Iceland 2016: Golden Circle Tour

To break up the 2.5 days that we planned to spend exploring Reykjavik, and to get a taste of what the countryside was like, we signed up for a bus tour of the "Golden Circle" area of Iceland which stretches almost 300km into Central Iceland.  There were many companies offering this tour and we were trying to find one that would take a smaller group like the 7-person minivan tour of the Dolomite Mountains that we took in Venice.  While we could not find one quite that small, the tour group Iceland Horizons offered a mini-bus holding about 25 people, as opposed to the larger coach buses from companies like GrayLine that probably hold around 40-50 passengers or more.  We were picked up in front of our hotel at 8:45am for our 8 hour tour.  We were warned to be careful not to get on the wrong bus, since multiple buses stop to pick up passengers, and many are not worried about poaching some other company's customers.  Surprisingly Iceland Horizons did not expect payment up front and took a "no-show" pickup in stride as it was business as usual.  Even more surprisingly, the pickups were not limited to hotels but seemed to include private residences.  I guess in such a small city, no address is too much out of the way and no potential customer is worth losing.

Our tour cost 10,900 ISK per person (approximately $120 Canadian) and consisted of four main stops–Thingvellir National Park where we would see lava rocks and the effects of shifting tectonic plates, Geysir (land of geysers), and two magnificent water falls at Gullfoss and Faxafoss before heading back to Reykjavik.  Our tour guide Dooley claimed to be descended from the Vikings and regaled us with stories from his childhood as he drove along.  It was interesting listening to him since he had spent quite a bit of time in the USA and so his English-speaking accent was a strange mix of Icelandic and Southern American twang.  During the drive to our first stop, Dooley explained to us the topography of Iceland.

The country of Iceland is an island that sits upon two large pieces of the earth's crust, which are called tectonic plates.  The north-west section rests on the North American plate while the south-east portion lies on the Eurasian plate.  The boundary between the two plates is called the "Mid-Atlantic Ridge", which runs mostly under water in the Atlantic Ocean, but surfaces as it traverses through Iceland (in a section called Reykjanes Ridge).  This ridge is known to be spreading further apart at a rate of about 2.5cm per year and contributes to Iceland's many earthquakes and volcanic activity.   As we drove towards Thingvellir National Park, we actually crossed over from one plate to the other.

 
Thingvellir National Park is spelt "Þingvellir" in Icelandic, with a symbol that looks like a cross between a "b" and a "p" standing in for the "Th" sound and spelling used in English.  Thingvellir is of geological importance because it is a "fissure zone" where the continental drift is especially pronounced.  We saw this for ourselves as we stood above a section where the land had split apart and the gap was several feet wide.  Massive volcanic eruptions 10,000 years ago formed layers of lava that can be seen today throughout the park.  The fluid lava flows also created two shield volcanos–Mount Skjaldbreiður, which is 1,060 meters high with a crater 300 meters in diameter and Mount Hrafnabjörg.  Walking on top of and through these giant mounds of lava made us feel like we were walking on the moon.  Unfortunately we were only given 30 minutes to make our way through the main path from one parking lot to the next where our bus would be waiting for us.  As we hurried by, I looked longingly at the people who were not time-constrained and who were able to leisurely wander farther afield to climb on the lava cliffs and more closely explore the landscape.

While the geological features of Thingvellir are quite unique and fascinating, the site has an even greater historic significance for Iceland.  It is the site of the first Icelandic Parliament, called "AlÞing", which was formed by the Vikings in 930A.D. and remained there until 1798.  The site was chosen for its accessibility from other populous regions of Iceland.  An Icelandic flag marks the spot where the Parliament potentially assembled.  Further down the path, we saw our first waterfall of the day and were duly impressed.  Little did we realize that there were much bigger and more beautiful waterfalls still to come.

Our next stop was to a geothermal field in the Haukadal Hot Springs area, where we would see an active geyser.  The word "geyser" and the area are both named after the oldest known spouting hot spring called Geysir, which means "to gush" in Old Norse.  Research showed that Geysir was active up to 10,000 years ago, probably corresponding to the times of the earthquakes and volcanic activity that covered Iceland with lava.  Geysir has gone through periods of activity and then inactivity throughout the centuries and is currently mostly dormant.  However, the nearby geyser Strokkur is extremely active, erupting approximately every 5+ minutes.  This was the geyser that we came to see, but first we passed by a bunch of smaller geysers which were smoking but not regularly gushing.  One in particular is called "Litli Geysir" (little geyser) which was once the principle spring in the area but now only bubbles like a "smoking cauldron", emitting heat and sulfurous smells.

We learned that geysers are formed when geothermal activity, generated by the transfer of heat from magma (underground lava), heats an underground source of water until it reaches boiling point.  The pressure from the boiling water builds up until it explodes, sending a tall column of steam and water into the air.  Armed with this knowledge, we were eager to see Strokkur in action, but first we were warned to stay safely away from the roped off areas for fear of being severely burned by the extremely hot water flowing out of the ground in this area.

Again we felt crunched for time at this stop, since we had only one hour to look around, wait for Strokkur to spout, and also have lunch.  Such is the downside of being on a guided tour, but we wanted the convenience of being ferried around from place to place and not having to incur the costs of a car rental.  Putting aside the need for lunch, we decided to spend as much time as we needed to watch Strokkur erupt.  We stood along-side the crowd of people impatiently waiting with cameras poised.  For what felt like the longest time (but was merely minutes), all we saw was steam rising from the centre and water bubbling.  Suddenly it happened as the geysur expelled its load and a huge burst of steam and water shot out, rising higher and higher.

At its peak, the gusher reached almost 100 feet high, dwarfing the spectators below. It really was an amazing sight to see. Then just as suddenly, the water dissipated and the geyser went back to its original steaming and bubbling state, and the wait resumed for those who wanted to see the process again.  After watching this thrilling phenomenon a few more times, we reluctantly left to find some food before heading off to the next stop on our tour.

The Gullfoss waterfall is located in the canyon of the Hvítá (White)River, which is sourced by Langjokull, Iceland's second largest glacier.  It is a two-tiered waterfall that first plunges 11 meters and then 21 meters into a canyon 32 meters deep.  The resultant view is spectacular to see.  Also known as the "Golden Falls", Gullfoss may be one of the main reasons why this area is called the "Golden Circle".  There are several theories regarding why Gullfoss itself got its golden name.  The plausible ones are related to the golden hue of the water in the evening or the colour of the rainbow as it meets the spray of the waterfall.  A more amusing but unlikely story tells of a farmer who could not bear to have someone else possess his gold after his death and instead, chose to throw it into the waterfall.

The trail that we walked down to Gullfoss is named after Sigriður Tómasdóttir, who lobbied to save the waterfall from investors who wanted to build a hydro dam to generate electricity.  A stone monument depicting her profile sits at the top of the falls.  When we first started the Golden Circle Tour, it was so cold that I had on 4 layers including a turtleneck sweater as well as hat and gloves.  But by the time we reached Gullfoss, the sun finally came out and the weather warmed up significantly.  By the time we left, I had stripped off most of my layers and was walking around in a t-shirt.

Our last stop was to Faxafoss, which was yet another waterfall.  You would think this would be anticlimactic after the magnificent Gullfoss, but Faxafoss had its own charm.  Although nowhere near as large and powerful as Gullfoss, Faxafoss did have a unique feature which I had not seen before, which was a "fish ladder".  Also known as a "fish pass" or "fish steps", this structure helps fish swim up over the waterfall in order to facilitate their natural migration patterns.  I have watched salmon struggle unsuccessfully to jump into and over mini man-made waterfalls back in Toronto's Humber River.  I think those poor fish would have appreciated a fish ladder.

Having traveled over 3 hours east of Reykjavik, we now sat back for the long ride home while our guide Dooley continued to point out areas of interest as well as amuse us with more tales from his childhood.  The tour was not as personalized or efficient as our 7-person van tour of the Dolomites in Italy since we still had to wait around at each stop for 25 people to return, but it wasn't too bad and we did see some amazing natural wonders.