Icelandic Grit and Determination on the Way to the Golden Circle

There are two ways to begin your journey from Keflavík Airport towards Iceland's Golden Circle. One takes you along the familiar route through the Reykjavík area. The other takes you through a landscape where Icelanders have spent the past few years doing something rather extraordinary: rebuilding roads that volcanoes keep trying to bury.

When nature has other plans

Icelanders have always had a complicated relationship with nature. We love it, depend on it and are immensely proud of it. But we also know that it doesn't always cooperate.

We live with fierce Atlantic storms, earthquakes, glaciers, volcanic eruptions and landscapes that are constantly being reshaped. Over the centuries, we have learned that there is little point in trying to control nature. What we can do is prepare, adapt and, when necessary, rebuild.

Nowhere has that spirit been more visible in recent years than on the Reykjanes Peninsula, not far from Keflavík International Airport.

In November 2023, a series of powerful earthquakes and dramatic land subsidence forced the evacuation of Grindavík, a fishing town on Iceland's southwest coast. Volcanic eruptions followed, sending rivers of molten rock across the landscape, threatening homes, roads and important infrastructure.

For the people of Grindavík, the consequences have been profound. Families were displaced, businesses disrupted and an entire community faced an uncertain future.

But alongside the hardship, another story began to unfold. It was a story of engineers, construction workers, emergency responders and ordinary Icelanders determined to keep essential infrastructure functioning, even as the ground beneath them was changing.

The volcano took the road. So we built another one.

Imagine building a road, only to watch a volcanic eruption bury it under metres of fresh lava.

Then imagine rebuilding that road, knowing perfectly well that another eruption might destroy it again.

That is precisely the challenge Icelandic road engineers and construction crews have faced near Grindavík.

During the eruptions of 2024, lava repeatedly crossed Grindavíkurvegur, the main road connecting the town with the rest of the peninsula. Access roads to the Blue Lagoon and nearby infrastructure were also affected.

The response was remarkable. Working with emergency authorities and engineers, construction crews created new road alignments, built protective barriers and laid new road sections across recently formed lava fields.

In some places, they were working in a landscape that had not even existed a few weeks earlier.

And when another eruption sent lava across the roads again, the work began once more.

There is something wonderfully Icelandic about this response.

The volcano has buried the road? Well, we had better build another one.

Not because we believe we can defeat a volcano. We certainly cannot. But because people need roads, communities need connections and life must continue wherever it is safe to do so.

It is a practical kind of determination, born from generations of living in a country where nature occasionally reminds us who is in charge.

A landscape that tells a story

For travellers arriving at Keflavík Airport, the Reykjanes Peninsula offers a remarkable introduction to Iceland.

Much of the landscape is covered in lava fields, some centuries old and others formed only recently. The contrast between the black rock, the Atlantic coastline, distant mountains and carefully engineered roads is striking.

Where access is permitted, the area around Grindavík and the recent lava fields offers an opportunity to see the effects of volcanic activity at close range. The rebuilt roads and protective structures also tell a distinctly human story about the effort required to live alongside these powerful natural forces.

There is no need to witness an actual eruption to appreciate the power of Iceland's geology. Sometimes the evidence is more impressive after the event: a road disappearing beneath a lava field, a new road rising across it, or an enormous protective embankment built to redirect future lava flows.

It is nature's extraordinary power and human ingenuity, side by side.

From volcanic lava to erupting geysers

And here is where the journey becomes particularly interesting.

Continue east towards the Golden Circle and you encounter another expression of the same restless geology.

At the Geysir geothermal area, boiling water and steam rise from the ground, while Strokkur erupts regularly, sending a spectacular column of hot water into the air.

The experience could hardly be more different from the recent lava fields near Grindavík. Here, the energy beneath Iceland is something visitors gather to admire, photograph and marvel at.

Yet both landscapes are reminders that Iceland is geologically very much alive.

In the space of a single journey, you can see how volcanic activity reshapes the land, how Icelanders respond to it and how geothermal energy creates some of the country's most celebrated natural attractions.

There are few places in the world where the relationship between people and the forces beneath their feet is quite so visible.

Two ways to begin your Golden Circle adventure

So, which route should you take from Keflavík Airport?

The conventional choice is to follow Reykjanesbraut towards Reykjavík and continue east towards the Golden Circle. It is straightforward and generally the most practical option, particularly if you are arriving late or want to reach your accommodation without unnecessary detours.

But if you have time, enjoy scenic driving and road conditions permit, consider exploring the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Grindavík area before continuing east along the southern coast.

The southern route takes you through striking volcanic scenery and can connect with Suðurstrandarvegur towards Þorlákshöfn and the Golden Circle. It is a longer journey, but one that can make the drive itself part of your Icelandic experience.

Importantly, volcanic activity and access restrictions can change. Always check current road conditions and official safety information before choosing this route. Never enter closed areas or stop on roads where parking is prohibited.

And then, slow down

After the dramatic landscapes of Reykjanes and the geothermal wonders of Geysir, there is something rather appealing about arriving in the quieter countryside of South Iceland.

At Blue Hotel Fagrilundur and Blue View Cabins in Reykholt, you are in the heart of the Golden Circle, with Gullfoss, Geysir, Þingvellir and many other experiences within easy reach.

It is a place to settle in, explore at your own pace and discover that Iceland's most memorable experiences are not always confined to its most famous attractions.

Sometimes the journey itself tells an equally remarkable story.

And perhaps that is one of the things we Icelanders are most proud of. We know we cannot always change what nature has in store for us. But we can decide how we respond.