ICELAND – Golden Circle South Coast with Northern Lights

• Reykjavik

• South Coast

• Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

• Diamond Beach

• Vik

• The Golden Circle

• Thingvellir National Park

• The Blue Lagoon

• Arrival: Day01 before  11am 
• Return: Day07 anytime after 3pm 

Airport:Keflavík International Airport

Description:

Description:

Welcomwe to Iceland, on arrival get transfer to the Reykjavik, this is a freed to explore the city on your own pace.

Some of the Reykjavik highlights:

Hallgrimskirkja Church

Perlan Glass Dome 

Sun Voyager

Harbour side

Description:

We’ll pick you up at 9:00 a.m. at your hotel or your chosen pickup point. We’ll drive along the scenic West Coast where you’ll be able to soak in the beautiful rural scenery of Western Iceland.

The first stop of the day will be at Deildartunguhver, the most powerful hot spring in Europe. The hot spring keeps at a constant 206 degrees Fahrenheit (97 degrees Celsius) and pumps out a whopping 47.5 gallons (180 liters) of water every second. The hot spring is used to provide heating and hot water to neighboring areas. We will stop at Krauma Geothermal Baths where you can relax. The entrance ticket is an optional extra. For those that do not wish to visit Krauma, we will stop at a nearby horse farm where you will be able to pet Icelandic horses.

In the area around Deildartunguhver, there are a number of walking paths to protect you from getting too close to the hot spring. While the landscape is very picturesque, you should always stay on the pathways. Our next stop will be at the historic site of Reykholt, here you will find a hot spring pool, Snorralaug, treasured as the bathing spot of Iceland’s most famous poet and politician, Snorri Sturluson.

Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls

Our next stop will be Hraunfossar and Barnafoss Waterfalls. Hraunfossar (“the Lava Waterfalls”) is a vast collection of smaller waterfalls cascading through the cracks of lava formations. Barnafoss (“Children’s waterfall”) is known for a folk legend as the site where two children tragically drowned once upon a time.

The falls create a very dramatic landscape, cradling the waters that flow from Langjokull Glacier. Our day ends with a visit to Gerðuberg, a cluster of basalt columns. This majestic wonder of nature was formed by flowing lava that was perpetually cooled by the sea water.

If the northern lights and cloud forecasts are favorable an evening northern lights hunt will be on!

Your accommodation for the night will be in Borgarnes.

*Please note that the order of the itinerary can change, we do sometimes start with the South Coast part of the tour and end with West Iceland.

Day Highlights

Deildartunguhver Hot Spring

Reykholt

Hraunfossar

Barnafossar

Snæfellsnes Peninsula

Northern Lights

Krauma Geothermal Baths (optional)

Description:

After a hearty breakfast at our hotel, we’ll continue our tour toward the western part of Snæfellsnes. On the way there, you’ll be taken back by stunning marginal and alpine scenery. Our first stop of the day is at the small and charming fishing village, Arnarstapi. Here, we’ll take a short walk and explore the surrounding area.

Then, you’ll have a chance to wander through Vatnshellir Cave (optional activity with extra cost), which lies under the ground in Snæfellsnes National Park. The cave is a lava tube tunnel around 8,000 years old. Your certified caving guide will explain its formation and the fascinating features that lie in hidden spots. This experience takes you about as close as you can get to the story of Jules Verne’s book A Journey to the Centre of Earth.

Djúpalónssandur Beach

Our next stop will be at Hellnar, a picturesque village where we’ll have lunch. Then we’ll continue to the beautiful black pebble beach at Djúpalónssandur. The beach is landlocked by tall, rugged cliffs that look outward to the Atlantic Ocean. There, you’ll notice inky, sleek pebbles and the roar of waves as they wash the shore.

When traversing the beach, be careful not to be drawn into the ocean as the power of the water is truly majestic. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for the remains of an antique British trawler Epine, shipwrecked in 1948.

At the end of the beach, you will also find famous lifting stones. Back in the day, men of a nearby fishing village were challenged to test their strength by lifting the stones. Would you be able to lift them? After the strength contest is over, we’ll head to the photogenic Kirkjufell Mountain and cap off our day with a stunning view of the mountain. Then we return back to Reykjavik for the night.

Day Highlights

Arnarstapi Fishing Village

Vatnshellir Cave (optional/extra fee)

Djúpalónssandur Beach

Snæfellsnes Peninsula & Mount Kirkjufell

Description:

First on our agenda for today is the Golden Circle. We’ll start with Thingvellir National Park, one of UNESCO World Heritage Sites because of its complex geological nature and history. The unique landscape of the rift valley was created over time by continual turbulent interactions between the two tectonic plates underneath: the North American and the Eurasian plates.

It’s also home to the world’s longest-running parliament, the Althingi, established in 930 c.e. Don’t forget to look out for the largest natural lake in Iceland, Thingvallavatn.

geothermal area of Strokkur geyser

After exploring this marvelous rift valley, we’ll continue southwest toward Haukadalur Valley and the geothermal area of Geysir. We’ll spot Strokkur, a still-active geyser, which still erupts up to 25 meters every few minutes without fail.

Next, we’ll visit the majestic waterfall, Gullfoss (the Golden Waterfall). At the beginning of the 20th century, a few Englishmen sought to acquire the waterfall and build a hydroelectric plant, taming the power of the Hvita River. Fortunately for everyone, due to lack of funding their plan fell through and to this day the waterfall remains untouched and in all of its natural glory.

Seljalandsfoss

As we continue along the Ring Road, a view of the infamous volcano Hekla opens up as we drive to our next stop, Seljalandsfoss Waterfall. The path leading up to the waterfall is brief and it takes us right behind it. There, breathtaking views of the surrounding areas are exposed and on a sunny day, a rainbow can be seen encircling the waterfall. Seljalandsfoss drops for about 196 feet (60 meters), so waterproof clothing is recommended.

We’ll finish the day off with a hunt for the Northern Lights and continue to our hotel close to a small town, Kirkjubæjarklaustur.

Day Highlights

Þingvellir National Park

Geysir Hot Springs

Gullfoss Waterfall

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Northern Lights

Description:

We continue through the rural landscapes, passing farms here and there, onward and eastward. On the drive, we’ll pass magical, moss-covered lava fields.

Today we’ll embark upon glacier adventures, hiking on Vatnajokull Glacier, exploring a natural ice cave and visiting the magical Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Glacier hiking adventures are always somewhat flexible and very dependent on the local weather conditions, which can be unpredictable.

We’ll visit Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and nearby Diamond Beach. There, you’ll encounter icebergs of many shapes and sizes floating in the lagoon or resting on the black sand beach in the elusive fading late afternoon shadow. If you’re lucky, you might spy a seal bathing among the gilded grains of black sand.

After that, we’ll go to Skaftafell and hike to Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajokull. We want to make sure you have the best time exploring the glacier, so your certified glacier guide will decide when it’s best to embark on your adventure. Also, keep in mind that the temperature inside the ice cave is well below the freezing point, so please have warm clothes with you.

Woman At Ice Cave in Iceland

Vatnajokull Glacier Hike and Ice Cave Visit

We strap on our ice crampons and get ready for the magic moment – setting foot on the glacier! Your experienced guide will explain this unbelievably vibrant, moving, and living world. You will see incredible crevasses which wend their way, twisting and turning through the glacier. These labyrinths are constantly forming in tune with the dance of nature. See the great moulins, which descend deep into the glacier, and the stunning naturally formed ice cave.  Make sure you have your camera with you’re sure to catch some truly inspiring photo opportunities throughout your hike.

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon

The accommodation for the night will be in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. If the forecast is favorable, we’ll keep our eyes out for the Aurora Borealis.

Please note: the glacier hike is a very weather-dependent activity, so if the accessibility and weather conditions would be inappropriate, the glacier hike will be replaced with similar activity.

Day Highlights

Vatnajökull Glacier

Skaftafell Nature Reserve

Natural Ice Cave

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Diamond Beach

Northern Lights

Description:

After nourishing breakfast, we’ll slowly make our way back to Reykjavik by visiting the main highlights on the south shore of Iceland. If the road conditions allow it, we’ll make a small detour to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon first. After that, we’ll stop at the iconic Elhraun lava field before heading to Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach.

Here at Reynisfjara, you’ll be able to witness the immense power of the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll also be able to visit a black basalt cave and admire Reynisdrangar basalt stacks rising from the sea. According to the legend, it’s nothing else than trolls who were turned into rock by the rising sun.

After that, our tour takes us to Skógafoss, an amazing 60-meter tall waterfall falling into the pool below. It is believed that deep into this pool, below the waterfall, lies the Viking treasure. You’ll also be able to take 527 steps leading to a panoramic view above the falls. 

After the South Coast tour, we’ll begin the journey back to Reykjavík. We’ll have a chance to visit more sites as we travel through the south back to the city. We’ll get back to Reykjavík between 16:00 (4:00 p.m.) and 19:00 (7:00 p.m.).

Day Highlights

Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon

Elhraun lava field

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Skógafoss Waterfall

Description:

Crush the bitterness of cold with a warm soak in the geothermal spa at the Blue Lagoon on the way to the airport. Spend a couple of hours soaking yourself in the hot spring, later by noon drive to the airport to catch your return flight back home. It’s time to say goodbye to your fellow travelers. Hoping that you have captured the best moments on camera and packed in a host of travel memories to carry back home with you.

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