Golden Circle, Farm & Sky Lagoon: Small Group Day Trip

4.63

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We rolled out of Reykjavik just after sunrise—our guide, Halla, already laughing about the weather (classic). The drive to Thingvellir was quiet except for her stories about Vikings and tectonic plates. Walking between those two continents felt strange, like you could almost hear the earth creak under your boots. I kept stopping to touch the mossy rocks, cold and a bit spongy. Someone behind me tried to pronounce “Þingvellir” right—no luck, but Halla grinned anyway.

Next up was Friðheimar farm. The greenhouse air hit us warm and tomato-sweet after the chill outside. We watched a horse show—those Icelandic horses are smaller than I expected, but their gait is wild to see up close. The trainer joked about how they’re basically national celebrities here. Lunch was tomato soup (of course) with fresh bread; honestly, I still think about that soup sometimes when it’s raining at home.

The Great Geysir area was loud with steam and tourists trying to time their photos just right. Every few minutes—whoosh!—boiling water shot up and everyone jumped or laughed. Gullfoss was next: you can hear it before you see it, this low thunder that gets louder as you walk closer. Mist everywhere; my glasses fogged up so badly I gave up trying to wipe them off.

By late afternoon we made it to Sky Lagoon. It’s modern but somehow fits into the landscape perfectly—dark stone, steaming water, ocean views stretching out gray and endless. That first step into the hot pool after a long day… yeah, that’s what I’ll remember most. The seven-step ritual is kind of a blur now (cold plunge = yikes), but floating there while the sky went pinkish over Reykjavik? Can’t really describe it right.