This 2-day Icelandic Adventure tour will take you deep into the lava tunnel, whale watching, and the most interesting sights along the South Coast.
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This 2-Day Icelandic Adventure Tour is a combination of some of the most fascinating activities in Iceland. First, you'll go lava caving, where the certified lava caving guide will tell you all about how the magnificent lava caves are formed. In the evening, you'll hop on a boat to go on a thrilling whale watching tour where there's a high chance of seeing whales or dolphins in their natural habitat! On the second day, you'll visit the most popular attractions on the South Coast, including the black sand beach and waterfalls. You'll also take on a glacier hike where you can learn more about the ancient ice formations.
Please note: If you're traveling with a party of 2 or more, be sure to book everyone under a single reservation. Otherwise, we can't guarantee you will all be on the same tour activity.
This itinerary does not include hotel stays. For multi-day trips with accommodation, check out our Multi-Day Tours.
To bring deliver the ultimate sightseeing holiday in Iceland we have combined our fabulous Raufarhólshellir Lava Tunnel, Rib Boat Whale Watching, and South Coast, Waterfalls & Glacier Hike tours to bring you the greatest jewels. Each morning we pick you up and take you off to see the most amazing sights.
Our day will begin with meeting the lava caving guide. At the beginning of the tour, you will be provided with all the necessary safety equipment (helmet with a head torch, walking stick, and crampons in winter). Once you're ready, you'll head into the lava tube for your lava caving adventure.
Even though the lava tube is usually entirely dark, the lights illuminate the most impressive parts. You'll see that the cave's walls are emerald, ruby, turquoise, and lilac shades. That is because of the minerals that color the lava structure. Your guide will tell you how the lava shaped this cave into the tubular form we see today.
Raufarholshellir's environment changes depending on the season. In the winter, ice shards and ice stalagmites cover the cave, while in the summer, it's drier, with multi-colored minerals covering the walls.
How big is Raufarholshellir? At some points, the ceiling reaches up to 10 meters high. The visitors are usually amazed by its grandiosity.
In terms of difficulty, the walk is relatively easy. There are developed footbridges in most parts. The natural parts are uneven but easily accessed. People of all ages and abilities can participate in this tour, as long as they are comfortable walking through rough terrain.
After the lava caving adventure, our day is not finished. There's another experience yet to come. Whale watching is one of the most exciting activities you can do in Iceland. We'll meet at the Old Harbor in Reyjavik, and once you board our custom-made RIB boat, our journey begins.
We will cross the Atlantic ocean waves till we reach the place called "the puffin island." Its name is Akurey, but it has been nicknamed since those lovely birds come to nest here between late spring and early summer. Seeing the adorable puffins will be an excellent amusement for both children and adults.
Then, we will continue down to Kollafjordur bay, where the actual whale watching begins. Since Mother Nature is in charge, the real sightings cannot be guaranteed, but our expert guides will use their knowledge to increase the chances.
Who lives down there in the waters? Iceland is home to over twenty whale species, including Minke Whales and Sperm Whales. Harbour Porpoises, White-beaked Dolphins, and Orcas are seen there as well. On some occasions, the majestic Blue Whale also crosses through the Icelandic waters. This is one of the few places where you can see the largest living creature in the world.
We will head back to Reykjavik at the end of the day, full of adventures, taking the scenic route by the coastline. If we're lucky, we may even spot some seals or more nesting birds along the way!
The second day will be filled with South Coast attractions and the highlight of the day - a glacier hike.
The first stop of the day will be the magnificent Seljalandsfoss waterfall. This waterfall is unique because you can walk behind it and see it from the inside. There's another "hidden waterfall" just a short walk away from Seljalandsfoss. Gljúfrabúi is hidden by the rock facade, with just a narrow gap between rocks revealing its grandiosity. If you're brave enough, you can walk up the river to the fall!
We can get a pretty good view of Eyjafjallajökull and Hekla while driving the South Coast if the day is clear. Eyjafjallajökull is an infamous volcano whose eruption caused a significant disruption in European air space in 2010.
Next on our agenda is a memorable hike through the Solheimajokull glacier. You'll get a chance to witness the beautiful ice formations and hear a lot about glaciers from your expert glacier guide.
After the thrilling glacier hike, we'll continue our South Coast adventure to the Reynisfjara black sand beach. It is famous for basalt columns and Reynisdrangar cliffs, which, according to the legend, are nothing else than trolls who were turned into stone by the morning sun.
Our last stop will take us to a nonetheless impressive waterfall. Skogafoss is a beautiful 60-meter water cascade falling with enormous force. It's an impressive sight from the grounds, but you can climb 527 steps to see it from above as well.
Pick-up Information: You’ll be picked up from your hotel or nearby selected meeting point in Reykjavik for every tour. Picking everyone up can take up to 30 minutes so your patience is greatly appreciated.
The pickup times and duration for tours are:
Available pick-up points: pick-up list.
Please note: Accommodation and meals are not included. All tours commence from Reykjavík, so you will need to arrange accommodation in the city. Pick up and drop off are available from various points for each of the day tours.
Yes, we will provide you with a headlight and a helmet.
The Icelandic weather is very unpredictable therefore we highly recommend to dress in layers. Warm layers closest to you preferably wool/thermal underwear, pants sweater and on top waterproof outdoor clothing. It is also suitable to wear good hiking shoes and gloves. Jeans have proven to be a bad choice.
Yes, we have specially trained and certified glacier guides on every glacier tour that we offer. And for our 3rd party tours we only partner with operators that meet our quality and safety standards.
Yes, we provide you with all the necessary glacier gear for our glacier hiking tours. Ice axes, crampons, harnesses, and helmets are provided. This will help you to complete the tour safely. The minimum shoe size to attach crampons is EU 35.
Iceland is known for unforeseeable weather. It is likely that you can see all 4 seasons in one day.
Dressing for that kind of weather can always be demanding, so we suggest dressing in layers. 3 or 4 upper layers are highly recommended, for example, a light t-shirt (preferably wool) next to the skin, then a fleece or heavy wool garment topped off with a waterproof windbreaker.
Jeans are not recommended for our trips as they are not suitable for the weather conditions, they become very heavy, cold and uncomfortable to wear when they get wet.
Lightweight hiking pants, track pants or long cotton pants are convenient and wear wind/waterproof pants over them. There is high UV and sunlight reflecting off on the glacier so we highly recommend using sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is cloudy.
You will need sturdy hiking boots that fit crampons for the glacier hiking tours. If you do not own a pair then we rent out suitable hiking boots as well as a waterproof raincoat and trousers.
It is good to bring your own backpack on our full-day or half-day tours. It’s the best carry-on for a small lunch, extra clothes, and other necessary items.
The scenery on the tour is full of stunning, breathtaking views that you’ll almost definitely want to capture forever, so you should definitely bring your camera along. Your tour guide will also be happy to take your photo.
This is surely a personal choice, we do not deny pregnant women on our glacier trips but we highly recommend you to take a closer look at our trip description and difficulty ratings, they will hopefully give you a better idea. We also recommend you to contact your physician, as pregnant women’s health can be quite different. If you have any further questions or concerns then feel free to contact us.
Lunch is not provided on any of our trips, therefore we recommend you bring your own lunch, snacks, and a bottle of water (you can refill it on the trip). It is especially important to make sure you bring lunch on our longer trips.
Crampons enable you to walk on the glacier ice without slipping. They are metal spikes that we attach to the soles of your hiking shoes.
Iceland is known to have a lot of snow and when the snow stays long enough in one place than it turns to ice. Over long periods of time, the ice layers up becoming huge blocks called glaciers. It forms to create ginormous glaciers that sweep across huge masses of land. Iceland is home of the largest glacier in Europe that is called Vatnajökull. The Glacier Guides can tell you more about and everything you need to know about the Glaciers.
The guide on your glacier hiking tour will provide you with all the information you might need when preparing for a glacier hike.
We always recommend booking a multi-day tour starting at least one day after arriving in Iceland. If you’re flying in from the US or will be landing early (4-6:30 am) you should be able to join the tour, but some risks would follow (i.e if the flight gets delayed) and could, therefore, miss out on the tour.
