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A tour of Golden Circle and Hvammsvík Hot Springs is a great choice if you want to see the best that Iceland has to offer in a short time. During this day tour, we’ll visit Kerid Crater, also known as “The Eye of The World,” and the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall. We’ll continue our trip to Geysir, where we’ll witness the eruption of Strokkur. Next on our itinerary is Thingvellir National Park, with its unique nature. The fans of “The Game of Thrones” gets to witness the place where some of its series were filmed when we reach Thorufoss waterfall. And, of course, the trip’s cherry on top – Hvammsvík Hot Springs. Here we’ll spend a couple of hours re-gaining our strengths by sitting in its hot springs.
Get your backpack and start preparing for an adventurous day in Iceland!
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The tour will start from Reykjavik, the departure taking place from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. from your chosen pick-up location.
Our first stop is at Kerid Crater and its lake. Referred to as "The Eye of The World," this volcanic crater was formed 3000 years ago. The 55 meters deep caldera with a lake in the middle, surrounded by colorful landscape, became a true tourist attraction.
After we spend enough time checking the location and filling our camera rolls with pictures of the crater, we'll continue our trip around the Golden Circle, our next stop being Gullfoss waterfall.
In the southwest of Iceland, at a Hvítá river canyon, is the well-known Gullfoss waterfall (or "Golden Falls"). The two-tiered waterfall, 32 meters high with an average water flow of 109 m3/s, will greet you with fantastic scenery.
There's a reason why Gullfoss is also called "Golden Falls." The water that goes through Gullfoss comes from Langjökull glacier and carries sediments from the earth, making the water brown-gold color. So when the sun shines, it makes the water look gold-colored.
During your visit to Gullfoss, the guide will also tell you how Iceland had to "fight" to preserve this waterfall.
After we spend 45 minutes at the waterfall, not far away from it, the next attraction awaits us. This is Geysir Hot Spring Area, also known as "The Great Geysir." Being active for approximately 10,000 years, spitting heated water as high as 60-80 meters, in 1916, it became inactive. It would remain silent for another four years, erupting in 2000 after the earthquake in the Haukadalur area occurred. 2016 was the last time Geysir broke out again.
So do we get to witness a geyser eruption? Yes! In the same area, we'll also see Strokkur – an active geyser that bursts every 3-8 minutes, reaching 35 meters high.
Thingvellir National Park is one of the true Icelandic gems because of its history and environmental value. So, there's no surprise that in 2004 the park was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Thingvellir is admired for many reasons. For its interactive visitors center, where you can learn more about its history, and for the breathtaking nature that you can appreciate while walking or hiking on paths, snorkeling, scuba diving, or angeling in its waters.
Thingvellir is also known for being the only place in the world where you can find yourself between two continental plates (North American and Eurasian). So be prepared for some astonishing views when going to rift valley.
Before heading to Hvammsvik Hot Springs, we'll stop at one more spectacular place – Thorufoss waterfall. Coming from the 25 km long river Laxá í Kjó, this waterfall is 18 meters high and 30 meters wide. A beautiful raw landscape surrounds the waterfall. Perhaps for this reason, the creators of the television series "The Game of Thrones" chose this location to film some of the episodes here.
After a day spent walking and exploring the gems of Iceland, the best way to finish the trip is by immersing in hot springs. Hvammsvík Nature Resort & Hot Springs has eight hot springs surrounded by black beaches and mountains, reassuring that you'll spend your time in peace, admiring nature. The temperature of hot springs varies from 10°C to 42°C, depending on the temperatures of the Atlantic Ocean.
To enjoy all the benefits of Hvammsvik, don't forget to take your swimsuit and towel!
You'll be picked up from the chosen pick-up location in Reykjavik. The pick-up starts at 8:00 a.m., so please be ready on time. The departure from Reykjavik is at 8:30 a.m.
Information about the pick-up and available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures pick-up list.
This is a great question. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated. This is because you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the start time that you chose when booking the tour.
Here you should wait for your guide.
Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.
View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.
Before and during activities on the multi-day tours consumption of alcohol is prohibited. If we suspect that a participant is intoxicated, we will prohibit them from joining the activity.
After the activities of the day are finished, you are welcome to have a drink and relax.
Yes, we do. Langjökull Ice Cave is a magical experience, the tour has no minimum age and is a wonderful option for the whole family. Whale Watching with our partner company Elding has been a favourite with families traveling with young children, these guys have a great success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).
Another option would be the Landmannalaugar Safari on this tour you get to explore parts of the Icelandic highlands and bathe in natural hot springs. Most of our super jeep tours are also suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. If you would like a nice and relaxing experience we would also recommend the Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.
Your safety is our number one priority! Keeping this in mind, Arctic Adventures reserves the right to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Please read more information in our cancellation policy.
Yes, there is a specially trained and certified guide on each of our tours. The only exception to this is for our self-drive tours.
All of our tours are guided in English.
No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.
The standard in Iceland is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs, so you might have to bring an adaptor if you are visiting from UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs.
Our tours are split into four different categories that help participants to understand what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. Each tour is rated making it easier to find tours that suit you.
For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.
We’ve partnered with the Kolviður Fund in a new carbon offsetting program, which passengers can select to participate in at the time of booking.
The Kolviður Fund is the oldest, most respected carbon offsetting program in Iceland. With your support, one tree will be planted in special Kolviður forests in Iceland to carbon offset your tour with us.
Kolviður forests are strategically planted to absorb the maximum amount of CO2 and the forests are protected for a minimum of 60 years. During their lifetime the trees absorb carbon and store it in their root system, trunk, and branches. Trees also prevent soil erosion and maintain storage of carbon in the soil.
Yes, we offer the tour Golden Circle small group tour which is basically the Golden Circle with some extra stops. This tour is focusing on sightseeing and the history of Iceland. Our stops are Gullfoss waterfall, Þingvellir national park (home to one of the first parliaments of the world), Geysir hot spring area and the historic Skálholt cathedral. View Golden Circle Tours.
We offer numerous options to spice up your Golden Circle tour and make the most of your day. Here is a list of some great tours.
All year-around options:
Summer season:
Winter season:
The tour is based around the three most popular attractions in Iceland Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and The Great Geysir. We offer several Golden Circle trips that combine sightseeing with some of our adventure tours.
