The Silver Circle Day Tour in Iceland:
The Silver Circle starts with a drive into the 30 kilometer long and beautiful fjord Hvalfjördur or if translated “Whale fjord”. This fjord is not only exceptional with view of Icelandic rustic nature, but you will see special sights and waterfalls not commonly seen with tourist visits. You will learn about the very special historic events that took place in the fjord during world war II and the major support given there by Iceland that helped to end the war.
Historically, Hvalfjörður was home to one of the main whaling stations in Iceland, with ships heading out into Faxaflói Bay. It was one of the most important naval stations in the North Atlantic during World War Two, when Iceland was occupied by the Allies. The old whaling station and a war museum can be found in the fjord.
After exploring the Whale fjord we will head over to Borgarfjörður where we will drive through age old landscape with first visit will be at Reykholt.
At one time this was one of the intellectual centers of Iceland for many years one of the most important schools in the country. The poet and politician Snorri Sturluson lived in Reykholt during the Middle Ages. Records of the Old Norse language and religion of medieval Iceland by Snorri Sturluson are invaluable to modern scholars.
Here the remains of his farm and a bathroom with hot pot „Snorri´s Pot“ can be seen and a tunnel between the bath and the house can still be visited.
We will then visit the wide and gentle Hraunfossar (Lava waterfalls). The fall is unusual because it is made of thousands of falls that flow out of solidified lava and run as small and beautiful waterfalls and rapids breaking out of the lava into the Hvítá River.
Next to Hraunfossar you find yet another jewel of waterfalls which is Barnafoss.The name Barnafoss translates as “Child’s waterfall” and as legend would have it Barnafoss used to have a natural arch. The arch was destroyed by the mother of two children who all fell from the arch to their deaths
Our next stop will be the natural hot baths at Krauma. Here, you can relax and experience nature from its core by bathing in the geothermal baths (Entrance fee is not included ). Lunch can also be had at the Krauma Restaurant. The hot water here originates in Europe’s most powerful hot spring at Deildartunguhver. This enormous hot spring serves to heat most of the surrounding communities with hot water use and has hot waterpipes reaching the town of Borgarnes which is our next stop.
Located on a peninsula at the shore of Borgarfjörður, Borgarnes is a main junction in Iceland and the gateway to the Snaefellsnes peninsula.
After a short city tour of Borgarnes we will stop at the Settlement center. Based in two of Borgarnes’s oldest buildings, the Settlement Center is devoted to recreating Iceland’s earliest days, including one of the best-known heroes of the Icelandic Sagas, Egil Skallagrimsson.
The exhibition entrance fee is included in the Silver Circle price. Here is a opportunity to have a late lunch or early dinner before returning back to Reykjavik.
POSSIBLE OPTION
Vidgelmir Lava Cave Tour
Víðgelmir is perhaps the best preserved cave of the well known caves in Iceland.
Víðgelmir cave is located in a lava field called Hallmundarhraun, which is the largest lava field in Borgarfjörður. Both the exact starting time and duration of the eruption that formed the lava field and cave are not known, but it has been estimated that the eruption lasted 1-4 years and the start of the eruption is usually set at around 900 AD.
Four of the five largest known caves in Iceland are located in Hallmundarhraun, and many other smaller caves are scattered throughout the lava field. Archaeological remains are found within many of these caves, along with Víðgelmir, but sadly very little is known about most of these remains.