The RING ROAD Route 1, also known as the Ring Road, is the major highway in Iceland connecting most of the towns, including Reykjavík, the capital and only city. It is 830 miles long (1330 km) and goes through the fjords, mountains, plateaus and flat land. Because Route 1 is the only road connecting east to west in Iceland, travelers should take precautions when crossing the country. The road is not yet completely paved with occasional gravel sections from Egilsstaðir to Djúpivogur. Akureyri to Egilsstaðir is regarded as the most remote part of the Ring Road and commonly closed at times in winter. The roads are in good condition so getting around the country safely is an easy task in the summer time.
Route 1’s hinterland is one long geographical drive-by, casually dotted with gorges, lava fields and waterfalls that anywhere else would merit a galaxy of guidebook stars and a teeming visitor centre. I was never far from a peculiar basalt formation of a scale to make the Giant’s Causeway look like a poorly finished suburban patio, or a scene of frighteningly recent glacial or volcanic violence. When I got there, I invariably had it to myself. 1st Day The national park of Þingvellir is the site of the world's first democratic government, the Alþing, established by the Vikings in 930. And leave it to the Vikings to establish said government in a tectonic plate rift. The Eurasian and North American plates meet here and are gradually drifting apart. It's one of the few places in the world where the fault lines and rift
valley are so clearly visible.
The second stop is to see the Geysir. Not just any geyser, this is the original Geysir. Every other one in the world is named after it. Unfortunately, overenthusiastic tourists with rocks plugged up the once 260-foot-high spout in the 1950s. It still erupts, but not nearly as consistently nor as grandly. Its slightly smaller and extremely reliable neighbor, Strokkur, goes off about every six minutes.
The last stop on the circle is Gullfoss, or golden waterfall. The amazing two-tiered waterfall is said to look gold on a sunny day, though it was more grayish-silver on our drizzly visit. I think it was almost better that way, kicking up even more gray and white froth as the water rushed over the first short staircase, before taking a turn to completely drop and nearly disappear into a 105-foot crevice.