Gems of South Iceland and Reykjavik

Welcome to Reykjavik! Upon arrival at Keflavik International Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel by the Flybus Shuttle Bus for check-in. Depending on your time of arrival, spend the day at leisure to explore the city at your own pace. Ingolfur Arnarson, the first settler of Iceland, built his farm on the peninsula where Reykjavík stands today. The town earned its name “Smokey Bay” after columns of steam rose from the hot springs and made a deep impression on the first settlers. Reykjavik offers a wide range of restaurants and coffee houses, making dinner a great way to get better acquainted with Iceland’s capital.

Overnight in Reykjavik

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your tour guide at 09:00, who will show you the highlights of Iceland’s exciting capital. You’ll learn about life in the city from the very beginning of settlement in Iceland to the present day. You will  stop by the church of Hallgrímskirkja and drive through the university district, past the Nordic house and the National Museum. In the city centre, you will stop by the City hall, which juts into the small lake of Tjörnin. Nearby are the Lutheran Cathedral and the House of Parliament. You will also be driven by the harbour to observe fishing vessels of different sizes, whale hunters and whale watchers. In Reykjavík are many public works of art, mainly sculptures. The latest addition to Reykjavík is the concert/conference hall of Harpan (the Harp), built on the town centre’s northern waterfront, whose dramatic design captures and reflects the city’s light, ocean and sky with a thrilling effect. In the afternoon, enjoy the spirit of whale watching, getting as close as possible without disturbing the animals. You might see dolphins, humpback, orca, blue, and minke whales during this 3-hour cruise. The guide will direct your attention as you travel across Faxaflói Bay, where a blend of warm and cold ocean currents creates spectacular whale-watching opportunities. Afterwards, you will visit the Whales of Iceland exhibition with life-sized whale models and a virtual reality experience. Next up, is the Sky Lagoon, which is Iceland’s latest geothermal lagoon spa experience, where the ocean meets the sky. Immerse yourself in the warm and rejuvenating waters of an oasis near the city centre of Reykjavík. Enjoy this authentic and remarkable place through an unforgettable and inspiring spa experience.

Overnight in Reykjavik

After a delicious breakfast, meet the guide and take a short ferry ride to the Westman Islands. There is a bus and walking tour of the village of Heimaey and this extraordinary island. The volcanic eruption in 1973 is, without doubt, considered the largest natural disaster in Iceland in recent history. The eruption began on January 23rd on the island of Heimaey, the only populated island of the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago. After the evacuation of the inhabitants and during the 5 months while the eruption lasted, there was much uncertainty as to whether or not the island could ever be repopulated. You will explore bird cliffs during your tour to the Westman Islands, walk up the volcano crater, and visit “Pompei of the North“ (Eldheimar museum), a volcanic excavation project. You have the afternoon free to wander around the town of Heimaey, with its birds and sign of recent volcanic eruptions. Finally, you will return to the mainland and stay for 2 nights in South Iceland.

Overnight in Hella

In the morning, after breakfast, you will meet the guide, and head towards the first stop of the day, which will be at the high but narrow Seljalandsfoss waterfall, which plunges over the mountains and where you can follow a slick and wet trail right behind the falls. You will pass the glaciers Mýrdalsjökull and the infamous volcano Eyjafjallajökull on the way to the village of Vík, where you will attend the stunning Icelandic lava show, the only exhibition in the world where you can experience actual flowing lava! By melting lava and pouring it on ice in a room full of people, you will be able to see the lava flowing, hear it sizzling, and feel the heat that radiates from it. You will walk along the black lava beach and bird cliffs at Reynisfjara and see exciting basalt columns and rock formations. In the afternoon you will visit Skogar, the folk museum with its turf houses and the thundering Skógafoss waterfall, which is 60 meters high and belongs to the most impressive waterfalls in the country or join an optional glacier hike at Sólheimajökull glacier tongue. It‘s an informative and easy glacier walk through a frozen wonderland of different shades of glacier ice.

Overnight in Hella

Today after a delicious breakfast at the hotel, you will meet the guide, and be driven on the rough unpaved road to Landmannalaugar, an oasis in the barren highlands surrounded by vivid rhyolite mountains. The highlight is a 90-minute round-trip hike up toward Brenninsteinsalda, the rainbow mountain of Iceland, which is still “hot” and where you can see sizzling sulfur springs and vapor at its sides. It could very well be the most colourful and spectacular volcanic mountain of Iceland, and so its picture is often found in books and calendars. After a picnic lunch, you have free time to enjoy a relaxing bath in the natural geothermal stream. Next, you will take a short stop at the beautiful waterfall Hjálparfoss, surrounded by unusual basalt rock formations, before being driven back to Reykjavik.

Overnight in Reykjavik

 

Enjoy a delicious breakfast at your hotel. After that, you will be transferred back to Keflavik International Airport, by the Flybus Shuttle, for your flight back home.