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This amazing multi-day tour combines some of Iceland’s best-known attractions, with some of its more off-the-beaten-track ones – making it the perfect way to explore the land of fire and ice. You’ll see majestic waterfalls, bubbling hot springs, mighty glaciers, imposing volcanoes, and much, much more.
See the Golden Circle, Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajökull Glacier, and the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, among a host of other incredible sights. With the tantalizing prospect of the Northern Lights appearing at any moment if you’re traveling during the cold season. If you’re on the lookout for an unforgettable adventure in Iceland, then this is the perfect tour for you.
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We’ll kick off the adventure from Reykjavik with a journey to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the Borgarfjörður area. Then, it’s time to head back to the Golden Circle and the neighboring Seljalandsfoss waterfall. On the fourth day, we drive eastward to Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon and go hiking on a glacier to an ice cave. The last day is dedicated to the South Coast and its highlights!
You are picked up from your hotel or a nearby meeting point in Reykjavík at 9:00 A.M. Please be aware that the entire pick-up process might take up to 30 minutes.
Your journey will start with a first stop at Borgarnes village, which is known for its Viking history. Next follows the beautiful basalt columns of Gerðuberg and the golden sand beach in Ytri Tunga.
Búðir is a hamlet with mesmerizing landscapes that you’ll get to witness before going to this small and alluring village called Arnarstapi.
Next up, is an optional tour (extra cost) with a qualified caving guide to explore the subterranean world within the Vatnshellir Cave, in the heart of Snæfellsnes National Park. You will learn how the cave was formed when molten magma flowed beneath lava which was already cooling, there are many incredible lava formations to be discovered. Maybe, you will feel like the character in the Jules Verne story, A Journey to the Center of Earth! You can book the caving tour as an extra when you book your tour.
A free alternative to Vatnshellir Cave is the Malarrif visitor center and its lighthouse which is free of charge.
Lastly, you’ll stop to explore the beautiful black pebble beach at Djúpalónssandur. Take a short hike down to the beach to watch the white-tipped ocean waves flowing onto the black pebble beach. These smooth black pebbles are known as Djúpalóns Perlan (which means ‘Deep Pool Pearls’), the beach slopes steeply and the ocean becomes deep very quickly, so those black pearls really have emerged from the deep! The amazingly-shaped cliffs which frame the beach add to the beauty and drama of this place. In the olden days, the local fisherman would test their strength using the ‘lifting stones’. Those stones have been made famous by numerous World's Strongest Man competitions, maybe, you would like to test your strength?
After adventures here, you’ll be taken to the Hellissandur Adventure Hótel (or a similar hotel).
If you’re traveling from late September to early April, you'll get a chance to see the Northern Lights if the conditions are suitable.
After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you’ll start your day with charming views of probably the most photographed mountain – Mount Kirkjufell. After this special location, where the TV show “Game of Thrones” was filmed, you’ll make a quick stop at a town called Grundarfjörður to buy some snacks and other necessities before the upcoming adventures of the day start.
Next on your agenda are two waterfalls – Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Barnafoss waterfall is picturesque with a fascinating Icelandic legend attached to it. In English the name means ‘Children´s Falls, you will be told the story explaining how it acquired this name. Hraunfossar waterfall is totally unique, thousands of small streams flow out through the edge of the lava, creating the dramatic and very wide arc-shaped falls. The pure glacial water has traveled through the lava field from its source at Langjökull, Iceland´s second-largest glacier.
Afterward, you’ll visit Reykholt, an important place in the history of Iceland, and the site of Snorralaug, a famous hot spring pool, where it is said Snorri Sturluson bathed. Dabble your fingers and feel the temperature of the water, and learn about Snorri, a very important saga writer, lawyer, and historian.
If you wish to relax after so much sightseeing, try out Krauma Geothermal Baths. If you choose to skip taking a swim, then you’ll have an opportunity to visit Sturlureykir horse farm where you’ll see an Icelandic horse.
The last attraction of the day will be the most powerful hot spring in Europe under the name of Deildartunguhver. An astonishing 180 l/sec of hot water is pumped out at a temperature of 100°C. This vast quantity of hot water is very valuable in a cool climate, Icelanders use it to heat their homes and the buildings in the surrounding area.
Your day will end with a trip back to the capital at around 6 P.M.
Your day begins with the famous sights of the Golden Circle. Þingvellir (Thingvellir, also occasionally known as Þingvellir) is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, due to its unique history and amazing geology. The Eurasian and North American tectonic plates meet right here in Þingvellir National Park. However, they have been slowly moving apart, creating the rugged cliff of the Almanngjá gorge, you actually walk through this rift valley when you explore Þingvellir. Alþingi, the historic Icelandic Parliament was founded here in the year 930, making it the oldest still operating parliament in the world.
We pay a visit to the Geysir area in the scenic valley of Haukadalur. Great Geysir, the hot spring which gave us the English word ‘geyser’, is not active now, Strokkur, a nearby geyser erupts every 5 to 10 minutes, sending superheated water around 25 m high - a moment not to be missed. Next on the agenda, and completing the sights of the Golden Circle, we will stop at Gullfoss Waterfall. You will feel the power at the roaring Hvítá River (‘the White River) thunders through the majestic canyon, dropping 32 m in two stages.
If visibility is good, you will see views of Hekla, a notorious volcano mountain. Next up is an opportunity to walk behind the cascade of the unique Seljalandsfoss waterfall, giving really unusual photo possibilities. We recommend you put on rainwear for this activity!
Your accommodation for the night will be at a country hotel near Vík, a little coastal town. We hope the northern lights forecast will be good to see them during the winter season!
We’ll start our day with the famous Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. You will see incredibly shaped icebergs, some larger than houses, floating on the glacier lagoon, sometimes seals can also be seen. The icebergs calve off the Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, they then float slowly across the lagoon to the nearby ocean. Some come to rest on the black sands of the nearby Diamond Beach, where they glitter like diamonds.
After Jokulsarlon, we continue our journey through glacial desert scenery, the like of which you have probably never seen, as we head towards the first glacier adventure - hiking on Vatnajökull glacier and exploring a natural ice cave. Your certified glacier guide will issue your glacier hiking equipment and take you through the safety information before escorting you into the magic blue/white world. Every winter fresh ice caves are formed by the forces of nature and you will have the opportunity to explore one, this is an evolving world with new ice features appearing. Your guide will explain how the cave and its features were formed, and why blue ice is blue!
The Icelandic weather is unpredictable and we want you to have the best possible experience traveling in Iceland. Therefore, your guide will decide the best way to organize the tour, so it is possible that you might go glacier hiking on day three if your guide feels conditions would be better then. We have a little leeway which allows us to make the best of things. You need to make sure you are dressed warmly for your glacier hiking and ice cave visit, the temperature may vary.
Important: the glacier hike is a very weather-dependent activity, so if the accessibility and weather conditions would be inappropriate, the glacier hike will be replaced with a similar activity.
Your hotel will be in the Skaftafell area, hopefully, the conditions will be good for a northern lights watch in the winter season, we have to wait and see but fingers crossed!
Please note: ice caves are natural wonders which are constantly changing and are, thus, unpredictable. We will visit an ice cave on the glacier hiking tour and the choice of a cave is based purely on the conditions and safety considerations.
In the morning, we’ll start our South Coast tour with a small detour to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon, if the weather allows it. After that, we’ll make a stop at the iconic Eldraun lava field, where your guide will tell you what exactly makes this lava field so special.
Next on our agenda is the notorious Reynisfjara, one of the most beautiful black sand beaches in Iceland, with great basalt columns and a basalt column cave. Off-shore you will see the towering Reynisdrangar basalt peaks out in the oceans like the Atlantic waves power onto the soft sand. Crafty ‘sneaker’ waves appear from nowhere, so stand well back from the tide line!
We will also stop at Skógafoss waterfall. These voluminous but graceful falls descend 60 m into the calm Skógará (river) below. Here you can climb 527 steps leading to the panoramic platform above the falls. If the visibility is good, you can get a view of the famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano!
We get back to Reykjavík in the evening between 16:00 and 19:00. The timing depends upon the conditions of the day.
Pickup information:
We’ll collect you from your Reykjavik accommodation at 9:00 on the first day. Please note that this process can last up to thirty minutes.
Practical information:
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.
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.
The Northern Lights season is from late August until mid-April. However, if you want to increase your changes of seeing them, it is best to wait until the clear winter months of mid-September until March.
The Northern Lights are natural phenomena and we, unfortunately, cannot promise you will see them. Their appearance depends upon atmospheric and weather conditions.
For more information on the Northern Lights, please have a look at our Northern Lights tours.
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.
For multi-day tours, each participant is allowed to bring a small backpack and 1 piece of luggage weighing a maximum of 20 kg (44 lbs). If you have more or heavier luggage with you, you will need to book storage for the surplus luggage before you arrive, there is a small fee for using this facility. Luggage storage in Reykjavík can be added during the booking process of your order in the extras section.
* The combined dimensions of each bag must not exceed 158 cm (62 in).
When booking with Adventures.com, you are guaranteed accommodation at a nice country hotel and/or a guesthouse. The hotels we have partnered up with are all of the same standards and offer nice rooms with made-up beds. The rooms come with private or shared bathrooms, depending on your booking. The standard room is a twin room but it’s possible to request a double room or a triple room, with no extra charge.
If you are traveling solo, you will have to add the single room fee if you wish to have a single room.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi. Towels, a hairdryer, and a kettle are accessible at all of the hotels. Hotel breakfast is included!
If your tour includes accommodation, breakfast is always included during the tour at the hotel/guesthouse restaurant.
Meals and beverages are otherwise not included on your tour. (Unless it’s specifically stated in the description of the tour)
On our multiday tours, we will be making stops at restaurants and convenience stores where you will be able to purchase all necessities.
You should count on spending around 8,000 ISK (80$) on food each day per person. Cash is not necessary, as credit cards are almost always accepted. Having a small amount of cash doesn’t hurt though.
Breakfast is included at all the hotels we stay in during the tour. The breakfast will be a typical breakfast buffet, offering bread, toppings, cereal, yogurt, fruits, coffee, and tea etc.
Your guide will also find a good place for the group to eat lunch. We always try to choose places that have a wide selection of dishes on the menu, so there will be options available for everyone. The dinner is usually at the hotels we stay at for the night.
We do welcome participants of all ages older than the listed minimum age for each tour. We have people of ages ranging from 8-99 years joining our multi-day tours. Our average group usually consists of participants between the age 20-55 years. We do get a lot of solo travellers joining our tours, as well as families and friends.
If you have difficulties participating in any of the activities included in the tour, for example, a glacier activity, you are more than welcome to skip it. You can explore your surroundings in the meantime or wait elsewhere. Our guide should be able to drop you off at a nearby place where there are some services available.
A single supplement is available if you want to have your own room, but you are not required to pay a single supplement. If you are a single traveler and do not wish to book a single room, you’ll be roomed with another traveler of the same gender.
Don’t worry, you can always rent sturdy hiking boots, a waterproof jacket and pants in the booking process. We do not rent these items from the location, they must be ordered in advance.
We drive on average around 300 km (186 miles) per day on our multi-day tours. You will be spending approximately 4-5 hours in the car each day. We do of course stop on multiple locations throughout the tour for sightseeing, activities, bathroom breaks and lunch stops.
