Holiday Itinerary

Arrive Reykjavik and check into hotel.

Departing Reykjavik, en route today we include visits to Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and Geysir Geothermal Area. Gullfoss – the Golden Waterfall, cascades into a deep gorge with tremendous force. Regarded by many as one of the most beautiful falls in the world, its spray forms colourful rainbows in the afternoon sun. Thingvellir, meaning “Parliament Plains” was the site of Iceland’s first National Assembly in the year 930. It lies in a rift valley, about 5km wide with Lake Thingvallavatn bordering it on the south side and a mountain range to the north. The river Oxara, which flows past the site of the Parliament, supplied its participants with ample fresh water, and flows over the edge of a 9000 year old lava field, originating in a nearby volcano, into the rift valley. The largest of the ravines bordering the rift valley is called Almannagja Ravine near where the Parliament was held (there were at least three places where the Law Circle convened throughout the centuries however, they were all quite near to each other). Geysir started spouting in the 13th century and suddenly stopped spouting naturally in 1916. Geysir was indeed the first spouting spring which became known to Europeans and therefore all spouting springs were named ‘Geysir’, after the one in Iceland. There are some very small spouting springs in the area which spout one foot high, but Strokkur, meaning ‘The Butter Churn’, spouts every 3-5 minutes up to 100 feet high and is the main attraction of the area. Continuing our journey we reach Hella. From here one can see the distant Mount Hekla, Iceland’s most active volcano, rising above the flat plain on which Hella lies.

From Hella we drive to the beautiful Skaftafell region. We stop to visit Seljalandsfoss waterfall, where it is possible to walk behind the waterfall for a different perspective! We continue to Skogafoss waterfall and Skogar Folk Museum and arrive at the picturesque village of Vik. We’ll stroll on a beautiful beach near Vik and look for sea birds including puffins, which nest on the cliffs during the summer. Later we cross the “Black Desert”, a part of the world’s greatest lava field created in modern times (1783-4) and take a walk along the beautiful gorge of Fjadrargljufur canyon, carved out by water since the ice age ended in Iceland some 10,000 years ago. After crossing Skeidararsandur, the great sandy plain (which was flooded in 1996 by glacier meltwater from a volcanic eruption under Glacier Vatnajokull, Europe’s greatest glacier) we arrive at our overnight accommodation in the Skaftafell region.

The day is spent walking and enjoying the space and silence of this remote area. Your tour leader will be able to recommend walks according to the interests and abilities of the group, but we will not miss Svartifoss – Black Waterfall – where a beautiful mountain stream flows over a natural wall of basalt stone pillars. The dramatic scenery is a tapestry of colourful flower-filled meadows and contrasting, stark wasteland where the vegetation has been swept away by glacial floods.

En route to the small town of Egilsstadir. We break our drive at Jokulsarlon lagoon where we include a 30-45 minute boat ride out on to the lake to enjoy the experience of floating amongst blue-veined icebergs. This is one of the highlights of our trip so don’t forget your camera! The surrounding sandy plains are the northern hemisphere’s principal nesting ground for the great skua and are also frequented by many other species. We then cross the Almannaskard Pass – a journey which affords a magnificent view of Vatnajokull, Europe’s largest glacier. On reaching the northeastern fjordic coastline, we stop inland for the night in the area around Egilsstadir, close to Logurinn lake – reputedly home to a Loch Ness-type monster.

Today we travel through a desolate area to the northern reaches of this rugged island. The landscape is so lunar in appearance that Neil Armstrong and his colleagues trained on similar terrain south of here in the Askja region in 1968, prior to their landing on the moon. Driving towards our final destination, the small village of Laugar (20km from Lake Myvatn) we stop to view Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall which tumbles down the huge gorge of the Jokulsa-a-Fjollum river.

To visit the Myvatn area is like reading an open book on the history of the world’s creation, where one wonder follows another. There are few places where so many and such diverse volcanic sites are found in such a small area. At about 38 square kilometres in area, the lake is the fourth largest in Iceland and probably the most fertile spot on the globe at a similar latitude. It was created after the ice age ended in Iceland some 10,000 years ago. However, it was really only formed about 3800 years ago when a lava flow blocked the valley to create a shallow lake. During our time here we will see Viti crater – literally Hell crater – which last erupted as recently as 1984; there is still steam rising up from the ground. At another spot we see boiling mud pools or ‘solfataras’, where the earth’s crust seems to ripple. We walk up to the rim of Hverfjall crater and then descend through ‘Lava Park’ where natural sculptures have been formed through lava cooling at different rates. The lake is also a veritable paradise for birdwatchers as it is the main haunt of ducks in Iceland – in fact, there are more species of duck at Lake Myvatn than anywhere else in the world at a similar latitude. In summer between 100,000 to 150,000 ducks from 15 different species nest around the shores.

Today’s journey to the Borgarfjordur region includes a stop en route to visit Godafoss waterfall and time in the charming town of Akureyri. The principal town of northern Iceland stands on the shores of the country’s longest fjord. It is a pleasant place in which to wander, famous for its botanical garden established in 1912, by a Danish lady. There are some galleries in the town centre and a Lutheran Cathedral with two small stained glass window pieces from the Cathedral in Coventry. In the afternoon we continue westwards and stop at one of the best preserved traditional Icelandic farmhouses called Glaumbaer before continuing to our nightstop.

Driving back to Reykjavik, we shall take a brief tour of the world’s most northerly capital by bus. Although established by the Norse chieftain Ingolfur Amarson about the year 874AD, real development only started at the end of the 18th century and the city is still relatively small. The oldest part of the town is near the harbour, around the lake known as Tjornin, a favourite spot for strolling. Duck, geese, swans and Arctic tern can be observed at close quarters and the harbour is always busy with trawlers and other vessels. This afternoon you may continue to explore on foot or you may prefer to take an optional trip to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s world famous steaming turquoise baths.