Depart your Reykjavik hotel in a spacious Chevrolet Suburban 2015 or similar luxury 4x4 SUV, with your guide. Then, drive toward your first Golden Circle sight, UNESCO-listed Thingvellir National Park.
Let your guide know if there’s anything you want to see more of: your tour is private, so the itinerary can be tailored around you. Your tour route also takes in several restaurant and cafes, where if you wish, you can take a break for lunch (own expense).
Cross the heathland of Mosfellsheidi plateau, absorbing the volcanic mountains on the horizon, as you travel northwest to Thingvellir. Hear about Iceland’s volcanic landscapes along the way, and once inside the park, see where the Eurasian and North American continental plates lie overland, facing each other across a narrow valley.
View the Thingvellir site where Iceland’s first parliaments sat from 930 AD, and then continue to the tiny village of Laugarvatn, set on Lake Laugarvatn. After seeing the lake’s natural steam bath and hot springs, sitting above a natural geyser, travel onward to the Geysir geothermal area.
Walk among Geysir's bubbling springs and steam vents, and watch the Strokkur geyser erupt, sending a plume of water into the sky. Then, journey to nearby Gullfoss, whose Icelandic name means ‘Golden Fall.’ Hop outside here, and follow the path to the fall: where waters crash down a ‘staircase’ before plunging into a chasm.
Having admired this natural wonder, visit the Faxi waterfall, a lesser-known sight near the Golden Circle trail. Soak in the power of the thundering waters, and see the salmon ladder built to allow salmon to jump the falls and travel upstream to breed.
After passing several pretty villages, return to Reykjavik, where your tour ends with a hotel drop-off.
