Private Golden Circle

We call it the Golden Circle for a reason – in just one day you can experience some of the most extraordinary places in Iceland and utterly understand what makes this country so unique. We meet up in Reykjavik, where you and your travelling buddies hop aboard our private luxurious jeep, and we head straight for Þingvellir National Park, a place cherished by Icelanders due to its magnificent nature and historical importance. 

Some of the natural beauty of Þingvellir is due to this being the place where you can visibly see the drifting of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. Where the plates meet, you can see majestic cracks and faults, some of which you can easily walk through, like the largest and most famous one, Almannagjá, where you’ll get to spend some time marvelling at the natural beauty. Another fissure, Silfra, is popular among scuba divers and snorkelling enthusiasts, famous for its crystal-clear water, but don’t go wading in – the water is extremely cold, only 2°C – 4°C, all year round. Þingvellir boasts the largest natural lake in Iceland, Þingvallavatn, a rift valley lake with a surface of 84 km², and the volcanic origin of the beautiful islands in the lake is clearly visible.

But Þingvellir is not only famous for its nature, its historical significance for the people of Iceland can hardly be overstated. At the northern shore of the lake, the Alþingi, the national parliament, was founded in the year 930, and held its sessions in these magnificent natural surroundings until 1799. Today the national parliament of Iceland still bears its name, Alþingi, making Þingvellir the birthplace of the oldest surviving parliament in the world.

Next up is one of the most popular and famous spots in Iceland, the Great Geysir. Although Geysir itself is rarely active nowadays, the area boasts various other hot springs and geysers, including the powerful Strokkur, Smiður and Litli-Strokkur. Of those, Strokkur is probably the country’s most famous hot spring, shooting vast jets of boiling water 20 to 40 metres (65-130 feet) high. Strokkur erupts every five to ten minutes, so you surely won’t miss out on this incredible natural phenomenon – get your cameras ready!

After the geysers, get ready for the next amazing stop, at the iconic Gullfoss waterfall – its name literally meaning “Golden falls”. The water plummets down 32 meters (just over 100 feet) in two stages into a rugged canyon whose walls reach up to 70 metres (230 feet). On a sunny day, a shimmering rainbow often forms over the falls.

Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa: One of Iceland’s most famous destinations, and for good reason! The warm, milky-blue water of this lagoon is rich in minerals like silica and sulphur which makes bathing healthy for your skin. Therefore, you will not only be enjoying the pleasant temperatures (which are between 37°C and 39°C), but also nurturing your skin in this amazing mineral concentration.