Arrival at Keflavik airport.
We rent a car and check into a hotel.
Today we’re going to travel through the Golden Ring of Iceland!
The island of Iceland is located at the junction of two lithospheric plates: the Eurasian plate and the North American plate. Because of this, a huge fissure was formed, which can be seen on land (the so-called rift valley). This fissure split the bottom of Lake Tingvadlawatn, which is located here, forming the Silfra lava gorge – this is where the junction of two lithospheric plates is located, where North America meets Europe.
Also, in this valley from 930 to 1798 gathered the Icelandic people’s parliament, the Althing, which had both legislative and judicial functions.
The most numerous groups of geysers can be found in only 5 countries: Iceland, North America, New Zealand, Chile and Russia. But it is Iceland that is considered the “home” of geysers. After all, this is where the spring with the name “Geyser” is located).
Not far from the geysers is the Gullfoss waterfall – it is the seventh highest waterfall in Iceland, but also one of the most powerful. Waters of the glacial river Hvita with the noise falls from a height of 32 meters in a narrow canyon, the depth of which reaches 70 meters, giving tourists an incredible spectacle!
After the waterfall we will be transferred to Reykjavik. We check into our hotel and start preparing for the New Year. Near midnight, all the residents come out of their homes and start setting off fireworks. We will go to one of the main streets to have a glass of champagne and watch this amazing action.
After the fireworks show, we’ll head out to celebrate the New Year in one of the city’s many pubs. Another important Icelandic custom on New Year’s Eve is noise. According to the natives of the island, you need to behave as loudly as possible on this night to scare away evil forces and attract a lot of luck and money in the next year.
After a stormy night we will have a chance to sleep and gain strength. After that, we have breakfast and leave for Hvalja fjord, where we will spend 2-3 hours warming up in thermal springs Hvammsvik, right on the shore of the fjord!
Toward evening, transfer to the hotel in the town of Selfoss.
The day will start with a drive to the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This waterfall is one of the most famous in Iceland. You can walk behind him if you want to.
Our next location is no less famous. Skogafoss is one of the largest and most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland, the calling card and symbol of the country. Its classic picturesque appearance is admirable. Because of the large number of splashes and water dust formed by the waterfall, on sunny and clear days you can see a single and sometimes double rainbow.
Next, we’ll head to the Atlantic coast to the Deerhoy Lighthouse. This is the southernmost point of mainland Iceland. Translated as “hole in the door. Here, the sea, destroying the cliffs of volcanic lava 120 meters high, has created incredible forms. These are not just stone pillars, they form bizarre arches and towers. Rocks rise in the middle of a black sandy wasteland, and in separate groups they run far into the ocean.
After Cape Dirhólei, the most popular filming site in Iceland, Black Beach, awaits us. There are not many places in the world where you can see black beaches, and Iceland is one of them.
Transfer to the hotel.
Early in the morning we will go to the iceberg lagoon. This lagoon began to form about a hundred years ago. At that time, one of the tongues of the Vatnajökull glacier almost reached the edge of the Atlantic Ocean shore here. As a result of warming, the tongue of the glacier gradually decreased and receded from the shore, forming a lake with melted glacial water.
From the iceberg lagoon we will go to a very amazing place, whose photos will grace our social networks. Ice caves are temporary structures that appear at the edge of glaciers. Over the centuries, the old ice has compacted here in such a way that it contains almost no air bubbles. Due to the lack of air, the ice absorbs almost all the sunlight, except for its blue fraction, which is visible to the naked eye inside the cave.
Transfer to the hotel.
In the morning you can visit the “Blue Lagoon” – the most famous hot spring in Iceland . We rent a car and go to the airport.
