Today was one of the best days that I’ve had so far in Iceland. Let me tell you why…
Reykjadalur Thermal River
I started off the day by driving 45 minutes to Reykjadalur, where I hiked for several hours and relaxed in the thermal river. I had found out about this place on my Golden Circle day, but didn’t have time to explore it then.
The hike to the thermal river is all uphill, but the views made for a great distraction from the pain. I saw pots of boiling water with steam rolling out of them. From the signage, I picked up that the Icelandic word for “danger” is “hætte”. Apparently, Icelandic rye bread (“Rúgbrauð”) is made near these hot springs. I’ll tell you more about my experience with that bread later…
I also saw a waterfall and black lava rock on my way up to the river. The valley was so deep that I could hardly comprehend how high up I was. It was easy to stay far from the edge, though, since the path was super wide.
After about an hour, I made it to the thermal river. There were a handful of people there, but not as crowded as other places I’ve been so far. It also seemed like more of a local spot than a tourist attraction. I had packed my bathing suit in my backpack so that I could take a dip in the river. Once again, I experienced the Icelandic culture surrounding nudity. There were only a couple of boards to change behind… so no matter how you stand, someone is going to see your ass. At this point, I’m getting pretty used to it 😂.
I put my bathing suit on and made my way to an empty part of the stream. The water was the perfect temperature, like a hot bath that never gets cold. The further you are up the stream, the hotter the water is. So, you can choose your own adventure! I love it.
Since I was in no rush, I stayed in the river for over an hour. Then, it started raining, so I made my way back down the trail. On the way down, I saw some cute sheep. They were standing so close to the edge that I physically could not look at them anymore. It made me too nervous! I also saw a man —at least mid 60s, maybe 70s— who was RUNNING up the trail. Keep in mind, the elevation gain is over 1,000 feet. WHAT?! HOW IS THAT HUMANLY POSSIBLE?!
Overall, Reykjadalur was one of my favorite places that I’ve visited so far. I’m so happy that I discovered it on accident, and that I found time in my busy itinerary to go!
Thingvellir National Park
I spent the rest of the day at Thingvellir National Park. It took another 45 minutes to get there from Reykjadalur, which feels like nothing compared to how much driving I was doing earlier in the week!
I had several free hours before my tour started, so I decided to take a leisurely stroll in some of the most popular areas. I read the signs, which told the history of Thingvellir and it’s importance in Iceland. I learned that it was where the Icelandic parliament (Alþingi) was established, and that people would travel from all over Iceland to meet up for two weeks out of the year. This was where trials were carried out. In fact, I saw the river (Drekkingarhylur) where women were executed by drowning. I read that the most common reason for execution was incest. Yikes! It also wasn’t really until the medieval times (1500s) that such harsh punishments became a norm. It’s interesting to think how even back then, nations influenced each other’s cultures!
On my stroll, I also saw Öxarárfoss —a relatively small but beautiful waterfall— and magnificent rock formations. It felt like I was in Harry Potter or some other fantasy land!
Snorkeling at Silfra Fissure
Before I tell you about my incredible experience with snorkeling between tectonic plates, let me briefly explain what Silfra is. It is a fissure that divides the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. They move a couple of centimeters per year. The water at Silfra is glacier water, so it is extremely cold. There may be a couple of species of fish that live in there, but for the most part there is no wildlife. I certainly didn’t see any!
At 5pm, I met up with my group —which consisted of three people, including myself— for our snorkeling adventure. The other two were a dad and son (12 yrs old) pair named Tanesh and Farhad. They live in Seattle, but Tanesh is originally from Spain. That’s where they’re headed next! Spain and Ibiza.
Since it was just the three of us, we were able to get our suits on pretty quickly. I was thankful for that because WOW is that quite the gear. On top of our normal clothes, we wore a thick jumpsuit. Then, we put on a dry suit, which had boots and silicone pieces at the wrists and neck. Apparently, mine weren’t tight enough because the guide helping me get my suit on said, “looks like you get a choker!”. He added another silicone band around my neck. I had to think to myself, “I am a turtle now” to stop myself from freaking out over the fact that I was literally trapped inside this suit.
Once the dry suit was on, we added a thick hood that covered our foreheads and chins. Then, we put our snorkel mask on. I was the only one who had never snorkeled before, so Anna (my guide) taught me how to use it. For the first 5 minutes that I had my mask on, I kept trying to breathe through my nose. For those of you who haven’t snorkeled either, you can’t breathe through your nose 😂.
We made our way to the entrance point of the fissure. We were going through a few more instructions when I heard a girl desperately gasping for air. At first I thought maybe she inhaled water, but it kept going on forever. Her guide was bringing her in, so she wasn’t in any danger. When she made it out of the water, Tanesh went over to her and looked at her hands. This is when I learned that he is a doctor! He said that she was having a panic attack. I felt so bad for her. She only looked to be about 15 or so, and I think she was on a group trip. She seemed to be better once Anna got her out of her suit.
To prepare for our swim, we walked onto a platform in the water. There, we practiced breathing through our snorkels. Then, we had to prove to Anna that we could do butterfly strokes and flip onto our backs. She warned us that there would be one part of the tour where we would have to swim harder than usual. If not, we’d end up in the lake and have to get a helicopter ride. No thanks! Point made.
We started off the tour by swimming over the deepest part of Silfra, which is over 60 meters deep! I could see the whole way down because the water is so clear. I was in awe. I couldn’t believe I was swimming between two continents!!! Before too long, we reached a much shallower part of the fissure. Then, we swam through a narrow pass. I got water up my nose, but only once. I got water in my mouth a few times and just drank it — perks of swimming in glacier water 😎. It was also easy to flip over and fix my snorkel because the dry suit is very buoyant.
At the end of the tour, we had some free time to explore the final area that we were in. There was a mini-Silfra which I enjoyed swimming over. At this point, my fingers were starting to hurt because they were so cold. I definitely couldn’t have made it much longer, so the tour is the perfect amount of time.
After we got our suits off, we drank hot chocolate and ate cookies. We were talking with Anna for a bit and learned that she is a seasonal worker, so she rotates between diving and snowboarding as her tour activities. She has lived all over the world in places like Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and more. I am impressed that she can keep moving every few months and start all over again in a new place!
Rúgbrauð
On the way home from Thingvellir, I remembered that I have yet to try the special Icelandic rye bread. I made it back to Reykjavík in time to pick some up from Krónan before it closed. My hopes were high for this bread; I had read that it is dense and sweet. However, I couldn’t even finish one piece of the bread. Maybe I’m not meant to eat it plain, but I don’t think I could have added anything to make me enjoy it more. It just wasn’t my cup of tea! I’m sure a lot of other people like it, though. What can I say, at least I tried it!
I cannot believe that tomorrow is my last full day in Iceland. This trip has been so amazing, and Iceland will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Enough of the sappiness for now. I haven’t left YET!
Check back tomorrow to see what adventures await on my final day!
Clara