Description
Summary
Description
See Iceland's most famous sightseeing route and finish the day in warm water on this small-group Golden Circle tour with entry to the Laugarvatn Fontana. This Golden Circle and spa day tour from Reykjavik suits travelers who want the classic highlights in a relaxed minibus group rather than a packed coach.
Joining this 9-hour tour secures a seat in a minibus capped at 19 guests, so you get real time with a certified English-speaking guide at every stop. Hotel pickup and drop-off in Reykjavik, free Wi-Fi on board, and admission to Laugarvatn Fontana are all included, which means no extra tickets to buy on the day.
Pickup starts in the morning from your accommodation or a nearby authorized bus stop in Reykjavik. The minibus heads inland past open farmland and lava plains to Kerid Volcanic Crater, a 6,500-year-old caldera with red walls wrapped around a still blue lake. Stairs lead down to the water, and a level path loops the rim.
Gullfoss Waterfall comes next, where the glacial Hvita River drops 105 feet (32 meters) in two stages into a narrow canyon. Spray drifts over the upper platform in summer, and ice builds along the gorge in winter. A visitor center with restrooms, a cafe, and a shop sits by the upper parking lot.
In the Haukadalur Valley, your guide explains the plumbing behind the Geysir Geothermal Area while you walk past mud pots, steam vents, and clear blue springs. The Great Geysir gave every geyser in the world its name, and neighboring Strokkur still fires a column of boiling water up to 131 feet (40 meters) every 5 to 10 minutes.
The pace slows at Laugarvatn Fontana, a recently renovated geothermal spa on the shore of Lake Laugarvatn. You get 1.5 hours to move between mineral-rich outdoor pools, steam rooms built over a natural hot spring, and a Finnish-style sauna, with the option of a cold dip straight into the lake. An on-site restaurant serves light meals.
Thingvellir National Park closes the loop. This UNESCO World Heritage Site held Iceland's first parliament in 930 AD, and it straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates pull apart. You can walk the floor of Almannagja Gorge, a rift that widens roughly 0.78 inches (2 centimeters) a year.
The minibus returns to Reykjavik in the late afternoon and drops you at your original pickup point. Stop order can shift with weather and road conditions, and from October through April the lower path at Gullfoss Waterfall may be closed by ice, though the upper viewpoint stays open.
Book this small-group Golden Circle tour from Reykjavik to pair Kerid, Gullfoss, Geysir, and Thingvellir with a long soak at the Laugarvatn Fontana geothermal baths. Check availability now by choosing a date.
