Golden Circle Complete - Classic Minibus Tour

+19

Top Attractions:

Thingvellir National Park

Great Geysir & Strokkur

Gullfoss Waterfall

Hveragerdi

Kerid Crater

Overview

Discover the iconic Golden Circle - a route through the best-loved attractions in Iceland! In just one day, you’ll witness the eruptions of the country’s most active geyser, walk through the valley between two continents, and experience the power of the 105-foot Gullfoss waterfall. In addition, you’ll discover the volcanic Kerid crater, hidden just off the main path, and the authentic geothermal town of Hveragerði, where bananas grow!

This small-group tour offers a more personal experience, and the convenient pick-up and drop-off in Reykjavik provide a carefree adventure.

Tour Snapshot

Duration

8 hours

Level

Easy

Availability

All year

Starting point

Reykjavik

End point

Reykjavik

Languages

English

Minimum age

6 years

What to expect

On tour

Minibus transport
English speaking tour guide
Visit the famous sites of the Golden Circle
Free WiFi on board your bus

Transportation

Pick & up drop-off in Reykjavik
Meet on location

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation
Meals
We recommend you bring your own snacks

Route map

Use our interactive map to investigate the details of your adventure.

8 hours

Route Overview

Get ready to spend your dream day in the Land of Ice & Fire!

Our golden loop starts in Reykjavik, where we’ll meet and drive 40 minutes to Hveragerði. On the way to Gullfoss waterfall, we’ll stop at the vibrant Kerid volcanic crater. We’ll also explore hot springs, geysers, and the wonders of Thingvellir National Park. After the tour, we’ll return to Reykjavik and drop you off in the early evening.

Starting point

Reykjavik

End point

Reykjavik

Hveragerdi, 'The town of springs'

The charming town of Hveragerði is famous for its geothermal activity. The natural warmth and sustainable energy from natural sources create perfect conditions for greenhouse cultivation. You’d be surprised to know how big is the variety of fruits and vegetables that can be harvested there year-round. In fact, Hveragerði is known as the world’s northernmost place where bananas can grow!

We’ll walk through the area, soaking in the stunning landscape and observing numerous hot springs (some of which are even found in locals’ backyards!). After the excursion, we’ll enjoy a delicious treat from a local bakery before heading to our next destination.

Departure from

Hveragerdi

Kerid volcanic crater lake

Kerid Volcanic Crater is a hidden gem. This natural wonder is the result of a volcano collapse that occurred over 6,500 years ago. What was left is what we see today—a round crater filled with blue groundwater that, when viewed from above, looks like "The Eye of the World."!

The caldera is 886 ft (270 m) in diameter and up to 180 ft (55 m) deep. The interesting thing is that the crater's walls are not black (as you would expect from a volcano) - they are red! This occurs due to the oxidation of the iron deposits. The ruby-red walls and the blue-green water of the lake create a mesmerizing contrast of colors rarely seen together in nature.

You can take an easy 20-minute hike around the crater to admire this colorful gem.

Departure from

Kerid Crater

Iconic Gullfoss Waterfall

The Golden Waterfall - that’s what Gullfoss is often called. It is one of the three most famous wonders of the Golden Circle and for a good reason! The two cascades of the falls, together measuring 105 ft (35m), plunge down into a deep canyon with tremendous power. Be ready to feel the mist as you get closer!

Why “golden”? The river Hvítá, which feeds the waterfall, changes color depending on the weather. Sometimes, it takes on a golden-brown shade, giving the waterfall its name.

Gullfoss never fails to amaze its visitors no matter the season, making it a must-see destination for everybody traveling through Iceland.

Departure from

Gullfoss Waterfall

Geysir Hot Spring Area

Geysers and hot springs are a signature feature of Iceland. The hot spring area in Haukadalur Valley is one of the most famous geothermal regions in the country. It is home to the oldest Icelandic geyser, Geysir, and the most active one, Strokkur. The area also features numerous springs, fumaroles, steam vents, and mud pools.

Looking at the Great Geysir is like looking at history itself. Not only is it one of the oldest such phenomena in the world, but it is also known to be the origin of the word “geyser.” In its active times, this mighty giant once was one of the world’s tallest, shooting hot water 400 ft (122 m) into the sky!

While Geysir is sleeping, his neighbor Strokkur steals the show! The most active water-spouting hot spring in the country, Strokkur amazes every visitor by erupting up to 130 ft (40 meters) every 4-10 minutes.

Departure from

Great Geysir & Strokkur

Thingvellir National Park

To complete the Golden Circle, we end our tour with a visit to Thingvellir National Park. The area holds great historical importance and has many remarkable geological features. The Eurasian and American tectonic plates meet here, and Althingi (the Icelandic parliament) was formed on these rocks in 930 AD, making it the oldest parliamentary site in the world. Thingvellir was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

The site is just brimming with nature wonders: the impressive Almannagjá rift, the crystal clear Silfra Fissure, and the stunning Þingvallavatn Lake. We will explore many beautiful sites and learn a lot about Iceland’s history at every corner.a

Departure from

Thingvellir National Park

Pick-up information

Your Golden Circle small-group sightseeing tour starts with pick-up from your selected location in Reykjavik at 8:00 a.m. Please note that the pick-up can take up to 30 min.

Check out our list of designated pick-up points here.

Your Day Tours

Your Day Tours is a family-run company offering small group adventures with a personal touch. Founded by three brothers and their father, they focus on creating fun, intimate day tours to Iceland’s top spots. With a maximum of 19 passengers per trip, you’ll enjoy a relaxed and memorable experience, complete with Icelandic music, local stories, and plenty of laughs along the way. It’s like exploring Iceland with family—only with a lot more glacier views.

5.0

Packing list

Get ready for your trip, here are some items, you should not forget.

What to bring (Required)

Warm outdoor clothing
Sturdy shoes
Waterproof jacket
Rent with us, +29 USD per person

We're here to answer your questions

The pickup time is stated on your voucher and therefore we recommend you to review your voucher carefully. We ask all participants to be ready from the start of the pickup time indicated as you may well be the first pick up of the day. Please be at your assigned location at the right pick up time that you chose when booking the tour.

Wait for your guide at your assigned pick up location.

Have your email and phone number listed with us so we can contact you if we run into any trouble finding you.

View our pick-up locations in Reykjavík.

Alcohol is prohibited on all of our tours before and during activities. If we find the participant to be intoxicated, we will prohibit them from taking part in the activity.

After the activities of the day are finished then you are more than welcome to have a drink and relax.

Yes, we do have a tour into Langjökull Ice Cave that has no minimum age and it is a fantastic option for the whole family. As a Whale Watching with our partner company Special Tours, enjoyable tour for a family traveling with young children, these guys have an enormous success rate in seeing whales (upwards of 98% in the summertime).

If you want to explore parts of Icelandic Highlands than we have our magnificent Landmannalaugar Safari tour that also offers you to bathe in natural hot springs. Almost all of our jeep tours are suitable for children over the age of 6 years old. Then we also have a relaxing experience that we highly recommend, our Golden Circle & Secret Lagoon tour.

We reserve the rights to adjust the itinerary and/or take different routes depending on conditions. Your safety is our number one priority.

Please read more information in our terms and conditions in regards to this matter.

Yes, we have specially trained and certified guide on all of our tours, expect on our self-drive tours.

All of our tours are English guided.

No, for all your questions and concerns you would need to contact our customer service.

In Iceland, the standard is 230V and 50Hz and we use F-type power sockets and plugs. If you are visiting from the UK, USA, Canada or other countries using a different voltage, Hz or plugs, therefore, we highly recommend you to bring an adaptor.

We have four different categories that help participants to get a better understanding of what to expect from the tour. The categories are Easy, Moderate, Challenging and Demanding. All of our tours are rated to make it easier for you to find a tour that suits you.

For further information about the difficulty ratings and descriptions.

You can book almost all of our trips here on our website. You will find a booking window on each tour page and the best and safest way is to book and pay is directly through our website.

1. You can pay directly through our website. That is the easiest, safest and fastest way to reserve and pay for your adventure. If you choose this way then you will receive a voucher as a confirmation via email. Which you will need to bring with you on your trip.

2. You can pay via phone, our phone number is +354 562 7000. Please be noted, however you pay, you will always get a voucher. It is important to have your voucher ready for your tour so please remember to print it out or make sure that you can show it through your electronic device.

You will receive a confirmation email after you have made the booking. If you think that you have made a booking and haven’t received an email confirmation then you may please contact us via email with an inquiry through our contact form, and we will figure it out together.

All charges are made in the tour operators currency: For tours in Iceland it's Icelandic krona, ISK, but for tours in Canada/Greenland it's either USD or CAD.

On Adventures.com you can view an estimate of prices in EUR and other currencies. This is only to help you understand the approximate price.

Your credit card will always be charged in the operators currency.

Keep in mind that your card issuer may charge you a foreign transaction fee.

We do not require minimum participants on most of our tours but there is a minimum of 2 people for a few of our trips. If you are traveling solo and interested in a tour that requires more than 2 participants than we can take down your information and contact you if more people book the tour.

We can arrange private departures as per customer request. Almost all of the tours that we offer can be arranged as a private tour. If you prefer to have a private tour arranged than you may feel free to contact us through email info@adventures.com

Unfortunately, we don’t have any waiting list for our tours. Availability is found on our website in the availability sheet where all updates will automatically be made to the sheet listed in each tour description. We have a variety of different adventure tours around Iceland so there is a big chance that you find a similar version of the tour that you were originally looking for.

If your tour that you have booked is canceled on our behalf than you will receive a 100% refund. The refund process is different depending on the way you booked the tour.

If you booked the tour through our website then we will start the refund process as soon as we know if you will not be rescheduling and you will receive a separate email with a confirmation about that your refund has been processed.

If you booked the tour via booking agent than you will need to contact them directly to receive the refund. We will confirm with them about your canceled tour and then the refund process will start on their end. Extreme Iceland only receives the payment when the tour has finished, that means that your payment still remains with the booking agent and therefore, the refund can only be processed directly from their end.

The minimum age requirement is decided by our operational managers and is dependent on each activity and its difficulty ratings and can, therefore, vary between tours We put great value towards safety for our customers and the minimum age policy falls under this. Therefore we can not accommodate a person that has not reached the age limit on the tour.
We ask you to try to understand that this is based on safety procedures and we can therefore unfortunately not make any exceptions on this rule.

We can unfortunately not accommodate you and your group if the number of your group extends the number of available seats left on the tour. Our website shows the correct number of available seats left. It is impossible to squeeze additional participants onto sold out departures as we have really strict policy measures as to how many participants are assigned to each guide on our tour departures. Therefore we hope that you understand as this is of course done with our customer's safety in mind.

Still not convinced?

Customer Care

For Iceland, Scandinavia & Baltic tour

Open daily from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM GMT

Address

Köllunarklettsvegur 2

104 Reykjavík

+354 562 7000