David Whitley takes in a stunning waterfall, impressive geysers and the original site of the world’s oldest parliament in the world’s youngest country.
The youngest country in the world
If anywhere on earth is Mother Nature’s laboratory, it is Iceland. At face value, the country’s extraordinary landscape can only be the result of putting a giant chemistry set into a cauldron in order to see what happens.
Geologically speaking, Iceland is the youngest country in the world, and it’s still in that awkward adolescent phase where things keep growing, exploding and looking generally odd.
It’s covered in volcanoes and thermal lakes, surrounded by fjords and boasts both Europe’s biggest wilderness and its largest glacier. Every now and then, a new bit sprouts up too; in 1963, the island of Surtsey just burst out of the Atlantic Ocean.
Golden Circle tour
Iceland is just like that; you can say what you like about it, but it’s never, ever boring.
It would be perfectly feasible to spend weeks exploring the country’s nooks and crannies; shimmying up mountains, chasing whales around craggy cliffs, teetering along enormous sheets of ice and lolling about in hot pools. But for a bite-sized day-long taster, the famous Golden Circle tour is hard to beat.
Leaving from the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik, the Golden Circle is something of a Best Of compilation. Things that would be the highlights anywhere else – snow-capped peaks, massive craters and endless fields of moss-covered lava – are thrown in as little titbits. They’re regarded as the bread accompanying the three course meal.
Gullfoss
And the entree for that feast is Gullfoss, a waterfall of brutal, shuddering violence. It’s the least dainty cascade imaginable, with the thundering glacial river crashing over a series of rocky banks before disappearing into a chasm of spray. Walls of ice surround the main drop, and to fall in would be unquestionably fatal.
That this display of terrifying natural power is available for public viewing is thanks to one woman who was prepared to throw herself into it. The government were about to have a hydroelectric plant built on the site, but a local farmer’s daughter led protests against it. She threatened to offer herself in as a sacrifice, but thankfully that wasn’t necessary – Gullfoss is now protected and regarded as a national treasure.
Geysir
As is Geysir. If the name seems familiar, it’s because all thermal water spouts across the world are named after it. One of the results of Iceland’s position just above the earth’s rumbling stomach is that there are many areas of high geothermal activity. So much so that most of the nation’s homes are heated by harnessing it.
At Geysir – which has now become a mini-settlement rather than just an intermittent giant fountain – this underground rather obvious. There are a series of bubbling pools – some of which are shockingly hot, so don’t dip the fingers in – and occasionally the pressure gets too much.
Geysir itself has mellowed with age. It generally only starts emitting when there are earthquakes, but just next door is the most reliable geyser in the world.
Strokkur
Strokkur goes off every six or seven minutes, and the anticipation is almost as exciting as the main show. The water slops back and forth, rumbles with inner turmoil, starts to bulge and then… WOOSH! It’s a fearsome aquatic eruption, shooting 25-30m in the air, followed by a swarming cloud of vapour. All accompanied by the noise of a really fat person jumping into a swimming pool.
Thingvellir National Park
The last stop is the least immediate, but most important. The Thingvellir National Park is a gorgeously wild expanse of volcanic detritus, focused on a large lake. It’s characterised by thousands of craggy canyons and fissures – cracks in the rocks and earth that look like the results of earthquake after earthquake.
It’s where the American continental plate and the European continental plate meet, and it is thought to be the only place in the world where such an assembly can be so obviously seen. Every year, the two plates get 2cm further apart, and the contrast between the black cliffs (American side) and crumbling volcanic rock of the 7km rift is remarkable.
World’s Oldest Parliament
It’s not the only meeting that Thingvellir is famed for. This World Heritage site was also the original location of the world’s oldest parliament – the Althing. It moved to its present site in Reykjavik after natural disasters in the 18th century, but the Althing has operated continuously for nearly 1,100 years.
Back in AD930, Iceland had only been inhabited for two or three generations. However, it was decided that some rule of law was needed, and the farmers and local chieftains decided to get all democratic. Every summer, they would travel from around the country for a two week pow-wow. The only paid role was that of law speaker, a man who would have to learn the laws of the land by heart and recite them at each annual gathering.
The Icelandic flag now billows from the rock on which he stood. And it has a fabulous view across the unique terrain of Mother Nature’s laboratory.
Booking the Golden Circle Tour
The eight hour Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik can be booked with Isango.
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