Iceland by Campervan: Driving the Golden Circle in One Day
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The Golden Circle
A One Day Self-Drive Itinerary
What is the bare minimum you should see in the stunning country of Iceland? I would argue driving the Golden Circle tops that list. This drive, that can be completed in a single day, packs a crazy impressive number of natural wonders into one road trip. It is a photographer’s dream and an adventure that anyone can set out on… quite easily.
I’m all about making travel simple, and honestly, this drive is so simple that I’d recommend it to a first time adventure traveller without hesitation. Let me give you some tips to make this even easier for you.
Quick tips for driving the Golden Circle
Base yourself in Reykjavik (at least the evening prior)
Start early! It’s a full day.
Bring snacks (a cooler full of Skyr is a welcome treat)
See continental plates meet at Þingvellir National Park
Walk into an ancient volcano at Kerið crater
Watch an active geyser and pay respects to the once largest
Stop to visit some friendly Icelandic horses
Get soaked in spray at Gullfoss waterfall
How? I highly recommend travelling by campervan, and cannot find enough positive to say about Go Campers. Their campervans are perfectly sized for life on the road and they gave us by far the best service we could find among the campervan rental companies.
What is the Golden Circle?
The Golden Circle is one of the more popular routes for exploring in Iceland. It is a loop of road leaving from and returning to Reykjavik that is packed full of natural wonders. It is a very easy day trip for travellers staying in Reykjavik, and for campers like us, an easy segue to the South Coast where you can start the next day of sight-seeing!
The drive itself is beautiful, with large mountains covered in short, golden grasses and shrubs in the late summer and fall. The roads are steep-sided, so be on the lookout for places to pull over for taking photos.
When to drive the Golden Circle
To avoid difficult driving conditions (ie. snow), I recommend the summer months, May through September. Depending on your comfort level for winter driving, you can do it whenever you please.
The Best Golden Circle Stops
Þingvellir National Park
Our first stop on the Golden Circle, Þingvellir National Park is the site of the original Parliament in Iceland and as such is protected. Even more interesting though, is the fact that it is found within a rift valley where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates have pulled apart.
You can literally walk along the raised edge of the North American plate to get down into the valley itself. We found little information before visiting on where to go to see this phenomenon, but the edge of the plate can be found just outside of the doors of the Visitor’s Centre, so it’s a relatively easy stop to make.
Silfra Fissure
One portion of the rift valley forms a fissure, filled with clear, blue water. The fissure is called Silfra. Adventurous types with a little extra time can snorkel or dive in the fissure. Diving here is considered dangerous and therefore is for experienced divers only.
Kerið Crater
The next stop on the Golden Circle, Kerið Crater looms ahead on a stretch of road where the earth is a rich, deep red colour. It is a volcanic crater that has filled with blue, green water which put me in mind of Lake Louise.
Several other craters sit behind it, but this is the only one with its caldera still intact. The contrast in colours is amazing; red mud, green vegetation, bright turquoise water.
This attraction requires a drive South toward Selfoss. It can easily be the last stop of your day rather than the second if you prefer. We felt it was simpler to do it as a second stop.
Geysir
Geysir was once the tallest spouting geyser in the world, and is the geyser all other geysers were named for. It unfortunately only goes off on a rare occasion these days.
Not to worry, his neighbour Strokkur goes off approximately every 6 minutes (sometimes quicker, sometimes longer) and is the main attraction at this stop. Some eruptions are tall, some are not. He is truly very entertaining. There are many other dormant geysers in this area, some of which you can see down into for quite a depth.
Icelandic Horse Farm
Between Geysir and Gullfoss, there is a horse farm called Brú where the owners invite travellers in to feed and play with the horses. Thank you so much to this family for allowing visitors! Your horses are lovely and very sociable.
Gullfoss
Gullfoss literally translates to “Golden Falls”. It is a massive waterfall with several tiers, flowing into a deep gorge. Walking trails allow you to get up close and personal with several areas around the falls.
The spray is serious business, so bring your rain coat. We were soaked but were lucky to end our day here just at sunset, when the golden fields lit up with even more golden light.
We finished our day here with delicious tomato soup, lamb stew and sandwiches at the Visitor’s Centre. Then headed onward to find a nice spot to camp for our third day of exploring, in the South Coast of Iceland.
As always, thank you for reading and feel free to leave comments with any questions.
Bless,
Hill XO
In case you should need it: The following is our preferred route for driving the Golden Circle. However, because we were camping in the South Coast we veered off toward Hella that evening.
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