On Day. 1, we had an amazing Golden circle Tour in perfect weather: very warm, blue skies, bright sunshine. Our driver and guide,Elias Andersen, was excellent- very cooperative, responsive and a good storyteller. He also gave us plenty of time for hikes, meals and bathroom breaks. The beauty of the Golden Circle is just second to none: we walked in Pingvellar National Park, had plenty of time to look at the geysers in Geisir, hiked up to see magnificent Gullfoss (The Golden) Waterfall) from all angles, walk around miraculous Keri’s crater with oval turquoise lake at the bottom of it. Elias dropped us off the Hotel Ork for our overnight stay in Hveragerði, the town famous for geothermal activity.
Day 2 was a totally fabulous experience:
The bus has arrived right on time and we fell in love with our guide, Maria, right from from the start. She is the most cheerful, welcoming, approachable and accommodating person, who understood our wishes perfectly and was always willing to give us some extra time, if we needed it.
The first notable sight along the way was the loneliest tree of Iceland: a little fir on the rock in the middle of the river. So simple and so picturesque…
Then we passed through the nice little town called Selfoss, the place where the famous chess player and the world champion Bobby Fisher lived after he had defected from the US to Iceland. We had a short stop there only because someone in our group asked about it and Maria, who accommodates all requests, made a stop just for him to take a photo.
The next stop was lovely Urridafoss Falls, a mighty waterfall not popular with tourists for some reason. We also crossed the river where famous Icelandic wild salmon comes from.
Continued our journey and admired the view of Hekla volcano again at the distance. The volcano is active, but the last eruption had happened in 1918.
It always amazes me how people live near active volcanoes, but in Iceland they do it for generations accepting evacuation orders as something normal, and on many occasions these evacuations last for several months. Maria told us it is absolutely safe to live close to volcanoes because Iceland scientists predict eruptions precisely. Westman Islands is the place of active volcanoes, where people live and work.
Then we passed by another big volcano, Katla volcano and glacier. Looked magnificent in bright sunshine.
Next we had a short stop to look at the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (the “E16 Volano” had erupted in 2010 and caused massive international flights cancellations) and some
old uninhabited huts built in the mountain, followed by several charming old houses of the Skogar Museum.
After that, we arrived to the gorgeous Skogar Waterfall, where I climbed the steps up to the top of the fall (not for those with bad knees). Actually, the views were more spectacular from the ground: magnificent mighty stream of falling water and the rainbow! Along the climb I was so close to the rainbow I thought I could touch it.
Next equally exciting stop was at the Sólheimajökull Glacier, where we didn’t do the hike inside the glacier, but we did hike to the entrance of the cave and had a chance to admire jaw-dropping views of the glacier.
Then we arrived at Dyrhólaey ("Door Hill Island") in hope to see the puffins but they have already started their migration. Well, the island is so gorgeous that I didn’t miss the puffins. I couldn’t take my eyes off dramatic cliffs, the ocean, and towering rocks of Reynisfjara at the distance.
Then we had a short refueling break at the charming little town of Vik, took photos of the iconic church, and had a late lunch at the Cafe Lava.
Soon after Vik we arrived to the highlight of our trip: Reynisfjara - The Black Beach. It is a miracle of a sight: a symphony of black volcanic ash on the beach, mighty black and golden cliffs, deep caves with whimsical mosaic of the walls inside, and maybe even puffins, but we still failed to find them.
The last stop was at Seljalandsfoss & Gljufrabui Waterfalls. So much fun for kids and adults! We came very close to the falls but didn’t venture to pass under them and get an unwanted shower.
I took a lot of pictures and said hello to two very friendly sheep, who came really close to greet us.
Then an 90 minutes drive to Reykjavik.. We arrived at the Reykjavik Lights Hotel around 8:45pm.
We are so grateful to Maria! She is the best guide in the world, who loves her country and generously shares her passion with us, travelers. Maria, you are Iceland! At least for us you are!