The Golden Circle

The Golden Circle is a huge center of attraction amongst many tourists and is pretty famous. All for the right reasons too. It’s a 155-mile loop that starts in Reykjavík. It is a cozy drive across the span of a day, ends just in time for dinner back at your hotel in the capital.

One can take their own sweet time to stop and appreciate all the attractions and their beauty, that fall along the route. Some of the many being~

  • Thingvellir National Park- beautiful home to world-renowned trout fishing
  • Silfra diving site
  • Gullfoss or Golden falls- stunning multi-tiered waterfall thundering into a canyon and shooting out rainbows as fire works against the pretty skies.

The Westfjords Way

The arrival of the Dýrafjarðargong Tunnel marked the completion of the loop of Westfjords. Courtesy of the topography of the region, the ways remain a little chaotic, but it’s now approachable for a 2 or 3-day loop.

This meagerly distributed area provides a variety of experiences. It ranges from open-air hot spring bathing to the quirky Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft. Make plans keeping in mind the sparsely places petrol stations and supermarkets. Keep an eye out for the very amazing Litlibaer cafe along the notched north coast, if you get hungry along the way.

The Arctic Coast Way

It has been an integral part of North Iceland for so long. Even before it got christened in 2019. Tourists usually tend to start or end in the village of Hvammstang and precede the wide-ranging coastline of seven peninsulas. Every single one of them has its own specific sets of striking features and charming characters, ending 560 miles later at Bakkafjörður in the east of the country.

The duration of the journey varies with the amount of time you decide to spend in Akureyri, the second city of Iceland. Another deciding factor being, the number of days you’ve to wait for optimal whale watching status in Husavik, which is up North of there.

The South Coast

This seconds the Golden Circle in terms of traffic. The amount of striking attractions it has makes it kind of hard to choose favorites. Here are some top picks though~

  • Skógafoss- easily the prettiest waterfall of Iceland.
  • Black beach of Reynisfjara- beautiful black sand, powerful waves, and the rear guarded by imposing basalt cliffs. Even popular for its unique features and is known for being used in cinematic productions like Star Wars and Game of Thrones.

Continuing east,

  • Jökulsárlón glacial Lake- drifting icebergs, whose remnants wash up on the diamond beach after breaking apart.

Preferably two days are taken to reach Höfn, the fishing village from Reykjavik. One may either turn around then or continue towards the Ring Road.

The Ring Road

This road encircles the entire country of Iceland. One can take as much time traveling along with it as they please. Usually, a 10-day trip suffices, it’ll allow you to see most of the great attractions along the way. Although, there may not be room for a detour or slight delays here and there.

To visit east Iceland, take in the South Coast, the Arctic Coast Way, and the Golden Circle. This will help you explore more of the unknown, find scenic fishing villages and routes that are less traveled by.