The Great Round Tour: Around Iceland In 13 Days

Join this tour that covers the Ring Road around Iceland, the magnificent Snaefellsnes peninsula, and the remote and isolated West fjords. Visiting the Latrabjarg cliff gives you a good chance to spot the famous Puffins. Experience an ever-changing landscape every day and learn about Iceland´s geology, culture, and history.

On the road, you will stay at countryside farm accommodations, which will give you a chance to interact with the locals, taste traditional Icelandic food such as lamb and fish, and observe domestic animals like Icelandic horses and dogs.

You will travel around Iceland in a small and comfortable mini-van, with a maximum of 12 people in a group. So your experience will be more personal and intimate, and you will feel like you are exploring Iceland independently.

Visit some of Iceland's most beautiful places on this tour like the Golden Circle, Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls, Reynisfjara black sand beach, Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon, Lake Mývatn, Látrabjarg cliff and the West fjords and Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at Keflavik airport. Make your way to your hotel in Reykjavik.

Accommodation in Reykjavik.

Day 2: Reykjavik - Hella

The first day of the round tour starts with a short (1 &1/2 hr) city tour around Reykjavik. Among the places we will see are the Old Harbor, the city center, and Hallgrimskirkja church. Then we continue to Þingvellir (Parliament Plaines), the location of the old parliament and a geological phenomenon. From there we drive to the Geyser geothermal area for a spouting hot spring and to Gullfoss, the Golden Waterfall, where on a sunny day you can see a rainbow in the spray above the waterfall. From there we proceeded to our overnight stay.

Accommodation in the Hella area.

Day 3: Hella - Vik

We start our second day by visiting the waterfalls of Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss. Then we stopped to visit the museum at Skogar. From there we continue to the beautiful scenery of Iceland's South Shore such as birdlife at Dyrholaey, the rocks of Reynisdrangar, Solheimajokull glacier, and black sands.

Accommodation in Vik.

Day 4: Vik - Glacier Lagoon

On the third day, the trip continues over the lava of the Laki eruption in 1782-1783 and the black sands towards the oasis at Skaftafell National Park close to Vatnajokull, Europe's biggest glacier. At Skaftafell we take a walk towards the beautiful waterfall Svartifoss and another walk to the glacier tongue. From there we drive to the Glacier Lagoon (Jokulsarlon) for a boat tour between the icebergs.

Accommodation in the Glacier Lagoon area.

Day 5: Glacier Lagoon - Modrudalur

Now the tour continues along the beautiful coastal region of the East Fjords, with spectacular landscapes, high mountains, and deep fjords. Then we drive to the town of Egilsstadir and from Egilsstadir we drive over mountain roads to our overnight stay in Modrudalur Valley, the highest inhabited place in the country, at 469 m (1,539 ft) above sea level.

Accommodation in Modrudalur.

Day 6: Modrudalur - Myvatn

From Modrudalur we drive to the magnificent waterfall of Dettifoss, Europe's mightiest waterfall. From there we visit the natural phenomenon Asbyrgi. Then we continue towards the town of Husavik before driving to Lake Myvatn, one of the most interesting geological and geographical areas of the northern hemisphere. Recent and old volcanic activity has shaped the landscapes and the forces of nature are still at work.

Among the interesting sights are a geothermal area with boiling and bubbling mud pots, lava that is still warm almost 30 years after the eruption, the lava labyrinth Dimmuborgir, and the pseudo crater group at Skutustadir.

Accommodation in Myvatn area.

Day 7: Myvatn-Hrutafjordur

We start the day by driving to the waterfall Godafoss (The Waterfall of the Gods). From Godafoss we drive to Akureyri where we will first take a short city tour and then enjoy free time in Akureyri. From Akureyri, we drive to the town of Siglufjordur and then around the Trollaskagi Peninsula for our overnight stay.

Accommodation in the Hrutafjordur area.

Day 8: Hrutafjordur - Isafjordur

From Hrutafjordur the tour goes to the remote Strandir area. Along the way, parts of the coastline are covered with driftwood, especially the different small and black sandy beaches. We continued driving towards the village of Isafjordur before heading to the small fishing village of Sudureyri for our overnight stay.

Accommodation in the Isafjordur area.

Day 9: Isafjordur - Latrabjarg

Among the places that we will see today is the magnificent waterfall of Dynjandi, located at the bottom of the Arnarfjord bay. It is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland and the largest one in the West Fjords. Then we will continue towards the main goal of the day; Iceland's westernmost point, Latrabjarg, where we are going to enjoy seeing thousands of individuals of different bird species inhabiting this 14 km (9 miles) long and sheer cliff protruding 400 m. (1,320 feet) from the sea.

Accommodation in the Latrabjarg area.

Day 10: Latrabjarg - Bardastrond

The tour continues along the southern side of the Westfjords, which are among the most sparsely populated parts of the country, and among the places to see, today is the red sand of Raudisandur (The Red Sands).

Accommodation in the Bardastrond area.

Day 11: Bardastrond - Snaefellsnes

Today the tour continues around the Snaefellsnes peninsula and its magnificent glacier Snaefellsjokull. Among the places that we visit is the basaltic pebble beach of Djupalon, framed with strange lava formations, and Arnarstapi, where a short stroll along the coastal cliffs gives us access to the rich birdlife and other wonders of nature.

Accommodation in the Snaefellsnes area.

Day 12: Snaefellsnes - Reykjavik

Today we head towards Reykjavik to close our circle. The first stop is at the old volcano Grabrok where we take a walk to the top. There we continue to Hraunfossar (Lava waterfalls) and Barnafossar (Children's waterfalls). Then we will visit Deildartunguhver, Europe's water-host hot spring. From there the tour goes directly to Reykjavik through the Whale Fjord (Hvalfjordur).

Accommodation in Reykjavik.

Day 13: Departure

Make your way to Keflavik airport.

Included in Price:

A guided tour according to the itinerary.

Accommodation for 12 nights with private bathrooms.

Dinners for 10 nights in the countryside.

Entrance fee to the Folk Museum of Skogar.

Boat tour on the Glacial Lagoon.

Not Included:

Airfare to and from Iceland.

Lunch.

Beverages.

All services not mentioned above.

Attention:

We reserve the right to change hotels and routes if and when it becomes necessary such as because of weather and/or road conditions.