Day 4: Selfoss > Landmannalauger > Gulfoss > Geysir

The fourth day of our stay in Iceland was the busiest (which is saying a lot). We started out the day with the intent to catch the Reykjavik Excursion bus from the N9 gas station in Selfoss to Landmannalauger, the colorful landscape in the interior of Iceland. Kyle and I pulled on several layers of clothes capping off our attire with our trusty rain gear and headed to the bus stop. While we were waiting with a group of people, who were boarding a bus to another destination, our bus pulled into the station. Unfortunately for us, the bus pulled out just as quickly as it had entered. We have still have no idea why it didn’t stop. Defeated and not knowing what to do, we started to pack up our stuff and make new plans. Ten minutes later, the bus miraculously returned (another passenger, more desperate than us called the bus company). Once aboard, we began the stunningly beautiful 3 hour journey to the interior. We traversed lava fields, moon-like landscapes, hidden lakes, and rugged roads. We literally bounced and shook for 3 hours. We reached our destination around noon. As we stepped off the bus, it felt like we were stepping into a completely different world, lightyears away from civilization. Kyle and I could have spent days in this paradise; however, we only had a mere 2 hours before our bus would depart. We quickly stopped at the information cabin to get recommendations for the best hike to do in 2 hours, then set out west across a massive lava field. After about 1km, the rocky landscape suddenly opened up to a valley with breathtaking views of the colorful rhyloite mountains. Words simply cannot describe the intense beauty – heaven on earth. Needing to pinch ourselves back to reality, we hiked south toward Mount Brennisteinsalda –we only had time to go half way up the mountain. Decending, we headed east and found ourselves weaving throughout the expansive lava field until we reached a beautiful, crystal clear river that we followed back to the camping area. We are pretty sure that there is no place on earth that can match this area’s magnificence. Tired from excitement and our hike, we hopped back on the bouncing bus. It was practically empty since most of those who rode in with us were attempting to do what is considered to be one of the most beautiful and epic hikes in the world by National Geographic. When we reached Selfoss three hours later, we decided to start the Golden Circle. Our first stop was at Kerid, which is a large volcanic crater lake that was formed nearly 3,000 years ago. For a small fee, we walked on the crater’s end and went down into it. It was beautiful. The sun was starting to set as we made our way to Geysir and Gulfoss. We were able to bask in the waterfall’s glory and witness Strokkur geyser explosions before settling in for the night at Geysir’s campground. We slept peacefully as Strokkur went off about every 10 minutes a few hundred yards from our camper.