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Join us on our award-winning Golden Circle and Secret Lagoon day trip from Reykjavík! Spend the day exploring Iceland's most iconic sights. Then, unwind in the country’s oldest swimming pool, the Secret Lagoon.
This tour is one of the favorites in Iceland and is famous worldwide. In 2024, it received the Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Award—thanks to a year of superb reviews from happy travelers!
From
Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best
2024
Starting directly from Reykjavik, you'll discover Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall, and the Geysir Hot Spring Area — iconic landmarks that make up the Golden Circle. You’ll explore them on foot, learning from your guide about their stories and taking pictures. We’ll round out the tour with a visit to the Secret Lagoon, a geothermal pool perfect for relaxing. It’s the perfect way to end an adventurous day!
Look at the itinerary below to learn more about the locations you’ll visit.
We'll kick off the day with a morning pick-up from your selected location. A 40-minute drive brings us to our first stop: Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park. It was once home to Iceland's first parliament, Althingi. Stepping into Thingvellir, you'll immediately sense the power of standing in a rift valley, proof of our Earth's constant movement. Exploring the park, you'll walk between the two tectonic plates—Eurasian and North American. Iceland's stunning natural beauty and rich history come together here to form one of the most breathtaking spots in the world.
Next up on our itinerary is one of Iceland's most iconic waterfalls: Gullfoss, translated to "Golden Waterfall." Gullfoss receives glacial waters from Langjökull, Iceland's second-largest glacier. This majestic two-tiered cascade seems to disappear into the depths below, plummeting an impressive 102 feet (32 meters). It's a captivating display of nature's power. Whether you visit in summer, winter, spring, or fall, Gullfoss never fails to be mesmerizing.
Next on our itinerary is the Geysir Geothermal Area, which is famous for being home to Iceland's most well-known geysers. This area is actually the namesake of all geysers! Here, you’ll stroll among bubbling water pools, clear geothermal springs, and steam vents. The most active geyser, Strokkur, erupts every 4 to 10 minutes, giving you many chances to see boiling water shoot up between 49 and 65.6 feet (15 to 20 meters) into the air.
Our final stop of the day is definitely worth the wait. You'll end your adventure soaking in geothermal waters at Iceland's oldest swimming pool, Secret Lagoon. Located in the moss-covered lava fields, this pool harnesses geothermal power to keep the water at 100.4° - 104°F (38° - 40°C) throughout the year. As you swim, look out for a small geyser erupting near the edge! Relaxing in the warm water is a perfect finale to your unforgettable adventure. Make sure to pack your swim gear. If you forget it, you can rent out the Secret Lagoon itself.
Pick-up: Pick-up starts at 08:00 a.m. from your accommodation or a nearby authorized meeting point in Reykjavik. Everyone's pick-up can take up to 30 minutes. Your patience is much appreciated.
Available pick-up points: Arctic Adventures’s 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.
