We start this journey by driving to Þingvellir, where our parliament was established in 930 and makes it the oldest legislative parliament in the world. Þingvellir has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2004.
We will explore the spectacular nature on foot. The entrance to Þingvellir is a walk through Almannagjá gorge, visible evidence that the ground has subsided from earthquakes. This is one of the best places to study divergent plate boundary in the world. The crack that lies from the southwest where you arrive at the airport to the northeast of the country is very noticeable at Þingvellir where you can see the Euro-Asian plate and North American tectonic plates meet.
Þingvellir has a meaning to most Icelanders, here people gathered for hundreds of years when the parliament came together, and the folks found this a suitable place to communicate with people from different parts of the country as well as finding a suitable spouse.
From the tectonic plates we will drive to the thermal landscape around iconic Geysir with the erupting hot springs, where Strokkur blows up every 7 minutes or so. This is the place where you can really feel the energy beneath the Island and it is a phenomenal experience.
It ́s ideal to enjoy the scenery by Geyser for one hour or so. After Geyser we make our way to Gullfoss which is a beautiful two cascade waterfall with a lot of history that our guide will be happy to inform you about.
It is optional to have lunch at Geysir or stop at Friðheimar where a family grows tomatoes all year round under artificial lighting greenhouses, and have late lunch.
