One of the perks of being a travel blogger is joining guided tours and writing about them. I joined an enjoyable tour, the Golden Circle tour, combined with a very relaxing float and massage in a secret lagoon in South Iceland!
I was picked up at the BSÍ, bus terminal in Reykjavík at 2 pm. I was expecting a small bus to pick me up, but was delighted to see the luxury jeep that was going to be driving me around for the day :)
Top photo: the Secret Lagoon
The late Ólafur from Travis, Iceland, by his super jeep - he was a very entertaining and fun guide, and we stayed in touch for years, and went on tours together. He passed away too early and is sorely missed.
The Golden Circle is by far the most popular tour in Iceland. The first stop on this tour is at Þingvellir National Park, 50 km away from Reykjavík.
We picked up another two passengers and off we went on the Golden Circle tour and the Secret Lagoon. It was going to be a 10-hour tour!
At Þingvellir national park - Flosagjá rift
Þingvellir National Park is situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the North American, and Eurasian continents. The tectonic plates are visible above ground here at Þingvellir.
Between the two tectonic plates lies the 3rd plate, the micro-tectonic plate Hreppaflekinn. You can read up on it on the website of Þingvellir.
And here, in 930, the Vikings established a parliament that is still operating in Reykjavík.
We walked down the Almannagjá rift and met up with the guide at Nikulásargjá rift, which we Icelanders call Peningagjá - Money rift, as it is the only place in Iceland where it is allowed to throw in money and make a wish :)
At Efstidalur farm
After our walk in Þingvellir, it was time for an ice-cream stop at Efstidalur farm, where they make their own ice cream.
The restaurant is located next to the cowshed with windows for watching the cows while you eat.
Strokkur erupting at the Geysir geothermal area
Our next stop was at the Geysir geothermal area.
I think this must be the most popular place to visit in Iceland, as this is the only place in Europe where this natural phenomenon can be seen.
Although this geothermal area is named after Geysir, the "geysir" that erupts most frequently (every 5-10 minutes) is called Strokkur.
Gullfoss waterfall
Only 10 km away from the Geysir area is the breathtakingly beautiful waterfall Gullfoss.
Gullfoss is the best-known waterfall in Iceland, 32 metres high, with two cascades: the first is 11 metres high and the other 21 metres.
This waterfall runs in the glacial river Hvítá, which originates in the Langjökull glacier.
It is possible to walk down to the waterfall in the summertime, which is a great experience. Bring a light raincoat, as there is drizzle from the waterfall along the track leading to it.
Faxi waterfall - you can also see it in the background in the photo of Ólafur and the super jeep
On our way back from Gullfoss, we stopped by another beautiful waterfall, the 20-22 meters high Faxi waterfall. This waterfall used to be overlooked by many people, but now more and more people have discovered it and include it in their Golden Circle tour.
Faxi is located in the river Tungufljót. Tungufljót is a salmon river, and around 400 salmon are caught in it every year. There is a salmon ladder by the waterfall to help salmon jump upriver.
This is where I took the photo of the jeep and our guide, Ólafur. I thought it would be nice to have this lovely waterfall in the background :)
We had dinner at Café Mika in Reykholt
By now it was 7:30 pm - dinner time. We had dinner at Café Mika in Reykholt, a geothermal village near Faxi waterfall. At Café Mika, the owners sell handmade pralines.
There we had a lovely dinner with praline (chocolate) for dessert.
In my photo are the two tourists from Alaska, Ólafur, our guide and co-founder of Floating Tours, one of the owners of Café Mika, and our other guide, Attila. Lovely people.
The Secret Lagoon
After dinner, we went to the Secret Lagoon at Flúðir for the floating part of the tour, the part I had been looking forward to so much. And I must say that it exceeded my expectations.
The estimated time for entering the lagoon was 10 pm, as by then only floating was allowed.
The weather was perfect; it was a calm, bright June night. We arrived at 9:30 pm, and the guide took us to one of the hot springs behind the lagoon to dig up rye bread that he had been cooking in it for 24 hours.
The hot spring rye bread, which had been cooking for 24 hours in a hot spring
We got to taste the bread for supper after the floating experience.
Now it was time to enter the 38-40 degrees Celsius hot lagoon! We got the floating kit, a floating cap, and leg straps, so we could be totally relaxed in the lagoon and experience the heavenly feeling of floating.
There are underwater speakers in the lagoon, and the popular Icelandic band Sigurrós played soft, relaxing music. I can tell you that this experience was heavenly.
Soaking in the Secret Lagoon
We floated for an hour in the pool, and then it was the icing on the cake - a 15-minute massage in the lagoon! It was pure heaven.
I cannot remember when I have felt more relaxed than during the massage, just floating, listening to this soft music of Sigurrós :)
I need to go back to this secret lagoon! When I revisited Secret Lagoon in 2019, the floating and massage were no longer available, but it was great to experience them while they were still available.
Having a massage in the Secret Lagoon
By the way, these are not the changing facilities seen in the photo of me getting a massage - this lagoon is one of the oldest swimming pools in Iceland, built in 1891, and these are the old changing facilities.
There are new, modern facilities now on the other side of the lagoon.
Cooking an egg in the hot spring Vaðmálahver
After getting out of the lagoon and changing, it was time to boil the eggs for supper - in the hot-spring Vaðmálahver!
We got a fishing rod and a net to put the egg in, and there we stood by the hot spring for some 8 minutes and boiled our supper. In the olden days, this hot spring was used for washing clothes.
There are several other hot springs around the pool, one of which is called Litli-Geysir, as it erupts every 5 minutes!
Secret Lagoon geothermal area
Be very careful in this geothermal area as the hot springs are extremely hot and boiling. In October 2016, a tourist didn't notice the boundaries of this closed-off area and stepped into it! He got severely burnt when he fell into a hot spring :(
We Icelanders are taught to fear the hot springs and to be extremely careful, and never to cross the boundaries, so I must reiterate the importance of never entering a closed-off geothermal area.
Supper at the Secret Lagoon
Now it was time for supper at 11:30 pm! What we had was the egg we had cooked in the hot spring, fermented shark (an acquired taste), "brennivín," which is the Icelandic Black Death shot, the rye bread cooked for 24 hours in the hot spring, and tomatoes and cucumbers from the local greenhouses.
It was superb, very Icelandic.
After supper, we were driven back to Reykjavík, arriving at 1:30 am!
I took a video of the Secret Lagoon before we headed for Reykjavík to show you how serene it is.
There is another combination tour which includes the Secret Lagoon - I joined it and wrote about my experience:
Just so you know, if you plan on visiting the Secret Lagoon on your own, it is now necessary to book your arrival at the Secret Lagoon ahead of time.
Have fun in Iceland :)
