08:00–22:30 Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland, Faroes and Northern Isles Cruise
Excursion Details
The Golden Circle
Date of Tour:
10/06/2016
Country:
Iceland
Port:
Reykjavík
Excursion Code:
305001A
Excursion Duration:
8hrs 30min
Departure Time:
08:45
Return Time:
17:15
Adult Price:
£99
Tour Description
This memorable tour encompasses the ‘Big Three’ - Gullfoss, Geysir and Thingvellir. They are collectively known as the ‘Golden Circle’ and will introduce you to many of the natural wonders for which Iceland is justly renowned.
From the quayside you travel inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions. It is revered as the nation’s most sacred historic shrine, as one of world’s oldest legislative assemblies, the Althing, originally convened here in A.D. 930. Of particular interest are the Law Speaker’s Rock and the remains of the turf shelters. These shelters were once used as dwellings during the two-week assemblies which were held on alternate years. Thingvellir abounds not only in history but in outstanding natural beauty, with its stunning lake, lava landscape and rugged chasm walls on the rift where Europe meets America at the Continental Divide.
Leaving Thingvellir, your tour continues to Gullfoss Waterfall, the most magnificent of the country’s many waterfalls, whose thundering waters throw a perpetual rainbow over a lunar landscape. Here the River Hvítá drops 96ft (29m) in two falls, creating an awesome spectacle. After a short drive you arrive at the Geysir area, where hot springs are in abundance, and the most active one, Strokkur, is likely to spout a high column of boiling water up to 60ft (18m) high every few minutes. On a fine day it is possible to see in the distance the Langjökull Glacier, the second largest in Iceland. Lunch including a starter, main course of local salmon and soft drink or light beer is included on this tour during the stop at the Geysir area.
Your return journey crosses the mountain plateau of Hellisheidi, covered by post-glacial lava fields. Arriving back at Reykjavík, you make a stop at the Pearl vantage point, a dome of glass built on top of hot water storage tanks, for a superb panoramic view of Iceland’s capital and the surrounding area before the tour concludes at the quayside.
Important Notes
By coach/on foot. Min 40/Max 500.
Please note: This tour involves a total of approximately 2 hours of walking. The terrain at most of the sites is rough and uneven. There are approximately 10 steps at Thingvellir National Park and coaches drop guests at the top car park and you re-join the coach at the bottom car park. Sturdy, closed toe shoes and a rainproof jacket are essential. Should you choose to walk close to the Gullfoss Waterfall, you are advised that there is a steep gravel and mud path and many steps, which can often be slippery when wet. When at the Geo-thermal area you are requested to pay attention to the guide’s warnings and remain on the pathways, not crossing the roped-off areas. To avoid congestion, the sites may be visited in a different order to that described. Lunch may be earlier for some groups and it should be noted that the lunch stop is also the stop to see the Geysers. Please be advised that at some comfort stops there may be a charge of approximately 200 Icelandic Kroner for use of the facilities. Coaches used in Iceland are larger than in other countries. Please advise any dietary requirements to the Shore Excursion team once you are on board in order that they can enquire with our local agents if this is possible.
“Your daily programme”
The sea was “moderate” on the voyage to Reykjavík, but this time with no adverse effects. We got up
ca.6.45am. My notes say “Within sight of a headland” but don’t record the time.
I think the “headland” is likely to be the feature on the horizon in the first photo, below, though. The notes go on to say, “Passing more ‘mountain’-looking mountains, [with] peaks, not flat.” Unlike the jocular captain on the
Thomson Dream, who would come on the public address system every day with his “This is ‘Captain John’ speaking!” the captain of this vessel only ever came on with bad news,
e.g. warnings of possible rough seas ahead. And now he did come on: “This is the Captain speaking. The pilot has just come aboard.” So we weren’t expecting now to moor till 8.45am, instead of the published 8.00am. We had breakfast in the Waldorf restaurant before returning to the cabin at 8.15am. My notes say, “Passing more ‘table’-like mountains.” When we might have expected to be berthed, we were still moving. I went out on the deck aft of the cabin to take some photos.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:27:12
Views from the port side of the ship: looking aft
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:27:44
Views from the port side of the ship: looking aft
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:28:22
Views from the port side of the ship
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:28:54
Views from the port side of the ship
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:29:32
Views from the port side of the ship
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:32:44
Views from the port side of the ship
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:33:30
Views from the port side of the ship
Friday 10 June 2016 — 08:33:56
Views from the port side of the ship
Our excursion was supposed to start at 8.45am, but it wasn’t till
ca.9.20am that the announcement came for passengers for “The Golden Circle” to disembark.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 09:21:20
Disembarking
We were directed to a coach. We went to our preferred location, the back seat, because the middle seat of the row usually remains unoccupied, so we can spread out, and there are unhindered views through the windows. Today, however, an old boy travelling alone decided to plonk himself in the middle seat next to me, and I felt a bit cramped. It wasn’t the only seat left, either. Sometimes he remained on the coach when we went out, and he never made way for us unless we asked him — sometimes more than once. “Excuse me.” No reaction. “May we pass you, please?” Similarly, when we boarded the coach again and he was seated there, he wouldn’t budge till we asked him to. Perhaps
Janet should have sat next to him, because I find it almost impossible to initiate conversations. Anyway, I didn’t initiate any conversation. Our guide Ingvar, a man perhaps in his fifties whom
Janet thought quite attractive, introduced himself (and the driver, I think) before we set out. He told us that the population of Iceland is 330,000, and that 220,000 of them live in the Reykjavík area.
Route, thanks to Google Maps
Friday 10 June 2016 — 09:49:56
Views from the coach
Friday 10 June 2016 — 09:53:20
Views from the coach
Friday 10 June 2016 — 09:55:16
Views from the coach (left): Geothermal heating plant
Friday 10 June 2016 — 09:55:48
Views from the coach (right): Geothermal heating pipeline
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:02:02
Views from the coach (right): Passing from the North American Plate to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:02:12
Views from the coach (left): Steam vents on the boundary between the North American Plate and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:02:32
Views from the coach (left): Steam vents on the boundary between the North American Plate and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:04:48
Views from the coach (right): Boundary between the North American Plate and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:05:40
Views from the coach (left): Steam vents on the boundary between the North American Plate and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:10:04
Views from the coach (right): Sign at the entrance to the first stop
Our first stop, after a journey of some 30 miles in a more or less easterly direction, was at “The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:15:16
View across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge rift valley from “The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:17:42
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:18:38
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:19:18
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:19:28
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses
I bought a teddy bear, Arne, from the gift shop.
Sunday 17 July 2016 — 17:14:24
Arne, with his pals at his new home
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:35:32
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: restaurant and shop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:37:00
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses in a more natural setting than the previous ones
Friday 10 June 2016 — 10:37:36
“The Icelandic horse park Fákasel”: Icelandic horses in a more natural setting than the previous ones
From there we travelled north-east another 40 miles to the
Hótel Geysir, where we had lunch: soup, salmon and a light beer. Janet
was pleased because they had Pepsi Max; indeed, she had two of them.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:35:32
Leaving Hótel Geysir
Ingvar led us from there just across the road to the Geysir site. This is where the English word “geyser” for a periodically spouting hot spring comes from. The actual Geysir geyser has been inactive for many years, though occasionally earthquakes have revived it, and artificial means to stimulate it on special occasions have been devised. The nearby geyser Strokkur was erupting impressively every four or five minutes, though.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:43:06
“Welcome to Geysir”
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:43:06 (edited detail)
“Welcome to Geysir”
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:49:14
The Geysir area
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:50:44
Litli Geysir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 12:56:04
Strokkur
Strokkur proved difficult to photograph because of the lack of contrast between the white eruption and the white sky. I moved round to the side and closer — too close, because I got wet. It stank of sulphides.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:00:38
Strokkur
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:06:34
Environs of Geysir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:06:46
Environs of Geysir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:06:46 (detail)
Environs of Geysir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:14:12
Strokkur
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:16:28
The Geysir area
It was only six miles east to our next stop, Gullfoss. There was a boardwalk to a viewing platform above the waterfall, to which we went first, and also a path down nearer the waterfall to a rocky outcrop overlooking its first drop. Unfortunately, the sky was clouded over, so no rainbow effects were seen.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:54:16
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:54:16 (detail 1)
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:54:16 (detail 2)
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:55:58
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:55:58 (detail 1)
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:55:58 (detail 2)
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:55:58 (detail 3)
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 13:56:08
Gullfoss from the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:00:56
Gullfoss from the path
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:06:30
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:08:44
Gullfoss
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:08:44 (movie screen-capture 1)
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:08:44 (movie screen-capture 2)
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:11:58
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:12:12
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Top right: the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:12:44
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Top right: the viewing platform
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:12:52 (movie screen-capture)
Gullfoss from the rocky outcrop
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:14:00
Gullfoss
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:15:10
Gullfoss
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:15:56
Seen beside the path at Gullfoss
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:19:14
Gullfoss
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:19:40
Ravine of the Hvítá river below Gullfoss
From there we went nearly 45 miles westwards to Þingvellir, then stopped at the visitor centre overlooking it. We didn’t have much time, but
Janet and I quickly walked down from the height of the North American Plate, beside the steep wall, almost to the level of the rift valley of Þingvellir in the North Atlantic Ridge.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:37:30
Views from the coach: perhaps a glimpse of Langjökull from Haukadalur
Friday 10 June 2016 — 14:41:36
Views from the coach: passing the Geysir area in Haukadalur
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:10:36
Views from the coach
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:42:10
Þingvellir from the rift wall overlooking it
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:42:24
Þingvellir from the rift wall overlooking it
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:43:02
Þingvellir from the rift wall overlooking it
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:43:18
The rift wall overlooking Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:43:56
The rift wall overlooking Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:48:00
Way down from the top of the rift wall to Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:48:18
Way down from the top of the rift wall to Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:48:26
Way down from the top of the rift wall to Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:48:34
Way down from the top of the rift wall to Þingvellir
Friday 10 June 2016 — 15:48:48
Way down from the top of the rift wall to Þingvellir
The toilets at the visitor centre had turnstiles operated by the insertion of a 100 krónur coin (perhaps two — or a credit/debit card!), but fortunately there was an attendant there; she gave us change and opened a gate. Then we boarded the coach and went the 30 miles or so back westwards to Reykjavík.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 16:27:20
View from the coach
On the outskirts Ingvar pointed out storage tanks for holding geothermally heated water. These were new ones; we were about to visit “The Pearl”, the old set of storage tanks on which had been constructed a hemispherical dome to make an exhibition centre with shops, a cafeteria, and on the top floor a revolving restaurant. (One of the shops was a “Christmas Shop”, and I saw hanging up in it gnome-like representations of the
“Yule Lads”.) When we got there it had started to rain.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 16:55:44
Outside Perlan (“The Pearl”): 1970 sculpture Dansleikur (“Dance”) by Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir (1919–2009).
Friday 10 June 2016 — 16:56:28
Perlan (“The Pearl”)
Friday 10 June 2016 — 16:57:30
Perlan (“The Pearl”)
Friday 10 June 2016 — 16:58:26
Perlan (“The Pearl”)
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:00:58
Perlan (“The Pearl”)
I braved the rain on the balcony surrounding the dome to take photos.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:03:08
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome: Reykjavík airport
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:04:20
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome: Hallgrímskirkja
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:04:20 (detail)
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome: Hallgrímskirkja
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:04:52
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome
Ingvar was out there, and he pointed out the presidential residence.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:05:48
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome: zoomed-in view beyond the airport
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:05:48 (detail)
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome: Bessastaðir, official residence of the President of Iceland
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:06:34
Perlan (“The Pearl”), views from outside the dome
We got rid of most of our loose change by buying a couple of post cards.
Statue of Leif Erikson, who discovered “Vinland” (Newfoundland or an area around the Gulf of St. Lawrence), outside the Hallgrímskirkja
Icelandic horses
We rejoined the coach — “Excuse me!” … “May we pass you?” — and had a mini-tour through the city centre before being taken back to the ship at Skarfabakki Harbour.
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:33:36
Views from the coach: Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:33:48
Views from the coach: Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavík
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:39:16
Views from the coach: Reykjavík
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:42:50
Views from the coach: Reykjavík
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:44:08
Views from the coach: Reykjavík
Friday 10 June 2016 — 17:53:06
Boarding the MS Marco Polo
We had dinner in the Waldorf Restaurant, where we joined Keith and Jean at the table. I managed unenthusiastically to chose something from just about every course on the menu. I had a glass of house red wine and
Janet a couple of Coca Cola Light. The first time I chose the cheese selection, there was blue cheese with a couple of others; but since then, including this evening, the cheeses have been either bland — or what I consider unpalatable slime: brie or Camembert.
Janet wasn’t bothered about having any fruit, so we skipped going to Marco’s and went to the Captain’s Club. I had a
Grappa Moscato and later an “American” coffee, and
Janet a couple of Coca Cola Light (19:28, 19:40, 19:49). We returned to the cabin without any turns of the deck (it was raining and we were weary after a full day). Transferred 80 photos and five videos from the camera to the
WD Elements HDD (20:24–20:27). Rotated four photos that needed it (20:35–20:37). We went to bed
ca.9.50pm.
