DAY ONE: The Golden Circle with Kuku Campers.

As soon as we landed at Reyjkavik airport, we were picked up by the lovely Sandra from Kuku campers. The office is about a 30 minute drive from the airport, and during that time we quizzed poor Sandra on EVERYTHING there was to know about Iceland; she was brilliant.

After we’d picked up our Kuku camper, we were off! On the first day we’d planned to do the Golden Circle. I’d read that it was a tourist hotspot, but it was also one of those things that you want to tick off and say, yep, I did that!

We drove through the Þingvellir National Park, and marvelled at the sheer size of it. Everywhere you looked was a secret waterfall trickling through a mountain, or a herd of sheep so big you couldn’t begin to count them. We stopped for a few photos along the way until we arrived at the Geysir.

It was raining, foggy and overcast as heck, but the Geysir still put on an incredible show for us. This particular geyser has been active for approximately 10,000 years, and is surrounded by boiling mud pits. There is no entrance fee to the Geysir area, but there is a donation box that is not mandatory. Make sure you stay within the marked lines as the water is boilng hot and could really hurt you. Be prepared for the area to be stinky; the smell resembles rotten eggs but is totally worth it for the view!

Next was the famous Gulfoss, which some call the most iconic waterfall in all of Iceland. The water plummets down 32 metres in two different stages, and is nestled in a canyon that echoes the sounds of the roaring water perfectly.

Be prepared to get wet if you go onto the lowest viewing platform, as the mist will cover you with its beautiful natural spray. We didn’t go onto the top viewing platform as it was very busy when we visited (early September) and we knew we had a big day ahead of us. However, we took our time at the lower viewing platform and really admired the sheer power behind this legend of a waterfall.

After a big day of driving around the Golden Circle (especially for us, as Icelanders drive on the other side of the road compared to Australia!), we were ready for bed. On this trip we’d decided not to mark out where exactly we wanted to camp, but more just an area. There are LOADS of campsites in Iceland and you can look up their locations on the internet. 

We stopped at a quaint campsite called Fludir, where we checked in quite late. There was a common area (outside), but no charging areas to charge our gear. Luckily, the owner let me plug in my camera battery overnight so I could still take photos the next day.

There was apparently wifi near the office, but unless you stayed directly on top of it, you couldn’t access it. There were clean showers and bathrooms and the campsite was generally well lit. We paid 1500 ISK per person and were grateful for our first night of sleep.

The next day was waterfall city and exploring the beautiful town of VIK, which you can read more about HERE.