Day 5: The Golden Circle – Geysers, Waterfalls, and Tectonic Plates

The original plan on this day was to check out of our Selfoss place early and beat the crowd to Iceland's most popular tourist destinations. However, after a physically (and mentally) grueling Day 4 and a late night, I told everyone to sleep in and we'd try to check out by 10.

We had planned for a more relaxed Day 5 by exploring one of Iceland’s most iconic tourist routes: the Golden Circle. You can drive the Golden Circle clockwise or counterclockwise. Hoping to avoid Reykjavik crowds coming from the west, we opted for the latter.

Here was our driving path for the day:

To enhance our experience, we used an app I bought called GuideAlong, which uses GPS to narrate local history, Viking tales, folklore, and fun facts as you drive. It also suggests off-the-beaten-path stops that might not make it into typical brochures. It was like having a witty Icelandic tour guide in the car with us.

First Stop: Kerið Crater

Our first stop was Kerið, a striking volcanic crater lake created by a long-extinct volcano. We were still sore from the previous day’s hikes, so the plan was to take it easy… but then Jen, Rogan, and I couldn't help ourselves and walked the full rim trail and descended the steps into the crater to walk the inner rim too. So much for resting.

As we hiked, the ever-present midges were back. These tiny bugs were relentless, especially when the wind died down. Some of us had gotten to scratching the bites, and they now showed up as red sores. Ryan, apparently the tastiest among us, bore the worst of it. The only way to avoid them was to keep moving, so we did.

The cool turquoise color of the lake in the crater made a nice spot for pictures. Even Rogan, who normally avoids pictures, got in for a couple shots.

Second Stop: Gullfoss Waterfall

From there, we continued to Gullfoss, one of Iceland’s most dramatic waterfalls. Thanks to GuideAlong, we learned that Gullfoss was almost lost to development when someone wanted to harness its river water for a private geothermal project. The daughter of the farmer who owned the land fought to preserve it—and she become one of Iceland’s earliest environmental activists.

The waterfall itself was stunning. It crashes in two powerful tiers into a misty canyon. There were a lot of tourists here, but it was an easy walk on paved paths.

The waterfall had several different viewing areas.

As usual, people-watching was part of the fun—especially a young Asian woman dramatically posing for dozens of photos in front of the falls. As she flipped her hair dramatically and looked back over her shoulder seductively, Rogan noticed she had a QR code tattooed on her hand, possibly for her Instagram. We didn't scan it, thus the identity of mystery influencer remains unknown.

Maybe I should be an Instagram model, too?

The visitor center at the park had a huge souvenir shop and a nice restroom area. It was busy and large enough that we actually got separated and lost Ryan for a bit. Note: They always make you walk through the gift shops first to get to the bathroom. Very clever.

Outside, there were various vehicles staged to take travelers on different tours. One massive bus in the parking lot looked like it was designed specifically for glacier hikes.

Somewhere Ryan had seen that this waterfall was considered more impressive than Niagara Falls. While it was nice, having seen both, I would respectfully disagree. While large, I would even go so far as to say it was the third most impressive waterfall we had seen that week!

Notice the huge streams of people on the path going to get a closer look.

Be prepared to get a little wet with mist visiting this waterfall.

Third Stop: Geysir Geothermal Area

This area was named for Geysir, the original geyser that gave its name to all others.

RIP: Geysir

While the OG Geysir is mostly dormant now, its lively little sibling Strokkur erupts reliably every 5 to 10 minutes. We arrived just in time to catch three eruptions in a row, each shooting steam 50–60 feet into the air.

Ooohs and aaaah rang out from the crowd with each eruption.

I asked Jen to record a video of me in front of it, hoping to make a little science lesson for my students. While I was explaining how geysers form, a Chinese tourist wandered right in front of me, oblivious to the fact that we were filming. It made for a funny but not atypical tourist moment.

We really enjoyed watching the geyser erupt, and we watched it go off several times trying to capture the perfect picture or video.

Mikah made a great tripod for this purpose.

Jen was eventually able to capture video of me in front of it.

After watching a few eruptions, we explored the rest of the geothermal area which included hot pots, bubbling mud pits, and steaming vents.

I would say it was like Yellowstone but on a smaller scale and less colorful for sure.

The hot pots looked inviting for a dip, but they were a dangerous 176-212º F.

We ate a surprisingly tasty lunch at the cafeteria inside the visitor center here. Jen had mushroom soup that was her best meal of the trip to that point. We browsed the jam-packed gift shop and took full advantage of the WC. We bought a few souvenirs, mostly resisting the temptation to buy puffin plushies and awesome hats like this.

Jen really wanted to buy an authentic Icelandic wool sweater like the one behind her, but they were usually priced $150-$250 USD.

Scenic Detours (and Ice Cream!)

As we continued the loop, GuideAlong pointed out interesting side attractions, like a mushroom farm and an old cave dwelling. We actually pulled off to check out the cave homes—until we saw the $25-per-person guided tour price. It sounded cool, but that was too expensive. Hard pass.

This is how the the home at Laugarvatnshellir cave used to look like. Photo: Laugarvatn Adventure

Instead, we detoured to a farm Mikah had read about where they use cows to produce their own ice cream. It reminded us of the original Moomers in Traverse City, Michigan. We each tried a cone, agreed it was pretty good, and enjoyed seeing some cute animals while we were there.

The cow stalls were connected right to the area you ate ice cream.

Þingvellir National Park

Our final stop was Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park, a place with both geological and historical significance. It’s where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet—and drift apart—forming deep cracks and rifts in the earth.

Iceland’s position on the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates means it’s ‘slowly being split apart.' An image of the historic site Thingvellir is shown, which sits in the rift valley caused by the diverging plates, creating fissures like that seen above.

Besides its geological significance, Þingvellir was also the site of Iceland’s first parliament, founded in 930 AD, making it one of the oldest continuous democratic institutions in the world. The layout of the historic gathering areas looked like something out of ancient Rome, with natural amphitheaters and dramatic cliffs.

When we arrived, we could hear music and walked toward it to find out what was going on. It turns out that it was an Independence Day festival. An Icelandic singer sang a lovely song as families listened, gathered on blanket on the lawn.

It took a little time for us to get oriented, but once in the park, the paths were beautiful and easy to follow—concrete or boardwalk the entire way. We took in views of a church, another waterfall and imagined ancient Icelanders gathering in this powerful landscape to lay down the law.

We walked to a couple areas that showed the dramitic split in the tectonic plates. This one below is popular for scuba diving and snorkeling the deep rift.

The are two different tectonic plates - one on each side of me.

This got me thinking, is Iceland part of North America, Europe or both? I looked it up at Google said:

🔹 Politically and Culturally:

Despite the geological split, Iceland is considered part of Europe. It’s a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and participates in many European institutions and cultural exchanges. It’s not part of the EU, but it aligns closely with European norms and policies.

So in short:

🌍 Geologically: Both North America and Europe
🏛️ Culturally/Politically: Europe

On the way out, I took some pictures of the cool Icelandic flags blowing in the wind.

I love the style and pattern of their flag.

To cap off the day, we decided for one of Iceland's most famous foods for dinner. We drove back to Selfoss and visited the Pylsu Vagninn drive-thru for some Icelandic hotdogs.

Ryan got a deep fried hot dog. Might sound gross but it was really good.

It was another amazing day in this great country. By the end of the day, we were tired again—but in a good way. The Golden Circle, while much more touristy than our previous day, lived up to the hype, especially with our trusty audio guide narrating the land’s stories.

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