This tour goes off the beaten track and discovers the most remote places in North Iceland along with all the main sights. Read more about what the Arctic Coast Way is in our blog.
The Arctic Coast Way 9 days
This tour goes off the beaten track and discovers the most remote places in North Iceland along with all the main sights. Read more about what the Arctic Coast Way is in our blog.
BP37 Map
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
Overnight:
Reykjavík
Optional activity:
Reykjavik City Card
Reykjavik Food Tour
Pick up a car in the morning and leave Reykjavík and drive to the beautiful Hvalfjörður fjord and enjoy the tranquil environment. From there head to the Borgarfjörður district and Borgarnes town. In Borgarnes town you will find the interesting Saga Centre. The prime objective of the Icelandic Settlement Centre at Borgarnes is to recreate the fascinating sagas surrounding the birth of this island nation. Multi-media and theatrical techniques are employed to help the visitor experience firsthand the trepidation and excitement of setting off over the open ocean for lands unknown. Head for Borgarfjörður district and visit Deildartunguhver, Icelands largest hot spring. Continue further inland to the historic Reykholt, home of 13th century chieftain, writer, poet and a scholar Snorri Sturluson. Continue to Hraunfossar and Barnafossar, some of Icelands most scenic waterfalls. Continue to Hrútafjörður and Miðfjörður Fjords and further to Hvammstangi. The Icelandic Seal Center at Hvammstangi town is an interesting place to visit. It is a research and exhibition center investigating the lives of seals found in and around Iceland. The Icelandic Seal Center at Hvammstangi gives more information about these locations and how to approach the seals with care. It is usually best to see the seals at low tide since seals usually rest ashore during low tide but feed during high tide.
Driving distance: 310 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Borgarnes town
Deildartunguhver
Reykholt town
Hraunfossar
Overnight:
North West Iceland
Optional activity:
Krauma Baths
Start the Arctic Coast Way by exploring Vatnsnes Peninsula. The route today is one of the best in Iceland for seal watching. Stop and see the beautiful sea stack Ánaðastapi. At Hamarsá you can see a wheel-shaped sheep round-up pen, right on the seacoast, a striking image and a great photo stop. Every fall, farmers in the area join together on horseback to herd free ranging sheep down from the mountains and into the pen. Illaugastaðir beach is a place that offers great opportunities to watch seals in their natural habitat. See the Hvítserkur rock formation, otherwise known as the Troll of Northwest Iceland. The 15m tall basaslt rock is a nesting ground for seagulls, shag and fulmar, making it appear constantly in motion. Finish up the circle around Vatnsnes Peninsula and head to Blönduós. Continue to Skagaströnd village. At Skagaströnd you will find the museum of Prophecies. The exhibition focuses on Þórdís the fortune-teller, the first named inhabitant of Skagaströnd, who lived there in the late 10th century. A beautiful costal walk of about 2 km from the harbor at Skagaströnd is available. If you want a longer hike you can hike up Mt. Spákonufell. The entire walking distance is 7 km and goes up to 640 meters. The summit offers magnificent views over Skagi peninsula and the ocean. Continue towards the tip of the peninsula and stop at Kálfshamarsvík, a small peninsula built up by spectacular basalt columns. An interesting short walk takes you through the ruins of the once flourishing settlement of Kálfshamarsvík and to the lighthouse. Continue over the tip of the peninsula and drive along the west coast of Skagafjörður Fjord heading towards Sauðárkrókur and stop at Grettislaug pool. The hot pool offers great views Drangey island. Continue to Sauðárkrókur.
Driving distance: 230 kilometers
Highlights ofn the day:
Hvítserkur Cliff
Vatnsdalshólar mounds
Overnight:
Sauðárkrókur
Continue towards Tröllaskagi Peninsula. Explore Hólar, an interesting historical place to visit. Hólar is the site of historical buildings, Hólar cathedral, the turf house Nýibær, the site of the main campus of Hólar University Collega and the home of the Center for the history of the Icelandic horse. Popular horse riding tours for beginners and experienced riders are available in Skagafjörður area. Continue to Hofsós which is one of the oldest trading centers in Iceland. Many of the old buildings have been renovated. Interesting place to visit is the Emigration Center (Vesturfarasetrið). We recommend a visit to the outdoor swimming pool which is built on a vertical cliff over the sea. From here you have a beautiful view of Skagafjörður and its islands. Continue to Siglufjörður, a remotely located fishing town that during the herring boom in early 20th century used to be the most prosperous fishing town in Iceland. Visit the award-winning Siglufjörður Herring Era Museum. It charts the rise and decline of the former "Herring Capital of the World" and the great Herring Adventure that lasted until 1968. Head to Ólafsfjörður. Continue along the shores of Eyjafjörður to Dalvík. Drive along the coastline through Akureyri town and 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. Visit the Húsavík Natural and Maritime Museum, one of the best museums of its kind in the country.
Driving distance: 260 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Siglufjörður
Húsavík Town
Overnight:
Húsavík
Optional activity:
Forest Lagoon
Leave Húsavík and drive to the north towards the Öxarfjörður Bay. Make a detour 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. Ásbyrgi canyon is a strange and spectacular horseshoe shaped canyon by the main road, - not to be missed. Continue to the fishing village of Kópasker. There you will find an interesting Earthquake Center. The center focuses on the area’s big earthquake in 1976, as well as providing general information about earthquakes. You can take a beautiful walk to the unusually shaped lighthouse at Kópasker. If you are interested in history or handcrafts, the Snartarstaðir Heritage Museum near the town displays area handcrafts from the 19th and 20th century. Continue further to explore Melrakkaslétta Peninsula. This area is one of the best places in Iceland to see the midnight sun in summer and the famous Northern Lights in winter. This area offers shelter and is a temporary stopping place for thousands and thousands of birds that come here for the summer or rest here for their further migration to the north or to the south. Seals can also be seen resting on skerries and whales are spotted off the coast as well as foxes and mink on the heaths close to rivers and lakes. Rauðinúpur or Red Cape is very rich in birdlife. Continue to the small village Raufarhöfn.
Driving distance: 190 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Hljóðaklettar rock formations
Ásbyrgi Canyon
Kópasker
Raufarhöfn
Overnight:
Raufarhöfn/Þórshöfn
Optional activity:
Whale Watching From Húsavík
Continue to the small fishing village Þórshöfn. Explore Langanes Peninsula which is known for its rich birdlife and a very good birdwatching spots where it is possible to watch the Gannet and Brünnichs Guillermot from land. Continue to Bakkfjörður. Langanes Municipality is one of Iceland’s hidden gems, where the beauty and soul of the small fishing villages lives on. Head towards the village Vopnafjörður. Make a stop at the geothermal swimming pool Selárdalslaug which is located on the banks on the river Selá. From Vopnafjörður head to the ring road and continue to Lake Mývatn. Make a detour to Dettifoss waterfall, the largest waterfall in Europe.
Driving distance: 360 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Þórshöfn
Langanes
Vopnafjörður
Dettifoss Waterfall
Overnight:
Lake Mývatn
Explore the phenomenal natural beauty of the Lake Mývatn area. The lake area is known worldwide for its exceptionally many breeding duck species and the abundance of other birdlife. Stop at Námaskarð pass where boiling mud pools and flashing colors of the pass merge with ash and lava from nearby volcanoes. Visit its highlights Dimmuborgir, Mt. Hverfjall, the pseudocraters of Skútustaðir and Krafla volcanic system where the most recent eruptions were 1975 - 1984. The explosion crater Víti is near Krafla and the Mývatn Nature Baths offer a nice place to relax in warm waters after a long day of sightseeing and not to be missed. Head 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. See some of the many museums and art galleries. Drive through the majestic mountains and narrow passes of Öxnadalur Valley and Öxnadalsheiði Pass, which leads to the district of Skagafjordur, renowned for horse breeding.
Driving distance: 240 kilometers
Highlights of the day:
Lake Mývatn area
Nature Baths
Dimmuborgir
Goðafoss waterfall
Akureyri
Overnight:
North West Iceland
Recommended optional activity:
Nature Baths
Drive back to Reykjavik. You can either make a detour on your way to Reykjavik and explore Snæfellsnes Peninsula or drive to the Reykjanes Peninsula and relax in the mineral-rich waters of the Blue Lagoon. Drop off the car in Reykjavik.
Driving distance: 290 kilometers
Overnight:
Reykjavík
Private transfer from the hotel to Keflavik International Airport.
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 4
Suitcases: 1
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 4
Suitcases: 1
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 2
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 5
Transmission: Automatic
Seats: 5
Suitcases: 3
Doors: 5
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 9
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 4
Transmission: Manual
Seats: 9
Suitcases: 4
Doors: 3