{"id":101394,"date":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travelstartblg.wpenginepowered.com\/visit-icelands-golden-circle-for-the-adventure-of-a-lifetime\/"},"modified":"2025-11-04T13:54:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T13:54:22","slug":"visit-icelands-golden-circle-for-the-adventure-of-a-lifetime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelstart.co.za\/blog\/visit-icelands-golden-circle-for-the-adventure-of-a-lifetime\/","title":{"rendered":"Visit Iceland’s Golden Circle For The Adventure Of A Lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to Iceland the land of fire and ice. This is a place of mythical landscapes- icy glaciers, geothermal pools, ice caves and plunging waterfalls. It’s no wonder that numerous scenes from Game of Thrones are filmed here. Slightly smaller than Cuba, Iceland packs a lot of incredible natural attractions into a small area from black sand volcanic beaches to turquoise geothermal pools. Not to mention the wild Icelandic horses, Middle-Earth-like turf houses, unusual cuisine (K\u00e6stur h\u00e1karl – treated shark) and adventure around every corner.<\/p>\n

The famous Golden Circle is a popular tourism route in south-west Iceland which encompasses the \u00deingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, the geothermal area in Haukadalur and the Kerid Crater Lake.
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Budget savvy or splurge<\/h2>\n

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Image courtesy of @nordurflug <\/a> via Instagram<\/h6>\n

You can tailor your Icelandic trip to any budget, a 6-hour bus tour of the Golden Circle costs around R1100, book here<\/a>. Or you could splurge and book a dramatic helicopter and champagne tour which lands on a glacier for around R12 500 (the ultimate anniversary or birthday celebration for two). Airbnb accommodation is reasonable and there are many cosy and beautifully-designed apartments and cottages dotted around Iceland. A great way to explore Iceland is to split the cost of a 4×4 rental between 4 friends and do a self-drive around the country. The roads are modern and well-maintained and there are many resources to assist travelers such as the Icelandic road conditions site<\/a>. Expect to pay around R11 000 for a 4×4 rental for 10 days- split between friends this would only be R2750 each, and fuel would cost around R1500. Return tickets from Johannesburg average around R13000.<\/p>\n

Find amazing tickets to Reykjavik here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

How long should I go for?<\/h2>\n

It really depends on how much time you have available and your budget. If you have 5 days you will be able to explore Iceland’s Golden Circle properly, in fact if you have just a day you can experience the 4 main attractions in a 6-hour bus tour, though driving Iceland’s Ring Road over the course of 10-12 days is ideal and will really give you the opportunity to go off the beaten track and discover the beauty and mystery of Iceland at your own pace.
\n4 main attractions on Iceland’s Golden Circle Tour:
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\nThe Icelandic Ring Road:
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When is the best time to go?<\/h2>\n

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\nThe summer months of June, July and August have temperatures that average around 15 degrees Celsius in the day. In Iceland the famous Midnight Sun is visible from late May until July and during the summer solstice on the 21 June it is visible for nearly 24 hours, setting after midnight and rising again at 3am.
\nIf you would like to avoid high tourist season then the best time to visit is the slightly chillier months of late March to early May and September to early November. Hotel rates will be lower and there will be much fewer tourists at the Golden Circle attractions.The Northern lights are visible in the darker months of September through April.<\/p>\n

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Useful links<\/h2>\n