Iceland's Golden Circle

One of the most popular daytrips from Rekjavik is the scenic Golden Circle drive. It usually takes about 4 hours to do the drive and stop at the main attractions - Thingvellir national park, Geysir geothermal site, and Gullfoss waterfall. We decided to add one more activity to our already jam-packed schedule -- a snorkel tour of the Silfra rift in Thingvellir National Park.

 Silfra is unique in the world because it is an easily accessible place where you can see the fissure created by two of Earth's tectonic plates (the North American and Eurasian plates) moving away from each other. The area where these plates touch is called the Mid-Atlantic ridge and most of it is many thousand feet below sea level in the middle of the Atlantic, but in Iceland it is visible. (This continental drift, along with volcanic activity, is what created Iceland in the first place). Glacial meltwater (a refreshing 35-39 degrees fahrenheit) runs along the fissure, allowing snorkelers and divers to view the formations through crystal clear water. Luckily our snorkel tour operator had very fashionable and flattering dry suits for us to wear to keep us warm.

 There isn't much sealife in the lagoon, just some arctic char and organisms too small to be seen by the naked eye. There is plenty of algae blooming though, which makes for some interesting green "hair" clinging to all the rocks. The water is eerily clear, and extremely quiet, and a slight current from an underwater spring pushes you along on the route. The drysuits did a remarkable job of keeping us warm, but when the tour was over after half an hour I was ready to get out and warm my fingers and face back up. It was a great way to kick off our Golden Circle tour.

Scuba divers went in before our snorkel tour started.

 Since we were already in Thingvellir National Park, we then took a hike to warm ourselves back up and got a great view of the entire rift valley below and lake Thingvallavatn. You could probably spend a full day in the park just hiking and viewing wildlife (and Game of Thrones filming locations!), but we have limited time and a lot more to see.

Now, on to more water! Specifically, Gullfoss. It's a 100-foot staircase of rushing water that is truly spectacular to see. There is a viewing platform that allows you to view the falls up close, and the chilly spray can easily soak through all your clothes. (Kevin and I chose to view it from a more respectable distance, of course, since laundry facilities will be few and far between on this road trip). Years ago, some power company wanted to put a power plant here but Icelanders weren't having it. It is now protected and a very popular tourist site.

 Our final stop on the Golden Circle drive was Geysir hot springs. There is really only one geyser here that erupts with any regularity, usually sending a spray about 40 or 50 feet but occasionally sending up a blast as high as 100 feet or more. It sure makes for some interesting people-watching, since most of the time people can safely stand nearby without getting too wet, but when it really goes off everyone gets soaked (guardropes keep everyone a safe enough distance away to avoid getting scaleded, fortunately). Just like at Gullfoss, Kevin and I opted to stay dry, but enjoyed people watching from a distance.