This is the most popular Day Tour from Reykjavík and has been so for some time now. This tour takes you to three of the finest jewels within Icelandic nature, Gullfoss, Geysir hot spring area and the National Park of Thingvellir. We will visit and drive through many interesting features on this tour including the largest area of farmland in Iceland and young lava field which is just over one thousand years old.
You will travel in a comfortable 4 wheel drive vehicle suitable for the gravel and off road surfaces on which we travel to some of the scenic points we visit. We travel in a group of a maximum of 12 people which we usually find creates a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere which is welcoming for small groups or single travellers. The Guide will have a lot of local knowledge and should be able to answer any questions you might have about the area.
We have lunch at a café at Gullfoss or Geysir. There are always lots of opportunities to stop and take photographs. This tour includes all of the following:
After we leave behind the city of Reykjavik we head uphill across beautiful countryside driving across the highland heath of Hellisheiði.
Hellisheiðarvirkjun Geothermal Power Plant we drive past and watch as the steam from deep within the earth rises from the ground. This Power Plant utilises innovative sustainable energy technology to make use of the unique resources of Iceland.
If this is a private tour, or all in the group wish to, we will stop at the Visitor Centre which is very informative.
Hveragerði We drive through this geothermal town to see where many of Iceland’s vegetables are grown in greenhouses heated by sustainable geothermal energy.
Kerið the Crater. We visit this volcano was formed by an explosion and is 55 meters deep with a green water lake inside the crater.
Faxi Waterfall. We visit wide waterfall is situated on the glacial River Tungufljot. A little off the beaten track and not well known – there are wonderful views from here.
Gullfoss – the Golden Waterfall. We visit this very powerful and majestic waterfall, it can be viewed from two levels and it is possible to get up close and personal albeit a little damp from the spray. This waterfall is often listed in the top ten waterfalls in the world and it is a truly wonderful sight offering the chance to take some great photographs.
Geysir hot spring area – undoubtedly one of the great natural “jewels” of Iceland, if not the world. Indeed, The Great Geysir, or Stori-Geysir gave its name to this explosive hot spring activity! The Great Geysir became inactive in 1916. Strokkur, the close neighbour of Geysir, is still very active and reliably erupts at seven to ten minute intervals. Superheated water and steam are blasted in a white column as high as twenty to thirty metres.
Thingvellir National Park – take a walk between two continents! Thingvellir is one of only two places on earth where the effects of major tectonic plates moving apart can be seen. Thingvellir is the original site of Iceland’s Parliament which ran from 930 to 1262. Many scholars consider this to be the oldest parliament in the world. See the flagpole marking the Lögberg or law rock where the law speaker would address Parliament, known as the Alþing in those times. From here we drive back to Reykjavik.
