8 Day Around Iceland Winter Minibus Tour

The first attraction of this 8-day Iceland tour is the well-known Golden Circle, one of Icelands most popular attraction. First of all you will visit Thingvellir National Park where the two tectonic plates, the North American and the Eurasian plate, are moving away from each other. Few places in the world offer a better and clearer view of this massive geographic activity. The biggest natural lake in Iceland is also located at Thingvellir National Park and hosts a great variety of fish and bird life. Thingvellir is also an important place for Icelandic national history. At Thingvellir Icelanders founded their parliament in 930 AD where the chieftains had their annual meeting every summer.

From Thingvellir you will drive for a short time to the next attraction which is Geysir geothermal area. There you can see Strokkur hot spring gushing out boiling water every 5 minutes or so.

Next up is Gullfoss waterfall (The Golden Falls), one of Iceland's most iconic waterfalls that has a drop of 32 meters over two rocky tiers. On a sunny day, you can see the glacier Langjökull in the distance and enjoy a rainbow in the mist of the waterfall.

At the end of the day you will visit Seljalandsfoss Waterfall, which has it's origins underneath the famous Eyjafjallajökull glacier. One of the amazing features of Seljalandsfoss is the pathway encircled around the waterfall, so make sure to take a photo of the waterfall from all angles. 

After a good day of sightseeing you will spend the night on the South Coast of Iceland. Throughout this tour you will mostly be staying at country hotels that provide good opportunities of witnessing the northern lights if the weather allows.

Your second day includes the beautiful South Coast of Iceland. This day you will pass farmlands, rivers and picturesque waterfalls. 

Along the day you will have the waves of the Atlantic ocean on your right side. There will be plenty stops for taking photographs and explore the amazing scenery. 

To make this day even more adventurous you will start your day with a 3 hour Glacier Hiking tour. You will meet your glacier guide who will equip you with all the safety gear needed for the adventurous hike. This glacier hike gives you amazing scenery through crevasses and jagged ridges, incredible surroundings around the glacier and get up close with the blue ice. 

After the Glacier Hike you will make a stop at one of Icelands most powerfull waterfalls, Skógarfoss. If you have the energy to hike up all 527 steps by the waterfall you will have a great view of the Icelandic coastline. 

The last stop of the day will be Reynisfjara beach where you can breath the ocean air while exploring the extraordinary basalt stacks. 

The accommodation of day 2 will be in or close to the town of Vík. 

This day will very likely be one of the highlights of your trip. You will travel further east along the South Coast, through the desert of Skeiðarársandur, passing another national park, Skaftafell. Further east you will stop at Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, one of the most iconic locations in Iceland. In Jökulsárlón you will see big and small icebergs breaking off from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier floating in the lagoon. If you look really well you might spots some seals that live in the lagoon.

On this day you will have the unique opportunity of exploring ice caves inside on of Icelands glaciers. The natural blue ice caves of Breiðarmerkurjökull are one of Icelands top destinations over the winter months.

This night is spent in the area of Vatnajökull glacier. 

Today, you will continue further east towards the East Fjords of Iceland. The East Fjords are one of the most spectacular and untouched regions in Iceland. In this area you will feel the peace and tranquillity from the nature around you. While driving around this area you might spot some wild reindeers. 

There are loads of interesting stops on this day as you head further east such as Djúpivogur, Lagarfljót lake, the charming fjords of the East and the small fishing villages. 

On this day you will have the option on adding a horseback riding tour from Galdrahestar farm. 

At the end of the day you will also have the option of relaxing in the VÖK Baths close to Egilsstaðir. 

The night will be spent in the Eastfjords area. 

After breakfast on day 5 you will head north towards Lake Mývatn and the nearby geothermal area. You will visit Dimmuborgir (Dark Castles) an area that is known for its strange rock formations, some look like a dark fort but others may look like a church. 

Next stop is Námaskarð, a geothermal area with bubbling mud pools. Icelanders often place dough of bread and bury it in the ground allowing it to bake overnight. 

The last stop of the day before heading to the overnight accommodation in Akureyri is Goðafoss waterfall. Goðafoss is very rich with beauty and history. When driving to Akureyri you will pass Víkurskarð mountain pass you can take in the beautiful surroundings of Eyjafjörður fjord.

At the end of the day you can walk around the Akureyri the capital of the north. 

Today you will make your way to the west part of Iceland with a detour around the northern area of Hauganes. Hauganes is the home of only about 140 people, it's really charming and peaceful village. You can spend some time strolling around the black sand beach or walk on the harbour. You will start your day with a whale watching tour where you have the opportunity of seeing Humpback Whales, Minke Whales, Harbour Porpoise and White Beaked Dolphins. These species are the most commonly spotted in this area. 

This night is spent in the area of Borgarnes. 

On this day of the Iceland Circle you will explore Snæfellsnes Peninsula with its great surroundings. The first stop of the day will be Gerðuberg cliffs, from there you will go to Ytri-Tunga white sand beach. White beaches are not common in Iceland so this is a really interesting stop.

Next stop will be Djúpalónssandur, black pebble beach. Yo get to the beach you will have to walk through a maze of free standing lava pillars.

Throughout the day you will have Snæfellsjökull glacier watching over you. Snæfellsjökull was used as the entrance to the center of the earth in Jules Verne's classic sci-fi novel. 

The last but not at all least stop of the day is the most photographed mountain in Iceland, Kirkjufell.

You will spend the night in the town of Stykkishólmur.

On the final day of your 8 days around Iceland you will explore the valley of Borgarfjörður in West Iceland. The first attraction of the day is Europe's most powerful hot spring, Deildartunguhver, where bailing water is bubbling from the ground, you will feel the heat from the hot steam.

Next stop is Reykholt, one of the most important historical locations in Iceland. This was the home of Snorri Sturluson who was one of the most significant figures of the Middle Ages.

After leaving Reykholt you will see two waterfalls, Hraunfossar and Barnafoss. Hraunfossar is a series of rivulets that stream through the dark lava field. Barnafoss waterfall is a light blue waterfall that rushes through a narrow gorge.

You will have the option of going under the ground and visit the lava cave of Víðgelmir one of Icelands largest lava cave. 

After exploring Borgarfjörður this 8-day tour has come to an end. You will end the tour in Reykjavík in early evening. We do not recommend flying from Iceland in the evening of the last day in case of any delays due to weather. We rather recommend exploring Reykjavík, the northernmost capital in the world.