Glacial Adventure
Tour Itinerary
Approximate Distance:
50 km / 30 miles
Once you have landed at Keflavík Airport, please pick up your luggage and head through customs. Collect your rental car at the airport.
Travel to your hotel in Reykjavík and check-in. The rest of the day is open for your own activities. One of our favourite activities after a long flight is to visit one of the neighbourhood geothermal pools. It is so refreshing to relax in the warm water, breathing in the fresh Icelandic air. It’s a wonderful way to get to see Icelandic daily life and maybe meet a few locals. It’s also nice to take a stroll in the old city centre, perhaps visiting one of the museums or relaxing with a cup of coffee in a cosy café.
Please note check-in for most hotels begins at 14:00 – 16:00 (2:00pm-4:00pm)
Overnight in Reykjavík.
30 miles
Approximate Distance:
200 km / 124 miles
National Park with Geological Wonders – Lively Geysers – Golden Falls
This morning, head for the UNESCO-listed Þingvellir National Park, where the world’s oldest parliament met for centuries on the shores of Iceland’s largest lake. This is also the meeting point of the tectonic plates dividing the North American and European continents. You’ll have that rare chance to take a walk between two continents! Visit the quirky geothermal fields of Geysir. Stroll along a footpath around colourful bubbling mud pools and spouting geysers. The most famous of these is Strokkur, which erupts about every ten minutes. Then visit the dramatic, two-tiered Gullfoss waterfall, a spectacular sight in winter when frozen mid-cascade. You can get great views of the waterfall from different angles on a variety of paths.
Afterwards drive along winter country roads to your overnight in South Iceland. If nature co-operates, you might glimpse some northern lights!
Travel idea: the Golden Circle area is full of hot springs, and there are two great local favourite bathing pools. Laugarvatn Fontana is built on top of a hot spring, and its steam baths are good for your skin and joints. The Secret Lagoon is a lovely historical stone-lined natural geothermal pool with its own tiny geyser nearby.
Overnight in the Hella or Hvollsvöllur area.
Overnight in the Hella or Hvollsvöllur area- 124 miles
Approximate Distance:
185 km / 115 miles
Twin Waterfalls – Volcanic Landscapes – Black-Sand Beaches
Today you’ll explore the iconic South Shore, a region lined with volcanic mountains and glacier views. We suggest a visit to the LAVA Centre in Hvollsvöllur town. Here, you’ll enjoy interactive exhibits about the volcanoes and earthquakes that helped create Iceland.
Visit two spectacular waterfalls that have a special beauty of their own in the winter. Seljalandsfoss is a ribbon-like fall that drops gracefully down a cliff. If trail conditions are safe, you can walk behind the waterfall. Majestic Skógafoss has become one of Iceland’s most photographed waterfalls – make sure you have your camera ready for a selfie! As you drive, you’ll also see Mýrdalsjökull glacier, one of our favourite places to enjoy guided glacier hiking or snowmobile tours. Continue to Reynisfjara beach and its striking black sands. You can really feel the power of nature in this area of thundering waves and extraordinary rock formations.
Continue onwards, passing Eldhraun, the largest known single lava flow, as you head to your overnight.
Overnight stay in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area.
- Overnight stay in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area
- 115 miles
Approximate Distance:
250 km / 155 miles
Glacial National Park – Iceberg Lagoon – Europe’s Largest Glacier
Today you will be in the southern area of Vatnajökull National Park, the largest of its kind in Western Europe. It’s dominated by Vatnajökull glacier, Europe’s largest ice cap.
Start with a visit to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, where you can enjoy the breath-taking sight of floating, blue-tinted icebergs on this 180-meter (591-foot) deep glacial lagoon. Nearby is the Diamond Beach, where silvery icebergs rest on black sands. Both the lagoon and the beach are great areas to spend some time catching perfect photographs.
Depending on your schedule and sense of adventure, you might join a guided SuperJeep tour to visit a mystical crystal ice cave hidden deep in the glaciers. The tour departs from Jökulsárlón parking lot and must be booked in advance. We can help with that!
If you want a different glacial lagoon photography experience, the Fjallssárlón Iceberg Lagoon is beautiful and often has fewer visitors.
Vatnajökull National Park’s glacier ringed Skaftafell is an outstanding area of natural beauty that also has great winter hiking opportunities. The park’s visitor centre can fill you in on which trails are open for hiking during your visit. You can get closer to a glacier – and learn great facts about them – on a guided hiking tour that takes you onto the ice itself.
Overnight in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area.
- Overnight in the Kirkjubæjarklaustur area
- 155 miles
Approximate Distance:
370 km / 229 miles
Greenhouse Village – UNESCO Geopark – Geothermal Lagoon
Head towards the village of Hveragerði, one of the few communities in the world located directly on top of an active geothermal area. Hveragerði is often called ‘the flower village’ because of its many greenhouses that use hot water from nearby springs. It’s a charming town worth a stop. There are several charming restaurants and shops, as well as a small geothermal park.
Turn onto a coastal road known for its breath-taking views of powerful sea waves slamming against the shoreline. The road leads to Reykjanes peninsula, a UNESCO Geopark with many intriguing geological wonders, including the bubbling Krýsuvík geothermal area and the lunar landscapes of Lake Kleifarvatn. You can also opt to enjoy a relaxing soak in the famous Blue Lagoon, a unique wonder of nature with pleasantly warm and mineral-rich geothermal water located in a middle of a black lava field. (Please note that admission to the Blue Lagoon must be booked in advance. We would be happy to help you with booking admission).
If you’re interested in culture and history, we recommend a visit to the Viking World exhibit where you can discover facts about Viking life and see Íslendingurinn, a replica of a Viking ship that sailed from Iceland to North America in the year 2000.
Return to Reykjavík; the evening is open to enjoy Iceland’s capital city.
Overnight in Reykjavík.
- Overnight in Reykjavík
- 229 miles
Approximate Distance:
50 km / 30 miles
Drive back to Keflavík International Airport. We recommend departing your hotel in Reykjavík no later than at least 3 hours before your flight departure. It takes approximately 1 hour to drive to the airport, and check-in starts 2 hours before your departure.
If you did not visit the Blue Lagoon earlier but have some free time today, you might want to use the opportunity en route to the airport. For this detour, please be sure to allow for at least 2-2,5 hours additional time to enjoy the Blue Lagoon. Your rental car should be returned to the airport service area, which is located only 2 minutes from the airport building. A shuttle will then transport you to the departure hall.
- 30 miles
