The Gold.

Most famous landmarks are within the 300 km loop from Reykjavík into the southern uplands and back & it's called the Golden Circle. Density of attractions plus easy access from the airport makes it the most popular and most crowded circuit in Iceland. There is so much this island has to offer that by just doing the Golden Circle would be like eating a side dish in a three Michelin star restaurant. But if you are limited on time – this is a good glimpse of what Iceland is.

Þingvellir

Landing in the afternoon and knowing we still have five good hours of light, set a good tone that on this trip there will be no worries about running short of daylight and there is no need to rush.

First stop after leaving Reykjevik - Thingvellir (Þingvellir) National Park. It sits along the border between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates and creates dramatic cracks in the landscape. It's quite a testament to how plate tectonics work. 

This is where we saw the first waterfall, Öxaráfoss. The most interesting feature of the park was yet to come though.

Silfra fissure is said to have the clearest water in the world with visibility 100 metres under the water, even with the cloudy skies it was surreal to look down, can't imagine how it would look in a clear weather. It's the only place in the world where you can dive or snorkel directly in a crack between two tectonic plates, but nearby Langjökull glacier meltwater keeps the water temperature around 2°C – 4°C year round, so should you wish to dive - think drysuit.

First Grands.

We skipped Blue Lagoon as it seamed too touristy and overrated to us, but we took a chance to dip in the Secret Lagoon which was on our way. It's just a name and it's not secret at all. It's the oldest swimming pool in Iceland, very well maintained, and worth a stop.

We started our first morning with the iconic Gullfoss and Geysir - the most popular attractions on the Golden Circle, just 10 minutes away from each other. Early arrival meant that we could enjoy a spot of breakfast with uninterrupted views of the so called golden waterfall. After which we carried onwards to see the famous Geysir. Fun fact - all other geysers owe their name to this one! It erupts quite often, but quite uneven in power, so bring a thermos and enjoy the show for half an hour or so.

A drive well worth the view.

Our favourite stop on the Golden Circle was Háifoss, the fourth highest waterfall in Iceland. We almost made a u-turn when we saw several small rivers crossing the road, thinking that our camper van won't be able to cross it. But then we saw an even smaller car coming back from that direction in one peace, so we made our way back. And it was so worth it! 5 km of winding gravel, several small river crossings discourage crowds, so we were able to have this wonderful, still partially frozen, waterfall just for ourselves. Summer time the crossing would most likely be dry, so the place might get crowded.

Space.

While on your way back to road 1, the asphalt strip will be getting narrower and emptier, be sure to advantage of that and stop over to say hi to some Icelandic horses, they are some of the friendliest creatures out there!

Seljalandsfoss.

Another must stop on the Golden Circle - Seljalandsfoss, a famous waterfall which you can walk behind, and just a few minutes walk away, the lesser known - Gljúfrabúi. Both of them require waterproof clothing as you will get soaking wet from the drizzle. 

Gljúfrabúi

Gljúfrabúi has a big rock almost covering it, and it looks like the waterfall is inside a cave. You can walk inside it stepping on some slippery stones. It's soaking wet inside, but totally worth going. We enjoyed it more than walking behind Seljalandsfoss!

A hot surprise.

After getting all wet in the freezing waterfalls, it was time to warm up in geothermal baths. We were driving to Seljavellir pool, but what we found was out of this world. When we walked to this 'secret' pool we were in doubt if we want take a dip there as it was quite crowded and water was lukewarm at best, so we thought we will walk by the river to wait till it becomes less crowded. Walking on the stones by the river we saw a steaming mini waterfall which caught our attention. We walked further to check why it's steaming and we found these little hot water tubs right in the freezing river separated with stones with hot water flowing from a pipe. Water seemed way more hot and clean than in the pool, so we jumped right in. Time stopped there, we were soaking probably for more than hour until we felt that we are no longer alone, so we let others enjoy this magic experience.

An icon.

Skógafoss – the icon of waterfalls. It's 60 meters high and you can walk as close to it as your clothes allow you to. Standing so close to such a powerful waterfall is quite overwhelming. If it's sunny, you can find yourself standing in a perfect rainbow circle . A staircase leads up to the top of the hill and from there you can see what Skógafoss looks like from above.

First glacier encounter.

South is full of possibilities to step on glaciers without driving up to the highlands. We enjoyed Sólheimajökull the most, even though it's quite small compared to others, but the views were quite simple staggering none-the-less. This was the only one that has a somewhat safe entry point on to the ice itself. But please stay cautious as its a very fast changing environment and should you choose to explore it on your own, try to follow the crampon marks left by the groups and don't venture too far.

Pause.

Don't forget to make stops wherever possible to enjoy the views! As one gentleman said once 'if Iceland was in US, it would all be a national park'. 

Dyrhólaey views from above.

The long stretch of Reynisdrangar black sand beach framed with basalt sea stacks on either side and a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea on the other, looked really mystical during our visit. Everything was coloured in monochromatic shades. Dyrhólaey peninsula  has  stunning views from the cliffs and big chances of seeing puffins. 

Black sand beach.

Probably the most instagrammed beach in Iceland. Should you choose to check it out, come either really early or really late, as daytime will be super crowded and will ruin the overall view.

Fjaðrárgljúfur.

The Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon is unfortunately closed to the public at the moment due to severe damage from both thawing and public misuse the year before. We decided to sneak past the stop sign sticking just to the gravel road, but after some 300m we met some very polite environment protection people. Having talked  with them, they allow us to walk to the bridge opening the view to the canyon. We already knew the situation so it was no surprise. Our goal was to enjoy the front view and with favourable weather conditions - we scored some drone time.