Southwest Iceland travel

Southwest Iceland

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Overview

Black beaches stretch along the Atlantic, geysers spout from geothermal fields and waterfalls glide across escarpments while brooding volcanoes and glittering ice caps score the inland horizon. The beautiful Southwest has many of Iceland鈥檚 legendary natural wonders, so it's a relatively crowded and increasingly developed area. The Golden Circle 鈥� a tourist route comprising three famous sights: 脼ingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss 鈥� draws the largest crowds outside of Reykjav铆k, but visit during off-hours or venture into the wilderness and you鈥檒l find quiet hiking routes and otherworldly scenes.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Geysir

The Golden Circle

One of Iceland鈥檚 most famous tourist attractions, Geysir (gay-zeer; literally 鈥榞usher鈥�) is the original hot-water spout after which all other geysers are鈥�

Iceland - Thingvellir National Park, October, 10, 2014 - Beautiful view of people walking in the seam between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

脼ingvellir National Park

The Golden Circle

The world鈥檚 oldest parliament, Althingi (pronounced 谩l-thingk-ee; also called Al镁ing) was uniquely situated at this monumental site where two tectonic鈥�

Al镁ingi Site

The Golden Circle

Near the dramatic Almannagj谩 fault and fronted by a boardwalk is the L枚gberg (Law Rock), where the Al镁ingi (Parliament) convened annually. This was where鈥�

Eldfell

Heimaey

The 221m-high volcanic cone Eldfell appeared from nowhere in the early hours of 23 January 1973. Once the fireworks finished, heat from the volcano鈥�

Gullfoss

The Golden Circle

Iceland鈥檚 most famous waterfall, Gullfoss is a spectacular double cascade dropping a dramatic 32m. As it descends, it kicks up magnificent walls of spray鈥�

Tectonic Plates

The Golden Circle

The 脼ingvellir plain is situated on a tectonic-plate boundary where North America and Europe are tearing away from each other at a rate of 1mm to 18mm per鈥�

Eldheimar

Heimaey

More than 400 buildings lie buried under lava from the 1973 eruption, and on the edge of the flow 鈥楶ompeii of the North鈥� is a museum revolving around one鈥�

Skansinn

Heimaey

This lovely green area by the sea has several unique historical sights. The oldest structure on the island, Skansinn was a 15th-century fort built to鈥�

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