The Silfra fissure is actually a crack between the North American and Eurasian continents, meaning that you dive or snorkel right where the continental plates meet and drift apart about 2cm per year. The Silfra fissure is located in the Thingvallavatn Lake in Thingvellir National Park. As Silfra is a part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The crystal clear waters that flow through it are the result of an incredible natural slow-filtration process. Here, the meltwaters from the Langjökull glacier are constantly percolating through the porous lava fields of the surrounding landscape, a process that can take a single drop of water up to a century to reach the fissure. The result is pure glacial water with virtually limitless visibility.

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Gullfoss is a massive waterfall on the river Hvita which originates in the glacial lake Langjokull. Gullfoss means ‘golden falls’ because the glacial sediment in the water turns the falls golden in the sunlight. The water falls 105 feet (32 meters) in two steps. The average of water running down this waterfall is by 100 – 180 m3/s in the summertime and 50 – 110 m3/s in the wintertime. The highest flood measured was 2000 m3/s. On a sunlit day, the mist clouds surrounding the hammering falls are filled with dozens of rainbows, providing an unparalleled spectacle of color and motion. The place is together with Þingvellir and the geysirs of Haukadalur part of the most famous sights of Iceland, the Golden Circle.

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