Chasing the Northern Lights – Reykjavik, Iceland
April 3, 2025
Cairo and Giza
April 10, 2025Day 2 in Reykjavik, sleep deprived, and honestly a bit dejected after a long and unsuccessful night of chasing the Northern Lights that never appeared (read about it here), I made my way down to breakfast at my hotel to prepare for a full-day tour of Iceland’s famed Golden Circle.
Breakfast as the Fron Hotel (highly recommended for reasonable and extremely comfortable accommodation in the heart if Reykjavik) was a big spread of some traditional Icelandic dishes as well as more mainstream options including cold-cuts, cheeses, a selection of breads and cereals, fruit and Icelandic Skyr. The hotel itself was lovely, with large rooms, a restaurant and garden as well as friendly and efficient staff. They went out of their way to tell me which way to walk and even upgraded my room to a huge suite with a separate living and dining area and a bedroom at no extra charge!
After some food and plenty of coffee, I made my way to the tour meeting point, a short 5 minute walk away.
Armed with my trusty motion-sickness pills and warmly clad, I found my seat aboard another tour bus full of other excited travellers. Our first stop that morning was Pingvellir (or Thingevellir) National Park, the site of the first Icelandic parliament which was convened in the year 930. The last Icelandic parliament to convene at Pingvellir was in 1798, after which the parliament has been located in Reykjavik. Thingevellir is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and sits along the tectonic plates between continental Europe and North America. For those brave enough to take the plunge, it’s actually possible to scuba dive or snorkel between the two continents in the Silfra fissure!
Our guide informed us that Gulfoss was our lunch stop and directed us to the well-appointed gift shop and cafe where I purchased a souvenir mug (I collect mugs from every country i visit)
After spending some time reading the history of the National Park and a bit about the first settlers to Iceland, it was time to move on to the magnificent Gulfoss waterfall. By this time it had started to snow lightly, adding to the charm (and dropping temperatures) of the day. Gullfoss, which translates literally to ‘Golden Falls’ is a waterfall along the Hvítá river and drops in two distinct sections, one measuring 11 meters and the second 21 meters, making it a total of 32 meters high. While it is possible to hike along the waterfall, it requires the use of crampons and a few hours of time, neither of which were available to be on this trip. We were however, able to walk around close to the waterfall, see a beautiful rainbow and get sprayed by the frigid water too!
Our final stop was to the visit Strokkur and Geysir, two of the regions most well-known and active geysers. Geysir, also known as the Great Geysir is known for its once massive eruptions, rising almost 200 feet into the air at regular, frequent intervals. Unfortunately, Geysir’s eruptions have become much less frequent in recent times and in fact, the famous geyser has stopped erupting entirely for long periods of time. Strokkur on the other hand, just 50m away from Geysir continues to erupt every 10-15 minutes putting on a spectacular show of steam and water shooting into the air that we were lucky enough to witness.
Our guide informed us that Gulfoss was our lunch stop and directed us to the well-appointed gift shop and cafe where I purchased a souvenir mug (I collect mugs from every country i visit) and treated myself to a steaming hot, and surprisingly tasty bowl of traditional Icelandic lamb soup or Kjötsúpa. It was just what i needed to warm up from the chill.
On our way back to the city, our guide made a bonus stop at a lovely farmhouse with a cafe for us to rest and warm up. The farm was a working farm, and I was excited to see and even feed the beautiful and gentle Icelandic horses that grazed in the nearby paddock. The Icelandic horses are native to the region and are smaller than most other breeds with thicker, shaggier coats adapted to withstand the cooler temperatures.
Finally, tired but extremely happy, I made it back to my hotel for a quick rest before another (sadly unsuccessful) night of chasing the Northern Lights. (Read about it here)
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Disha
Disha is a former corporate lawyer with a flair for writing. As an avid traveller, she is always seeking new adventures and loves telling stories about her globe trotting.
