9 days 8-Nights Icelandic Explorer 2023
See the beauty of Iceland - and so much more...
Explore Iceland's incomparable waterfalls, geysers, glaciers and landscapes, but take in so much more as you focus on its fascinating culture and heritage. Discover life in early Viking settlements, the land of the sagas, the distinctive Icelandic horses, and the modern people of Iceland.
Trip Highlights:
• Horse Show
• Glaumbaer Farm and Museum
• Diamond Circle
• Modrudalur
• Husavik
Hotels:
• Fosshotel Reykjavik
• Fosshotel Reykholt
• Fosshotel Husavik
• Fosshotel Eastfjords
• Fosshotel Vatnajokull
• Fosshotel Nupar
| Day | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Day 1 Reykjavik | Welcome Drink | Meet your guide in your hotel at 2:00 PM, then set off on a city tour to discover the colorful capital city of Reykjavik. Take time to explore independently before meeting your group again for a welcome drink. |
| 2 | Day 2 Bjarteyarsandur | War and Peace Museum | Borgarnes | Set off into Iceland’s stunning countryside. Stop at Hvalfjordur Fjord, the location of US and British Naval bases in World War II before heading on to learn about Icelandic farming life on a visit to Bjarteyarsandur. Next, explore the fascinating history of the allied occupation of Iceland during World War II at the War and Peace Museum. Continue on to Borgarnes for a little free time and an independent lunch. Head on to Deildartunguhver hot spring, Iceland’s most powerful hot spring, then visit Barnafossar (Children’s Falls) and Hraunfossar (Lava Falls). Check into your hotel in Reykholt – an area rich in history from settlement times that often features in Icelandic sagas. (B, D) |
| 3 | Day 3 Glaumbaer Farm & Museum | Akureyri | Godafoss | Head out to the famed Skagafjordur valley, a lush, wide valley farmed by the earliest settlers. Visit the open-air Glaumbaer Farm & Museum to see the turfroofed houses and discover the life of early settlers; have lunch there. Head on for a short visit to the city of Akureyri, the largest city outside of the southwest. Then visit Godafoss, a magnificent waterfall. Head on to spend the night in Husavik, featured in the Will Farrell comedy, “The Story of Fire Saga”. (B, L, D) |
| 4 | Day 4 Myvatn | Husavik | Begin touring the Diamond Circle by visiting the area around Lake Myvatn – an otherworldly landscape dotted with pseudovolcanoes, hot pools, and geothermal powerstations. Visit Reykjahlid church, and hear how it became surrounded by lava in 1727. Next, discover Hverir sulfur springs before visiting Dimmuborgir for a short hike. Stop for lunch and explore the fascinating pseudocraters of Skutustadagigar. Arrive back in Husavik, Iceland’s whale-watching capital, for some free time and independent exploration. Explore the village, book a cruise, or perhaps visit the nearby GeoSea Spa. (B, L) |
| 5 | Day 5 Dettifoss | Modrudalur | Vok Baths | Eastfjords | Head out to continue your journey along the Diamond Circle, stopping at Asbyrgi Canyon Visitor Center before heading to the awe-inspiring Dettifoss waterfall, one of Europe’s most powerful. Continue on through the wilderness to Modrudalur, the highest working farm in Iceland. Have lunch and explore some of the old turf houses. Visit Vok Baths to experience the tradition of bathing in natural geothermal waters, floating in hot tubs on this beautiful lake. Head on to your hotel in Faskrudsfjordur – a fascinating village in the Eastfjords once frequented by French fishermen. (B, L, D) |
| 6 | Day 6 Petra’s Stone Museum| Djupivogur | Vestrahorn Viking Village | Hofn | Head off to the quirky delight of Petra’s Stone Museum, before going to Djupivogur, a coastal village and artists’ haven, for some time to explore. Head on to the Vestrahorn Viking Village, an abandoned film set located at the foot of a beautiful mountain. Take some free time at Hofn, a small fishing town, before heading to your hotel, where you will enjoy dinner with your group. (B, D) |
| 7 | Day 7 Glacier Lagoon | Diamond Beach | Turf Church | Skaftafell | Travel to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, dotted with crystal-blue icebergs, and then to nearby Diamond Beach, where you can marvel at glistening natural ice sculptures on the black sands. Savor lunch with a view of the surrounding countryside at the Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon. Visit the traditional turf church at Hof, and then head on to the Skaftafell Wilderness Area and view some of its wonders: glaciers, waterfalls, a snow-capped volcano and lava fields. (B, L, D) |
| 8 | Day 8 Black Sand Beach | South Coast Drive | Eldhestar Horse Farm | Discover Reynisfjara’s black sand beach and rock formations along with the legends of its history. Visit the nearby Skogafoss Waterfall, where on sunny days a double rainbow is often visible. Journey to the beautiful Seljalandsfoss Waterfall where, weather permitting, the sure-footed can walk the trail that takes you behind the 60-meter falls. Then admire the distinctive Icelandic horse in a show at Eldhestar Horse Farm. All Icelandic horses are descendants of those brought by the Vikings, and are known for their surefootedness and their extra gait, the “tolt”. Head on to your hotel in Reykjavik for a farewell dinner with your group. (B, D) |
| 9 | Day 9 Tour Ends in Reykjavik | Your tour ends after breakfast. (B) |