5-Day Self-Drive Tour of South Iceland With the Golden Circle and Blue Lagoon

On the second day of your self-drive tour in Iceland, you'll see the sights of the Golden Circle and have the option to take a snorkeling, horse-riding, or snowmobile tour.

On the ever-popular Golden Circle sightseeing route, your first stop is the Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO heritage site where the parliament of Iceland was founded in 930 AD. 

The area stands atop the tectonic rift, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet. They constantly push and pull at each other, forming a landscape of torn clefts and fissures surrounded by lava fields. Thingvallavatn, the largest lake in Iceland, was also made this way. 

There, you can visit the Silfra fissure and go for an optional snorkeling tour or walk along the Almannagja gorge and stand at the same place as the lawmakers of old. Participants in the snorkeling excursion need to be comfortable in the water and be able to swim.

Your next stop is the Haukadalur valley. Home of the Haukdaelir clan in the historical era of the Sagas, this valley is now best known for its massive hot springs. The largest one, Geysir, lends its name to all geysers in the English language.

The powerful nearby geyser, Strokkur, erupts every few minutes and can explode up to 60 feet (20 meters) high. All around, geysers of all sizes spew mineral-rich water over the clay, turning the terrain into shades of brown and red.

Your last stop of the Golden Circle is the magnificent waterfall, Gullfoss. This beautiful feature lies in the glacial river Hvita and has a drop of more than 105 feet (32 meters).

Gullfoss, "The Golden Waterfall," is much loved by the locals as one of Iceland's most impressive waterfalls. From here, you can choose to opt for a snowmobiling tour.

If neither snowmobiling nor snorkeling appeals to you, you can opt for a horse-riding tour to meet the charming Icelandic horse.

Your accommodation for the night will be in the nearby Southwest Iceland region.

On the third day of your self-drive tour in Iceland, you'll visit some of Iceland's most spectacular sights. These include the Solheimajokull glacier, Reynisfjara black sand beach, and Skaftafell Nature Reserve, amongst other stops.

Today, you will head east. You will pass over the black sands of Solheimajokull glacier, where you can go either snowmobiling or glacier hiking before reaching the small but famous fishing village of Vik. 

There, you can opt for an exciting tour to Myrdalsjokull glacier, where you visit a stunning ice cave, the only one of its kind accessible during summer. If you join the tour, experienced guides will lead you through the glacier and into the chambers of the ice cave.

Near Vik is the awe-inspiring black sand beach Reynisfjara, where the tall rock stacks stand in the North Atlantic Ocean. The beach also has a cliff face of distinctive hexagonal basalt columns. 

The next highlight is the Skaftafell Nature Reserve, nestled under the largest glacier in Iceland, Vatnajokull. Skaftafell, part of Vatnajokull National Park, has a wide array of walking paths and hikes of various mobility and difficulty levels. 

Among them is a brilliant 3.1 mile (5 kilometers) walk to Svartifoss waterfall, hidden in a canyon above the Visitor Centre.

Driving away from the impressive glacier tongues of Skaftafell, you will reach the crown jewel of Iceland's natural wonders, the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon. 

This lagoon is well known for the massive icebergs that break away from the Breidamerkurjokull glacier above and now float in it. Home to seals and fish, the lagoon is teeming with life.

The black sand beach across the bridge has earned the nickname Diamond Beach due to the broken chunks of ice that rest on the dark sand, like precious stones sparkling in the sunlight.

You will spend the night at a comfortable accommodation in Southeast Iceland, near the Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon.