Part V: Headed to the Golden Circle
My Journey: Geothermal Adventures
4/27/2024, Saturday
We headed out of town on our way to the Golden Circle. Our goal for the day was to visit some geothermal sites. Our first stop was Hveradalir Geothermal Area. There is a little board walk you can walk on to see the vents, mud, pots, and pools. The parking lot is the home of a restaurant and a buggy rental. They were cleaning the buggies with water from the springs. It was the first time we saw how integrated these geothermal features truly are integrated into the lives and livelihoods of the Icelanders.
Hveradalir Geothermal Area
It’s a quick walk to the end of the board walk. These features were very active when we were there and while this was a add on stop, it ended up being better than the geothermal area we headed to next.
Our next destination was the town of Hveragerði. There were three places on the itinerary here. The priority stop was the Bonus for a re-supply run. I also wanted to see the Geothermal Park Hveragerði / Hveragarðurinn, and if we had time, I would have liked to go to Reykjadalur Thermal Bathing Pools.
Bonus
Bonus is one of the grocery stores that you see regularly around Iceland. They are well known for their reusable bags. We picked up supplies to last the week here; eggs, milk, drinks, and snacks. While there were other Bonus stores on our route, this was the one we knew we would be near during operating hours. So, it was now or maybe not later.
The geothermal park was closed so I could only take pictures though the fence. As far as the Thermal Bathing Pools, it would have been a multi-hour excursion so I decided to pass on it. At this point, I was afraid that if I did everything on the way I might run out of time to complete the circuit around Iceland the (Ring Road) so I did not fret over things that were edited out of the itinerary. We headed out of town and towards our next stop.
Kerid Crater
Our next stop was Kerid Crater. This is a volcanic crater that formed around 4,000 BCE with a lake in the center of it. There is a trail that circumnavigates the crater and a trail down to the lake. It was a very windy hike up to the peak of the crater rim. All in all, it is not a very long hike.
We headed back to the van and I analyzed the itinerary. We were making good timing. I felt that we had time to move today’s geothermal bath to tomorrow and instead hit up a bath today that was not on the itinerary. So, we set off from the crater to our added adventure.
Crater view from peak.
Our add on bath was Laugarvatn Fontana. It is on a geothermal lake. While not as spectacular a set up as some of the others, it had more to offer than our original stop for today, which was the Secret Lagoon.
This was my first time having to undress and shower in front of other women. As a trans person from the states this was a bit intimidating at first. I tried my best to not act like I was nervous. Once showered and changed, you exit out of the building into the area between the building and the lake. There is a sauna and steam room, and here the cold dip is the lake, however, there is a warning sign before you enter the lake warning of the potential for hidden areas of boiling water. The sign said something along the lines of the lake is geothermal and has varying temperatures so you must enter with caution and at your own risk “into the rough nature.” I was the only one to take this cold dip. There were a few children playing in the baths here. From our point of view this is a spa, but from the Icelander’s point of view it is a bath. However, many of these communities have geothermal swimming pools that serve the same function and are where the locals go more often. The baths are not cheep. We seem to be ready, at most of these places, to go after about 2 hours.
Laugarvatn Fontana
Right next to the baths is an old historical Hot Pot Vígðalaug and Hot Spring where they bake bread in the ground. You could, if you wanted, place a pot on the ground here and boil some water. You have to plan ahead and be here at the right time if you want the bread. I saw some birds with orange beaks and for a second thought I had seen a puffin. Sadly, it was not, so instead we called these birds “not puffins.”
From here, we headed to the campsite in Thingvellir National park at the service center. The parking here was very treacherous and there were many camper vans stuck in the mud. Once parked, it took some time to get the camper situated for cooking and sleeping. Dinner was chicken and noodles.
By 12:00 midnight or so, we had eaten and were preparing for bed. I checked the Aurora Apps and it looked like we should be able to see it.
App Map
I looked out the window and saw faint green in the sky. When I took a picture with my phone, you could tell that it was indeed the Aurora. Dez was at the bath house so I headed his way to tell him to look up.
This was the best view of the light we got while in Iceland. While watching the lights, I could hear what I thought were sheep. Later, I found out they were just birds.
Northern Lights
As wonderful as the lights were, it was time for me to sleep.
Lessons Learned and Tips:
If the thermal baths our too expensive, try a community pool.
Most of these campgrounds will allow for after hour arrivals but check ahead and make sure. You might have to hang around in the morning and wait for the grounds to open so that you can pay before you leave.
Get some Aurora Apps
