Grand Tour Of Iceland

Welcome to Reykjavik! Upon arrival at Keflavik International Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel by the Flybus Shuttle Bus for check-in. Depending on your time of arrival, spend the day at leisure to explore the city at your own pace. Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland, built his farm on the peninsula where Reykjavík stands today. The town earned its name “Smokey Bay” after columns of steam rose from the hot springs and made a deep impression on the first settlers. Reykjavik offers a wide range of restaurants and coffee houses, making dinner a great way to get better acquainted with Icelands capital.


Overnight in Reykjavik

In the morning after breakfast explore the route of the Golden Circle. Begin your day with a visit to the geothermal greenhouse and get to know how Icelanders grow their vegetables. Next door, take the opportunity to be photographed with Icelandic horses and learn about their special qualities and history. Explore Gullfoss, “The Golden Falls”, a double waterfall tumbling 32 meters into the Hvítá River. Next, visit the Geysir geothermal fields; the steam from these bubbling pools and hot springs can be seen from a distance. The original geyser is now dormant but has been replaced by Strokkur “the Churn” which erupts every five- or ten minutes sprouting water up to 30 meters in the air. Continue inland to Thingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated directly over the tectonic plate boundary where North America and Europe are tearing apart, the plain has been damaged by dramatic fissures, ponds, and rivers, including the great rift of Almannagjá. Continue your journey along the scenic Hvalfjörður Fjord.


Overnight in Borgarnes

After breakfast, you will explore the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, jutting out from Icelands West Coast. A rugged mountain chain stretches its length, capped by the 1,446-meter Snæfellsjökull Glacier, a mystical cone-shaped stratovolcano. Travel around the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, through lava fields, and along the ocean where you will spot excellent photo opportunities. Visit the most popular sites of the Snæfellsnes National Park, the first National Park of Iceland with boundaries reaching out to the sea. Volcanic craters, lava flows, glaciated peaks, fjords, sandy beaches, and high cliffs shape the landscape. Follow the adventure of Jules Vernes science-fiction novel “The Journey to the Center of the Earth”. Do not miss your chance to go on a trip to the interior of the Earth under the glacier Snæfellsjökull! This lava cave tour will take you 35 meters underground and about 200 meters into the lava tube Vatnshellir. In the afternoon, catch the ferry Baldur from Stykkishólmur to Brjánslækur in the West Fjords. During the 2.5-hour journey over Breiðafjörður Bay, pass the island of Flatey, inhabited only during the summertime. If the weather is beautiful, you can enjoy a magnificent view overlooking the bays countless isles along with the glacier Snæfellsjökull.


Overnight in Patreksfjorour

Today after breakfast, you will discover more of the breathtaking West Fjords, continue down the coastline, and stop at the folk and transport museum in Hnjótur. Travel through a very remote and sparsely populated region to the bird cliffs of Látrabjarg, Europes largest bird cliff. This is the westernmost point in Iceland and is home to millions of birds, including puffins, northern gannets, guillemots, fulmars, cormorants, kittiwakes, and razorbills. Walk to the top of the cliff, a place where you can get very close to the seabirds. Even if youre not into bird watching, you will be fascinated by the comic puffins and mesmerized by the sheer number of birds. If weather and road conditions allow then continue your journey to Rauðisandur Beach, where you will discover seemingly endless red sand. The magnificent hues of the sand differ depending on daylight, tides, and weather. This pure sand beach is home to countless seabirds and seals and is an oasis of unique tranquillity. Forget everything, except maybe getting the perfect shot of the ever-changing hues of yellow, orange, and red.


Overnight in Patreksfjorour

In the morning after breakfast, travel over mountains and along the shore of scenic fjords to Arnarfjörður, a fjord surrounded by high mountains. At the bottom, you may bask in the beauty of Dynjandi, a unique waterfall with seven levels of plunging water. Dynjandi was declared the countrys most beautiful waterfall by the people of Iceland! Continue over a mountain pass and along the southern shores of the West Fjords, a magnificent route traveled less often. This route is characterized by sheer cliffs, deep-cut bays, and narrow stretches of coastal lowlands. Later you will reach Erpsstadir, a family-run dairy farm best known for its ice cream and various other dairy products. Take a look at the milk production world and taste their unique ice cream directly from the farm, with local seasonal flavors.


Overnight in Hvammstangi

After breakfast, Todays journey is a little bit off the beaten track, around the Vatnsnes peninsula as we pass the fishing village of Hvammstangi, also called the seal capital of Iceland. A gravel road takes us around the peninsula to Hvítserkur, a highlight on the east coast of the region; a mass of igneous rock, about 15 meters high, situated on the seashore. Fulmars and gulls live on Hvítserkur. An old story has it that Hvítserkur is a petrified troll that intended to stone a nearby cloister, but dawn arrived before he could succeed. You will continue to Kolugljúfur Canyon, where waterfalls cascade into the deep, rugged gorge. It is a breathtaking sight to walk on the viewing platform and watch the calm waters of the river suddenly leap and tumble onwards over so many impressive falls – a sight that will leave no one unmoved. Further north stops at Víðimýri to visit one of the few preserved turf churches in Iceland. The church was built in 1834 and has turf walls, but timber gables both back and front. Then visit Glaumbær, one of Icelands most beautiful turf house farms and folk museum. Next, continue along a high mountain road to Akureyri, also called the capital of North Iceland, where you will stay for two nights.


Overnight in Akureyri

Today after breakfast, enjoy a full-day tour through the spectacular fjord landscapes as you travel to Siglufjörður, Icelands northernmost town and the herring capital of the North Atlantic. Siglufjörður is situated on the mountainous Tröllaskagi Peninsula. On the way, pass through small fishing villages and stop at a deserted valley that even most Icelanders have not seen! There will be an included visit to the Herring Era Museum in Siglufjörður. This is Icelands largest maritime museum and the only Icelandic museum which has won the European Museum Award. In the early afternoon, you will go whale watching for 2-3 hours in Eyjafjörður — Icelands longest fjord right below the Arctic Circle. Discover humpback and minke whales, harbor porpoises, and dolphins — the success rate to spot whales is 99%!


Overnight in Akureyri

After breakfast, you will travel to Goðafoss — the Waterfalls of the Gods. Formed by the river Skjálfandafljót, waterfalls from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters. Next, you will explore Lake Mývatn, a geological wonderland known for its abundant birdlife. Walk in the lava labyrinth through the dark castles of Dimmuborgir, see the tephra cone Hverfjall, explore the hot springs, fumaroles and bubbling mud pools of Námaskarð, and travel to the explosion crater lake Víti in the Krafla geothermal fields. You travel to Dettifoss, Europes most powerful waterfall, in the northern part of Vatnajökull National Park. The round-trip walk takes about 40-60 minutes. Later, continue towards the east through the bare and sometimes deserted landscape with mountains all around and head through the uninhabited highlands to East Iceland. Explore the northernmost fjord on the East Fjord mountain range. The isolated village Bakkagerði at Borgarfjörður-Eystri has only 120 inhabitants; offering an end-of-the-road location. This charming village is built snugly next to the steep mountainside and getting there is a dramatic but rewarding drive. The colorful mountains are unique and impressive


Overnight in Borgarfjorour Eystri

This morning after breakfast, Its a day to admire the dramatic fjord landscape and its tiny fishing villages at the end of twisty roads in the East Fjords. Our first stop will be at Vök Baths, a geothermal floating pool in Lake Urriðavatn where guests can soak in the hot water, within and surrounded by the lake. Later you will visit Petras fascinating rock collection. A naturalist and a collector are two terms that have been used to describe Petra since she was a little girl. From the day she first opened her eyes, she perceived her surroundings differently from most of her compatriots — it is almost as if her parents knew when they named her. The word “Petra” means “stone” in Greek. Petra collected this unique treasure of rocks, crystals, zeolites, quartz and more for nearly 80 years, all from the nearby area in the Eastfjords. Petra collected for nearly 80 years this unique treasure of rocks, crystals, zeolites, quartz and more, all from the nearby area in the Eastfjords. In the afternoon you see Vatnajökull, Europes biggest glacier that is visible all over Southeast Iceland.


Overnight in Hofn

After breakfast, Today you will visit Vatnajökull National Park which covers about 14% of Iceland, making it Europes 2nd largest national park in terms of area after Russias Yugyd Va. Next, you will stop for a boat ride amongst the floating icebergs on the magnificent Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, considered one of the highlights on tour around Iceland. Next, walk along the black sands of the so-called Diamond Beach. Explore the region of Skaftafell that is nestled below Icelands highest mountain and the second biggest stratovolcano in Europe, the 2.110-meter high Hvannadalshnúkur. Late, walk close to one of the many glacial tongues in the area – a true photo moment. Next, you cross a sandy desert before reaching our overnight location Vík, the southernmost village in Iceland.


Overnight in Vik

After breakfast, Today you travel along the South Coast of Iceland, between the sea, rugged mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls. You will have the opportunity to explore the black lava beach, Reynisfjara, and bird cliffs before stopping at the Skógafoss waterfall, another must-see location in South Iceland. The crashing water creates a mist that results in frequent and magical rainbows, just adding some more memorable experiences to the sheer beauty of this stunning scenery and place. Afterward, visit the Skogar folk museum with its turf houses assemblage of traditions of territorial relics on display. Later, you will reach Seljalandsfoss waterfall where you can follow a slick and wet trail and walk right behind it. Come prepared and bring a raincoat and good boots as you will get wet. Then you will visit the Lava & Volcano Exhibition Centre focused on the geology and active volcanoes and watch a documentary film about volcanic eruptions in the past years in Iceland. Farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Reykjavík, Icelands capital. Enjoy a farewell dinner in Reykjavík. Spend the last night of the Grand Tour in the extraordinary Icelandic capital.


Overnight in Reykjavik

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at the hotel. At the scheduled time, you will be transferred back to the airport for your onward flight.