Iceland 4 x 4 Highlands Lowlands and Fjords 9 days

AVAILABLE:
July 1 to September 15

DURATION:
9 days / 8 nights

CAR RENTAL DAYS:
7 Days

DEPARTURES:
Daily

TOUR ID:
BP10

• Private airport transfer on arrival day
• 8 nights accommodation, in the accommodation category of your choice.
• Breakfast daily
• Rental car of your choice for 7 days including unlimited mileage, CDW and more.
• Two authorized drivers.
• Unlimited WiFi with the rental car
• Detailed itinerary and road map of Iceland with the route and accommodations marked in.
• Private airport transfer on departure day
• 24 hour Emergency telephone service.
• Taxes and service fees.

• Fuel expense and parking fees.
• Personal travel insurance.
• Flights to and from Iceland
• Anything not specifically stated in Included.

Day 1. Arrival

Upon your arrival at Keflavik airport, you will be met by your private driver who will take you to your accommodation in Reykjavik. You will be free for the rest of the day to explore Reykjavik, visit museums, landmarks etc. Downtown Reykjavík offers excellent restaurants, cafés, bars and clubs. You might want to join an optional tour if you arrive early. You can visit one of the many Reykjavík’s excellent restaurants for dinner.

Highlights of the day:
Reykjavík
Perlan
Hallgrímskirkja Church
Laugavegur Shopping Streat
Gamla Höfnin (The Old Harbour)
Harpa Concert Hall

Overnight:
Reykjavík

Optional activity:
Reykjavik City Card
Reykjavik Food Tour

Day 2. The Great Golden Circle

Pick up a car and head to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the start of the famous Golden Circle. The faults and fissures of the area are evidence of the rifting of the earth's crust. Thingvellir is one of the most historical sites in the country and a place of exceptional beauty. Explore the great Geysir hot spring area on foot and see the famous Great Geysir and Strokkur, a geyser that spouts every few minutes. Continue onwards to the majestic Gullfoss waterfall, one of Iceland’s most beautiful waterfalls.

Driving distance
140 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Þingvellir
Geysir
Gullfoss Waterfall

Overnight:
Geysir area

Optional activity:
Snorkeling in Silfra Fissure

Day 3. Kjölur Highland Trail

The route leads over the interior highland track Kjölur, "The Keel", a broad rocky lava covered pass between the giant ice fields, Hofsjökull and Langjökull. You can make a detour to Kerlingarfjöll, a colourful range of rhyolite mountains. There you can find some great hiking trails and a new Highland Centre. Further north you will be coming to the colorful geothermal area Hveravellir between the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull a picturesque hot-spring area in a shallow valley-like depression. As you continue north you will end up in Skagafjörður, renowned for horse breeding. Continue to Akureyri, the second largest town in Iceland.

Driving distance
300 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Langjökull Glacier
Hveravellir Geothermal Area
Kerlingarfjöll mountains
Akureyri

Overnight:
Akureyri area

Day 4. The Wonders of Lake Mývatn

Leave the Akureyri area and head for Lake Mývatn. Stop at the pretty waterfall Goðafoss. Spend the day exploring the numerous natural wonders of the Lake Mývatn area and its surroundings. The lake area is known worldwide for abundance of birdlife and great number of duck species, breeding in one place in summer. The lake's surroundings show amazing formations of geological interest and great variety of landscapes. Visit the numerous highlights of the area: Dimmuborgir lava formations, Námaskarð geothermal area, Skútustaðagígar pseudo craters, the Nature Baths, the volcano Krafla, and numerous other interesting and scenic spots.
Proceed to Húsavík, sometimes called "The Whale Watching Capital of The World". Húsavík was the first place in the country to offer very successful Whale Watching cruises. The Whale Museum in Húsavík is an educational centre on marine wildlife.

Driving distance
200 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Goðafoss waterfall
Lake Mývatn
Skútustaðagígar Pseudo Craters
Hverfell Crater
Námaskarð
Dimmuborgir
Húsavík Town

Overnight:
Húsavík area

Recommended optional activity:
Nature Baths
Whale Watching From Húsavík
Forest Lagoon

Day 5. The Diamond Circle & Egilsstaðir

Leave Húsavík and drive to the north towards the Öxarfjörður Bay to Ásbyrgi canyon is a strange and spectacular horseshoe shaped canyon by the main road, - not to be missed. Head back to Vesturdalur and Hljóðaklettar, the Echo rocks, an extremely beautiful canyon carved by the river Jökulsá á Fjöllum. This area offers many interesting hiking trails to explore the many wonders of the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park. Continue to the south to Dettifoss waterfall, the largest waterfall in Europe. From Dettifoss proceed across the highland plateau to Egilsstaðir town, the largest town in east Iceland. Near Egilsstaðir is Hallormsstaðaskógur, the largest forest in the country and the legendary Lagarfljót River. A short and scenic drive from Egilsstaðir across Fjarðarheiði Pass is Seyðisfjörður, a small and picturesque fishing town and a ferry port, certainly worth a visit.

Driving distance
260 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Hljóðaklettar rock formations
Ásbyrgi Canyon
Dettifoss Waterfall
Egilsstaðir town
Seyðisfjörður town

Overnight:
Egilsstaðir / Hérað area

Day 6. The Tranquil East Fjords

Drive from Egilsstaðir to the magnificent East Fjords, some now deserted, each a world of its own. The stone collection of Petra at Stöðvarfjörður is interesting to visit. Continue to the south and past Lónsöræfi district and drive to top of Almannaskarð for a great view. Continue to Höfn in Hornafjordur, a blooming community in the realm of the greatest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. The village Höfn is located at the base of Vatnajökull, and the scenery is breathtaking.

Driving distance
260 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Hallormsstaðaskógur Forest
Höfn

Overnight:
Höfn area

Day 7. The Glacier Lagoon & Skaftafell National Park

Drive to the famous Glacier Lagoon, where huge icebergs, true sculptures of nature, broken off Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, float and grind together in the blue waters of the lagoon. You can also go down to the Diamond Beach. Continue along the South Coast to Vatnajökull National Park. As you reach the Vatnajökull area, you won’t miss Skaftafell National Park with its great views. There you can also find many hiking trails, for example to the beautiful Svartifoss Waterfall. Continue to Vík where you will stay for the night. On your way you will pass Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon and Kirkjubæjarklaustur Village.

Driving distance
200 kilometers

Highlights of the day:
Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon
Skaftafell National Park
Svartifoss waterfall
Kirkjubæjarklaustur town

Overnight:
Kirkjubæjarklaustur/Vík area

Recommended optional activity:
Amphibian boat Tour on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Glacier Lagoon Kayaking
Zodiac Boat on Glacier Lagoon

Day 8. The Beautiful South Coast

Drive to Reynisdrangar with spectacular coast and beautiful rock formations. The promontory at Dyrhólaey is a massive natural arch carved by the relentless pounding of the winds and surf with rich birdlife in summer. Head west towards Reykjavík and stop at the beautiful waterfall Skógafoss and don’t miss the Folk Museum at Skógar. Next up is the Seljalandsfoss waterfall. There you can take an walking path behind the waterfall in the summer which is a unique experience. Continue further along the South Coast and cross the plateau Hellisheiði, with a lot of geothermal activity and plumes of steam rising from the ground. Numerous boreholes have been drilled on Hellisheiði in the last years for hot water and steam, some of the cleanest energy available. Continue to Reykjavík and drop off the car.

Driving distance
280 kilometers

A different option is to drive the beautiful and uninhabited mountain track Fjallabaksleið, route through Landmannalaugar nature reserve (4WD needed), the track is usually open to 4x4 traffic from mid-June until end of September.

Highlights of the day:
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Vík Town
Reynisfjara beach
Skógafoss Waterfall
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Hveragerði Town

Overnight:
Reykjavík

Recommended optional activity:
Glacier Walk
LAVA Centre
ATV Black Sand Beach and Plane Wreck
Katla Ice Cave

Day 9. Departure

Private transfer from the hotel to Keflavik International Airport

Budget

Standard rooms in guesthouses. Private room but WC facilities and shower are shared with other guests. Rooms sometimes have wash basins in the room. Breakfast is included

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Comfort

Rooms in tourist class hotels combined with quality guesthouses. Rooms have private bathroom facilities. Breakfast is included.

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Comfort PLUS

Standard rooms in superior 3 star hotels combined with superior rooms at standard 3 star hotels. Rooms have private bathroom facilities. Breakfast is included

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Quality

Standard rooms in 4 Star hotels combined with superior and deluxe rooms at quality 3 star hotels. Breakfast is included.

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Quality PLUS

Superior or Deluxe rooms in 4 star hotels. Rooms have private bathroom facilities. Breakfast is included

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10.P - Suzuki Vitara 4WD or similar - Manual -

Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5

11.H - Kia Sportage 4WD or similar - Automatic -

Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5

12.J - Kia Sorento 4WD or similar - Automatic -

Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5

13.K - Toyota Landcruiser 4WD or similar - Automatic -

Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5

14.C - Land Rover Discovery 4WD - Automatic - Limited Availability -

Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5

15.I - Land Rover Defender 4WD - Automatic - Limited Availability -

Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5

18.XG - VW Transporter 4WD or similar - Manual - Limited Availability

Transmission: Manual
Seats: 9
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 3

Why book your Self Drive Tour with Tour.is?

Highly competitive prices

We include more

Outstanding response time and customer care

Knowledgeable and motivated team of travel agents

Great reviews from visitors

We offer cancellation insurance

Pick up of rental car is the morning of day 2.

Drop off is in Reykjavík the day prior to your departure – day 8.

An extra day will be charged if the car is returned later.

Due to road conditions routes may have to be altered without prior notice.
The highland tracks of Iceland are usually not expected to be open until early in June and due to road conditions some routes may temporarily not be passable without prior notice.

Types of car recommended: A 4 wheel drive car is needed for this tour.

Accommodation is according to your choice in farmhouses, guesthouses or hotels, cat. 1, 2 or 3. including breakfast. Due to limited availability of accommodation in the Icelandic countryside and a great demand for summer, we are only able to confirm specific category but not a specific hotel in each locality until booking has been made and confirmed.


Early morning arrival: Check in time at hotels is usually between 14:00 - 16:00. If you arrive early morning, you may not be able to check in immediately on arrival.
A credit card imprint will be taken at the start of all rentals for security reasons, even when a voucher covers the cost of the rental. Cash and debit card deposits will not be accepted. This credit card imprint may be used to pay all extra charges, including extra driven kilometres if applicable, extra insurance, parking fines, damages or any costs due to the car rental company as a result of the hirer's use of the car.

Self Drive tours can often be modified according to the client’s wishes. If you want to change or extend the tour, add days etc, please contact our office.


Travel Insurance: To avoid dispute in case of cancellation, we strongly recommend that our clients purchase a comprehensive travel insurance in their home country, that covers your cost should you have to cancel your tour. This kind of travel insurance is usually not expensive and it frequently covers other risks too.

Price Calculator: There are several factors that determine the price of self drive packages:

1. Time of the year.

2. Number of people traveling together

3. Type of car (we offer more than 15 different types of cars)

4. Type of accommodation (we offer 3 different categories of accommodation)

There is a special Price Calculator button at our website with every self drive tour package where you can enter your choice of type of accommodation and car, number of people and when you want to begin the tour (arrival date) and the Price Calculator will calculate and display the price of different options.

Note: Day(s) can be added before and / or after if your arrival and departure does not fit the itinerary of this tour. Additional day tours can be added for the additional day/s. If you have any questions please don´t hesitate to contact us by email to tour@tour.is and we will be more than happy to advice.