Iceland Explorer

Our adventure starts in Reykjavik, gateway to the wider wonders of Iceland. Depending on when you land, you may have time to visit the Blue Lagoon. Alternatively, explore the city, including the striking modern architecture of the Harpa concert hall and Hallgrímskirkja church. Our welcome briefing takes place tomorrow morning, when we meet our tour leader for the first time.

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• Accommodation:Hótel Klettur (or similar)

After our welcome briefing at 8.30am, in which we meet the tour leader and discuss the adventures ahead, we drive (45 minutes) inland to Thingvellir, where the one of the world’s first democratic parliaments took place.

Sitting on a major fault line, it is also the best place in Iceland to see the continental drift – the movement of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Here, they are pulling the earth apart as they inch away from each other, causing the land between to subside.

Unsurprisingly, the area abounds with waterfalls, immense fissures and the largest lake in the country, which we see on our 45-minute exploration.

We then drive (50 minutes) to the world-renowned geysers. Here, we spend 45 minutes (plus an hour for lunch) exploring. The most reliable eruption comes every five to 10 minutes from the 98ft (30m) Strokkur geyser.

We then transfer (15 minutes) to Gullfoss, a huge waterfall in a 230ft (70m) deep canyon forged by the Hvita River (White River). Finally, we drive (1hr 40min) to another beautiful waterfall, Gluggafoss, before finishing the day at our hotel.

• Accommodation:Hótel Fljótshlið or Hótel Drangshlíð (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Drive one hour east to the foot of the infamous Eyjafjallajökull Ice Cap. This area was heavily affected by ashfall during the 2010 eruption and a great deal of ice was melted by the lava. The glacier feeds many beautiful waterfalls, and we visit two of them on a 1hr 30min exploration: Kvernufoss and Skógafoss. Both have rushing water dropping 197ft (60m), and, in the case of Skógafoss, a wall of water rushing down in an 82ft (25m) wide sheet.

Continuing east, we cross the black flood plain of Solheimasandur before reaching the green valley of Myrdalur and continuing to the Dyrhólaey promontory – a 30-minute journey. It is rich in birdlife and a nesting site for puffins and Arctic terns in spring. On calm days, we might see whales and seals from the promontory. We continue (25 minutes) further east to Vik, the southernmost town in Iceland and a great place to see the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. If time and conditions allow, we see them at closer range from Reynisfjara black beach.

Then travel further across the Mýrdalssandur and Skeiðarársandur flood plains. Both were formed by countless floods created by volcanic eruptions. We head for Vatnajökull National Park, home to the largest ice cap in Europe (also called Vatnajökull), and then to Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon (a three-hour drive from Vik), where thousands of icebergs are separating from the largest glacier in the country and floating in the pale green sea-level lagoon.

Take a one-hour walk beside the waters for excellent views. If conditions allow, head to the black-sand beach where ice chunks are washed onto the shore by the sea, creating wonderful shapes and formations. You may wish to take an optional boat ride on the lagoon (this may take place tomorrow morning, depending on availability).

We then continue (20 minutes) further east, with the steep mountains of Vatnajökull on one side and the exposed south coast on the other, to our accommodation.

• Accommodation:Guesthouse Gerði (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Today is a day of scenic driving (5hr 20min in total) with several stops as we travel through fjord country. This stunning mountain region has been sculpted as much by glaciers as volcanic activity.

The road winds from one fjord to another, passing a few farms in each fjord where there is enough flat land for hayfields. We also pass the small town of Fáskrúðsfjörður, which began as a settlement by French fishermen and turned into a well-known trading post, serving as their base for cod fishing until 1935. Skrudur Island, which sits just off Fáskrúðsfjörður, is rich in birdlife and is a puffin breeding hot spot between mid-April and mid-August. Finally, we continue to the town of Egilsstadir.

• Accommodation:Hótel Valaskjálf or Hótel Hallormsstaður (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Heading inland and west, we drive (1hr 10min) through the starkly contrasting desert scenery of the northeast highlands and follow the track that takes us to Jokuldalur valley and to Studlagil Canyon, one of the most beautiful canyons of columnar basalt in Iceland, which we explore for 45 minutes.

Then, we transfer (1hr 10min) to Möðrudalur farmstead, the highest inhabited farm in Iceland at 469m (1,539ft) above sea level. We have an hour to enjoy the special views from Möðrudalur, which stretch far and wide across the rugged landscape.

From Möðrudalur, we drive (1hr 10min) to the enormous Dettifoss waterfall and walk 0.6mi (1km) to a great vantage point. This is the most powerful waterfall in Europe, bizarrely set in an arid area of sand and rock formations.

After, we drive (45 minutes) to the Námafjall geothermal area before driving 30 minutes to Myvatn and the pseudocraters at Skútustaðir. Finally, we head (30 minutes) to our hotel at Lake Myvatn.

• Accommodation:Sel Hótel or Hótel Laxá (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Spend the morning around Lake Myvatn and enjoy a 45-minute walk in Dimmuborgir, a vast area of lava towers and natural arches.

Only a short distance from Dimmuborgir is Mount Hverfjall, a huge circular crater that’s 460ft (140m) deep and 3,280ft (1,000m) wide. It is one of the most beautiful craters in Iceland, one which erupted some 2,500 years ago and covered the Myvatn area in tephra (fragments of volcanic rock). It is also thought to be one of the largest on the planet.

A little further north is the hot-spring cave known as Grjótagjá, made famous by Game of Thrones. After Myvatn, we head (50 minutes) to the Godafoss waterfall, before travelling (40 minutes) to Akureyri, where the afternoon is free to spend at leisure.

Akureyri is the cultural, commercial and educational centre for northern Iceland and 37mi (60km) south of the Arctic Circle. Akureyri is remarkably green and has the northernmost botanical garden in the world. The Lutheran church here is an interesting visit, featuring a stained-glass window thought to have come from a church in London, UK.

As with most towns in Iceland there are also thermal baths, enjoyed as much by the locals as by visitors. And if you just fancy a wander, there are plenty of interesting shops, coffee shops and even ice cream parlours. If you would like to book a whale-watching tour or a visit to the Forest Lagoon hot springs for this afternoon (both optional), please speak to your tour leader at the welcome briefing.

• Accommodation:Hótel Norðurland or Hótel KEA Akureyri (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Leave Akureyri and drive to the beautiful waterfalls in Kolugljúfur Canyon, named after a giantess said to have once lived in the area.

Departing, we drive to Eiríksstaðir, a reconstructed Viking longhouse built using the same methods, tools and materials that were available during the time of the Vikings. The land on which it sits was also once home to Erik the Red and his son Leif Erikson – two of the best-known figures from the Viking Age.

From Eiríksstaðir, we transfer to the picturesque fishing village of Stykkishólmur, on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula.

Enjoy time to explore before we transfer to our home for the night: Lýsuhóll, a family-run guesthouse and horse farm. Take the opportunity to chat with the owners, who will happily show you the horses and talk about how they work to sustain the Icelandic horse through careful breeding and traditional farming methods.

This evening, we have our last dinner with our tour leader – a chance to relive some of our adventures together.

• Accommodation:Lýsuhóll (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The exposed coast of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula is the goal for today. We first drive (15 minutes) to the old church at Budir, one of the most picturesque in the country. Then, we transfer (20 minutes) to the sea cliffs at Arnarstapi, which teem with birds, before heading (20 minutes) to the rocks of Djúpalónssandur and old shipwrecks in black basaltic sand.

Our tour leader will tell us about the old cod-fishing methods, while towering above us is the Snæfellsjökull volcano. Some of the best fisheries are on the peninsula and whales can often be seen from shore on calm days.

After driving (35 minutes) to Ólafsvík for lunch, we transfer (2hr 45min) to our hotel in Reykjavik, when we say a fond farewell to our tour leader.

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• Accommodation:Hótel Klettur (or similar)
• Meals included:Breakfast

Our trip ends in Reykjavik after breakfast. You can catch a Flybus transfer to the airport for your return flight. Alternatively, if you’d like a bit longer to explore this invigorating city, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.

• Meals included:Breakfast