Kerið Crater: Wrapping Up Our Golden Circle Adventure #keridcrater #goldencircle #iceland #travel

We departed Gullfoss with the intention of stopping at two more attractions before calling it a (full) day. At some point, after purchasing Rick Steve’s Iceland guide a few years ago, I had circled Selfoss on the map of the Golden Circle. Instead of reading the description while deciding what places we would stop at during our trip, I had become convinced it must be another waterfall because it ended in “foss.” Turns out there’s a river, but no falls, at Selfoss. It is, though, a nice place to stop for a meal, which we did. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The route from Gullfoss to the crater offers the option of veering off-course a bit to visit a hot spring or or thermal pool, but we had decided to not spend out limited time soaking in the waters of Iceland. Instead, we made our way to the Kerið volcanic crater in the town of Grímsnes.

Kerið volcanic crater as viewed from the upper paths

As with many of the sites you can visit in Iceland, there are multiple paths to choose from to view the main attractions. The fee for visiting Kerið is collected at a small kiosk where you receive a colorful brochure with a description of the crater and some of its history. From the kiosk, we followed the trail that led above the crater.

The water in the crater looks unnatural in its blue-hue, and its worldly aura is enhanced by the red volcanic dust of the surrounding hillside patched with moss and grass.

The crater does not require a long visit, but the climb is steep and fatigue was setting in by then for us. We walked a bit around the top, then headed halfway down before we decided we did not need to walk the lower perimeter. I found myself irked by the tourists throwing stones into its depths and we both decided to call it a day.

A stunningly beautiful pool, the Kerið volcanic crater is well worth a short stop.

Later, I realized my husband and I had neglected to take a selfie together at the crater, which had become our habit at the attractions we stopped at in Iceland, but I had taken one of myself over the crater, then later of Dave when we stopped at Selfoss to ~~see the waterfall~~ have dinner.

A long day, well spent with a tasty meal at the end

Our day around the Golden Circle was long, but full of beauty and awe. It was, indeed, a day to remember, but we still had a lot to see. For our third day in Iceland we made plans to set out along the South Coast.

To be continued…