car stops and camp grounds along the way for you to use!  

Save for an entrance fee at Crater Kerið (400ISK/pax) you won’t have to pay entrance or parking fees at any of the other stops along the way - Unless of course you decide to visit one of the hot spring resorts.

Traveling the Golden Circle is a very economic way to see some of the best scenery Iceland has to offer! 

Have some extra time? Why not turn the daytrip into a several day trip? To make the most of the Golden Circle, you could easily spend the night in one of the cabins or campsites along the way. Spending the night allows you to see and do more and in the summer allows you much more time to explore!  

There are several online guides on the web dedicated to helping people make the best of their Icelandic holiday. If you are looking for more help with tours, accomodations and food options for your trip, be sure to check out some of these excellent resources:  

  1. Guide to Iceland - How to Drive the Golden Circle

  2. Extreme Iceland - A Complete Guide to the Golden Circle

  3. Expert Vagabong - Ultimate Guide to Driving Iceland’s Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is a landscape lovers paradise - There is so much to see and do while visiting small patch of heaven. Most people have a wonderful day trip while visiting the area but others spend several days enjoying the beauty of the natural landscape. Whatever you choose to do, you’re sure to have a great time! 

Crater Kerið

Travelling along Iceland’s popular Golden Circle you’re going to be treated to some of the country’s most spectacular scenery in what is widely known as an extremely geologically-active environment. The Golden Circle is home to geysers, hot spring baths and spectacular geological beauty formed by hundreds of thousands of years of volcanic activity.

More significant to the people of Iceland though is that the geothermal environment that attracts its fair share of tourism has also been harnessed to generate clean electricity providing around 90% of the population with hot water and heating. With the remainder of Iceland’s electricity generated by hydro power, the country has been able to successfully reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to less than 1% of their total electricity production.

The ability to harness the earth’s natural power in such a significant way however comes with the knowledge that at any given time disaster may strike in the form of an earthquake or volcanic eruption.

Iceland is currently home to around 130 active (and inactive) volcanoes which directly contribute to the constantly changing nature of the country’s natural environment.

In 2010 for example, the relatively small eruption at Eyjafjallajökull caused massive disruptions to air travel around Europe and North America thanks to the tons of volcanic ash that it spewed for a period of six days.

What happens though when a volcanic eruption is too powerful?  

In some cases a powerful eruption has the ability to completely collapse all the land around it forming a circular volcanic crater known to geologists as a caldera.

Iceland is home to quite a few of these craters, especially in the Western Volcanic Zone, and a few of them have become popular tourist attractions.

Most notable of those is ‘Crater Kerið’ in Southern Iceland which now serves as a popular destination for tourists along the Golden Circle route to see first-hand the awesome power of the Earth’s destructive capabilities.

Crater Kerið

The massive volcanic crater known as Crater Kerið (Pronounced: Kerith or Kerid) is one of Iceland’s youngest at an estimated age of around 3000 years but is well regarded for its visibly recognizable caldera.

Despite its relative youth, the crater has become a popular tourist attraction for its picturesque steep walls of red volcanic rock, aqua-blue crater lake and its convenient location next to the highway.

The crater measures 55 meters (180 ft) deep, 170 meters (560 ft) wide and 270 meters (890 ft) across. The depth of the crater lake tends to vary by season but is generally 7-14 meters deep.

It was originally thought that the crater was formed by a huge volcanic explosion, which is common with most craters of this kind. Upon further study however Scientists found no evidence of such an eruption in the area.

This discovery has led to the current theory that Kerið was once a cone-shaped volcano which erupted and ultimately imploded upon itself.

Scientists believe the eruption was a minor one (occurring around 6000 years ago) but resulted in the volcano depleting its underground magma reserve. The weight of the magma once on the surface collapsed the volcano forming the crater that we see today.

Conditions at the crater tend to vary by season - In the summer, visitors are treated to a colourful crater lake that reflects the sky with volcanic-red crater walls covered in beautiful green moss that blends in with a green valley for as far as the eye can see.

In winter on the other hand, the crater walls are often covered with snow and the lake freezes. If you’re there at the right time of day, it is said to be an amazing location for viewing the Northern Lights.

No matter what time of the year you visit, you will be treated to beautiful views of the surrounding landscape while walking the perimeter of the massive crater.

The landowners have set up a well-maintained path which allows visitors to completely circle the crater as well as allowing you to walk down to water-level of the crater lake.

If you are travelling to the crater in winter, be sure to wear proper footwear and a warm coat. If you are visiting in summer you may not need that warm coat or winter boots, but you’ll definitely need a windbreaker to protect yourself from the wind in the valley.

Getting There

 

If you are following the popular Golden Circle route, Crater Kerid is about a three-hour drive from the capital of Reykjavik. Most tourists will have already stopped by Öxaráfoss, the Geysir Geothermal Park and Gullfoss before reaching the crater.

Crater Kerid is located around 15 kilometres north of the town of Selfoss or 56 kilometres south of Gullfoss along highway route 35.

If you are following the Golden Circle route, it is likely that the crater will be one of your last destinations before heading back.

It should only take you around 40-50 minutes to arrive at the crater after leaving Gullfoss but that depends on whether or not you’ve stopped at Faxifoss or Skalholt before arriving at the crater.

If you’ve decided that you won’t bother renting a car while visiting Iceland, you’re going to have to rely on public transportation to get around. There are tours out of the capital offered by tour groups like Reykjavik Excursions which offer tourists access to several different stops for around $100USD. It is important to remember that if you want to book a tour that you should do so well in advance as the seats on the daily tours tend to fill up quickly.

Once you arrive at the crater there is an excellent car park provided for guests - You’ll want to take note however that there is now an entrance fee to gain access to the park. The entrance fee is a modest one at 400 ISK ($4.00 USD) per person and is used to help maintain the natural environment at the park.

Visiting Crater Kerid doesn’t really require a lot of time - If you walk around the perimeter of the crater and walk down to water-level it shouldn’t take you more than an hour. The area is a beautiful one though and is a great place to take some landscape photos. You may also want to consider preparing some food and having a picnic before heading off to your next destination.

After travelling around the Golden Circle you may feel a bit underwhelmed with the crater but the crater is an excellent example of the geothermal nature of Iceland’s geography and paints a picture of the land’s storied past. It is definitely worthwhile to stop by and check it out - especially after a day of checking out waterfalls


Faxi Waterfall

Iceland is a large country with a tremendous amount of open space - That being said, most of the major tourist attractions are overflowing with tourists. The so-called Golden Circle in particular is one of the busiest areas on the country’s tourist circuit and is where you’re likely to have to share the beautiful landscape with buses and vans full of other people.

There are however several stops along the Golden Circle tourist loop that aren’t overrun with tourists and when you find them you’ll likely breathe a sigh of relief that you can finally be at one with nature!

This was the case when I stopped by the beautiful (but not so popular) Faxifoss Waterfall.

I had an entire waterfall to myself.

I could move around with my camera and my tripod and never have to worry about other people getting in my shots. I could get up close to the powerful falls, the shore and even to the top of the falls. 

The whole thing was mine and I was quite content with that!

Faxifoss certainly isn’t as large or as beautiful as nearby Gullfoss but the fact that you can have it all to yourself makes visiting it almost a zen-like experience.

Oddly described as a ‘smaller version of Gullfoss’, the waterfall is only a short drive from its larger sibling and is fed by the same glacial water source but is part of the Tungufljót river.

Known either as Faxifoss or Vatnsleysufoss, it is a single tier set of cascading falls that is about eighty meters wide and seven meters in height.

Even though waterfall is not as popular with your average tourist it is quite well-known by those who visit Iceland for the sole purpose of fishing the country’s rivers. The Tungufljót river is widely revered in sport fishing circles for the abundance of salmon and sea-trout so if you visit in the fishing season you’ll likely see quite a few people fishing in the river nearby.

Interestingly, next to the waterfall is an odd cement structure that is full of water - basically it is a salmon ladder that assists the fish in their trek upstream. What a great idea!

You’ll notice from some of the photos that I was having a bit of fun while taking shots of this waterfall - Not only could I get up close and personal with it and take photos from several different spots, I was able to get long exposure shots while standing directly beside it. The milky effect with the photos turned out to be a bit extreme in some of the shots - but whatever - it was one of the few waterfalls that I visited where the mist didn’t ruin almost all my shots!

Something I’ll recommend before you get back on the road is to stop near the entrance and walk across the road to where a local farmer lets his Icelandic horses graze. The horses are beautiful and the scenery in the background makes for some beautiful photos!

Getting There

 

When you’re done with your visit to Gullfoss, you’ll likely continue driving south along Route #35 on your way toward either Skálholt or Crater Kerið. The waterfall is found on a small side road just off the main road about twelve or so kilometres from Gullfoss or Geysir.
I’ve marked the waterfall on the map above, so if you are planning on visiting, just input it in your GPS and enjoy!

I highly recommend after checking out Gullfoss to make a short stop by the Faxi Waterfall - You won’t need a lot of time to enjoy the falls but the fact that its relatively unknown gives this waterfall a feeling of serenity that you don’t get at some of the other big ones. If you’re got a bit of extra time after visiting all of the other sites on the Golden Circle, stop by for a few minutes