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Iceland

Iceland is widely known as ‘The Land of Fire and Ice’ and the extreme contrasts in Icelandic nature are a huge part of the appeal. Diverse and beautiful, Iceland is home to some of the largest glaciers, as well as some of the world’s most active volcanoes. The Icelandic landscape is characterized by a huge number of waterfalls, geysers, volcanoes, black sand beaches, and steaming lava fields, reminiscent of an almost alien landscape.

Even a seemingly mundane drive from the airport into Reykjavik proves spectacular, as the scenery is dominated by incredible fields of volcanic rock. Like a scene straight from Lord of the Rings, one of Iceland’s main tourist attractions is Dimmuborgir, east of Mývatn. Dimmuborgir is a huge, collapsed lava tube formed when lava flowed over a small lake. The water started to boil and the escaping vapour caused incredible lava pillars. In Nordic folktales, Dimmuborgir marks the spot where Lucifer landed after he was cast from the heavens.

No visit to Iceland is complete without an invigorating plunge in one of their world famous geothermal pools.  The Blue Lagoon is the most popular choice with tourists but asking a few friendly locals for their pick of the best will ensure a quieter and more authentic experience.

Accommodations, 8 breakfasts, 2 dinners, Guided driving tour, Mývatn Nature Baths, airport transfer

Airfare, any visa fees, gratuities, travel insurance (recommended).

Passports must be valid for at least 6 months past the day you leave Iceland. There are no visa requirements to visit Iceland for US passports. Beginning in 2025, A New Travel Authorization will be required for Visitors to EU/Schengen Member Counties. For more information and to apply, visit ETIAS

You can find more information at the US State Dept

Useful Iceland Info 

More Driving Tour Info

Both links have information on what to pack and luggage limits along with tour tips

Iceland Driving Tour
Guided Driving Tour of Iceland

ITINERARY (subject to availability)

Arrive Reykjavik. Accommodations at Center Hotels Laugavegur* in the heart of the city. Welcome dinner.

Included: Airport transfer, accommodations, dinner.
Excluded: Gratuities
*Or similar

Free day to visit Reykjavik.

Suggestions: Museums, churches, public gardens, and swimming. There are 17 geothermal swimming pools in the city. The pools are a mix of a sports center, a water-slide park, and a spa with hot tubs and steam baths (pools start at $9.00 entry and will save you money instead of the Blue Lagoon, which entry is at minimum of $92).

Full of stores, traditional restaurants and pubs, the long and lively Laugavegur is the main shopping street in Reykjavik and the most picturesque area of the Icelandic capital’s historical center.

In terms of entertainment, Laugavegur is probably the liveliest street in Reykjavik. You’ll find everything here: expensive fashion boutiques and souvenir shops, Icelandic and international restaurants, and even bars, pubs and clubs – this is the best area in the city for nightlife.

What’s more, given the small size of the Icelandic capital, Laugavegur is useful as a main point of reference when finding your way around, as it’s very close to important places of interest such as Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik Old Harbour and the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which is located on the street itself.

Included: Breakfast, accommodations.
Excluded: Gratuities.

We begin our coach tour around Iceland. Pick up starts at 08:00 am in Reykjavík.

Your first day is all about sightseeing and the true beauty and amazing power of Icelandic nature. We start by visiting the Golden Circle attractions including the historic Þingvellir National Park, home to one of the world’s first democratic parliaments.
This place is also a geological wonder, it is here that two great tectonic plates have slowly drifted apart, creating a rift valley, this is truly a sight not to be missed. You will see the sensational Gullfoss waterfall, feeling the spray in the air as the great torrent of glacial water, sourced at Langjökull glacier, powers through the falls. You will witness an erupting geyser at Geysir, you never have to wait long, Strokkur, the most active geyser, erupts every few minutes.
Next on the agenda are the two best known waterfalls on the south coast, the extremely different but equally beautiful Seljalandsfoss waterfall and Skógafoss waterfall. Seljalandsfoss is known as ‘the waterfall you can walk behind’ and Skógafoss is mysterious, vigorous and graceful, the cascade dropping into the calm river below.
Mountain glaciers and famous volcanoes tower above this part of the coastline, on a clear day the views are wonderful.
The night will be spent at accommodation near Vík.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations.
Excluded: Gratuities.

Today we will get a chance to really encounter the full variety of Icelandic nature. First, we visit the pitch black volcanic sand beach of Reynisfjara with its forceful waves and the remarkable and stunning Reynisdrangar basalt columns. These crazily shaped forms tower above the ocean waves, it is easy to see how a famous troll legend came to be linked to them.
Your journey will then take you across the Eldhraun lava field, Eldhraun means ‘fire lava´, the flow of fire-red glowing magma which formed this lava field was mighty. Having witnessed the work of the fire from the center of the earth you will be ready to set foot on the ice! Your magical glacier hike will take you onto an outlet glacier* of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe. The glacier is a special and very powerful place, you will see wonderful and stunning ice features, and learn all about this fascinating place. Stand still and you will feel the peace, but the glacier is always moving and changing.
Your glacier adventures continue at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. This place really is like nothing else you have ever seen, somewhere which is a real must-visit. The glittering, and often very large icebergs calve off the receding Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, a tongue of Vatnajökull. These surreal natural ice statues float across the continually growing, and already very large, lagoon. The icebergs head to the Diamond Beach and the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. When you see them shimmering on the coal-black sands you will truly understand why this beach is so named. The memories you take away from today will be totally unforgettable.
The night will be spent at accommodation in the Höfn area.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations.
Excluded: Gratuities.

From Höfn we will drive a scenic route to Djúpivogur, a charming little fishing village in the wild and unspoiled East Fjords. See the famous sculpture work, Eggin of Gleðivík by Sigurður Guðmundsson, the name translates beautifully into English to ‘The Eggs of Merry Bay’. This granite artwork represents the eggs of the 34 bird species which nest in the Djúpivogur area. You get some time to look around, giving you a great picture of traditional Iceland before traveling onwards, following the stunning Berufjörður Fjord, then up across country to the Egilsstaðir area.

We take a fabulous hike up to the exquisite Hengifoss waterfall, Iceland’s second highest waterfall and the walk will take you through varied and highly photogenic scenery. You will also see the very attractive Litlanesfoss waterfall. This easy hike takes about three hours, your guide will provide a lot of information about the area, there are plenty of photo stops and opportunities to pause and admire the views.
It is in the East that we are most likely to spot reindeer, hopefully as we are driving along we will get the chance to see some. When we do we always stop at the nearest safe place and enjoy a little reindeer gazing and photography. On this tour we will always make the most of the opportunities which come up as we go on our way.
The night will be spent at accommodation in the Egilstaðir area.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations.
Excluded: Gratuities.

The next adventure on our list is the geothermal paradise of Námaskarð, get ready for steamy puddles, sulfur scented steam, and moon-like landscapes. The colorful boiling mud pots really are amazing, this place is so otherworldly it is hard to describe!

Mývatn Nature Baths are our next stop where you will get the chance to soak in the amazing silica and
mineral- rich waters, totally relaxing in the pool and coming out feeling completely renewed and refreshed.

We visit Dimmuborgir a wonderland of stunning lava formations which will leave you feeling mesmerized even before you go to the enchanting and mystical Goðafoss waterfall. These graceful crescent shaped falls on the Skjál-fandafljót river rate very highly on lists of favorite waterfalls in Iceland. This is the place where, after Iceland’s conversion to Christianity, the last Pagan Chieftain, known as the Goði, is said to have thrown his Pagan statues into the waterfall. Goðafoss means ‘the Waterfall of the Gods’ or ‘the Waterfall of the Goði’.

Late in the afternoon we arrive in Akureyri, the Capital of the North and the biggest town you will see outside of Reykjavík during your trip around the Ring Road. It is well-known for its stunning Fjord and mountain landscapes, wonderful downtown area and great restaurants.
The night will be spent at accomodation close to Akureyri.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations.
Excluded: Gratuities.

We start the day in an exciting way with a whale watching boat tour from Dalvík, a fishing village near Akureyri. Dalvík is known for being one of the best places to spot whales in Iceland, especially if you want to see more than one type of whale and other ocean wildlife. We spend a little time enjoying the charming and traditional town of Dalvík. This is one of the premier skiing areas of Iceland, with really beautiful steep mountains.
When we leave Dalvík we continue around the peninsula to the colorful and vibrant village of Siglufjörður. Few places have a harbor as beautiful as the one here, there are charming brightly painted corrugated iron and old wooden houses, and many well-preserved buildings belonging to the town´s Herring Era past. Quite early in the 20th century Siglufjörður established itself as the herring capital, many people came here from other parts of Iceland to work in the industry. There are museums and a lot of information in the town about this, the high mountains tower dramatically above the harbor.
On our way to our accommodation we drive through Skagafjörður, a really beautiful fjord with a few islands, including Drangey, an island with steep sea cliffs, formed from the remnants of a 700,000 year old volcano. Grettis Saga tells the story of the outlaw Grettir, who took refuge on this towering rock, along with his brother Illugi and his slave Glaumur. Many seabirds nest on Drangey, and each spring local people come to harvest their eggs.
The night will be spent the night at accommodation in North West Iceland.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations.
Excluded: Graatuities.

On this, our final coach tour day, we will find ourselves in West Iceland – an area which Lonely Planet voted as one of the best destinations in 2016.
Borgarfjörður has many splendid sights and we will focus on these today. We stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring, the legendary waterfall, Barnafoss (the Children´s Waterfall), and the Hraunfossar cascade, the atmospheric very low and wide falls where the water emerges, literally straight out of the lava field.

Next on the agenda is the historic and picturesque site of Reykholt, home to Snorri Sturluson, the Icelandic historian, lawyer, politician, poet and the author of some Icelandic Sagas. See Snorralaug, Snorri´s pool, dabble your fingers and feel the temperature of the water in the place where Snorri is likely to have bathed!
We will drive around scenic fjord, Hvalfjörður (Whale Fjord), on our way to back Reykjavík. We expect to arrive in the city around 5 – 6 pm.

Accommodations Center Hotels Laugavegur*

Goodbye Dinner.

Included: Breakfast, tour, accommodations, dinner.
Excluded: Gratuities.
*Or similar

Check out of hotel and fly home or continue the journey on your own.

Included: Breakfast, airport transfer.
Excluded: Gratuities.

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