Around Iceland Winter Tour

Arrival Keflavík International airport. Transfers to Reykjavík are not included in the tour but can be arranged on request as shared or private transfer. If you arrive earlier in the day, you may consider adding a day tour. Ask for details.

This evening you have an information meeting with your guide and fellow travel companions. 

Dinner this evening is at your leisure. Reykjavík offers a multitude of restaurants and/or coffee-houses, making dinner a wonderful way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital.

Today’s Sights: Exploding Geysers – Waterfalls – Black Sand Beaches

Breakfast at your hotel. Your guide will meet you in the lobby of the hotel and take you for a visit to the fascinating Aurora Reykjavík Northern Lights Centre. The Centre will give you a great introduction to Northern Lights, how they are formed and the folklore surrounding them and you’ll also receive tips on how best to capture them on film. 

Begin your exploration of the Golden Circle natural wonders with a visit to Gullfoss waterfall, a spectacular sight in winter when frozen mid-cascade. From here, continue to the geothermal fields of Geysir with its bubbling mud pools and the high-spouting Strokkur hot spring (and other geysers). Next stop will be to admire the waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss before continuing to the black sand beaches of Iceland’s South Shore. 

Dinner and overnight in the Vík area.

If weather conditions allow, your guide will take you on a northern lights hunt on foot in the area outside your hotel tonight, or on one of the other evenings that you are staying in the countryside.

Today’s sights: Lava Fields – Glacial Lagoon with Icebergs – Europe’s Largest Glacier

Breakfast at your hotel.

Today, you’ll visit the southern area of Vatnajökull National Park, named after Europe’s largest glacier. The total park area covers almost 14% of Iceland, making it the largest national park in Western Europe.

Visit the national park’s famous Skaftafell area, a site of outstanding natural beauty dominated by several magnificent
glaciers and Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon for a breath-taking sight of icebergs
floating in the fantastic 180m (591 ft.) deep glacial lagoon (ensure your camera is loaded and ready!) Diamond Beach where shrinking icebergs settle on the black sands before they drift out to sea is a short  distance away.

Dinner and overnight in Southeast Iceland or in the Höfn area.

Today’s Sights: Highland Desert – Bizarre Lava Formations – Volcanic Winter Wonderland

Breakfast at your hotel.

Ready yourself for some amazing views today! Drive through Almannaskarð
pass, stopping to admire the majestic coastline.

Continue to an area of towering mountains
plunging vertically into the sea that form the magnificent East Fjords. Keep your camera handy and keep an eye out for wild reindeer which are sometimes seen in the area during winter.

You’ll also pass small villages, each with its own special history and charm. One of these is the tiny village of Breiðdalsvík. where you’ll visit the local Beljandi
microbrewery and sample some of the beer and meet the the locals to get a feel for life in a village in Iceland countryside.

Continue to Egilsstaðir town, located near
Iceland’s largest forest and a lake said to be home to a legendary (friendly) monster. Egilsstaðir has also earned a reputation for its excellent cuisine. You’ll be able to test this cuisine at dinner thie evening.

Dinner and overnight in the Eastfjords area

Highland Desert – Bizarre Lava Formations – Volcanic Winter Wonderland

Breakfast at your hotel.

Explore the empty vastness of the highland desert plateau Modrudalsoraefi, desolate and yet hauntingly beautiful in its winter snows, as you head towards the Lake Mývatn area. On the way, stop at Dettifoss, Europe’s largest and most powerful waterfall.

Continue to Námaskarð pass with its boiling mud pools and vibrant colours where one has the feeling of visiting another planet. It’s a surreal experience!

Please note: The visit to Dettifoss waterfall depends on weather and road conditions and cannot be guaranteed.

Explore the natural beauty of the Lake Mývatn area, the pseudo craters at Skútustaðir and the Laxá Salmon River. What will be clear is why this area, especially during the wintertime, has been so popular with movie makers.

Dinner and overnight stay in the Mývatn area.

Mývatn Nature Baths – Relax in an azure
geothermal lagoon in a peaceful wilderness setting | Duration: Flexible time | Included: Bathing fee and towel | Not Included: Swimsuit (rentals available)

“Waterfall of the Gods” – Akureyri – The Beautiful Troll Peninsula

Breakfast at your hotel.

Begin the day by exploring the peculiar lava formations at Dimmuborgir. The name means “Dark Citadels” in Icelandic and they certainly looks as though they were built by fantasy creatures. Local legend says this is the home of elves. 

Visit the magnificent Godafoss waterfall, one of the most important symbols of North Iceland. Next stop is the colourful ‘northern’ capital of Iceland, Akureyri with its charming building and beautiful view of the Eyjafjordur fjord.

After spending some time in Akureyri, continue along the coastal roads of Eyjafjordur and the Troll Peninsula. This is a beautiful drive along steep mountains with amazing views over the Arctic Sea and the black sand coastline bringing you to Siglufjordur, a town set in a beautiful fjord of the same name. The town has some of the finest timber buildings in the country, beautifully restored to their original glory.

Visit Siglufjordur’s award-winning Herring-Era Maritime Museum which recreates the atmosphere of the early 20th century when Siglufjordur was transformed into a frontier-like boom town, thanks to a large migration of herring. The museum transports you back to that exciting era of history. 

Finally, continue along the majestic mountains and narrow passes to Skagafjordur, considered to be one of the finest places in Iceland for horse breeding.

Dinner and overnight in Northwest Iceland.

Mountain Views – Unique Viking Horse Demonstration

Breakfast at your hotel.

Today you have an introduction to the unique Icelandic horse breed with its special fifth gait, the tolt. Known as the most faithful servants of the Icelandic people, these gentle horses have played a very important part in the history of Iceland.

Continue to the village of Blonduos, built on both sides of the river Blanda. This is a part of Iceland known from the Icelandic literary work Vatnsdaela Saga. Cross the Holtavorduheidi plateau which takes you into West Iceland, driving through Borgarfjordur, a region which has received international recognition for its diverse landscapes and its Viking history.

Dinner and overnight stay in the Borgarnes area.

Today’s Sights: Hot Springs – Picturesque Waterfalls – National Park with Geological Wonders

Breakfast at your hotel.

This morning you visit some of West Iceland’s beautiful natural wonders driving to Deildartunguhver, location of the most powerful hot spring in Europe. A stop will be made to enjoy the beautiful Hraunfossar waterfalls, where brightly blue water rushes through black lava formations. Situated close by is the Barnafoss waterfall, brilliant blue of colour.

Continue through the scenic and mountain rimmed Hvalfjordur fjord to Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland’s largest lake, and Thingvellir National Park. This UNESCO heritage site is where the world’s oldest still existing, parliamentary government was founded in the 10th century. It’s also the meeting place of the North American and European tectonic plates where you have the unusual experience of walking between two continents! Last stop today will be back in Reykjavik for a you final night. After checking you in, you guide will bid you farewell.

Overnight stay in Reykjavik. Dinner own arrangement. 

Breakfast at your hotel.

Please note that this may be a light breakfast if you’re taking an early morning flight. Transfer to the airport for your departure flight. The airport transfer is not included, but can be pre-booked on request either as a shared or private transfer.

We recommend you depart your hotel no later than three hours before your departure flight.