Image above: The blur of the fast-moving water at Gullfoss as it crashes over two cliff tops to descend 32m to the canyon below. [Saturday 29 May] | [View all photos]
Taking full advantage of the longer daylight hours in Iceland, we started the day with whale watching in the North Atlantic ocean and ended late with a drive on the Golden Circle route through some spectacular scenery.
To kick things off, a hearty breakfast was the order of the day at the rather cosy Grai Kotturinn before we checked out the sleek lines of Hallgrimskirkja which towered over Reykjavik. Of all the churches I’ve been to this is probably my favourite with its modern aesthetics and its all white simple interior – a vast difference to the ornate basilica of St Peter in the Vatican.
Then we head out to sea for the whale watching and, as we left the harbour, the scenery passing us by was just jaw-dropping. This was See Yun’s must-do in Iceland and she wasn’t disappointed as before long we caught our first glimpse of whales before they dived back under.
Most of the time though there was a lot of waiting around to spot others but there was other wildlife to follow in the meantime. Plus, we met this friendly German couple who we chatted to and they kindly invited us to visit their home which was so nice. Finally, after all that waiting, we came across this playful pod of whales which was definitely the highlight of the trip.
Back onshore and with plenty of daylight left, we rented a car and were soon (thanks to GPS!) driving along the popular Golden Circle route. First stop was the impressive geothermal springs of Geysir watching Stokkur bubble up and then explode 20-30m into the air every few minutes or so.
Back on the road, the next stop was to the cascading waterfalls of Gullfoss which really has to be experienced in person. We managed to get quite close to the edge and I was just dumb struck watching that amount of water just pour past me – really shows off the power of Mother Nature.
Having experienced that, it was time to drive back to Reykjavik chasing the sunset back to our hotel. Along the way, we passed by spectacular cloud formations and the plumes of vapour rising from geothermal stations in an alien landscape. It’s hard to describe just how beautiful the scenery is there. By the time we got back into Reykjavik near 23:00 it was so good to finally devour a sandwich from Hlolla Batar after such a packed day.
Coming up next … following the Southern coastal road to Jokulsarlon to see the famous glacier lake there and tasted the oldest water we’ll ever taste in our lives.
- Iceland – Part 1
- Iceland – Part 2
- Iceland – Part 3
- Iceland – Part 4
- Iceland – Part 5
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We were just in Iceland two weeks ago and it was stunning! Totally unlike anything I had ever seen before. We rented a car too and definitely loved the freedom of stopping whenever we wanted and for whatever waterfalls we wanted to see. The dirt roads were pretty crazy though, right?
@Jade: Thanks for the comment and yeah it’s an breathtaking place to drive around – especially with all the empty roads. Really emphasises the sheer cale of the nature around us. Would love to go back and cover the Northern route one day.
PS: I checked out your site – really good to read about all the travels. Very inspiring!!!!