Iceland - Summer Adventure

Welcome to Iceland!
Upon arrival in Keflavik Airport, meet your private driver at the arrival hall. He / She will be carrying a sign with your name on it. You will then transfer to your hotel in Reykjavik. Your room will be ready for early check-in, and you may enjoy breakfast at the main dining room.

Enjoy the morning at leisure to recuperate from the overnight flight.
In the afternoon, meet your private driver/guide and make your way to the volcano. The tour begins once you reach your experienced guides and cave experts. Begin the moderate one-hour-long trek across the lava fields. (Be sure to wear sturdy hiking boots as the terrain is uneven).  Once at the basecamp, you will receive a helmet and harness, make your way to the top of the crater, and begin the descent into the earth's center! The open-aired elevator will lower you 400 feet, onto the magma chamber's floor. There's no sound, and the sky is only visible as a distant sliver of light. You are free to explore the chamber and cave floor where the distinctive colors tell the local minerals' story. 

Clothing: Sturdy hiking shoes are essential, warm outdoor clothing as the crater's temperature is always the same 5-6°C / 42-43°F.

Enjoy a morning at leisure to explore the city and specialty shopping opportunities.

In the afternoon, meet your guide in your hotel's lobby and depart for a full-day tour of the Golden Circle. We start with lunch at a local farm, not far from the national park. (Cost of meals to be paid locally).

This private tour allows you to visit Iceland's most stunning sights along the famous Golden Circle route. You'll visit the historical and geological wonder Thingvellir National Park, where you can see the American and Eurasian tectonic plates, pulling apart. Thingvellir has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2004, and it is where the Althing, an open-air assembly representing the whole of Iceland, was established in 930 and met up until 1798. 

Next, you'll head to the Geysir geothermal area. All the geysers in the world owe their name to this place. Today's biggest attraction is the active Strokkur, which shoots up a column of water up to 30 meters (98 ft.) into the air every few minutes, a site not to be missed.

The tour continues to Gullfoss, a two-tiered waterfall in the river Hvita. Gulfoss quite literally means "Golden Waterfall" in Icelandic.  If you visit Gullfoss on a sunny day, you will see that it is aptly named.; Gullfoss is one of the most popular attractions in Iceland, and the waterfall is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country.

Return to your hotel.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

Meet your guide at the lobby and depart towards Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, also known as 'E15', for short. The volcano became famous because of its violent eruption in 2010 when almost all air traffic between Europe and North America was interrupted. 

Snowmobiling on top of Eyjafjallajökull glacier is an unforgettable adventure that you will remember for a lifetime!
When we reach the basecamp, after a safety briefing, you will get into your gear. Your super truck will journey up the mountain and onto the glacier. Here you hop on your snowmobiles for a guided thrill-ride. Nothing beats this feeling! 

After the snowmobile tour, enjoy lunch (payable onsite).

The next highlight of the day is the impressive Seljalandsfoss waterfall; here, you can walk behind the cascade for a unique view through the waterfall. Then just to the side of Seljalandsfoss, there is a small canyon waterfall named Gljufrabui that is worth a short visit. Continue to yet another beautiful waterfall, Skogafoss, which often displays a beautiful rainbow.

From Skogafoss, the road takes you to the black volcano beaches of the south. You find the Reynisfjara beach with the basalt columns standing tall, this is an idyllic spot for a short walk and a few photos, but beware of the sneaky waves!

Continue onward to Dyrholaey for some puffin spotting (available between April to September). 

Your driver/guide will then take you to other locations for a more intimate viewing of nature's spectacle, far from the crowd. 

After a short stop at Vik, a little village, where you can look at some Icelandic wool sweaters, we drive southeast through one of the world's largest lava fields, boasting extraordinary rock formations and beautiful moss colors. In the late afternoon, you will arrive at your hotel.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

After a good breakfast, we drive toward Vatnajökull, also known as the "Water Glacier" in English, which is the most massive and most voluminous ice cap in Iceland and one of Europe's largest. This gigantic glacier has many "glacier tongues," all of which have their unique characteristics. Our next thrill takes place on one of them...

Meet your expert guides, who will provide you with crampons, an ice ax, and helmet, all the required gear for Ice Trekking! Together explore the ice formations and the beautiful blue ice crevasses. 

We then continue to Skaftafell National Park. An easy 2-hours' hike awaits you here with a beautiful reward at the end of the trail! Visit Svartifoss or Black-fall, which is surrounded by impressive dark lava columns shaped as hexagonal. 

Before returning to your hotel, we may stop at Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon to catch the late afternoon sun reflecting on the icy lagoon.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

We start early morning with a fantastic private kayaking tour on a smaller glacier lagoon, called Heinabergslon, less visited by the crowd and the large motorboats. At the lagoon, you will gear up and get briefed before embarking on a truly magical glide through the frigid water. 

The kayaks provided are "double-kayak" for two travelers; however, single-occupancy kayaks are available for an additional charge.

Later, we set course for the north and the beautiful area called Myvatnssveit. The drive (about 5.5 hours if we made it non-stop) through East Iceland includes tranquil fishing villages, narrow fjords, rugged tundra and sweeping landscapes.

Geologically speaking, the East Fjords are one of the oldest areas in Iceland and have the most diverse types of rocks and minerals. A magnificent exhibit of stones has been collected by Petra Sveinsdottir; and is on display in her house and garden. 

The secluded beauty of east Iceland with its breathtaking fjords and charming fishing villages is only just beginning to be discovered by travelers. The landscape exhibits an extraordinary palette of colors, narrow fjords, jagged peaks, toppling waterfalls, geothermal hotspots, lush forests, and endless green valleys.

We should reach Myvatnssveit and your hotel in the late afternoon. Once at the hotel, enjoy a short evening walk in the surrounding area.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

This morning, enjoy a relaxed breakfast. Meet your guide and depart on a beautiful adventure in the surroundings of Myvatnssveit.

Myvatn region is one of the most geologically active and stunningly beautiful areas in Iceland. We visit one of the most iconic waterfalls in the country. Dettifoss, a 144-foot high waterfall, is the largest and most powerful waterfall in Europe, after the Rhine Falls, (in terms of volume discharge).

Then continue to the beautiful yet eerie, Dimmuborgir, or 'dark cities'; an area consists of a massive, collapsed lava tube, about 2300 years ago.

Visit the beautiful Godafoss Waterfall, where the water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 40 feet over a width of 100 feet. As history has it, in the year 1000, the Lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. After his conversion, Þorgeir threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall.

If you are up to a short hike, we can visit another waterfall, the less-visited Aldyjarfoss, featuring some of the most spectacular lava walls.

In the late afternoon, it's great to enjoy a relaxing bath at the geothermal nature baths.

Return to your hotel, located by Myvatn Lake, with beautiful views over the lake.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

After a good breakfast, drive to Namaskard. This geothermal wonder of black rivers and bubbling pools of sulfuric mud cutting through the landscape is otherworldly.

Then continue to Husavik, the whale capital of the north! At Husavik, depart on a whale watching adventure. Equipped with speedboats, we can cover more areas in search of the gentle giants, therefore more likely for us to find the big whales. 

We also include a visit to Puffin Island, where you can experience thousands of puffins, the 'Clowns of the Ocean', during the nesting period (April 15th - August 20th). After the tour, we leave Husavik and drive to magical Asbyrgi; this impressive canyon most likely formed by a catastrophic glacial flood. This site is excellent for a hike!

Now it's onto Akureyri and your return flight to Reykjavik in the late afternoon. Private transfer to your hotel once in Reykjavik.

Meals included today: Breakfast.

This morning, enjoy the luxury Day Spa of the Retreat at the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon was formed in 1976 by happenstance from a neighboring geothermal power plant and has become one of Iceland's most treasured landmarks. Since it's inception, travelers from near and far bathe in the unique water and apply the silica, algae, and mud to their skin.  The Blue Lagoon has developed natural products created from the treasures of its geothermal pools. 

Your experience at the Blue Lagoon includes a private changing room and shower, entry to the Exclusive Lounge – a sanctuary of relaxation with stunning views, a fireplace, reclining chairs, an attendant, food service, and direct access to the lagoon.

In the afternoon, we transfer to the airport for your homebound flight.

Meals included today: Breakfast.