My trip to Mystical Iceland

In 2017, I got an opportunity to visit this beautiful island located in the Arctic region. Iceland is famous for its dramatic landscape; one can see volcano and glaciers side by side in this magical island. As Iceland is volcanically and geologically active, we can see that how a nation can change over time by natural powers. I visited Iceland during winters and due to which northern part of the island was completely blocked. However, Southern part is always welcoming to the tourists. The key attraction of winter is Northern lights/aurora borealis. I made this a budget trip as Iceland is one the most expensive place in the Europe even though the exchange rate is quite good. According to me it is more expensive than Switzerland.

When I touched down at the Keflavik International Airport in the night, I got the opportunity to see northern lights dancing around the airport and at moment i realized that my trip was successful. :)

Iceland was included in my Europe trip so I had planned a stay of 3 days. In this article, I will be sharing the itinerary of the my very first day.

Day 1-

I took a Golden Circle Tour. This tour includes 3 famous and spectacular natural wonders of Iceland.

Tour Highlights:

• Geysir Hot Spring

• Gullfoss Waterfall

• Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park

Duration: 7 hours.

Cost: INR 4000 for a shared Air-Conditioned Mini Van

Currency exchange: 1 INR= 1.85 Icelandic Krona

• 1st stop: Geysir ( A spouting hot spring):

This geothermal field is believed to be spread for around 3 square km. It contains exploding geysers, boiling mud pits and the most famous Strokkur. In every few minutes, Strokkur erupts boiling water up to 30 meters (100 ft) in the air.

Why this phenomenon happens?

When the underground water comes in contact with the hot bed rock, it heats up and creates a pressure which later on is released in the form of geyser.

• 2nd stop: Gullfoss Waterfall (the golden falls)

Located 100 km’s from Reykjavik. Gulfoss waterfall is really breath taking and very unique. This waterfall is formed by Hvita river and Hvita river is formed by the 2nd largest glacier in Iceland. This Waterfall falls down in 2 stages, collectively the fall is of 32 mts. On a sunny day, rainbows add more beauty to this incredible place. It is the most visited waterfall in Iceland.

• 3rd Stop: Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park:

It was the last stop of our tour. This is the first national park of Iceland. This place has its historical and Geographical significance. After the year 900 AD, the inhabitants thought of establishing general assembly for the new settlers. The most interesting part of this place is that the Thingvellir is located in a rift valley, here Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. It is a home to largest natural lake in Iceland, Lake Thingvallavatn. In this lake one can snorkel/Dive between both tectonic plates. In 2019, it was rated to be one of the top 10 activities in the world by Tripadvisor.

Add on’s to the tour: Before visiting the Geysir you can make 2 stopovers listed below:

1. Hellisheidi Power station: Here you can get the complete information about how Iceland produce its electricity from the geothermal energy.

2. Faxi waterfall: It is a wide waterfall located around 12 km’s from The Geysir. It is popular spot for fishing. Make sure to check out this place as it is damn serene and very less crowded.

After taking rest for 2-3 hours, you can take one more tour in the end- “Northern lights tour”. I will recommend to go on this tour with a tour company as, it’s a natural phenomenon which is not that easy to predict as to when it’s going to take place and in which area will it be predominantly visible. Tour companies have lots of experience in hunting northern lights.

These magical Northern lights are caused by the interaction between sun particles with the upper atmosphere. One is able to see these only around the Earth’s magnetic pole.

Trust me this is the most spectacular thing ever, make sure to include this in your itinerary.

Cost: 3500 INR/person (Bus)

Duration: 3 hrs

Note: Sightings are not guaranteed and return time can vary.

The total cost of the first day tour would be around 8000 INR (excluding food). One thing is for sure, you will enjoy exploring the mesmerizing Iceland for the whole day.

Day 2: Click here