Exploring the golden circle on northern lights holidays

Exploring the Golden Circle on Northern Lights Holidays

There is little doubt that Northern Lights holidays are a dream, once-in-a-lifetime experience, but today it's easier than ever to make that dream come true. It's becoming more and more popular to book a specialised tour to the Arctic Circle to enjoy one of the most stunning theatrical displays that Nature can provide - the Northern Lights.

Holidays that include a trip into the rural wilderness of Sweden, Norway or Iceland to see the phenomenon usually also offer you the opportunity to do some independent exploration too. Here is a trio of attractions that you could experience on a Northern Lights holidays in the Golden Circle.

The Highlights of Thingvellir National Park This incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site is an astounding area of natural beauty and it boasts some amazing features of our constantly inspiring natural world. Research is always being carried out and the area is of great interest on an international scale. The park is part of a fissure zone, which dictates the formation and geological activity of Iceland, creating the most dramatic features, including stunning lakes, geysers and waterfalls. As you enter the park itself, visitors report getting a tangible sense that they are in the presence of something truly spectacular. The evident rifting, which has occurred as a result of the area being situated on the boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic tectonic plates, is the reason for the distinctly characterised landscape.

Interestingly, this park is not only important geologically, but it also holds great cultural and historical stature as well. Back in 930 AD, the country's parliament, Althingi, was established here, which is one of the reasons the area was given its UNESCO status in the mid 90s.

There are two prime examples of geysers in the park: the Great Geyser and the Strokkur Geyser, both found close to the Hvita River in the southwest region. Don't be put off by the rather prominent stench of sulphur, as the visual impact of these fantastical features is simply breath-taking. Hot bubbling pools abound and the magical steam that rises from the ground envelops you as you wander around. Strokkur Geyser sporadically shoots huge jets of water from its core, and this alone is spectacular.

Around 50m away is the Great Geyser, which is thought to be the first one known to modern Europeans. Over 10,000 years of activity preceded its now largely dormant state, and it only spurts its jets of water every few days - this is only as a result of the recent earthquake activity in the country

Gullfoss waterfall is one of the iconic and beautiful Icelandic features you often see in photographs - but no photograph can actually do it justice. You'll hear the falls before you see them, and just standing admiring the vapour wafting upwards from the dominant force of the water is an awesome experience in itself.

As you make you way down the waterfall, the apparent abyss that consumes the massive amount of water from above becomes a cavern, 61 ft. wide. It is an understatement to say that the falls are powerful, as they are far more than that. To really experience the force of the falls, head down to the viewing platform that runs right along the side, but remember if you do this you can expect to get very wet from the splash of the descending water.

Golden circle Iceland: https://www.iceland4me.com/golden-circle-iceland/