Geysers, Glaciers, & Golden Circle
YEAR-ROUND TOUR: Take in the highlights of Iceland's famed Golden Circle and much more with this 3-day group tour, which starts and ends in Reykjavik. See the plunging waterfalls of Gullfoss, Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss, admire the erupting Strokkur geyser and explore Thingvellir National Park. In winter, hike on Vatnajokull Glacier and search for the Northern Lights. In summer, explore a fascinating natural ice cave.
For a detailed itinerary and information about visas, money, weather and more download our Trip Notes
Tour overview
Itinerary
Day 1 The Golden Circle
Day 1 The Golden Circle
Reykjavik - Kirkjubajarklaustur. Our Icelandic adventure begins as we depart Reykjavik. You will be picked up at a central pick up point at 09:00. Our adventure begins with sightseeing of all the main natural wonders of the Golden Circle. Take in sights including Thingvellir National Park and the Geysir Geothermal Area, where you'll see the mighty Strokkur geyser erupt every 10 minutes or so.
We also visit the famous waterfalls of Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss, with the opportunity to walk behind the falls for a different view! Then it's on to Vik and our hotel in Kirkjubajarklaustur, a great base for spotting the Northern Lights in the winter months from September to April.
Please note: We strongly recommend arriving in Reykjavik the day before your tour starts. Please also note that this tour includes a moderate amount of hiking to see attractions such as waterfalls. You should be comfortable hiking a distance of around 5km. Get in touch with our team should you have any concerns.
Day 2 Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Vatnajokull Glacier
Day 2 Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon & Vatnajokull Glacier
Today's touring starts with a visit to the black sand Diamond beach and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon. Admire the giant icebergs here, which have broken off from the Vatnajokull Glacier. During the winter months, we will enjoy a hike on the glacier itself before visiting a natural ice cave. In summer, we will instead head to the natural Katla ice cave near Vik. This is the only ice cave in the country that can be visited all year round. Summer departures will also take a hike of around 5km to see Svartifoss Waterfall.
We then return to the hotel. There will be another chance to see the Northern Lights tonight if travelling in winter.
Day 3 Return to Reykajvik
Day 3 Return to Reykajvik
Kirkjubajarklaustur - Reykjavik. Departing our hotel, we begin to make our way back to Reykjavik, with plenty of stops along the way.
Weather permitting, we visit Fjadrargljufur Canyon. We also see the dramatic lava field at Eldhraun and stroll along the black sands of Reynisfjara beach. Keep an eye out for the towering basalt columns located just offshore.
Our final stop is Skogafoss, another of Iceland's incredible waterfalls. If you wish, you can climb the 527 steps to the top of the 60m cascade. Enjoy panoramic views of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which caused so much travel misery in Europe when it erupted in 2010.
We'll arrive in Reykjavik between 16:00 - 19:00 when your tour will come to an end.
Tour Highlights
Included
Not Included
Prices & Dates
Hotels
Adventure Hotel Geirland is set just outside the quiet village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. All rooms offer tea/coffee facilities and views of the surrounding mountain ridge. Some of Geirland’s cosy rooms are set in individual cottages in the garden. Free Wi-Fi and a TV are available in the main building. Guests can enjoy an onsite restaurant and bar. Lunch packs can be made on request. Skaftafell National Park is 60 minutes’ drive from Adventure Hotel Geirland.
Tour Reviews
Thor the guide was really personable and provided a great mobile commentary in the bus as well as on-site of the various stops made. The tour itself was a great overview of all the major tourist sites in particular the Ice Cave adventure.
Svavar was the absolute best, we had the nicest time.
Excellent tour - felt I really got to see the highlights of Iceland. Tour guide was good but at times difficult to understand because of his accent. However he was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Overall the tour was very good however the glacier walk/ice cave experience was not. We were requested to provide notification of any limitations eg mobility, claustrophobia, fear of heights.There was nowhere on the form to give that information and it had to be provided verbally.This information was told to the guide on multiple occasions but he did not appear to register and did not act on the advice.The glacier walk/ice cave is unsuitable for people with fear of heights. They should have been advised accordingly when they disclosed their situations. Insufficient detail was provided about the nature of that tour so that better decisions could have been made. The Southcoast glacier walk guide tried to suggest that all would be fine if they continued and they would get better- that is not realistic in people with phobias. Had the On the Go guide acted on the advice given / and had sufficient detail about the glacier walk been provided a much more appropriate option would have been for those clients to have remained in Vik to do other activities on their own (eg shopping, visit maritime museum and nearby black beach) rather than having been put in an extremely unpleasant situation.
Joey was an excellent guide and we enjoyed the tour very much. Our only criticism would be the bus. With a full load of people it was very cramped, especially when there were some oversized passengers. Secondly, the sound system was poor. It was hard to hear the commentary at any time and impossible to hear anything at all in the back half of the bus. Overall it was a great tour and we would happily recommend it.
Extras and add-ons
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