Iceland – Day 4 – Golden Circle and THE NORTHERN LIGHTS!
We spent the morning at the Golden Circle, but spending the evening seeing the aurora borealis kind of overshadowed everything else today. That’s why we do this blog. It’s a good opportunity for us to go back through our own day and remember how awesome it was! So let’s get started with some geysers, waterfalls, and sunsets in the Golden Circle.
First stop on the side of the road to see some more of these photogenic horses. They’re REALLY soft. Much softer fur than American horses. Go here for some more Icelandic horse fun facts.
The group in front of the smaller of 2 waterfalls today; Faxi Waterfall.
The primary geyser, Geysir, in the yellow circle that remained active until late 2003 (sometimes with a little coaxing) is now dormant, but it’s little brother Strokkur erupts every 5-10 minutes.
Both of the above pictures are located near the geysers in the Haukadalur Valley. The blue in the geothermal water is incredible.
Next stop on our tour is the larger of the 2 waterfalls; Gullfoss. The water flows at approximately 4,900 cubic feet per second, and in the early 1900’s was slated to be used for hydroelectric power. One land owner stopped the entire deal, and the waterfall now belongs to the Icelandic government. Of course the waterfall and the river flowing to it are now protected and cannot be used for damming or power.
This is the river in Þingvellir that leads to the Öxarárfoss Waterfall. The Þingvellir park sits on the border of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
The pink sunset even changed the color of the mountain across the lake.
This is the first time I’ve split up a post like this, but I think it’s important to know the back story here. Cat and I went with my mom and her friends to Alaska earlier this year. Every night we checked the weather forecast, and more than once we stayed up late hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights. After a week of checking the weather and the northern lights maps and forecasts, we were left disappointed without a single sighting of the lights. So when we booked our trip to Iceland, one of my only hopes for this trip was a chance to see the lights; the Aurora Borealis. So again, we began checking the weather forecasts and northern lights maps. This time for Iceland.
While spending 2 days driving through the southern part of the country, the weather would not cooperate and due to cloud cover, even though the lights were very strong, they could not be seen. Then, on Friday night, the clouds in Reykjavik began to part, and even though the lights weren’t shining bright, we thought there might be a chance to spot some dancing lights. Unfortunately, since we are staying in the city, and we do not have a car, our walk did not take us far enough away from the city lights to see any of the aurora.
On Saturday, determined to see the lights before we have to head home, I was checking the weather forecasts every hour. While we were at the Golden Circle our guide said there was some chance, but the people who had booked tours should call to confirm because the clouds had changed direction and the lights may not appear. While walking through town, we stopped in at a place that had a northern lights map on the wall. We asked the woman at the counter where we should go and when we might be able to see the lights. She said the best time would be 6pm at
Grótta Island Lighthouse, Seltjarnarnes. On the way to the lighthouse the taxi driver warned us that it was possible to get stuck on the island if the tide came in. With cameras, tripods, and extra batteries in hand we started our trek through the sand to setup.
And while walking, there it was. Right in the sky. Visible to the naked eye. Without camera tricks, or special filters, it was just there. A green band of lights dancing calmly across the sky. So for you, and for us, here are some of our best pictures from the northern lights!
If you find yourself in a place that the northern lights are visible, you can check the maps here, here, or here, and find out how strong the lights are going to be and your odds of catching a show.