Description

ITINERARY

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DAY 1 ARRIVAL AT REYKJAVIK
Arrive in Reykjavik this morning. On arrival, you are met by an English Speaking driver guide and transfer to the Reykjavik city center.

As your hotel check in time is in the afternoon, so you will start a private city tour of Reykjavik immediately.

Reykjavík is the northernmost sovereign capital in the world at 66°North. Around two thirds of the total population of Iceland live in and around the city. A fun fact is that in 1900 only about six thousand people lived in Reykjavik. The figure today is well over two hundred thousand. The highlights of a city tour include the following:

Hallgrímskirkja Church: Possibly the best known landmark in the capital and largest lutheran church in the country. Designed by Iceland ́s first state architect Guðjón Samúelsson and started in 1944, but not finished until 1982. The great pipe organ has 5275 pipes and concerts are held throughout the year. It is named after clergyman and poet Hallgrímur Pétursson who wrote among other things the Passion Hymns. In front of the church there is a statue of Leifur “The Lucky” Eriksson who, according to the sagas sailed to North America in the year 1000 AD, it is a gift from The United States to the people of Iceland.

Harpa Concert and Conference Hall: The Harpa is home to the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera, as well as numerous events, conferences, concerts and music festivals throughout the year. Designed by Icelandic/Danish designer Ólafur Elíasson and the glass dome enveloping the building as well as other features of the design are a reference to icelandic nature, such as the Northern Lights hall and the volcano hall.

Perlan: Built on top of the old hot water tanks and looking very much like a flying saucer there is an observation deck where there is a view of pretty much the whole city and a lovely restaurant/café with a revolving floor for the dinner service.

Sun Voyager: A sculpture on the northern coastline of Reykjavík and a popular photo stop. Looking a little bit like a Viking ship with lines resembling runes. “Sun Voyager is a dreamboat, an ode to the sun. It symbolizes the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, progress and freedom.” said the artist Jón Gunnar Árnason (1931-1989).

After the tour, check in to your hotel and the rest of the day is free at leisure.

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DAY 2 WONDERS OF SNÆFELLSNES NATIONAL PARK (B)
This morning, you are picked up by your driver guide and enjoy a full day excursion to visit the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

The Snæfellsnes Peninsula in the West of Iceland which is almost like a miniature version of the entire island. The area has beautiful samples of some of the natural wonders Iceland is so famous for. This includes black beaches, magnificent mountains, volcanic craters, incredible birdlife, magical caves, and of course, the most picturesque glacier of them all, Snæfellsjökull.

The drive out the peninsula is a very scenic one, the landscape is a wonderful symphony of extinct volcanoes, hot springs, craters and lava fields created during volcanic activities in the distant past.

The rock formations at Gerðuberg, the black church at Búðir and the seals at Ytri Tunga beach, are all possible stops.

There are black sand beaches and also what is called the golden beach at Skarðsvík. The fishing villages of Arnarstapi and Hellnar are often visited and a reminder of Iceland’s history as a fishing nation.

A little further out is Djúpalónssandur beach, a breathtaking spot where a lava flow from the great volcano met the ocean at some point and created a natural harbour.

Rounding the peninsula there is great view of the glacier capped volcano that rises from almost sea level up to 1446 m.

On the northern side of the peninsula we find Kirkjufell, a cone shaped mountain close to the fishing village of Grundarfjörður. This area is also a national park and there are many good photo stops along the way.

Snæfellsjökull is also a place where aliens were expected to land a few years ago although the welcoming party did not locate them at that time, or any other time for that matter.

Stop at Borgarnes: The small town area is a setting for large parts of one of the best known sagas, Egil’s Saga and at The Settlement Center there are two exhibitions, one is about the first settlers of Iceland that arrived here as a part of the Viking expansion into Europe, the other is dedicated to the great Viking warrior poet Egil Skallagrímsson.

Return to Reykjavik later afternoon and overnight.

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DAY 3 GOLDEN CIRCLE WITH GEYSERS & WATERFALLS (B)
This morning, you are picked up from your hotel by your driving guide and enjoy the most popular and possibly the best day trip in Iceland is the amazing Golden Circle Tour.

Taking you to the UNESCO world heritage site Þingvellir National Park and Rift Valley where the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates drift apart and the Vikings held their High Counsel Althingi in the middle of a lava field. Then visiting the Geysir Hot Spring area, a geothermal site with Europe’s only erupting geyser Strokkur, which erupts every 4-5 minutes spouting steaming hot water jets towards the sky. Then on to the absolutely beautiful waterfall Gullfoss, Iceland’s biggest two-stepped waterfall situated in the glacial Hvítá river flowing from the massive Langjökull Glacier.

National Park Thingvellir (Þingvellir): Thingvellir National Park and Rift Valley are both historically and Geologically fascinating, plus being on UNESCO’s world heritage list. The continental crust here is pretty thin and the earth surface has been shaped by the two major plates, the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates, moving apart. For maybe a million years The Rift Valley has been forming and the plate boundaries are clearly visible. There is also a theory of the valley being the edge of a minor plate lined with lava fields, volcanic craters and some major volcanoes. Thingvellir is also the place where all the major decisions in the history of Iceland have been taken by the High Counsel at the law rock, from becoming a christian country in 1000 AD, up to the declaration of independence from Denmark in 1944 AD.

Geysir hot spring area : The Geysir geothermal area is just under an hours drive east from Thingvellir through the Rift Valley from the North American Plate to the Eurasian Plate going along the mountain range to the north bordering the highlands. This hot spring area is one of a few places where you can find those natural steaming pools of geothermal water in Iceland, and the only one where there is an active geyser erupting every 4-5 minutes. Early in the 20th century foreign investors planned to buy the area although it remains unclear what they were planning since this was way before there was any actual tourism.

Gullfoss waterfall: Gullfoss waterfall in Hvítá glacial river plunges 105 feet down two steps into a great gorge after flowing through the barren icelandic highlands from Langjökull glacier, it is the most visited waterfall in Iceland praised for its natural beauty and powerful roar. Named the golden falls after a legend saying that an old viking threw all is gold into the waterfall so no one could enjoy his riches after his day, or possibly just for the rainbows in the spray above the waterfalls on sunny days, or maybe just for its captivating presence, who knows and that is the nature of legends. Decades ago there were some plans to dam the gorge to create a reservoir for a powerplant, this met with a lot of local opposition in fact one farmer´s daughter threatened to throw herself into the waterfall if any construction started. Fortunately nothing happened so we can now enjoy the great Gullfoss for centuries to come.

After the tour, return to Reykjavik for overnight.

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DAY 4 GLACIER LAGOON & DIAMOND BEACH (B)
This morning, after check out, your driver guide will pick you up from the hotel and head to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon at Vatnajökull National Park, is an amazing place and an absolutely mind blowing experience.

The day trip from Reykjavik takes you along the Southern Iceland and some of the most scenic locations in Iceland can be found on this route. You will visit sights such as:

Vatnajökull Glacier and National Park: Vatnajökull National Park is our largest National Park and Vatnajökull is by far the largest glacier in Iceland, around 8000 km2, with an average thickness of almost 400 m, and has 30 outlet glaciers and various glacier tongues flowing from the main one. Öræfajökull Volcano is a part of the glacier and its highest point Hvannadalshnjúkur is the highest peak of Iceland 2110,9 m. Private tours can be arranged to go the glacier and into a natural ice caves which sometimes form along the edge of the glacier.

Eldhraun: The Eldhraun Lava Field is the largest lava flow on earth from historic times, around 600 km2 which is roughly the size of The City of Chicago. During the massive eruption of Laki in 1784 the ash cloud circumnavigated the world blocking the sun causing harsh winters and cold summers in the northern hemisphere which resulted in the famine that sparked the french revolution.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach: A stretch of black beach going from Reynisfjall mountain to Dyrhólaey. This is the southernmost tip of Iceland and going straight out the next firm ground you hit is Antarctica about ten thousand miles to the south. Being right between the two great volcanoes Eyjafjallajökull and Katla the coastline here is ever changing and during the 1918 Katla eruption the coastline moved out almost 200m due to the amount of sand, gravel and ash brought forth. There are some fascinating rock formations embedded in the mountainside and basalt columns rise from the surf just off the shore. During summer, this is also a nesting site for puffins.

Skógafoss: One of the most picturesque waterfalls in Iceland in the foothills of Eyjafjallajökull volcano where Skógaá river tumbles down almost 200 feet into a beautiful gorge. The waterfall can be enjoyed by walking right into the gorge which is on the same level as the parking lot or you can climb up 428 steps and get a slightly different angle.

Seljalandsfoss: This is the waterfall which you can walk all the way behind where it cascades off the foothills of Eyjafjallajökull. A very scenic location where you can sometimes catch the late afternoon sun shining through the water. There is also a little food truck there that sells fresh donuts and hot coffee throughout the day.

After the tour, your driver guide will drop you at your hotel in the southern Iceland.

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DAY 5 SOUTHEAST ICELAND TOUR (B)
This morning, enjoy a 2 hour horse riding tour operated by your hotel.

We will first climb up into the mountains of Eyjafjöll behind our farm. When the weather is good you can enjoy some great views before heading down again. When we come down from the mountains, we take a ride through the flat land where we visit the 30 metres high waterfall Írafoss, a beautiful spot to take some pictures before we head back to the farm.

This is the perfect tour if you already have some riding experience, but also for adventurous beginners who are not too afraid of heights. It’s a nice combination of climbing in the mountains and riding in the flat land where you will have the possibility to try some of the faster gaits of the Icelandic horse.

The balance of the day, choose one of the OPTIONAL TOURS offered by your hotel.

We highly recommend one of the below:

ATV / BUGGY: After receiving the necessary gear and a short safety briefing your guide will lead the group to the stunning coastline. You will be driving over the black sand while having the chance to enjoy views of the surrounding area.

After leaving the beach, you will head to the famous Sólheimasandur plane wreck which has been resting there in the sand since 1973.

FISHING: Our guide Tor will drive with you down to Rimhúsaáll river, just a 10 minute drive from the Manor. This is a great place for fishing both for beginners and people used to fishing. Tor will do his best to show the best places to catch arctic char, brown trout or sea trout that is swimming here.

The surrounding there is beautiful with a rich birdlife and great views in good weather.

GUIDED HIKING TOURS: There are many different trails available which all start directly from the hotel.
They will lead you into the mountains/hills around where you will find a lot of untouched nature, waterfalls and canyons.

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DAY 6 REYKJANES PENINSULA – BLUE LAGOON (B)
This morning is free at leisure or enjoy an optional tour offered by your hotel.

After check out, you are picked up by a driver guide and head back to the Reykjanes Peninsula on the South West corner of Iceland where both Keflavik International Airport and The Blue Lagoon are situated.

Visit Lake Kleifarvatn, the largest lake on the Reykjanes peninsula hidden between the mountains.not far from the outskirts of Reykjavík known for its natural beauty. Around 8km2 and almost a 100m deep. After a series of earthquakes in 2000 the lake lost almost 20% of its surface and still seems to be losing volume although at a very slow rate. In 2000, as the lake shrunk some curious boxes appeared on the exposed lakebed, their content was later identified as Russian spying equipment dating back to the cold war.

Seltún Geothermal Field, the natural geothermal mud pools boiling in the hillside just off Kleifarvatn have pretty strong smell of sulphur and people in the past were of the opinion that this was some sort of a gateway to Hell. The surrounding ground has a light colour which is a strong contrast to the dark lava fields just a little further on and the mud in the pools is mostly a greyish mixture of clay and geothermal water slowly bubbling away.

The Bridge Between Continents, you could pick a few spots and say you are right in the middle between the two tectonic plates and given that any of those would still be just a fraction of colossal phenomenon this one is as good as any plus it has a fantastic view. The fissure which the bridge lies across is in the middle of great lava flow with a view of a series of small craters. Out to sea lies Eldey Island, which has one of the largest concentrations of Northern Gannets in the world and was the last known home of the now extinct Great Auk..

Afterward, you are dropped at Blue Lagoon Resort

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DAY 7 BLUE LAGOON – REYKJAVIK AIRPORT (B)
TThe Blue Lagoon is a must for all visitors to Iceland and a favourite to all those who have visited Iceland.

Enjoy the Retreat and Spa activities on own.

This afternoon, you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.

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