In pursuit of the aurora in Iceland, we had booked the “7 Day Complete Iceland Tour” from Arctic Adventures. We kicked off the northern lights chase with an 18 hour journey to Iceland from Singapore, transiting through Copenhagen, Denmark, After recuperating from the long flight in Reykjavik, we were ready to embark on the week long tour around Iceland.
Our first day of the tour consisted mainly of the Golden Circle tour – a popular day tour that covers the important sightseeing spots around Reykjavik. From breathtaking waterfalls to mesmerising basalt columns, explosive geysirs to tranquil fault lines, I was really hoping to see the aurora for a magical end to a wonderful day out in Reykjavik’s backyard.
Trip Overview
On Day 1, we completed the following itinerary:
0730: Breakfast and checkout
0820 – 0845: Picked up by Arctic Adventures
0928 – 1024: Thingvellir National Park
1130 – 1215: Gullfoss
1230 – 1340: Geysir Center (with lunch)
1500 – 1550: Seljalandsfoss
1620 – 1655: Skógafoss
1725 – 1805: Reynisdrangar (Black Beach)
1815 – 1835: Vik
1930: Check in to accommodation of the night – Adventure Hotel Geirland
1930 – 2030: Dinner at hotel
Pre-Trip Jitters
Prior to the trip, the tour agency, Arctic Adventures, had sent out at least 2 emails briefing us on the itinerary and things to look out for. In the pre-tour brief, we were reminded that there was a limit on our luggage: a suitcase under 20kg and a personal bag. The suitcase would be stored in a trailer attached to the minivan, so we had to ensure we kept our personal belongings in our backpacks.
Before leaving Singapore, I had also reached out to them for advice on the right kind of shoes I should buy/bring on the trip. The staff was helpful and even provided a pictorial guide. That being said, I was still uneasy about being ready for the tour.
Having read discouraging reviews by customers who had missed the pick up, we turned on our #SGkiasu mode to queue up for hotel breakfast before its opening time of 7am. This was so that we would be ready to set off by 7.30am, half an hour before the scheduled pick up time.
Embarking on 7 Day Complete Iceland Tour
40 minutes later, we were in the minivan. Our driver continued to pick up our remaining travel mates. At the end of the pick up round, our driver and guide Joey (Johannes) briefed us on what to expect for the upcoming week of adventure.
There were 13 of us in the van for 20. That meant that 2 of us could occupy a row of 3 with spare rooms for our bags. That was a grace, as the overhead bins of the minivan were simply too small for normal backpacks. It also afforded us with some luxury of space in what was otherwise a rather compact vehicle.
Having settled down, we proceeded out of Reykjavik towards our first stop of the day: Thingvellir National Park
Thingvellir National Park – The Fault of Iceland
Just 45 minutes away from Reykjavik, Thingvellir National Park is also a spot on the Golden Ring tour. It was an expansive park containing the fault line where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, as well as the site of the first parliament meeting.
We were given 40 minutes to tour the park on our own. But really… 40 minutes was insufficient to explore the place. I spent too much time at the viewpoint right off the parking lot, because the scenery was simply breathtaking. It was a vantage point overlooking the bay that opened out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was like a preview of the amazing nature that we would continue to see and experience for the next week.
There was a lot of walking within the park, squeezing past the crowd and queueing up to take photos. The gruelling part was the almost 10 storey climb back up to the parking lot.
Gullfoss – The Golden Cascades
Next, we proceeded to Gullfoss, which translated loosely to “Golden waterfalls”. Gullfoss is a well developed tourist attraction (compared to the rest of the falls that we would be visiting throughout the trip).
The waterfall consisted of a series of falls/cascades that could be viewed from various spots. There was also a restaurant in the park. While it didn’t overlook the falls, it offered a panoramic view of the surrounding mountainscape.
The distances between the different viewpoints were great – about 100m apart with some parts of the path being covered with ice and snow. One of the viewpoints was also at a lower elevation, which could only be reached after getting down several flights of stairs. Visiting Gullfoss in late winter might require walking sticks or crampons for some.
Geysir Centre
We backtracked a little to the Geysir Hot Springs. The park consisted of a few geysers, the famous one being Strokkur. Strokkur erupts about every 15 minutes with spouts that could reach up to 30m. But honestly, the eruption was so sudden and short, it was difficult to capture the eureka moment. That is, unless you are OK with taking a 15-minute long video. The crowd was also something we had to contend with.
The other geysirs in the park were mainly miniature, bubbling pots of sulfuric water. Park maintenance had built the pathways around these mini geysirs. Apparently, the hot springs do “move” like volcanoes, so some geysirs would die out while new ones spring out. Therefore, each of the geysirs we saw that day was unique on its own.
Lunch at Geysir Centre
We spent lunch in the Geysir Centre food hall. The make up was very similar to IKEA’s food hall, where patrons queued up around an elaborate food station, picking up food along the way, and with the cashier at the end of the path.
For parity, we had Fish and Chips. But it was mostly because that was the only item that had no queues 😂. The Fish and Chips cost (ISK 3280/ USD 23), which was 40% more than 101 Reykjavik Street Food, but had a smaller serving of fish. The fish was bland and the breaded crumb was very hard. However, the fries were somewhat better. This serving of Fish and Chips also came with coleslaw and mustard sauce, the latter of which was ironically the tastiest.
After having our fill, I discovered that there was a separate restaurant (Geysir Gilma) within the Geysir Centre. It looked a little upscale compared to the food hall. But the fried fish definitely looked more appetising at just 4000 ISK more.
Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss – More Waterfalls of Iceland
After lunch, we proceeded to visit 2 more waterfalls – Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss. Seljalandsfoss was made up of a main falls and several smaller ones, spread out over an extensive cliff face. It was formed back when the lower part of the falls (where we were viewing) was sea. I personally preferred the smaller falls about a 5-minute walk away, as we were able to get closer to the falls. I could even touch and feel the water of the stream flowing away. 🥰
Skógafoss, on the other hand, was a single continuous fall from a height of 60m. One could climb up the hillside to view the waterfall at the drop. However, considering that it would be a climb up an equivalent of an 18-storey building, I decided to just admire its beauty from below.
Reynisdrangar – Black Beach Within Reach of Reykjavik
Before sunset, we reached Reynisdrangar, also known as Black Beach, at the southern coast of Iceland. Since Iceland is a volcanic island, the land is made up of black volcanic rocks. As a result, the coasts naturally all consisted of black sand. Reynisdrangar was the nearest and most famous black sand beach near Reykjavik. Due to its proximity to Reykjavik, it was usually included in the Golden Circle day tours.
That being said, the cliff face at the beach that was made up of hexagonal basalt columns was a sight to behold. The facade of Hallsgrimkirkja was inspired from such basalt columns. It was both breathtaking and surreal. How did nature create features of such regular patterns? It did, and most tourists were mesmerised by it. In fact, there was a couple taking their wedding photos over there. The things people do for the gram…
As our hotel for the night was in a small town with few amenities, Joey dropped us a Vik to do some shopping. We could also do some last minute shopping for gears that would prepare us for next day’s itinerary of glacier walking and ice caving.
Adventure Hotel Geirland
Our accommodation of the day was Adventure Hotel Geirland, which was in the town of Kirkjugólf. We reached the hotel after sunset after a day of touring. Here is an overview of the room and amenities:
Overview of Adventure Hotel Geirland
Town: Kirkjugólf
Room Number: 312
Room: Twin Single
Bathroom: Shower / Vanity Counter space more than enough for personal toiletries / Toilet
Room Amenities: Toiletries – body gel / Hair dryer / Power socket (numerous, but all over the place. Only 1 underneath 1 bedside table. Obviously not designed with the user in mind.) / Heater (Room / Working good) /
Safety: single key fob.
Neighbourhood: Rural; far from nearest town.
Getting around: Can’t get around without car.
Breakfast: Standard European spread: ham, cheese, bread, muffins, hardboiled eggs. Self service return.
Room of Adventure Hotel Geirland
The 3-star hotel was more like a chalet resort. The rooms were spread out over the sprawling compounds. Some were cottages, while most standard rooms were housed in one of the 2 dormitory style, single-storied buildings.
At first look, the basic room was a far cry from Hilton – but I was mentally prepared for it. It was inevitable that we brought some dirt in, since we had to walk from the dining place to the room across a huge lawn. Therefore, we had to consciously take our shoes off right after entering the room to prevent creating a bigger mess.
The room also faced the courtyard where all the tour buses stopped and unloaded. Except for the few timings when fellow travellers were alighting the buses, the room was rather quiet. However, that also meant that we had to keep the curtains drawn throughout the stay.
The open concept wardrobe was lacking in hangers. Therefore, despite being spacious, we couldn’t hang all our clothes. This was where the ample horizontal space came in handy. The horizontal space was in the forms of a wide desk and two bedside tables, one suitcase rack and a cupboard. This meant that we were still able to drape our clothes over these surfaces, instead of leaving them on the floor.
Bathroom – Living Up to Expectations
The bathroom was equally spacious, consisting of an area for toilet, shower stall and sink. The shower space was carved out by a shower curtain and a small curb. Other than being unable to keep the water in, the shower curtain also made the shower space very tight. The saving grace was in the shower itself, which had strong and consistent hot water.
Meals at Adventure Hotel Geirland’s Restaurant
Our guide had requested we have dinner together on our first night. Dinner was at the restaurant at the main wing, which was decked out in earth tones and warm lighting.
We had Vegetarian Pasta (penne) and Penne Bolognese (total ISK 7,700 / USD 55). The Vegetarian Pasta came with mushroom, cheese in tomato sauce. As the seasoning was not well concocted, it was plain salty instead of savoury. The Penne Bolognese, on the other hand, had a generous serving of ground beef. The pasta was mixed in tomato sauce with lots of butter. Unfortunately, it became a little too greasy towards the end of the meal.
Breakfast was also at the same location. Despite offering the standard European breakfast spread, the food was good enough to power us on for the 2nd day of adventure. I also liked the spaciousness of the restaurant, which exuded vibes of being in an alpine ski resort.
If you ask me, I didn’t like the idea of having the dining place separate from the hotel rooms. Especially during winter. This meant that we still had to pile on the layers in order to have meals, which was a real hassle. After a long day out, I really wanted to dress lighter. In summer, there would probably be tonnes of bugs, so it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience walking to the restaurant after dark. Well, this is perhaps #firstworldproblem.
Parting Words
The gloomy skies when we set off from Reykjavik turned into a slight drizzle that lasted throughout the night. This meant that the chances of seeing the aurora that night was slim. However, the sights of the day were overwhelming enough to fan my excitement and positivity for the remaining trip.
As I settled into the comfy bed at Adventure Hotel Geirland and refreshed the day’s beautiful sights, the uncertainty I felt at the beginning of the day became a distant – and perhaps ridiculous – feeling.
The first day of the 7 day Complete Iceland Trip was actually made up of the very popular Golden Circle Tour, which included memorable sights of Iceland.
Gullfoss lived up to its name as a great waterfall. We visited where the faults of the Eurasia and North American plates met, which also happened to be the location where humanity’s first parliament convened. Add on the geysirs, black beach and even more waterfalls, I wondered if I had seen every natural sights of Iceland already?
Or is it?
We would be embarking on the glacier and ice caving tour the following day, which would be rougher than the easy walks of the first. I’ll be covering the highlights of the next part of the tour in the next post.
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 7 Pro, and edited with Google Photos and Snapseed
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