Iceland Road Trip: Day 1 - Reykjavik and the Golden Circle.
My younger sister was visiting from sunny Australia and the last time she was over, we bought a Volvo and embarked on a three month road trip around Europe. We both have so many amazing memories from that so I wanted something else to add to the memory bank of our travels together. We decided on Iceland as it had been on my radar for a while and a road trip would be the perfect way to explore this beautiful country.
We flew into Reykjavik early evening from London and we went directly to Mikkeller & Friends to try their famed pizza. You could tell this restaurant was popular with not only travellers but locals as we sat upstairs in the bar area, trying their extensive craft beers while we waited for a table. Like most Nordic countries, alcohol is not cheap however it was delicious as was the pizza. The toppings were so different to what you would usually see on a menu - I highly recommend trying the celeriac, sorrell and ricotta if on the menu.
After strolling back to our Air BnB accommodation, Siggi's Apartment, almost busting in the wrong room to the shock of the male tenant, we excitedly fell asleep, waking early to grab breakfast at The Laundromat Cafe. We then picked up the 4WD for the start of our road trip.
Our first stop along the Golden Circle was Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park. It was a beautiful, sunny morning with not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for dry suit snorkelling in Silfra with Adventure Vikings. If it wasn't Winter, we would have experienced it in a regular wet suit as you can't dive down in a dry suit (the fun really starts as you try to get these suits on!). We walked over to the entrance point and already you could tell how beautiful the experience was going to be.
The water was so clear that you can see right down into the fissure beneath the surface. We floated along with the current and tried to soak all the visuals in as it spat us out at a little lake near to where the car-park was. It is something I highly recommend doing and it was a great way to start our trip.
After drying off, we drove to Haukadalur which is the geo thermal area with the geysers. I have never seen anything like it especially the bigger one Stokkur. It was just this huge rush of piping hot water that filled the sky then sucked back in, followed by a large plume of smoke. It was smelly but pretty cool to see.
From the geysers, we then drove to Gullfoss which is one of the most beautiful and powerful waterfalls I have ever laid eyes on. It was just masses of turquoise water flowing from different directions. The mist is so strong it reached the look out point and made my fingers so cold, holding my phone to take pictures was really tricky. In Summer you can get closer to the waterfall with a stairway from the car park as the path isn't frozen and slippery like it was when we visited.
To finish our Golden Circle tour off, we stopped in at Kerið Crater which is over 3,000 years old. There is a small entrance fee to visit but it is worth walking around... it is not very often you can stand on the edge of a volcano.
This was a full day exploring the Golden Circle and all of its amazing sites. The highlight of the day was definitely snorkelling in Silfra in the crystal clear blue water.
If you're in Iceland for a weekend away or a mini break you can book yourself tours from Reykjavik to see all of the sites. I, however, would recommend renting a car yourself so you can stay as long as you like at each site and take your time enjoying what Iceland has to offer.
There is no way I can do just one post on my road trip along the South coast of Iceland because it would be so huge!
This is the first of six part series. I have broken it down by day (similar to my Backpacking Turkey posts) to hopefully help you plan your own trip depending on how many days you have. The other posts can be found below:
Day Two - Glacier Hiking and Hot Pools
Day Three - Planes, Canyons and Dwarfs
Day Five - Stokksnes and Black Sand Beaches
For ideas on how to plan for a road trip in Iceland, read this post.
You can fly from London to Reykjavik relatively cheap if you book far enough in advance. Look on Skyscanner or Kayak to compare prices.
A lot of the places we stayed at were booked through Booking.com as they seem to have the most availability when I looked. Book in advance so you don't miss out as Iceland is super popular!
