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Auroras and Glacial Exploration Self Drive

6 days
5 nights

Rates

Dates

Rates:

USD
EUR

PER PERSON :
$ 1,290.00 (2 adults in a car (cat 1)
$ 1,345.00 (2 adults in a car (cat 2)
$ 1,405.00 (2 adults in a car (cat 3)
$ 1,570.00 (2 adults in a car (cat 4)
$ 1,685.00 (2 adults in a car (cat 5)

Cat 1: Suzuki Swift 4wd or similar
Cat 2: Skoda Octavia 4wd Station or similar
Cat 3: Skoda Octavia Intermediate 4wd Station Automatic
Cat 4: Toyota RAV4 4wd, Suzuki Grand Vitara 4wd or similar
Cat 5: Toyota RAV4 4wd Automatic, Hyundai ix35 4wd Automatic or similar
Cat 6: Toyota Land Cruiser GX 4wd Automatic or similar

Dates:

Daily during the following periods:
Oct 01 - Apr 30 

Hotels:

Throughout the tour you'll stay in quality hotels and guesthouses where all rooms have private facilities. Your final night will be in a 4 star hotel in Reykjavik.

Our economy self-drive is $50 per person lower, staying in accommodation with private facilities without stretching your budget. Throughout your stay you'll be residing in a combination of standard hotels, farmhouses and guesthouses. Your final night will be in a 3 star hotel in Reykjavik.

Upgrade your comfort car rental holiday to the best possible accommodation with premium amenities, either for the full duration of your stay or only selected nights. The upgrade can either be to a superior room in a comfort hotel, or a standard room in an upscale hotel. The cost for a superior upgrade is $105 per room per night (on prices in comfort category). This upgrade is only available upon request. Let us know during the booking process just how superior you want your holiday to be, and we'll customize your trip!

Included:

  • 2 nights accommodation at hotel in Reykjavik including breakfast (except arrival day)
  • 5 nights accommodation at country hotels, including breakfast
  • Rental car for 7 days with unlimited mileage, CDW, theft protection and VAT GPS system with car and additional authorised driver**
  • Car pick-up/drop-off at Keflavik international airport
  • Airport Service Charge
  • Detailed road map (Until 1. May)
  • Detailed Iceland Travel Guide booklet in selected languages (Until 1. May)
  • Emergency phone line open 24 hours
  • Detailed road map (Until 1. May)
  • SIM card worth ISK 2000: Unlimited text and talk for local calls + 1 GB of data. StandardMicro and Nano cards available. Please check with your service provider to make sure that your phone is unlocked before arrival in Iceland.
  • Tablet with a new travel app called Iceland Travel Companion (for guests arriving from 1. May)

    The app includes:
    • Thousands of points of nature sites, historic places, and road side services
    • Safety guidelines and the apps of the Icelandic Meteorological Office and The Icelandic Road Administration
    • Detailed description of the customer´s journey, including hotel itinerary and GPS road guide to each hotel
    • A map view of the Iceland road trip 
    • Detailed pdf travel book about Iceland in English, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and French

 **Please note that the package price is based on 7 x 24-hour rental days starting at the time of rental. If your flight arrives early on day 1 and departs late on day 8, an additional supplement will be charged unless you choose to return the car in Reykjavik when the 7-day rental is up and use our FlyBus departure transfer

Highlights & Experience:

  • The wonders of Iceland’s famous Golden Circlewaterfalls, geysers, and more
  • The photogenic Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, with its blue-tinted glaciers and curious seals
  • Skaftafell National Park, home to two glaciers and great winter hiking opportunities

Itinerary:

Winter in Iceland is ideal for experiencing the majesty of glaciers. Drive on roads paralleling Europe‘s largest glacier, experiencing its ever-changing angles and photo opportunities. Indulge your inner explorer and join tours taking you onto -- and even inside -- a glacier. Experience the Golden Circle as well as Viking Saga locales and the impressive natural wonders of Borgarfjörður. Overnight in glacial locations with fabulous backdrops for northern lights.

Day 1  : Arrival (62 mi)

Arrival in Iceland - The world’s northernmost capital city

Approximate distance: ca100km / 62miles
Once you have landed at Keflavik Airport in Iceland, please pick up your luggage and head through customs. Collect your rental car at the airport and proceed to your hotel in Reykjavik. The rest of the day is yours to use at your own leisure.

The Blue Lagoon Geothermal spa is an ideal stop on the way to Reykjavik. Enjoy peaceful relaxation at a unique natural pool of mineral rich geothermal water located in the middle of a lava field in the pure, beautiful Icelandic wilderness. The Blue Lagoon is known for its healing properties and its beneficial effect on the skin, and attracts visitors from all over the world in search of health, relaxation and an exotic experience. In addition to bathing in the lagoon, guests have access to a sauna with a view of the lagoon, a steam-bath with white walls that resemble silica-mud and a cosy steam-bath carved into a lava cave. Guests can also stand beneath a small waterfall for an energizing massage. Overnight in Reykjavik.

Please note that admission to the Blue Lagoon must be booked in advance in order to guarantee access.

 

Options: Airport transfer via Blue Lagoon
Day 2  : Reykjavik - Reykholt - Husafell (63 mi)

Whale Fjord- Europe's Most Powerful Hot Spring – Magical waterfalls

Approximate distance: ca101km / 63miles
Today head to Borgarfjordur via the Hvalfjordur tunnel (tunnel toll not included in price). If you don´t want to take the tunnel, you can take the scenic coastal road instead (adds additional 17 km/10 miles to trip). Drive through Borgarnes town where you can learn about the first Viking settlers in the area at the popular Settlement Museum. Visit Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring, as well as two beautiful waterfalls, Hraunfossar (the Lava Falls) and Barnafoss (Children's Falls).

Tonight you are well situated to catch a glimpse of the famous Northern Lights, if Mother Nature decides to cooperate. Overnight:  Fosshotel Reykholt or similar  (2 nights)


Day 3  : Borgarfjordur - Langjokull Glacier (31 mi)

Langjokull Glacier and Icelandic Sagas

Approximate distance: ca50km / 31miles
Today explore the Borgarfjordur valley region and nearby areas. Langjokull Glacier offers exciting adventures such as exploring a man-made tunnel built into the icy-blue heart of the glacier. You can reach the tunnel by taking an adventurous ride up the glacier in a monstrous 18-wheeled vehicle. Once at the tunnel, you‘ll see glacier the from the inside and learn how these icy wonders are formed.

Another interesting area activity is a guided cave visit. If you're interested in culture, visit nearby Reykholt, home of a medieval chieftain who penned some of Iceland‘s greatest Sagas. Visit scenic Husafell and stroll on paths with colorful stone paintings created by a local artist. Overnight at the Fosshotel Reykholt or similar 

 

Options: Into the Glacier - Classic Tour (from Husafell Hotel or Klaki Base Camp)
Day 4  : Thingvellir - Gullfoss - Geysir (180 mi)

National Park with Geological Wonders – The Golden Falls - Spouting Geysers

Approximate distance: ca290km / 180miles
Today, visit the must-see sites in Iceland! Start with Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site), famous for its history and geological wonders. Onwards to the majestic Gullfoss waterfallformed by the waters of a glacial river. Continue to Geysir hot spring area with its lively bubbling pools and spouting geyser.

Optional activity: Laugarvatn Fontana Spa offers a relaxing environment of hot springs and steam baths. Hot, healing steam simmers directly from the ground through grids in the cabin floors of this wellness center, where nature meets tradition. An afternoon or evening visit to the open air baths at Laugarvatn Fontana will also give you the opportunity to experience the ever changing Icelandic weather, as the thermal baths can be enjoyed all year round.  Overnight in Hella/Hvolsvollur area.

Options: Laugarvatn Fontana Geothermal Baths - Entrance fee
Day 5  : Waterfalls and Glacial Horizons (270 mi)

Thundering Waterfalls - Black sand beaches – Sea Cliffs & Stone Arches

Approximate distance: ca435km / 270miles
Travel along the south coast, one of Iceland's main farming areas. You'll see many farms and shaggy herds of Icelandic horses as you head along the Ring Road. See the magnificent waterfall Skogarfoss, a site of hidden treasure. Nearby is the Skogar Folk Museum, well known throughout Iceland for being the best of its kind, with a collection of mementos from this region’s past housed in beautifully preserved old turf-roofed buildings. Make a stop in Vik village where you can admire stunning views of a black sand beach and the black basalt columns of Reynisdrangur. You‘ll also see glaciers from the road, including Myrdalsjokull and Europe‘s largest glacier, Vatnajokull.  Overnight in Hofn area.

Options: Snowmobiling on Myrdalsjokull Glacier (from Basecamp)
Day 6  : Glacial Wonders (125 mi)

Vatnajokull Glacier - Europe's Largest National Park - Glacial Lagoon with Icebergs

Approximate distance: ca200km / 125miles
Your hotel is perfectly situated for a full day of exploring glacial wonders in Vatnajokull National Park, Europe's largest national park. Visit the park's majestic Skaftafell area, which is located between two glaciers and offers many hiking possibilities. Continue to Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon, where blue, white, turquoise and black-streaked icebergs shift and dance. The mystical lagoon is enormous and has been the backdrop for many major feature films and programs including Batman Begins and, most recently, Game of Thrones. It is a special place for photographers who enjoy the challenge of catching the icebergs in just the right light conditions. Don‘t forget to keep an eye out for seals resting amid the glaciers.  

Tonight, if the weather conditions are optimal, you might catch the Northern Lights playing across the sky. Overnight at Kirkjubaejarklaustur area.

Options: Glacier Wonders (from Skaftafell National Park)
Day 7  : South Coast - Reykjavik (214 mi)

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall- Volcano Center – Geothermal Village

Approximate distance: ca344km / 214miles
Drive along the scenic south coast back to the west. En route, visit Seljalandsfoss, a waterfall that you can walk behind. At the Thorvaldseyri Volcano Visitor Centre, located beneath Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, you can experience both in pictures and on film the 2010 eruption and its impact on the area and the whole world. (Note: closed in December, January and on weekends).

The new Bobby Fischer Center in Selfoss is dedicated to the world-famous American chess master who defeated Russian Boris Spatsky in the 1972 so-called Match of All Time in Iceland. Bobby Fischer lived his last years in Iceland and is buried in a nearby cemetery. During the winter, you can call in advance to make an appointment to visit the museum.

Visit Hveragerdi, a hot spring village famous for its geothermal greenhouses where flowers and vegetables are grown year-round. Return to Reykjavik in the late afternoon/early evening. Overnight in Reykjavik.

Day 8  : Departure

Please be prepared to leave the hotel about 3 hours before the departure of your flight. Drop off your rental car at the airport.**

**Please note that the package price is based on 7 x 24-hour rental days starting at the time of rental. If your flight arrives early on day 1 and departs late on day 8 an additional supplement will be necessary unless you choose to return the car in Reykjavik when the 7- day rental is up and use our flybus departure transfer.

Please note: The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and sightings can not be guaranteed.

Notes:

Must be 21 years of age to rent a car, 23 years of age to rent car cat. 5.0 or higher. 

Children rate

Valid when one child shares a double room with 2 adults:

  • Children 2-11 years old: EUR 54/ GBP 41/ USD 62/ CAD 83 per night. Add the total to the rate for 2 adults in car.
  • Children 12 years and older pay full price as adults.
  • Children's accommodation consists of an extra bed/mattress on the floor.

 

Child Seat 0-13 kg approx. EUR 27 / GBP 22 / USD 33 / CAD 41 per rental. Child Booster 9-25 kg approx. EUR 11 / GBP 9 / USD 14 / CAD 17 per rental. Payable on spot.