Jóhann Viking
When can you frequently visit the Golden Circle in Iceland
The Golden Circle is a renowned of Iceland that loops over from Reykjavik to three of the most famous locations in Iceland, then back to the capital again. The names of these three locations are Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfalls and The Great Geysir. There are also other attractions along the way, but the three mentioned before are the main attractions.
As with other locations all over Iceland, there are specific seasons and times that should be taken into account when visiting the Golden Circle. It because you might want to know how you want to experience the Golden Circle. You know if it is snowing, the Gullfoss will something else entirely. On a sunny day, the famous two-stepped waterfall will look like something else. This is why you should always take the times and seasons of the Golden Circle into account.
Travel to Iceland is booming in recent years. 1.7 million tourists have visited this island country as per fact is given by the Tourist Board of Iceland. They also said that in 2016 alone, these tourists have contributed around 360 billion krona to the country’s economy. Sometime the temperature will plummet under zero degrees conditions, but people will still flock to this country. Though as per the board again, the tourist figures show that the summer season of Iceland is more popular than the winter one (Even if it is popular in Game of Thrones).
Even though the figure slashing of winter against summer is only slight but one may still ask why. There must be a specific season. In essence, it might also tell us when you can visit the Golden Circle more frequently and in what season.
So, when we should visit it and can also do it more frequently?
One of the most major reasons for Iceland’s year-round popularity is that the country is transformed in every season. It looks very different in different seasons. The beautiful green hills of Iceland in summer turns into smooth plains of snow when the winter seasons come. This means some opportunities for vacations, traveling, experience, and activities will be strictly unique to their respective seasons. For example snorkeling in the Silfra fissure (it is in the National Park) will be closed in the winters and open in summers.
What about the tours and seasons that surround these attractions:
Instead of driving yourself into the Golden Circle, you can take many of the available tours that can take you to the whole of Golden Circle. The tours provide us with experienced/trained guides and suitable tools/cars. Throughout the Golden Circle tour, you will experience a plethora of beautiful wonders in Iceland. Green farmlands, mountains peaks, swirling rivers, and incredible valleys. The first stop will be Thingvellir National Park. In summer it’s vibrant green fields are interjected with freshwater flowing from the broken fissures along tectonic plates of America and Europe.
One of these fissures as mentioned before (Silfra) allow the divers to touch both of the continents at the same time. This type of winding stream become icy veins and the lush green landscape become snowy plains in the months of winter. Thingvallavatn Lake that is near the Silfra fissure also become completely frozen.
After this, the tour takes us to the world famous Geysir. The Great Geysir is geothermal hot spring, to which people visit to see what happens in the underbelly of the earth. When it is feeling like it can push the water out. Other times you may have to visit the neighboring Geysir Strokkur for the water gushings. On a clear sunny day, it is the best time to see the Geysir flush out all of its glory but alas nowadays it is a rarity. Recent earthquakes, nearby construction work, and some soaps activity can awaken the monster sometimes.
Next up comes the natural wonder, of which most of Iceland is very proud of: The Gullfoss Waterfall. This waterfall gets its fresh water from the second largest glacier of Iceland named Langjokull through the Olfusa River. The name literally translates into “Golden Falls”. It has two steps waterfalls where the water cascades (they measure 11 and 22 meters respectively) until the end when the water suddenly disappears into a 20-meter fissure.
In the summertime, you can the magic of this waterfall in all of its glory. It is essentially flanked by rocky and green fields. In the winter the freshwater almost comes to the freezing point and is leaves out ice blocks of water along its edges. The fields that were flanking the waterfall become a long stretch of ice sheets. Other than these attractions there is also other attraction along the route and their availability also depends on various seasons of Iceland. Inquire with your tour agencies to see what can you do along the way of the Golden Circle.
So, when should we organize a tour or visit:
While the traffic and the route are always open, summer by a longshot is the winner of the best season to visit the Golden Circle in Iceland. There are a lot of activities in the summer and everything is more majestic and moving in the summer months. While the winter months have their own beauty, people tend to like the summertime more in Iceland and the Golden Circle.
Our Golden Circle Reykjavík Tour with the added bonus of a visit to the Secret Lagoon
Final words:
So, here we are and now you finally know that Iceland can be visited all year round. But, summer still takes the piece of cake if you want to see the natural wonders of Iceland with clarity and peace. There is also a lot less dangerous in the months of summer and you can meet new people along the way that is so popular for Iceland. Activities are also more fun and are available in more numbers during the summer times. This does not mean that you should not visit Iceland in winter, as by all mean you are welcomed to visit in winter.