Private Iceland Circle tour - 9 days

AVAILABLE:
All year

DURATION:
9 days / 8 nights

DEPARTURES:
Daily

TOUR ID:
PT06

BESTSELLER
 

• Private airport transfer on arrival day
• 8 nights accommodation, in the accommodation category of your choice.
• Breakfast daily
• Private guided tour according to itinerary
• Private airport transfer on departure day
• 24 hour Emergency telephone service.
• Taxes and service fees.

Meals are not included

Day 1. Arrival

As you arrive at the airport our driver will meet you there and take you to your accommodation in Reykjavík. Spend the rest of the day exploring Reykjavík. Consult your driver for the various things to see and do in the capital of Iceland.

Highlights of the day:
Reykjavík

Overnight:
Reykjavík

Optional activity:
Reykjavik City Card
Reykjavík Food Tour

Day 2. Golden Circle

Today you´ll explore the famous Golden Circle route and the first stop will be Þingvellir national park - a unique place from a geological point of view and a place of exceptional beauty. Thingvellir was accepted as a UNESCO world heritage site in 2004. Drive further to the Great Geysir area where the powerful geyser Strokkur erupts every few minutes. From here, drive to the majestic waterfall Gullfoss, one of Icelands most beautiful waterfall. Continue to the impressive volcanic crater Kerið which is 270 meters wide and 55 meters deep.

Highlights of the day:
Þingvellir
Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir Hot Springs
Faxi waterfall
Kerið

Overnight:
Selfoss /Hella area

Recommended optional activity:
Snorkeling in Silfra Fissure at Þingvellir National Park

Day 3. South Coast

Continue across the lowland plains towards Eyjafjöll district. Stop at the waterfall Seljalandsfoss where it is possible to walk behind the falls if trail conditions allow. This is a quite an interesting experience. A little further east stop at Skógafoss, another impressive waterfall and don’t miss the folk museum at Skógar, close to the waterfall. The glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull are towering above the area. On March 20th 2010, a volcanic eruption started on Fimmvörðuháls, a mountain ridge between the glaciers, Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. The eruption on Fimmvörðuháls lasted a couple of weeks. After this eruption came to an end a new and bigger eruption started underneath the nearby icecap of Eyjafjallajökull Glacier. This eruption came to an end on 23. May 2010. Proceed further east to the headland Dyrhólaey, a natural reserve and a nesting colony of numerous seabirds. From there go to Reynishverfi, with spectacular coast and beautiful rock formations and thousands of nesting seabirds in summer. After a stop at Reynishverfi head to Vik the southernmost town in the country. Continue across Mýrdalssandur floodplains and Eldhraun, the most extensive lava field ever to flow on face of Earth in historical times, and to the small village Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

Highlights of the day:
Seljalandsfoss Waterfall
Skógafoss Waterfall
Dyrhólaey Nature Reserve
Vík Town
Reynisfjara beach
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon
Kirkjubæjarklaustur town
Kirkjugólf Basalt Columns

Overnight:
Kirkjubæjarklaustur / Síða area

Recommended optional activity:

Glacier Walk
Snowmobiling on Solheimajokull Glacier
LAVA Centre
ATV Black Beach Safari and the Plane Wreck
Katla Ice Cave

Day 4. Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón

Continue from Kirkjubæjarklaustur over Skeidarársandur, vast tracts of black sand desert, washed down by numerous torrential glacial rivers. Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe is to the north from here. In the afternoon of 21. May 2011, a sub-glacial eruption started in the Grímsvötn volcanic system underneath Vatnajökull Glacier. Later the same day, the eruption broke the ice cover of the glacier and started spewing volcanic ash into the air. The amount of ash fall was the greatest close to the village Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The eruption went on for about a week. It ceased on 28. May 2011. Stop at Skaftafell National Park, an oasis wedged between glacier and sand plains. Its natural beauty is a result of favorable weather conditions and the interaction of fire and ice. One of the many interesting hiking trails takes you to Svartifoss, one of Iceland’s most picturesque waterfalls, framed in by beautiful basalt columns that surround it. Continue to the Glacial Lagoon Jökulsarlón, where huge icebergs, true sculptures of nature, broken off Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, float and grind together in the blue waters of the lagoon.

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

Overnight:
Höfn area

Recommended optional activity:
Amphibian boat Tour on Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Crystal Ice Cave
Zodiac Boat Tour on the Glacier Lagoon
Glacier Lagoon Kayaking

Day 5. East Fjords

Drive through the Almannaskard tunnel and past the colorful Lónsöræfi district, a mountainous wilderness traversed by glacial rivers. Drive past towering mountains, and to the charming East Fjords, some now deserted.

Highlights of the day:
Egilsstaðir town
Hallormsstaðaskógur Forest

Overnight:
Egilsstaðir/Hérað area

Day 6. Lake Mývatn and surroundings

Continue across the highland desert plateau towards Lake Mývatn. Enroute, make a detour to Dettifoss, the largest waterfall in Europe. Stop at Námaskarð Pass, where boiling mud pools and flashing colors merge with ash and lava from nearby volcanoes. Explore the natural beauty of the Lake Mývatn area. The lake area is known worldwide for its great number of breeding duck species and the abundance of other birdlife. Visit its highlights, Dimmuborgir, Mt. Hverfjall, the pseudo craters of Skútustaðagígar and Krafla volcanic system where the most recent eruptions were 1975 - 1984. In summer, visitors can have a guided tour through Kröfluvirkjun Geothermal Power Station where steam pressure is harnessed for generating electricity.

Overnight:
Mývatn/Húsavík area

Recommended optional activity:
Nature Baths

Day 7. Akureyri and Skagafjörður

Head on towards Akureyri, the capital of the North and stop at the beautiful waterfall Goðafoss. Akureyri town, situated at the Eyjafjörður Fjord is the northern centre of education, culture, trade and industry. One of the most extraordinary aspects of Akureyri is its warm climate. Although its sits only 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, it has some of the best weather in the country. Continue to Skagafjördur, renowned for horse breeding.

Highlights of the day:
Goðafoss waterfall
Akureyri
Glaumbær Folk Museum

Overnight:
Skagafjörður area

Recommended optional activity:
Whale watching at Akureyri
Forest Lagoon

Day 8. West Iceland

After driving through the fertile farmlands of Húnavatnssýsla continue and along the Hrútafjörður fjord, drive across the Holtavörðuheiði plateau to the Borgarfjörður district. Stop at Deildartunguhver hot spring, the largest hot spring in Europe. Continue a short distance further to the historic site Reykholt. Visit the interesting museum at Reykholt and see the hot pool Snorralaug. Further inland visit the beautiful Hraunfossar and Barnafossar Waterfalls. Return to Reykjavík

Highlights of the day:
Borgarnes town
Deildartunguhver
Reykholt town
Hraunfossar

Overnight:
Reykjavik

Recommended optional activity:
The Settlement Exhibition and The Egil Saga Exhibition
Krauma Baths

Day 9. Departure

Private transfer to airport

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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The prices are based on max 4 persons. For groups larger than 4 persons, please contact us via email.


Accommodation information Cat. 1 Rooms in guesthouses with shared facilities but sometimes with washbasins in the rooms. Breakfast is included. Cat. 2 Rooms in guesthouses or hotels with private shower or bath and WC. Breakfast is included. Cat. 3 Rooms in the best quality accommodation available with private shower or bath and WC. Breakfast is included. 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.